Viannah mentioned to me the other day that she thought that Numbers was the book where Moses invited anyone who wanted their name in the Bible to have it recorded. In fact, if a person feared that Leviticus would be painfully boring for a modern to read due to the enormous differences in times and places between then and now, they would fear Numbers all the more. The very name sounds like the detailed records of multiple censuses, important information to have but without much plot.
Of course, no one claims that the Bible, the record of God's interaction with his sentient creations, would have gripping plots throughout. Some of it would be important and necessary background information, much like a modern census.
A preview of Numbers shows that it does contain some interesting stories, in addition to some of this feared raw data. As Israel, under Moses, approaches the Promised Land, they send out scouts and have meetings to decide what to do. Those are recorded here in all their human fragmentation. As they move forward, they encounter other peoples and the gods of other peoples and have more interesting confrontations. Some of that is in here too.
It looks like Numbers records the majority of the wandering in the desert, from about year two after the Exodus to the threshold of crossing into the promised land, thirty eight years later, including how God managed to preserve a million people through this ordeal, and why it happened that way.
We’re not here for entertainment (though we'll take it when we get it), we're here to systematically review the Bible as it comes to us today and in our language and see what God has to say to us through it. This has been the case with each book we've looked at so far, although we have not yet heard God saying exactly what we have been acculturated to expect.
One thing we can expect though, I think, is that with Numbers, our perception of God will be altered further.
Numbers 1
2005
June 17 for July 13th
God commanded a census of the people that was conducted on the first day of the second month of the second year after they left Egypt. Aaron and Moses were to be assisted in this by one man from each of the twelve tribes and these assistants are named. The whole assembly was called together on that day and they organized themselves by clans and families. The result was a count of "All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army."
These data are recorded inefficiently with the qualification refrain paragraph included after every number under every tribal heading. Also, they appear to be rounded to a near one hundred count except in the case of Gad where the rounding is to a half hundred. The statistics are:
Descendants of Army eligible men over 20
Reuben 46,500
Simeon 59,300
Gad 45,650
Judah 74,600
Issachar 54,400
Zebulun 57,400
Joseph:
Ephraim 40,500
Manasseh 32,200
Benjamin 35,400
Dan 62,700
Asher 41,500
Naphtali 53,400
Total 603,550
It was prohibited to number the descendants of Levi. They were never to serve in the army but were to be perpetually in charge of the tabernacle and all its contents, taking care of them, moving them around, and so forth. In the arrangement of the camp, they would always be encamped in the center.
Although the Levites are not numbered in the census, the descendants of Joseph divide into two tribes, so there are still twelve tribes in the army and thirteen organizational tribes in all.
It does not say this explicitly or in the command, but the purpose of the census is clearly to evaluate military strength, doubtless in anticipation of the anticipated move into the Promised Land.
If there were six hundred thousand men who could "serve in the army", there would have been at least that many women and possibly more than twice that many children in the population since these people were in the process of expanding. This implies at least two and a half or three million mouths to feed in the desert.
Numbers 2
2005 June 18 for July 14th
God, speaking through Moses and Aaron specifies the arrangement in which the tribes will camp and move. In the description, the census results from the last chapter are repeated.
The tabernacle and the Levites camp in the middle.
To the east of the tabernacle (towards the rising sun) is the camp of Judah. This consists of the lead tribe Judah on the south, Issachar in the middle and Zebulun on the north. The military division leaders are Nahshon son of Amminadab, Nethanel son of Zuar and Eliab son of Helon respectively. When they march, this group starts out first with Judah on the left, Issachar in the middle, and Zebulun on the right.
On the south (clockwise) of the tabernacle is the camp of Reuben. This consists of the lead tribe Reuben on the east, Simeon in the middle and Gad on the west. The military division leaders are Elizur son of Shedeur, Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai and Eliasaph son of Deuel respectively. These march after the Judah group with Reuben on the left (behind Judah) Simeon in the middle and Gad on the right (behind Zebulun).
On the march, the Levites carrying the tabernacle follow this group. This puts them in the middle.
On the west of the tabernacle is the camp of Ephraim. This consists of the lead tribe Ephraim on the south, Manasseh in the middle and Benjamin on the north. The military division leaders are Elishama son of Ammihud, Gamaliel son of Pedahzur and Abidan son of Gideoni respectively. These march behind the Levites carrying the tabernacle with Ephraim on the left, Manasseh in the middle and Benjamin on the right.
Finally, the camp of Dan is on the north. This consists of the lead tribe Dan to the west, Asher in the middle, and Naphtali to the east. The military division leaders are Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai, Pagiel son of Ocran, and Ahira son of Erian respectively. This group marches in the last row with Dan on the left, Asher in the middle and Naphtali on the right.
Each camp and division (tribe) had its own standard and all the men of that camp marched under their standard. Everything was done as God commanded Moses.
Numbers 3
2005
June 19 for July 15th
Now we discuss the Levites in particular.
Aaron had four sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. We recall from Leviticus, however, that Nadab and Abihu "fell dead before the Lord when they made an offering with unauthorized fire before him in the Desert of Sinai." Since they had no sons themselves, Eleazar and Ithamar were the only priests to serve during the life of Aaron.
God commanded Moses to number the Levites. Their job was to handle the tabernacle and all its furnishings. Aaron and his sons would serve as priests. "Anyone else who approaches the sanctuary must be put to death."
It does not say exactly what is meant by the term "sanctuary." Is this the erected sanctuary, or any part of the materials ever used in its assembly? Probably the former, but if that is the case there should be a commissioning and decommissioning procedure for every move so that the normal Levite workers would know when it was and was not the sanctuary. We have seen no command or specification for any such ceremony except at the very first consecration.
Levi himself had three sons, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari and each of them had sons who led to the current clans:
Of Gershon: Libni and Shimei.
Of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
Of Merari: Mahli and Mushi.
The census of these clans consisted of counting all males one month old and older. It does not say why this is different from the military census taken in the other tribes, of counting males twenty and over. We do know that the Levites were destined for tabernacle service, not military service.
In Gershon the count was 7500. They camped on the west "behind" the tabernacle, led by Eliasaph son of Lael. They were responsible for the tabernacle, tent, coverings, and all the curtains, the ones at the entrance to the courtyard, the entrance to the courtyard, the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, and everything used with them such as ropes.
The Kohath count was 8600. They camped at the south of the tabernacle, led by Elizaphan son of Uzziel. They took care of the ark, table, lampstand, altars, all the utensils and things in the sanctuary, the inner curtain and everything used with them. Eleazar, son of Aaron was in charge of this specific work.
The Merari count was 6200. They camped to the north of the tabernacle, led by Zuriel son of Abihail. They took care of the frames, crossbars, posts, bases, and all the equipment of the tabernacle and related items like tent pegs, ropes, and courtyard support bases.
The principle direction was east "toward the sunrise" where Moses and Aaron and his sons camped on the entrance side. "Anyone else who approached the sanctuary was to be put to death."
Although the three numbers above plus Moses, Aaron, Eleazar, and Ithamar add up to 22,304 the total Moses got was 22,000.
Recalling that God, by destroying all the firstborn Egyptians had made the firstborns sacred, Moses was ordered to count all the firstborns in Israel and list them by name. There were 22,273 using this evaluation. God commanded that the 22,000 Levites be taken as the firstborns for all of Israel and that five sanctuary shekels be paid for each of the 273 left over.
It doesn't say how the leftover firstborn males were chosen. Merely by being counted last? That doesn't seem fair, though none of this seems to have much to do with "fairness." Recall that God, through Moses, is in the business of ordering society by dictating purposes in bloodlines, certainly not any modern Jeffersonian notion of intrinsic individual fitness for a particular duty. In this culture, your sole identity was your family.
In any case, 1,365 shekels were collected in this way and given to Aaron and his sons for the operation of the tabernacle.
I don't know what this does to the regulation we saw previously about presenting the firstborn males on the eighth day. Is God taking firstborn males twice, does this regulation supercede the old one, or is this something else?
Counting only males, the total in Israel from age 20 and up, excepting the Levites, was 603,550 (from the prior chapter). Given roughly uniform distribution of ages from zero to seventy, this implies about 845,000 total males of which 22,273 were firstborns. This in turn implies that average Israelite woman was producing 38-39 boys of which only one was counted firstborn (and not counting any girls, regardless of birth order). This being unreasonable by a factor of at least three or four, it appears that Moses undercounted the firstborns by a significant factor.
This sort of thing sometimes happens when a top leader takes on a meticulous detailed job personally. To me, this and the apparent arithmetic error plus all of the rounding to the nearest hundred make the strict and exact accounting and redemption of the 273 "excess" Israelite firstborns superfluous at best. We could nearly wave off the rounding and errors as techniques of reasonable estimation except for this strictness in concluding the work.
