Ryan: Though yesterday began our foray into the book of Proverbs, today we begin going through the individual proverbs themselves, organized by F. LaGard Smith into a topical arrangement. Today’s topics are the Fear of the Lord, Trust in God or self, Divine providence, Wisdom and folly, Dealing with fools, Discernment and Understanding, and Knowledge. Out of these, I would like to comment on one verse out of the “Dealing with fools” section: Proverbs 27:22–”Though you grind a fool in a mortar, grinding him like grain with a pestle, you will not remove his folly from him.” When you grind grain in a mortar with a pestle, one of the first things that happens is the husk of the grain gets removed from the seed, exposing the more valuable part of the grain. Solomon is saying that no matter how much you grind away (argue) at a fool, you can not separate him from his “husk” of ignorance. Trying to argue your point with someone who is brainwashed or otherwise stubbornly set in their beliefs and refuse to even entertain opposing viewpoints will virtually do nothing except make you both tired and out of sorts with each other. For your practical application, try to always be open to opposing views and entertain ideas that you do not necessarily agree with at first.

Samantha: The writer of Proverbs 24:13 instructs us to “Eat honey…for it is good.” Modern research proves the many benefits of honey; it is an amazing creation, containing amino acids, B, C, D, and E vitamins. Throughout history it has been used to treat colds, sore throats, insect bites, burns, and as part of a beauty regimen. Local honey is said to help with allergies. It has sustained warriors and prophets and been used as currency. Bee pollen is said to be a “complete food,” containing most of the elements needed for survival. Knowing how vital the substance is, the writer says, “Know also that wisdom is like honey for you. If you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off” (v. 14).

Bonus: I heard an interesting interview on honey just this morning with the author of The Honey Trail, a book about the author’s pursuit of honey around the globe.

Ryan: Thanks to all “those miserable psalms,” it’s been a while since I’ve gotten to do a nice solid math post. Having gotten to read about Solomon’s building of the Temple of the Name of the Lord, we got another day of reading with lots of numbers. The one that struck me the most and made me want to dig a little deeper was “The Sea” (2 Chron. 4:2-5, 2 Chron. 4:10, 2 Chron. 4:6c). The Sea was a (very) large basin filled with water that was primarily used for the priests’ washings. It measured roughly 15 feet across and 7.5 feet deep; in other words, enough for an average U.S. male (6-feet tall) to stand in the water and still have 1.5 feet of water above him, and have 2.5 average males floating on the surface from edge to edge. The Bible account says the volume was “three thousand baths” (2 Chron. 4:5), which NIV converts to roughly 17,500 gallons. Other sources (and my own calculations) put it closer to 10,000 gallons. The weight of 10,000 gallons of water is approximately 42 tons. The bowl itself would have been (very) roughly 9.14 cubic meters of solid bronze, and weighed roughly 84.6 tons, for a grand total of 126.6 tons. That’s the weight of a little more than 37 Ford F-150s sitting atop the 12 cast bronze bulls’ behinds.

Samantha: If only they had cameras back in Solomon’s time! I’m sure the temple was even more magnificent in person than how we picture it from the description. There is a great site called the 3D Bible Project where they have 3D modeled Noah’s Ark, Moses’ tabernacle, and Solomon’s Temple. With a quick download of the viewer software, you can walk into the temple as if you were there and see the altar of sacrifice, the basin, the walls of gold, the beautiful curtain, and enormous cherubim guarding the ark of the covenant. If you’re a visual learner, this tool is an excellent way to get an idea of the scale and grandeur of the house of the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel. Interestingly, what I found missing in the reading today was any indication from God on instructions for the temple. When Moses built the tabernacle, it was repeatedly instructed by God to, “Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you” (Exodus 25:9). In this case, God didn’t ask for a temple; in fact, at first God was opposed to it and told David that instead of David building a house for him, he would build up David’s house. God later gave permission for Solomon to build the temple, but not because he needed it! Our God was perfectly content to dwell in a tent so that he could move around with his people (2 Sam. 7).