We also note that the tribe of Levi was itself much smaller than any of the others. (Manasseh was the smallest regular tribe at 32,200 and Judah was largest at 74,600.) If the size of the tribe of Levi had been average compared with the other twelve, the number of males there would have been 1/12th of the total male population and using the Levites for redemption of all firstborns would have implied an average Israeli family with twelve boys. While this still seems high for an average (to me), it is not unbelievable, as 38-39 is. (Susannah Wesley had twenty children.) Perhaps, then, the Levites themselves were also significantly undercounted.
Numbers 4
2005
June 20 for July 18th
Duties for moving the tabernacle are assigned to the clans of Levi. The questions we had yesterday about how to deal with the sacred articles are addressed.
Men between thirty and fifty who are able to serve by carrying some of the many articles from the tabernacle are numbered:
Kohathites 2750
Gershonites 2630
Merarites 3200
Total 8580
Further, multiplying this sub-census by seven halfs so as to estimate the number of all Levite men from zero to seventy gives about 30,000, higher than the total (the suspected undercount) census in the last chapter, but not by so much that we can reach any statistically significant conclusions.
When it is time to move the camp, Aaron and his sons were to go into the most sacred place and pack up all of the most sacred objects, the altar, the utensils, the lampstands, and so forth, putting them in bags of the hides of sea cows or covering them with the same material. Once this was all done, the assigned Kohathites could come in and carry the objects on the march to the next camp location but could not touch the holy objects or look at them even for a moment, lest they die. Also, it was commanded that Moses and Aaron keep the Kohathite clan from being cut off from their people so that they could continue to perform these duties. Eleazar was in charge of this movement and each man had a certain item that he was assigned to carry.
Similarly, the Gershonites, under the charge of Ithamar, were to move all of the curtains and coverings of the tabernacle, inner and outer, including all of the articles like ropes and other equipment related to this usage.
The Merarites carried, essentially, everything else, all of the stands and framework, crossbars, posts, and bases, tent pegs and all the other equipment related to their use. This work was also under the direction of Ithamar.
Numbers 5
2005
June 21 for July 19th
Two laws are given, a very short one and a long one.
The short one: Anyone male or female who has an infectious skin disease or is ceremonially unclean because they have been with a dead body (for example) must be sent outside the camp so that the camp is not defiled.
If someone wrongs someone else they must make 120% restitution. If there is no one to whom to make restitution (the victim or a relative) the restitution goes to the priest. People's offerings belong to them, but these fines belong to the priest.
The long law has to do with suspected unfaithful wives.
If a man's wife "goes astray" and is unfaithful, that is, sleeps with another man, even if she is not caught in the act and there is no witness, if her husband feels jealous she is indicted and must be brought before the priest. The priest performs a ceremony. The husband brings a grain offering without oil or incense on it "because" it is a grain offering for jealousy. (This makes me wonder if the author knows what "because" means.) The priest loosens the woman's hair (meaning unknown), places the offering in her hands, and makes up some bitter water by mixing "holy water" in a clay jar mixed with dust from the tabernacle floor.
The woman is then put under oath and a proclamation made. She will drink the water and if it makes her sick (her abdomen swells and thighs waste away) she is guilty of sleeping with another man. If not, there will be no effect.
The woman must assent to this. The curse is then written on a scroll and "washed off" into the water after which she drinks it.
If she is affected, "she will become accursed among her people." Otherwise "she will be cleared of guilt and will be able to have children."
It further states that the husband is guilty of no wrongdoing.
Several items are noteworthy in this proceeding.
- There is no possibility for a man to go astray or for anyone to worry about or feel jealous about that.
- There is no "counter suite." A man can sentence his wife to this inquiry and risk her injury merely from feelings of jealousy. If he is wrong, there is not even an apology. He is "innocent" no matter what.
- The woman is presumed guilty (no "witnesses") until proven innocent by dirty water.
- No plea or testimony is possible.
- No evidence is needed to support "feels jealous."
- There is no concept that there is always a witness to a woman's adultery, the man who is also committing adultery. Does this imply that only women can be guilty in unfaithfulness?
- No time limit is given. How long between application of bitter water and disease is considered causal? Minutes? Days? Years? Are we really looking for venereal disease?
- There is no appeal.
- The opposite of a curse is to "be able to have children." Clearly they don't want illegitimate children, but it is implied here that it is not even possible.
- Magic is the only possible connection between dirty water and guilt. It doesn't say that God will do or not do anything.
I find this whole proceeding to be peculiar, clearly a cultural anomaly. It reminds me of the medieval practice of throwing suspects in a lake full of holy water. If the lake (i.e., the holy water) accepts them and they sink and drown, they were proclaimed innocent, and presumably find themselves in bliss with God.
I cannot believe that women can be solely responsible for unfaithfulness in any culture of humans. I am offended that only women can be accused, "tested" or punished, and that, really, tested only by the quality of dirt that happens to be on the tabernacle floor and the purity of the water that happens to be in the holy clay jar on that day.
I stumble over this passage, inerrant or not.
Numbers 6
2005
June 22 for July 20th
There are times when a person wants to take a vow to separate himself or herself to God. This is called a "Nazirite Vow" and these are the regulations.
No drinking anything fermented, or even grape juice or grapes or raisins. Not even skins or seeds of grapes. Nothing from the vine may be ingested.
He cannot use a razor on his head, his hair grows out as long as it grows.
He cannot go near a dead body, no matter how close the relative, even a parent or sibling. If someone dies suddenly in the presence of a Nazirite, there is a sacrifice required similar to the sin offering. It involves two pigeons, and a year-old male lamb and the person must shave his head (the hair is defiled) and start over.
The vow is for some period of time and when that time is over there is another sacrifice prescribed that involves unleavened bread and a ram for a fellowship offering. At this occasion he shaves his hair off and burns it as part of the burnt offering. All the offerings are "waved before the Lord" after which the Nazirite "may drink wine."
A couple of notes on the Nazirite Vow.
This is what John the Baptist did, from the beginning of his ministry out in the desert. This is also what Samson did, which is why cutting his hair caused him to lose his strength (which was from God, per the vow).
This (or a parallel passage in Deuteronomy) was the text of an editorial that I wrote for the high school newspaper of which I was an editor when I was a senior. School rules and dress codes, prescribed by the school board, were very stylistically tied to the perceived moralities of World War II and the fifties. Burr and Buzz haircuts were preferred for boys, but in no case could hair touch the ears or collars. Such was a sin punishable by a haircut and detention hall.
We often quipped that Jesus, as pictured in all those churches behind all those preachers, couldn't attend our high school! Probably not.
I don't recall what my punishment was for this infraction. It might have been detention hall, it might have been extra work, or it might have been a strong talking to by the principal. (There was no retraction that I recall.) This was certainly one of the many times I was called in to see Mr. Holt over something. "Those board members have cows to take care of. They hired me to deal with you!" This was the cost to the school of having me function as the lead editor, editorialist, and the publisher. I had very little supervision. I was the one who typed up the whole paper on mimeograph on dad's typewriter and ran off the issue on dad's mimeograph machine in his office at the church. For me it was homework. (Dad owned his own mimeograph machine because you couldn't depend on the quality or even the existence of church owned equipment.)
This was not the last time that I found conflicts between the Bible and the Christian culture in which I found myself. It also wasn't the last time that I pointed such problems out to someone.
This chapter ends with The Priestly Blessing which is prescribed by God to Moses as a way to "put my name on the Israelites" as a blessing.
The blessing is very familiar to me. It is the way that dad ended virtually every church service that he conducted. I particularly remember the evening services.
"The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace."
Numbers 7:1 - 47
2005 June 23 for July 21st
The day for the dedication, anointing, and consecration of the tabernacle arrived. Offerings were brought and God told Moses to accept them for the service of the tabernacle.
All of the tribal leaders together presented six carts and twelve oxen, two per cart. These were distributed, two carts and four oxen to the Gershonites and four carts and eight oxen to the Merarites who would use them to move most of the outer materials associated with the tabernacle under the direction of Ithamar. The Kohathites were not given any carts of oxen as they were to carry the actual holy things on their shoulders.
Then follows a long list of offerings given, per tribe. In today's portion, the offerings of the following leaders are individually detailed, one offering per day:
Day One: Nahshon son of Amminadab, leader of Judah;
Day Two: Nethanel son of Zuar, leader of Issachar;
Day Three: Eliab son of Helon, leader of Zebulun;
Day Four: Elizur son of Shedeur, leader of Reuben;
Day Five: Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai, leader of Simeon;
Day Six: Eliasaph son of Deuel, leader of Gad.
These are the same leaders listed in Chapter 2 when the camping and marching arrangements were specified.
Each of these brought the following:
One silver plate of 130 shekels weight;
One silver sprinkling bowl of 70 shekels weight, both filled with fine flour and oil,
One gold ladle of ten shekels weight, filled with incense;
One young bull, One ram, One male lamb yearling, burnt offerings;
Two oxen, Five rams, Five male goats, Five male lamb yearlings, fellowship offerings.
These are fully repeated every time with the leader's name at the beginning and end of each, possibly in order that they get full credit.
Numbers 7:48 - 89
2005 June 24 for July 22nd
The list of tribal leaders bringing gifts to the consecration of the tabernacle continues, each still bringing exactly the same gift that we described yesterday:
One silver plate, 130 shekels;
One silver sprinkling bowl, 70 shekels, both filled with fine flour and oil, grain offering;
One gold ladle, ten shekels, filled with incense;
One young bull, One ram, One male lamb yearling, burnt offerings;
Two oxen, Five rams, Five male goats, Five male lamb yearlings, fellowship offerings.
Continuing, one tribe per day:
Day Seven: Elishama son of Ammihud, leader of Ephraim.
Day Eight: Gamaliel son of Pedahzur, leader of Manasseh.
Day Nine: Abidan son of Gideoni, leader of Benjamin.
Day Ten: Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai, leader of Dan.
Day Eleven: Pagiel son of Ocran, leader of Asher.
Day Twelve: Ahira son of Enan, leader of Naphtali.
So, in the end there were twelve silver plates, twelve silver sprinkling bowls, twelve gold ladles, twelve young bulls, twelve rams, twelve male lambs, twenty four oxen, sixty rams, sixty male goats, and sixty male yearling lambs, quite an impressive set of offerings.
"When Moses entered the Tent of Meeting to speak with the Lord, he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the atonement cover on the ark of the Testimony. And he spoke with him."
Numbers 8 - 9:14
2005 June 27 for July 25th
God told Moses how Aaron should set up the lamps in the tent and Aaron set them up that way.
God then told Moses how to consecrate the Levites so they could start service. There was a grain offering and two animals, a sin offering and burnt offering. These were to be offered in ways similar to the instructions for such offerings found in Leviticus.
The Levites themselves were waved as a wave offering before God.
It was reiterated that the Levites belonged to God in place of all the firstborn of the Israelites.
They washed their clothes and purified themselves and Aaron did the ceremonies.
Levites were to be available for service from age twenty-five to fifty. After age fifty they were to retire. They could still assist but could not "do the work."
God then commanded the third observance of the Passover, at twilight on the fourteenth day of the second month of the second year after the Exodus. Some people were unclean due to dead bodies on that day and asked Moses why they couldn't celebrate the Passover too. Moses went off to check with God about this.
The ruling was that they could, that they would eat the same things and do the same rituals even if they were unclean or on a journey. Indeed, any Israelite who was not unclean or on a journey would be "cut off from his people" if he didn't celebrate. "That man will bear the consequences of his sin."
Interesting that God leveraged this liberalization of the Passover rules into a new universal command.
Also, aliens were allowed to celebrate the Passover, but only by strictly following all of the same regulations as those "native-born" had to observe.
Numbers 9:15 - 10:36
2005
June 28 for July 26th
On the day that the tabernacle was set up, the presence of God settled on it in the form of a cloud. At night it looked like fire. Whenever the cloud lifted, the Israelites would break camp and move out. When it stayed on the tabernacle, they stayed in camp for however long it was, a day, a month, or a year. This was obedience to God as relayed through Moses.
God also ordered that two trumpets be made. These were used together or separately to give signals to the camp. Both trumpets sounding meant to have the whole community assemble at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.. One trumpet meant for only the leaders to assemble.
"Sounding" of the trumpets is distinguished from "sound a blast." When a blast was sounded, it was time to break camp, and when the second blast sounded it was time to move, south side first. (It doesn't say what to do if the direction of travel is to be, for instance, north.)
The sons of Aaron are the ones who could blow the trumpets that were also to be used for festivals and such. This was another ordinance in perpetuity.
So, on the twentieth day of the second month of the second year, the cloud lifted and, obediently, the Israelites left the Desert of Sinai and "traveled from place to place" until the cloud rested at the Desert of Paran.
Following this is a description of which camps marched under what leadership and what standards. This repeats the list of tribes and leaders we have seen before.
Moses spoke to his father-in-law, Hobab, son of Reuel the Midianite. He said that the company was going to Canaan to take their inherited land. Hobab said he would leave them and return to his home and people. Moses asked, however, that he stay with them because he knew his way around the desert, knew where they should camp, and would "be our eyes." The Israelites would share whatever good things they had with Hobab.
It is not clear what they needed Hobab for if they had the cloud to follow. In fact, in the next sentence, it says that the cloud was above the camp and the Ark of the Covenant traveled for three days then they found a place of rest.
This whole account is not a clear travelogue. It seems confused from that perspective.
Whenever they started out, Moses said:
"Rise up, O Lord!
May your enemies e scattered; may your foes flee before you."
Whenever they stopped and rested he said:
"Return, O Lord, to the countless thousands of Israel."
Numbers 11
2005
June 29 for August 5th
Some interesting things happen now. First the people complained, it doesn't say what about, but it was within earshot of God and fire burned around the edge of the camp and burned up some of them. The place was called "Burning."
Next, "the rabble with them" started craving variety in their food and complaining about the sameness of the manna. They remembered the fish they had eaten in Egypt and wished they had never left. "Moses heard the people of every family wailing, each at the entrance to his tent." This made God very mad and Moses felt he was in trouble.
He himself complained to God: Did I conceive all these people? Birth them? What did I do to offend you (God) that I have to carry all these people like a nursemaid carries a baby? "If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right now -- if I have found favor in your eyes -- and do not let me face my own ruin."
God responded. First he ordered seventy of the leaders brought to the tent of meeting where he would speak with them. He also ordered that the people consecrate themselves because they would be eating meat the next day. In fact, they would eat it for a whole month "until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it" because of all the complaining.
Moses was cranky. How was he going to feed six hundred thousand men meat for a month? Were there enough fish in the sea? God assured him that he could do this. 'Just watch.'
The next day the seventy elders were brought in and God's Spirit came on them and they all prophesied. In fact, two of the seventy (Eldad and Medad) who hadn't gone to the tent of meeting also started prophesying, right out in the camp where they happened to be at the time. It doesn't say this, but this sounds like "speaking in tongues." Moses' aide Joshua wanted Moses to go stop them but Moses said, "Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord's people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!"
It does in fact make one wonder why God doesn't just do this.
God caused a wind and blew quail "in from the sea." They came down all around the camp down to about three feet. Everybody caught all they wanted, no one less than fifty bushels! This was spread out among the camp.
Before it could all be eaten, God struck them with a plague so that many died and were buried there. The place was therefore called "Graves of Craving."
Not to be too skeptical, but this also sounds like lack of refrigeration. Out in the desert without food handling facilities might not be the ideal place to eat lots of old meat.
Numbers 12 - 13:25
2005 June 30 for August 8th
A problem occurred at the highest levels. Moses' brother and sister, Aaron and Miriam said, "Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn't he also spoken through us?"
Recalling that Moses is the author here, it says that they talked against him in this way because of his Cushite wife. Is this racism? Is this democracy emerging? It sounds nearly Unitarian.
Well, "the Lord heard this." It also says parenthetically that Moses was the most humble man on the face of the earth.
"At once" God said to them all, "Come out to the Tent of Meeting, all three of you." So they did. God came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance. Moses and Aaron were summoned and stepped forward. This is what God said,
"When a prophet of the Lord is among you, I reveal myself to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams.
"But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house.
"With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the Lord.
"Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?"
No consensus here. Moses was special among people. God speaks in riddles to the rest.
God's anger burned against them then he left and the cloud lifted. It was then that they noticed that Miriam was leprous all over, white as snow. Aaron humbly begged mercy. Moses cried out for her healing.
God replied, "If her father had spit in her face, would she not have been in disgrace for seven days?" So she was put through the ritual for cleansing and was confined outside the camp for the prescribed seven days. The camp did not move while she was out there. After she was brought back in, they moved from Hazeroth and went to the Desert of Paran.
God then ordered that Moses send some men to scout out the land of Canaan that they were supposed to inherit.
The scouts were:
Reuben: Shammua son of Zaccur
Simeon: Shaphat son of Hori
Judah: Caleb son of Jephunneh
Issachar: Igal son of Joseph
Ephraim: Hoshea son of Nun
Benjamin: Palti son of Raphu
Zebulun: Gaddiel son of Sodi
Manaseh: Gaddi son of Susi
Dan:: Ammiel son of Gemalli
Asher: Sethur son of Michael
Naphtali: Nahbi son of Vophsi
Gad: Geuel son of Maki
They were to go up through the Negev and the hill country, check out the land and the strength of the people, fertility of the soil, and types of towns. They were to bring back some fruit if at all possible.
They went and did this for forty days, bringing back a cluster of grapes that was so big that two of them had to carry it on a pole between them. (That's why the valley was called "Eschol" that is, "Cluster.")
Numbers 13:26 - 14:25
2005 July 1 for August 9th
The scouts of Canaan came back with their report. The land was indeed as God had promised, flowing with "milk and honey" and they ate the grapes from the vine, but "the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large." The descendents of Anak (descendents of the Nephilim who we thought were all destroyed in the flood) were particularly large.
Caleb tried to quash this, saying in essence, 'who can beat God if we attack at his command?' but the rest of the spies spread a bad report. "We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them."
This report caused serious unrest among the people. They moaned and complained and wished that they had never left Egypt. They even talked seriously of choosing a new leader who would take them back there. Moses, Aaron, Joshua, and Caleb fell down in front of the assembly and begged them to go ahead and take the land God was leading them to. "Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them." Just don't rebel against God.
The assembly then started to discuss stoning them. Moses and his three comrades were in a serious spot when the "glory of the Lord appeared at the Tent of Meeting to all the Israelites."
God's word to Moses, "How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them? I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they."
Moses was terrified at this, however. He was terrified that the Egyptians would hear about it then slander God's name saying that, though he brought them out of Egypt he couldn't lead them into their land but had to kill them in the desert. "Now may the Lord's strength be displayed, just as you have declared." He begged forgiveness for the people.
Since Moses is the author here we get to read his mind with respect to these events. He is worried about God's reputation with the Egyptians. Moses was, after all, point man in the whole episode to bring them this far. God apparently saw that it would fulfill his vow to Abraham and the patriarchs to start over now with Moses but Moses had a lot invested in these particular, particularly stubborn people. They weren't hearing God; they were just tired of the desert with the powerful Egyptians behind them and the "giants" of Canaan in front of them. They were virtually panicked. Despite the fact that these people had seen more miracles every month or so than most people see in a lifetime, they still didn't have much trust in this God they were following through Moses.
Indeed, they probably wouldn't believe if someone came back from the dead and told them. (Remember Abraham and Lazarus as told by Jesus in Luke?)
At Moses' plea, God did forgive the people, but, "not one of the men who saw my glory and the miraculous signs I performed in Egypt and in the desert but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times -- not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their forefathers." Not anyone but Caleb.
"Since the Amalekites and Canaanites are living in the valleys, turn back tomorrow and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea" (that is, "Sea of Reeds."), was God's command.
Numbers 14:26 - 15:31
2005 July 4 for August 10th
Because the people didn't go up to take Canaan as God had ordered, but had complained against him, he pronounced a curse on them. Exactly what they had feared would indeed happen to them; they would die in the desert. As for the children who they had feared would be taken as plunder, they would be shepherds in the desert for forty years, then would themselves inherit the land promised, but one year late for each of the forty days of exploration of the land.
Everyone over twenty who had been counted in the recent census would die in the desert. The ten spies who gave the bad report and stirred up trouble died of plague right away. Only Joshua and Caleb survived. This is how it is to have God against you.
When Moses reported this judgment out, everyone "mourned bitterly" and some, realizing that they had sinned, decided to go on up and take the land that God had promised. Moses warned them against this. God had rescinded his order. Moses stayed in the camp with the ark and the party that went up to the frontier was easily routed by the occupying Amalekites and Canaanites. They were "beat[en] down all the way to Hormah."
Additional regulations are now given for any offerings made by fire. They must be offered with a couple of quarts of fine flour mixed with a quart of oil along with a quart of wine as a drink offering. Other proportions of flour, oil, and wine are prescribed if the offering is a ram, or a bull.
The regulations for such things are exactly the same for native-born Israelites as for aliens living with them. They are all the same before God. This is an interesting concept of equality for such an ancient era. It is certainly nothing like anything that would have been practiced in Egypt during Moses' upbringing and training. God is an equalizer.
When in the land they are going to occupy, when they are about to eat the fruits of the land, they are to present some of the first of it, in the form of a cake, as a preliminary offering. God and Moses can nearly taste the promises of the land of the future.
Further regulations are given about unintentional sin that are similar to those given in Leviticus. There are two categories, one when the whole assembly sins by mistake, the other when an individual sins by mistake or through ignorance. For the whole community, the burnt offering is a young bull. For the individual it is a yearling female goat.
Anyone who sins on purpose ("defiantly") or blasphemes will be cut off from the people. His guilt is irremovable.
Numbers 15:32 - 16:24
2005 July 5 for August 11th
A man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath. This was considered work. He was taken into custody until it was clear what to do with him. God told Moses that "the whole assembly must stone him outside the camp" which they did. It does not say how over 600,000 men could stone one person to death.
God then commanded that the Israelites should wear tassels on their garments. When they saw the tassels, which would be all the time, they would think of the commands of God and not forget about them.
It doesn't say if there is a connection between collecting wood on the Sabbath and this new ordinance. It also isn't clear why one of the versions of sin offering wasn't suitable for this. Perhaps the man was defiantly, intentionally sinful but it doesn't say that.
A Kohathite, Korah; some Reubenites, Dathan, Abiram, and On; and 250 other well known leaders of the various tribes became "insolent" and rebelled against Moses. This looks like the second wave of the post-spying rebellion. Their complaint, "You [Moses] have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord's assembly?" This echoes what Aaron and Miriam just said a few chapters back.
This is another attempt at democracy, or at least a different theocracy, based on the self-evident truth that all men are created equal.
Moses, as was becoming his custom in these many crises, fell facedown, then got up and proclaimed that the next day God would show who was holy and who belonged to him. Everyone was to bring a censer with fire and incense in it.
I don't know whether to make anything of the usage that implies that being holy and belonging to God are equivalent to being in the priesthood.
Moses asked Korah in particular why it wasn't enough that he, among the
Kohathites, was set aside to work at the tabernacle that he also vied
for the
priesthood in this way. What do they
have against Aaron? This was similar to
asking Buzz Aldrin what was the matter with being the second man on the
moon.
Moses then "summoned" Dathan and Abiram but they would not come. Their complaint, "Isn't it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the desert? And now you also want to lord it over us? Moreover, you haven't brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you gouge out the eyes of these men? No, we will not come!"
This made Moses angry, very angry. Moses told God not to accept their offerings. He claimed he had never taken anything from these people or wronged them in any way.
The next day, the 250 men came before God with fire in their censers, plus Moses and Aaron. When everyone was there at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, God's glory appeared. God told Moses and Aaron to move away so he could destroy all the opposition at once.
"Moses and Aaron fell facedown and cried out, 'O God, God of the spirits of all mankind, will you be angry with the entire assembly when only one man sins?'"
It is not clear what "one man" Moses and Aaron are talking about. Korah? Dathan and Abiram? The 250?
So God instructed Moses that all of the assembly should "Move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram."
To be continued…
Numbers 16:25 - 17:13
2005
July 6 for August 12th
Yesterday a confrontation between Korah, Dathan, Abiram and 250 followers had arisen against Moses, Aaron, and God. Moses and Aaron had begged for mercy and so God had not immediately destroyed the 250, but he had said for everyone to step away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.
Moses instructed the assembly to do this. The named men stood outside their tents with their families and their little ones. Moses then made this speech:
"If these men die a natural death and experience only what usually happens to men, then the Lord has not sent me. But if the Lord brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the grave, then you will know that these men have treated the Lord with contempt."
And, as soon as he was finished saying this, "the ground under them split apart and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, with their households and all Korah's men and all their possessions. They went down alive into the grave…"
The rest of the Israelites ran away shouting, "The earth is going to swallow us too! And fire came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense."
So there!
God then instructed Moses to instruct Eleazar to take all the smoldering censers out of the remains of the 250 and hammer them into sheets to cover the altar. They had become holy in the act that cost these men their lives. They were to become a "sign to the Israelites."
The next day the people who remained grumbled against Moses and Aaron because they had "killed the Lord's people." Clearly, the people's experience of God was similar to ours; they did not literally see anything but a cloud. It was different for Moses, however.
Moses and Aaron were in front of the tent and God told them to get out of the way so he could destroy everyone at once. Moses and Aaron prostrated themselves again and God told Moses to get some incense in a censer and send it out with Aaron among the people. The plague had already started, but this ritual would save some. Aaron went out with the censer and some were saved, but 14,700 of them died from plague.
God arranged another test to demonstrate to Israel who was in charge. Each tribe would have a leader bring staffs (like a walking staff) with their names on them. The staff from Levi would have Aaron's name on it. Moses would put them all in the tent. One of them would sprout indicating who was the leader, and the others would not.
Next day when Moses went in not only had Aaron's staff sprouted, but it had blossomed and born almonds! All the rest were still staffs and were sent back to the people, but Aaron's was left in front of the altar as a demonstration to end all rebellions.
Were all rebellions thus ended? We will see.
"The Israelites said to Moses, 'We will die! We are lost, we are al lost! Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die. Are we all going to die?'"
This reminds me of Lucy (in Peanuts). "My lips have touched dog lips! Blech! Yech!"
Numbers 18
2005
July 7 for August 15th
God now speaks directly to Aaron telling him that it is his responsibility and his sons' to take care of the sanctuary and deal with any offenses against it. The Levites are to help carry it all around, but are not to come near anything otherwise. If someone does, both they and Aaron or his responsible heir will die as a result.
Whenever anything is offered to God, the part that is not burned belongs to the priests as their income and sustenance. This applies to all types of offerings with leftovers, animals or grain. All of the firstborns throughout Israel that are devoted to God become the property of the Levites as their sustenance. People must be redeemed for money (five shekels) and some animals can be, but not oxen, sheep, or goats. Their firstborns must be offered.
The Levites and Aaron's family have no other inheritance, they will own no property in the land. God himself is their portion.
The Levites also receive the tithes of all Israel as their income. This is the first time we have seen tithes mentioned in this global context although we do remember that Abraham tithed the spoils of a battle to the priest Melchizedek.
No one in Israel except Levites may go anywhere near the Tent of Meeting anymore. The Levites are responsible for this and for offenses.
I don't know exactly what is implied by this notion of being responsible for offenses but I presume it has something to do with guard and enforcement duties.
Of their portion of the sacrifices that are their income for their sustenance, the Levites themselves are to offer some to God, the very best part. By doing this they avoid becoming guilty and dying.
Numbers 19
2005
July 8 for August 16th
Several new, but familiar looking regulations are given about cleansing.
It says that the Israelites are to bring a red heifer "that has never been under a yoke" and is otherwise without defect, as a purification offering. This animal is slaughtered outside the camp and burned. The priest who does it (Eleazar) sprinkles some of the blood on his finger towards the Tent of Meeting then must then wash his clothes and bathe and be unclean until evening. The man who does the burning is also unclean and must bathe too. Someone who is clean then takes the ashes and puts them outside the camp in a ceremonially clean place.
As we have been instructed before, whoever touches a dead body is unclean for seven days and must purify himself with "cleansing water" on the third and seventh days. If the person dies inside a tent, not only is anyone who goes in the tent unclean but also any container inside that doesn't have a lid on it and the tent itself. The same applies to anyone who touches someone who was killed or dies naturally outside, or touches human bones or a grave.
Some of the purification ashes are put in a jar and fresh water poured over them. This water can then be used with hyssop to sprinkle anyone who is unclean for having dealt with death or any place or articles associated with death.
Not to do this ceremony is to defile the sanctuary. Any person who defiles the sanctuary must be cut off from the people.
Numbers 20
2005
July 9 for August 17th
The word "Meribah" means "quarreling."
When Israel was in the Desert of Zin, staying at Kadesh, Miriam died and was buried.
There was no water. The community, as usual, argued with Moses, saying they wished they had died when everybody else fell dead before God. They complained that there was no water, no vines, no nothing out here.
Moses and Aaron, as usual, went to the Tent of Meeting and fell facedown. God appeared and told Moses to take the staff from Aaron and go out and speak to the rock and strike it with the staff and it would pour out water for everyone and their livestock.
When they had the assembly in front of the rock, Moses said, "Listen you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?" He then struck the rock and water came out.
These were not the words that God wanted Moses to speak. They were words that made it look like Moses was doing something magic or that it might have just been normal for there to be water in a rock like that (which might well have been). Moses looked like a complainer too. God, not being mentioned or praised in this instance, was not pleased.
This place is called the "waters of Meribah."
How a million people and their livestock could partake of anything less than a major torrent flowing out of a rock like that is not discussed. During the administration phase, Moses was back in his tent writing the Bible.
Moses then sent emissaries to Edom (descendants of Esau) asking if Israel could pass through their country. He said, 'remember Israel, your brother, and remember all my hardships, being slaves in Egypt and coming out at God's hand?' Israel promised only to use the highway and not go on anyone's property, not for food or water. If anyone did use anything, they would pay.
Edom said, 'No, try it and we'll come out against you with a large army.'
This was repeated twice, then Moses gave up and they went another way.
So they left Kadesh where Miriam was buried and went to Mount Hor. When they arrived, God told Moses that Aaron would be "gathered to his people," a Hebrew euphemism for death. Because both he and Moses had "rebelled against my command at the waters of Meribah" neither of them would enter the Promised Land.
At God's instruction, Moses, Aaron, and Eleazar went up on Mount Hor. Moses removed Aaron's priestly garments and put them on Eleazar. Aaron died there. It doesn't give further details. Maybe on mountains like this they just wander off Eskimo style and are not seen again.
When Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain, the people learned that Aaron had died and mourned for thirty days.
Numbers 21
2005
July 11 for August 18th
A king near Israel's path, Arad, a Canaanite, came out and attacked Israel and captured some of the people. Israel then promised God that if he would deliver them over, they would totally destroy them. God listened and the Israelites completely destroyed them. The place is named Hormah ("destruction").
As they traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Sea of Reeds (Yam Suph), they complained once again that Moses had brought them out of Egypt into the desert with no resources. Also, "We detest this miserable food!"
God sent in snakes and many people were bitten and died. When Moses begged for mercy, God told him to make a bronze snake and set it up on a pole. Anyone bitten who looked at it would live. Moses did this and many were saved from snakebites.
I wonder if these judgments of God have similar psychology to premonitions of woe. Anytime something bad happens to us, we can usually say something like, "I had a bad feeling about this yesterday." The Israelites were always complaining about Moses, the desert, and the food, but whenever something bad happened like snakes or plague, Moses said it was because of the complaining.
Just wondering….
The bronze snake deal is not psychology.
Israel moved along between the territories of the Amorites and the Moabites. Some of their route is cross-referenced to a document called the "Book of the Wars of the Lord." This is the first we've seen of this source and it is not footnoted.
They moved on further to a place where God gave them water where they sang a song, "Spring up, O well!"
As with Edom, Israel tried to secure passage through the country of the Amorites, claiming that they would not bother anything that was there, or would pay for it if they did. In response, their king Sihon mustered his entire army and attacked. The result of the battle was that the Israelites took all of the territory of the Amorites, killing the king, his sons, and all the men, and taking the women into captivity.
God is not mentioned in connection with this Amorite battle.
Moses sent out some spies and afterwards captured some of the surrounding territory. They settled in the Amorite lands. There was also a confrontation with Og, king of Bashan who brought out his entire army to a battle called "Edrei." God told Moses not to be afraid, that he had given them over to defeat. Israel left no survivors and they "took possession of the land."
Numbers 22
2005
July 12 for August 19th
Although Israel had turned away from Edom, they were wiping out nearly everyone else they came in contact with. Balak, one of the local kings, thinking himself and his people a near-term target for this sort of treatment and realizing that he was greatly outnumbered by Israel, was terrified. He called on a local prophet he knew, a man named Balaam who lived at a place called Pethor.
Balak sent some of his princes with an offer of some wealth if Balaam would come and curse Israel because Balaam had a reputation that whomever he cursed was cursed and whomever he blessed was blessed. Balaam put the princes up for a night so he could talk to God about it.
God initiated a conversation with Balaam, asking what was going on. Balaam told God of the offer. God told Balaam that the Israelites were blessed and that he should do nothing against them. Next morning, Balaam sent the princes on their way.
A king is not easily put off, however, and Balak upped the anti. He sent higher ranking princes with a bigger offer. Balaam told them that he couldn't do anything for them, but put them up for the night and talked it over with God again anyway.
God came to Balaam again and said, "Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you."
There are interpretations of this story where we see Balaam begging God for this deal, since the wealth and prestige involved would set him up for life. May be, but, amongst all the other colorful language here, that's not what I see it saying. Balaam is trying to discern from God what he should do. God is saying, "no" then "yes, but…."
Next day, Balaam got on his donkey and went with the higher ranking princes. God was not pleased with this, however, and stood in his way (in the form of "the angel of the Lord", a term similar to that used when God talked to Abraham). The donkey saw God and went off the trail into a field. Balaam beat his donkey. Next, God stood with a drawn sword in a narrow pass in the road. The donkey, trying to go around, crushed
Balaam's foot against the wall. Balaam beat his donkey again. When something like this happened a third time, God allowed the donkey to speak. The conversation went like this:
Donkey: "What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?"
(Seems obvious.)
Balaam: "You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now."
(I sometimes talk to my car like this.)
Donkey: "Am I
not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day. Have I been in the habit of doing this to
you?"
(Good question.)
Balaam: "No."
God then "opened Balaam's eyes" and Balaam, seeing the problem fully, fell face down on the ground. God asked Balaam what was up with this beating of his donkey, pointing out that if the donkey had gotten close enough, God would have killed Balaam, though he would have spared the donkey. "I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me," God said.
Confusing as this must have been, given the interview of the night before when God told him to go, Balaam confessed that he had sinned and that he had not realized it was God causing all the trouble. He offered to go back home. God then warned him again, "Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you."
Sin is not a list of rules not followed or prohibitions ignored; it is merely not doing what God wants. We see this clearly here.
Balaam, now possessing serious clarification, went on to meet Balak whose greeting was colorful, "Am I really not able to reward you?"
Balaam replied, 'Well, I'm here now, but I can only do as God says.'
They then went up in the hills and made sacrifices of cattle and sheep of which Balak gave Balaam some of the riches, then they went up to a place called Bamoth Baal from which they could observe some of the Israelites.
Numbers 23:1 - 26
2005 July 13 for August 22nd
Balaam and Balak are there in the hills looking at part of Israel. Balaam ordered seven altars, seven bulls, and seven rams for offerings then went off to talk to God in private.
When he came back he had a message for Balak. In outline it is:
Balak brought Balam out to curse Jacob.
"How can I curse those whom God has not cursed?"
The people "live apart and do not consider themselves one of the nations."
No one can count Jacob. My death should be as blessed as theirs!
Balak was nonplussed. 'Quit this! I hired you to curse them!'
They moved to a different location and looked at a different part of Israel.
They made some more altars and more sacrifices. Balaam went off again to talk to God and returned to find Balak and his princes standing by the offerings. Repeating the message from God, he was more direct this time:
Arise, Balak, and listen; hear me, son of Zippor.
God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind.
Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?
I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot change it.
No misfortune is seen in Jacob, no misery observed in Israel.
The Lord their God is with them; the shout of the King is among them.
God brought them out of Egypt; they have the strength of a wild ox.
There is no sorcery against Jacob, no divination against Israel.
It will now be said of Jacob and of Israel, 'See what God has done!'
The people rise like a lioness; they rouse themselves like a lion
that does not rest till he devours his prey and drinks the blood of his victims.
So there!
Now Balak was upset, "Neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!"
Is this the same God who was ready to destroy most of the people of Israel a couple of chapters ago? Is this the same God who was ready to kill Balaam just last week? Talk about parental pride!
Numbers 23:27 - 24:25
2005 July 14 for August 23rd
Balak's fiasco with Balaam continues.
Thinking that God might let Balaam curse the Israelites from yet another location, Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor that had a good view of the wasteland.
Similar altars and sacrifices were instituted as before and Balaam went off to consult with God as before. Rather than doing sorcery, one of the things he sometimes did, he just looked out across Israel encamped in the desert and gave an oracle of poetry. In it, Balaam says that he saw clearly and heard God. The tents of Israel were beautiful, row for row. The nation was strong and would eat up hostile nations. They would also be greater than the existing nations. Those who blessed them would be blessed. Those who cursed them would be cursed.
Balak was furious with this. He had contracted with Balaam to curse these enemies but nothing but blessings had emerged. He would not pay the contract. Balaam reminded him that he had said he could do nothing but what God said, regardless of the payment.
Before leaving, he gave a general oracle about Israel that obviously has both near term and Messianic meanings:
The oracle of Balaam son of Beor, the oracle of one whose eye sees clearly, the oracle of one who hears the words of God, who has knowledge from the Most High, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:
I see him, but not now; I behold him but not near.
A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.
He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of all the sons of Sheth.
Edom will be conquered; Seir, his enemy, will be conquered, but Israel will grow strong,
A ruler will come out of Jacob and destroy the survivors of the city.
No wonder the people for centuries thought that the Messiah would be a military leader.
In addition, Balaam gave oracles against Amalek, the Kenites (who would be destroyed by Asshur) and Asshur and Eber who would be subdued by people who came up on the shores of Kittim in ships. A navy!
After these free oracles, Balaam went home and "Balak went his own way."
Numbers 25 - 26:22
2005 July 16 for August 24th
Israel was living in a place called Shittim that was close enough to Moab that many Israelite men were engaging in sexual immorality with Moabite women and were, by invitation, worshipping their god, Baal of Peor.
God told Moses, "Take all the leaders of these people, kill them and expose them in broad daylight before the Lord, so that they Lord's fierce anger may turn away from Israel."
Moses delegated this enforcement to "Israel's judges."
One Israelite man, Zimri son of Salu, a leader in Simeon, brought a Midianite woman, Cozbi daughter of Zur, a tribal chief of a Midianite family, right into his tent right in front of Moses and everyone else. Eleazar's son Phinehas took a sword and charged after them into Zimri's tent running them both through with the same thrust. God commended this zealousness of Phinehas, comparing it to his own. Nonetheless, 24,000 Israelites died of plague in this incident. God then told Moses to treat all Midianites as enemies because there was apparently some deception in this incident with Cozbi that is not part of the story told here.
A new census was ordered on the plains of Moab. Once again, all males twenty and over, able to serve in the army, were to be counted.
Reuben had clans of Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi: 43,730.
By the way, Pallu's son Eliab was father to the rebels Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram who were involved in the death of the 250 that serves as an example of what happens to rebels.
Simeon had clans of Nemuel, Jamin, Jakin, Zerah, and Shaul: 22,200.
Gad had clans of Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ozni, Eri, Arodi, and Areli: 40,500.
Judah had clans of Shelah, Perez, and Zerah: 76,500.
Recall that Judah's sons Er and Onan died in Canaan. Also, Perez had subclans Hezron and Hamul.
To be continued.
Numbers 26:23 - 65
2005
July 16 for August 25th
Continuing with the new census:
Issachar had clans of Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron: 64,300.
Zebulun had clans of Sered, Elon, and Jahleel: 60,500.
Manasseh (Joseph) had clans of Makir and Gilead. Gilead had subclans of Iezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Shemida, and Hepher.
By the way, Hepher had a son Zelophehad who had only daughters. They were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tizrah.
Manasseh: 52,700.
Ephraim had clans of Shuthelah, Beker, and Tahan: 32,500. Shuthelah had a subclan, Eran.
Benjamin had clans of Bela, Ashbel, Ahiram, Shupham, and Hupham. Bela had subclans of Ard and Naaman. Benjamin: 45,600.
Dan had a clan of Shuham: 64,400.
Asher had clans of Imnah, Ishvi, and Beriah. Beriah had subclans of Heber and Malkiel. Asher also had a daughter named Serah. Asher: 53,400.
Naphtali had clans of Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem: 45,400.
The total here is 601,730.
God ordered that the land they would inherit by tribe and clan would be proportional to the numbers counted here, and that the selections would be by lot.
The Levits had clans of Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. There were also Levite clans of Libni, Hebron, Mahli, Mushi, and Korah.
Amram was in the clan of Kohath and his wife was Jochabed. Their children were Aaron, Moses, and Miriam.
Levites: 23,000. No land would be allotted to the Levites.
This count was done on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho. No one was counted here who was counted in the prior census since God had told them they would all die in the desert, all except Caleb and Joshua.
Here is a comparison of the two censuses:
Tribe Numbers 1 Numbers 26 change
Reuben 46,500 43,730 - 2770
Simeon 59,300 22,200 -37,100
Gad 45,650 40,500 - 5150
Judah 74,600 76,500 1900
Issachar 54,400 64,300 9900
Zebulun 57,400 60,500 3100
Joseph:
Ephraim 40,500 32,500 - 8000 (listing order reversed)
Manasseh 32,200 52,700 20,500
Benjamin 35,400 45,600 10,200
Dan 62,700 64,400 1700
Asher 41,500 53,400 11,900
Naphtali 53,400 45,400 - 8000
Total 603,550 601,730 - 1820
Only one tribe failed to round to 100 count, and it was a different one each time. Some tribe sizes changed vastly, increasing or decreasing. No significance is claimed for any of this.
For the Levites, in the problematic chapter Number 3, the total was 22,000. Now it is 23,000 but the Levite counts were done differently from the army draft censuses.
Numbers 27 - 28:15
2005 July 18 for August 26th
Recall from the last chapter that there was a man Zelophehad, who had no sons, only daughters. These daughters, Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah came to the tent of meeting with a plea to maintain their father's inheritance. They claimed that he had not been part of the rebels following Korah but that he had died without sons "for his own sin" and that the daughters should possess his share of the land so that his name would not disappear. It does not say anything about the marital status of these daughters.
Moses consulted with God who said, "What Zelophehad's daughters are saying is right." In addition to this ruling, an extended plan of succession was given: first sons then, if no sons, daughters; and if no daughters, brothers; and if no brothers, uncles; and if no uncles, the "nearest relative" in the clan.
God told Moses that it was nearing the time when he, too, would be "gathered to his people" that is, leave this earth. Aaron had already passed on. They were both guilty of dishonoring God at Meribah and would not be going into the Promised Land.
Moses suggested that a replacement leader be appointed. God's command was to put Joshua, son of Nun, in charge. Joshua would consult with Eleazar for words from God that would be discerned by use of the Urim (a sacred instrument of "chance"). Moses consecrated Joshua in front of the whole assembly, giving him some of his authority.
But notice that no one would be speaking with God anymore as Moses had been doing. Eleazar would use ceremonial chance and Joshua would talk to Eleazar.
We now reiterate the content of various offerings. Daily, two yearling lambs are to be offered along with other things such as fine flour and wine (which I won't repeat here in detail since it is not our aim to reproduce these activities). On the Sabbath, offer two yearling lambs with some grain and fine flour mixed with oil, in addition to the daily offering. On the first of each month, two young bulls, one ram, and seven male yearling lambs are to be offered with additional food.
All of these are to be perfect and without defect, as specified before. It seems that these offerings are specified not only to honor God continuously but also to keep the priests in practice with offering burnt offerings of various types, and fed.
Numbers 28:16 - 29:40
2005 July 19 for August 29th
The regulations for the major feasts are reiterated. I will summarize in the following format:.
Month, Day, Feast
Offerings and other details.
Keep in mind that the Hebrew calendar is different from ours. It begins with the month of the Passover.
The standard grain offerings are six quarts of fine flour with oil with a bull, four with a ram, and two with a lamb. Any offerings are in addition to the regular daily, Sabbath, and monthly offerings with their drink offerings. The burnt offerings are by fire "a pleasing aroma." All offerings are, as always, without defect. Most animals, particularly the male lambs, are yearlings.
First month, fourteenth day, Passover, seven days
First day, two bulls, one ram and seven yearling lamb plus the standard grain offerings.
A goat for a sin offering.
No regular work on the first or seventh days.
The day of "First Fruits" whenever it occurs, "Weeks"
Two bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs with the standard grain offerings.
Seventh month, first day, Trumpets.
One bull, one ram, and seven male lambs with the standard grain offerings.
Seventh month, tenth day, Atonement.
One bull, one ram, and seven male lambs with the standard grain offerings.
Include a male goat for a sin offering (since this is "atonement").
Seventh month, fifteenth day, Tabernacles, seven days.
Drink offerings are specified but not detailed here.
Each day a male goat is offered as a sin offering in addition to the following.
First day:
Thirteen bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs with the standard grain offerings.
Second day:
Twelve bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lams with the standard grain offerings.
Third day:
Eleven bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs with grain and drink offerings.
Fourth day:
Ten bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs with grain and drink offerings.
This is beginning to have a real "Twelve Days of Christmas" feel to it. This appears to be the biggest feast at this point in history. Continuing…
Fifth day:
Nine bulls, two rams, and fourteen males with grain and drink offerings.
Sixth day:
Eight bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs with grain and drink offerings.
Seventh day:
Seven bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs with grain and drink offerings.
Eighth day: Sacred Assembly -- No Work!
One bull, one ram, and seven male lambs with their standard grain and drink offerings.
These are all presented in addition to any vow and freewill offerings.
The seventh month is busy with festivals. I think this would correspond to early October on our calendar. The Passover would be in early spring (April), roughly at the time of our Easter.
Moses relayed all these directives to the Israelites.
Numbers 30 - 31:24
2005 July 20 for August 30th
God commands regulations concerning vows. If a man makes a vow, he cannot break it but must do everything he said. Women making vows have the same rule except that a man can overrule them. A woman, therefore, who is a widow or who is divorced is bound by her vow just as a man would be but a woman who is married and living with her husband or who is still living at home with her father can be overruled by him if he does so when he first hears about the vow. If a husband or father hears about a vow and says nothing, the woman is bound by it.
God gave Moses one more mission before he would die, to "take vengeance on the Midianites" by going to war with them. A thousand men from each tribe were sent with equipment including trumpets from the sanctuary for signaling.
In the fight they killed every man, as God had commanded, including the five kings, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba. Also they killed Balaam, son of Beor. Balaam, you will recall was the prophet (whose donkey had spoken to him) who did not curse the Israelites when hired by Balak. Balak is not mentioned here.
After the battle, Moses was angry with the fighters because they had left the women alive, some of the very women who had been involved in the seduction a few chapters ago. It says that these women had "followed Balaam's advice and were the means of turning the Israelites away from the Lord in what happened at Peor." Balaam was apparently working against the Israelites behind the scenes, unlike what we saw in the episode with Balak. Moses ordered that all the boys be killed along with any women who had ever slept with a man. Virgin girls were spared and assimilated.
After the battle, Eleazar was in charge of getting all the soldiers purified. All of the metals captured as spoils (gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, and lead) could be cleansed in fire. Anything else would be cleansed with water. All those who had killed anyone or otherwise been around a dead body were unclean for seven days and had to go through the standard third and seventh day purification rituals.
Numbers 31:25 - 32:19
2005 July 23 for August 31st
The spoils of battle are divided at God's order. Half go to the men who fought, the other half go to everyone else in Israel. Since a small number fought compared to the size of the community, this was a significant bonus.
The spoils amounted to 675,000 sheep, 72,000 cattle, 61,000 donkeys and 32,000 virgin women, representing a sizeable community. And, someone is doing lots of counting (at least estimating).
From the half of the goods that went to the fighting men one animal or woman out of every 500 went to the Levites. From the other half one animal or woman in fifty went to the Levites. For example, of the 61,000 donkeys, 30,500 went to the fighting men of which 61 went to the Levites while the other 30,500 went to the rest of the community with 610 of them going to the Levites.
The commanders then reported that all of the fighting troops had been counted and not one was missing. Further, each of these had taken additional plunder in the form of jewelry and other such ornaments made from precious metals and an offering of these articles was also made consisting of 190 kilograms of material (16,750 shekels). This offering was accepted by Eleazar so the deal must have been OK.
At this point, members of the tribes of Reuben and Gad approached Moses with a proposal. Since the land they had just captured was suitable for grazing herds and since these tribes had herds (it is not stated whether this is their specialty among the tribes or whether they just spoke up about the matter first) they asked if they could settle with their herds here and build cities and so forth.
Jumping to the conclusion that this meant they didn't want to cross the Jordan into the Promised Land and that this meant yet another rebellion, Moses chewed them out good, reminding them of the former rebels who didn't want to cross the Jordan and the forty years of wandering in the wilderness that resulted. The whole story was retold from Abraham to Joshua.
"And here you are, a brood of sinners, standing in the place of your fathers and making the Lord even more angry with Israel. If you turn away from following him, he will again leave all this people in the desert and you will be the cause of their destruction," Moses concludes.
We see two things going on here. Moses has become a cranky old man dealing with this situation for all this time and, the system of having everyone wait their turn to speak, leaders like Moses speaking without interruption, has it's drawbacks. Moses was not claiming at this point to have a word from God, at least.
The Reubenites and Gadites then approached with an amended proposal. They would like to build cities for their families and pens for their stock but anytime there was land to be conquered, they would take up arms and participate with the other tribes. Of course, they added, "We will not receive any inheritance with them on the other side of the Jordan."
They were also trying to head off the next round of objections.
Numbers 32:20 - 33:56
2005 July 25 for September 1st
When Moses heard the counter offer, that the Reubenites and Gaddites would go to battle for the rest of the land with their brothers even though there inheritance would be back here where they now stood, he approved it. He also gave orders to Eleazar and Joshua to this effect, with the addition that if they broke their promise and did not fight for the rest of Canaan with the other tribes, their inheritance would be on the other side with everyone else's.
These two tribes then went and started rebuilding the cities they had destroyed. In addition, Makir of Manasseh went to Gilead and captured some more land from the Amorites so Moses gave that land to them as well.
When these future battles took place, the women, children, and flocks stayed behind in their rebuilt cities.
Next, we have a list of every place that Israel went during their tours of the desert. It begins in Egypt with this piece of poetry:
"The Israelites set out from Rameses on the fifteenth day of the first month, the day after the Passover. They marched out boldly in full view of all the Egyptians, who were burying all their firstborn, whom the Lord had struck down among them; for the Lord had brought judgment on their gods."
From Ramses they went to Succoth, then Etham (on the edge of the desert), then back to Pi Hahiroth, then on through the Desert of Etham to Marah. From Marah they went to Elim where there was an oasis, then from there to the Sea of Reeds (Yam Suph), then the Desert of Sin. Following this was Dophkah, then Alush, then Rephidim, then the Desert of Sinai where they camped at Kibroth Hattaavah. From there they went to Hazeroth then Rithmah then Rimmon Perez then Libna the Rissah then Kehelathah and Mount Shepher. From there they went to Haradah then Makheloth them Tahath then Terah then Mithcah, then Hashmonnah then Moseroth then Bene Jaakan and on to Hor Haggidgad.
From Hor Haggidgad they went to Jotbathah then Abronah then Ezion Geber then Kadesh in the Desert of Zin. From there they went to Mount Hor on the border of Edom. This was where Aaron, at God's command, went up the mountain and did not return, at age 123.
From Mount Hor they went to Zalmonah then Punon then Oboth then Abarim then Dibon Gad, then Almon Diblathaim then to the mountains of Abarim near Nebo. From there they went to the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho where their campsite was along the Jordan from Beth Jeshimoth to Abel Shittim.
This is where the adventures of the last several chapters have occurred, including the orders from God on how to distribute the land in Canaan which they would soon cross over to possess. The order about driving out and destroying the current inhabitants was explicit:
"But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live. And then I will do to you what I plan to do to them."
Pretty strong warning given with more poetry: "barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides." Ouch!
Numbers 34 - 35:5
2005 August 6 for September 2nd
The boundaries of Israel in Canaan are specified. Without a map this is hard to follow.
On the south it is the border of Edom including some of the Desert of Zin. The actual boundary runs from the Dead Sea, south of Scorpion Pass and south through Zin to Kadesh Barnea. From there it follows the Wadi (dry stream) of Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea.
The Mediterranean itself is the western boundary.
The northern boundary runs from the Mediterranean to Mount Hor to Lebo Hamath, to Zedad, to Ziphron, and to Hazar Enan.
Finally the eastern boundary runs from Hazar Enan to Shepham to Riblah to the slopes on the east of the Sea of Galilee and then is the Jordan down to the Dead Sea.
These are the boundaries for the nine and a half tribes that had not already received their inheritance east of the Jordan, that is, all but Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh.
The following leaders were to assign land internally to their tribes:
Judah: Caleb son of Jephunneh
Simeon: Shemuel son of Ammihud
Benjamin: Elidad son of Kislon
Dan: Bukki son of Jogli
Manasseh: Hanniel son of Ephod
Ephraim: Kemuel son of Shiphtan
Zebulun: Elizaphan son of Parnach
Issachar: Paltiel son of Azzan
Asher: Ahihud son of Shelomi
Naphtali: Pedahel son of Ammihud.
Also it was ordered that all Israelites were to give some towns for the Levites to live in. Each town so specified would be in the center of a 3000-foot square (half a mile square or a quarter section) that would serve as their pasturelands.
Numbers 35:6 - 34
2005 August 8 for September 5th
Forty-eight towns with pasturelands are to be given to the Levites and they are to be selected from all the other tribal lands in proportion to their inheritances. Six of these forty-eight are to be "Cities of Refuge." Three of these cities will be on each side of the Jordan. God and Moses (at least Moses) are getting used to the idea of Israel spanning the Jordan River rather than totally crossing it.
When a person kills another, it is either murder or an accident. If there is malice or forethought or if the killer has some object such as a piece of metal or a stone or wood in his hand that can kill and he strikes or shoves another and they die, it is murder. If the shoving or throwing is an accident, however, it is not murder. A murderer must be put to death and cannot be ransomed with money.
There are, however, two conflicting social norms in play here. One is that anyone accused of murder must stand trial before being put to death, and he can only be convicted on the testimony of two or more witnesses. The other, however, is that the killed person will have a relative or friend who is the "avenger of blood" whose right and responsibility it is to put the murderer to death.
The Cities of Refuge deal with the juxtaposition of these norms. A person accused of murder can be killed himself by the avenger of blood if he is found by that person outside a City of Refuge. To save his own life, the accused can flee to such a city and remain there until he has stood trial. Anytime the blood avenger finds that person outside of a City of Refuge, he is within his rights to kill him, indeed; it is his duty.
The avengers rights end with the death of the current high priest. After the death of the high priest, the accused can return to his own property in legal safety. If anyone kills him after that, it is another murder, not justice.
I don't know what the life or death of the high priest has to do with this. I can speculate that all capital trials would have to be conducted by the high priest and that his death would clear the docket, becoming a de facto end to a statute of limitations, but this is only speculation.
At the end God admonishes the Israelites not to pollute their land with blood. Blood can only be cleansed by shedding more blood, the blood of the guilty.
Numbers 36
2005
August 10 for September 6th
There was another problem concerning the land of Zelophehad's daughters. These women, you will recall, had no brother to inherit their father's land and God's ruling had been that the daughters inherited it so that their father's ancestral name would be preserved. Now the question was, what if they marry outside of their tribe? Their inheritance, that belonged in Manasseh, clan of Gilead son of Makir, would then go to the other tribe in the marriage since a woman's property became her husband's and this would become permanent in the Year of Jubilee.
Somebody sharp was sitting in their tent considering the possibilities.
Moses took this before God and got a ruling. Their concern was indeed correct and so the ruling was that, "They may marry anyone they please as long as they marry within the tribal clan of their father." It would be prohibited for any of the inherited, divided land to go from one tribe to another through the expedient of daughter heirs marrying outside of their tribe. Therefore, "Zelophehad's daughters -- Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah -- married their cousins on their father's side" and their property stayed in Manasseh.
The term "anyone they like" seems a bit stretched on this restriction. For a woman not to have a brother seriously would seem to restrict her choices in marriage, if she had any choices to begin with.
We also note that, at this point, "Noah" was a girl's name.
The book of Numbers now ends with the statement, "These are the commands and regulations the Lord gave through Moses to the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho."
Concluding thoughts on Numbers
2005 August 12 for September 7th
The book of Numbers has included considerable genealogical and tribal management material, the consecration of the tabernacle, miscellaneous additions and clarifications to the laws, and a few colorful anecdotes, such as the story of Balaam, the prophet with a talking donkey, who could not curse Israel for Balak but only blessed them. We are also left on the threshold of the Promised Land although two and a half of the twelve tribes (or three of the thirteen depending on how you count) already have their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan where we are now camped.
This first part of the Promised Land, by the way, will later be known as the West Bank. There is not much new under the sun in that part of the world.
Being somewhat interested in family trees and paradigms of crowd control, I find much of this material interesting and enlightening. I have had serious problems digesting some of the specific regulations, however, particularly the technical errors made by Moses in Chapter 3 (the undercount, the addition error, and the cost of the difference) and the scattershot ruling, nearly a voodoo ritual, regarding unfaithful wives. It is very difficult to divine what is going on between God, Moses, and the people in these instances as they all interact in the desert.
Of course the big interactions are the rebellions that occur at all scales and all levels of hierarchy. It is easy for us, well fed and comfortable here six thousand years later to fault these poor people for complaining about having nothing but manna to eat for months and years, but if we are brutally honest, there is no question that we would fade into griping more quickly than anyone did in this story. Recent coverage of the aftermath of our own Hurricane Katrina shows this sort of behavior occurring at all levels of society, perhaps more severely today than even then, although this may not be perfectly the case, things being lost in the translation.
And don't they all have legitimate things to complain about, then and now? Is God being their portion fully adequate for every need? Well?
Whining about going back to Egypt though… well, maybe not. Depends on how hot it was that particular day, perhaps. Unfortunately, Moses did not have modern psychological techniques with which to distinguish legitimate complaints from whining from rebellion. Also, he didn't always listen very well, as in the case where the proposal was made for the Reubenites and Danites to take their inheritance in place after the first battles clearing the country east of the Jordan. In that case he branded a perfectly reasonable proposal as rebellion until the appeal hearing.
The rebellions that interest and trouble me, however, are not the ones over food or property, but the ones over who talks to God. Both in the case of Miriam and Aaron and in the case of the 250 Kohathites, the claim was, "Doesn't God talk to all of us, aren't we all God's people? Who is this Moses to lord it all over us like he does?"
These are the most serious rebellions and it is hard for me to distinguish the spirit of Moses from the Spirit of God in the responses. Moses admits one error, the striking of the rock, where he had done as God commanded but not in the way God had commanded it be done. Was that the only time? Do we see shades of that same human interaction with divine will in these cases as well?
The thing that is troubling about the rebellions that revolve around communication with God are that, while being the most severe, they also are the most progressive. Isn't this what our faith says today, that we are a "priesthood of believers", that no child of God needs and intermediary priest to tell him or her what God is saying? True enough, God does not talk to me like he talks to Moses and I don't trust a person who claims that he does have such a pipeline to God, but this raises yet another question, "Why not?"
Clearly, Moses, like Abraham and Noah, was chosen to be special, unequal with the rest. The assertion that God seems always to operate in this way, choosing a very few to be special but not all, is very difficult for Protestant Americans to accept. It is also very difficult to reach any other conclusion from the actual Bible.
These questions and themes are not new. They have been with us since the outset in our close analysis of the Bible; indeed, they have been with us for ages. I am aware that there are self-consistent explanations for all of this in the rigorous development of various versions of our faith. I am also aware that every cultural, linguistic, or situational explanation of some conundrum we are encountering here reduces the relevance of this material to our own culture, language, and situation.
Is this material in our Bible only so that we will understand what Jesus was up to later and so that we will have a record of several examples of bad but typical human behavior? What is our appropriate response now?
© 2005 Courtney B. Duncan