Ryan: Psalm 136 is a song (or “poem” as the heading in our chronological Bible calls it) that is written in “call-and-response” form. Call and response is one of the oldest forms of music known to man. It involves a leader issuing the “call” and the congregation responding, often with the same phrase, as is the case with “His love endures forever.” I’m confident that many of the psalms we’ve already ready would likely have been sung in this manner, but none of them are so obviously written with that purpose in mind. Call and response singing (often called antiphon, Greek for “opposite voice”) is still the most common form for the Eastern and Greek Orthodox churches, is used substantially in African Christian music (and folk music, for that matter), and responsorial readings (spoken) are still very common among the Catholic and Protestant churches. Many of the restoration churches have moved away from them, not because they are unbiblical in any way, but more as just another way to differentiate  themselves. In my opinion, if the restoration churches really wanted to restore the church back to its first-century self, they would include more call-and-response, because I guarantee the early church employed this technique extensively. Stay tuned below for a beautiful performance of an a cappella performance of a Russian hymn, His Love Endures Forever, that employs some call-and-response.

Samantha: Psalm 124 is part of the psalms of ascent that were sung on the way up the steps of the temple. Everyone would have sung it together, led by the priests. The psalm starts out “If the LORD had not been on our side—let Israel say—” (Psalm 124:1). The part “let Israel say” is where the priests are trying to get everyone to sing along together. It is like at a music concert where the lead singer instructs the audience “everybody now!” Then the verses are about all the ways that we could have been lost: swallowed alive, swept away by flood waters, trapped like a bird in a fowler’s snare. The more you talk about the worst case scenarios, the more thankful you are at how you were saved! For those of us who are “lifers” at church, we don’t always appreciate grace to its fullest because we’ve always grown up knowing God and knowing the right ways to follow him. For those who came to the Gospel later in life–especially those people who have dark pasts and made bad mistakes–they understand grace on a deeper level because they’ve seen the worst scenario and can now compare it to the glorious salvation that God provided them. 

Ryan: Since all of us today have grown up in the modern era where most, if not all, “nations” on the earth are technically “states,” it’s very easy for us to get confused while reading the nationalistic parts of the Old Testament. Generally, a nation is defined by culture and ethnicity, while a state is political and/or geographical. You’ve probably heard the term “nation-state” before; this term is used to describe a situation where those two definitions are present simultaneously (Japan is a nation-state). With the definitions behind us, let’s look more accurately at the Scriptures: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance” (Psalm 33:12). So, not to step on any toes here, folks, but the United States of America is NOT the nation that is referenced in Psalm 33. The nation referenced here was initially Jews, but has now expanded to Christians: “you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God” (1 Peter 2:9, emphasis added). Regardless of who is in the Oval Office, or what party is in control of the Congress, the “holy nation” will remain intact, as it knows no borders. With around 2 billion people who proclaim some belief in Jesus Christ worldwide, the holy nation is independent from any one political state on the earth (Praise be to the LORD).

Samantha: I loved the vivid imagery of God’s voice in Psalm 29. We talk about how powerful God is, but we don’t always think about the power in his voice alone. We’ve recently had some thunderstorms in our area, but they pale in comparison to God’s voice, which is described in this psalm as thundering over the waters and like flashes of lightning. We also live in tornado alley and have seen some pretty horendous damage from tornadoes, namely how they can uproot massive trees. God’s voice alone is so powerful it can shatter the cedar trees of Lebanon and twist mighty oak trees. His voice can make mountains skip! Now we see why David says, “Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name” (Psalm 29:2)!

Ryan: H.C. Leupold referred to Psalm 88 as “the gloomiest psalm found in the Scriptures” (Truth for Today Commentary: Psalms 51-89, p. 661). I would have to agree with that statement. It was so depressing to read that I had to include the clip from Monty Python and the Holy Grail where God refers to “those miserable psalms” (see below). It lacks that thread of hope that David always wove in through all of his songs and prayers. This psalm is written from the perspective of one who has yet to obtain a reprieve from a very difficult situation afflicting him. Whether the author himself was going through such a time when he wrote it is unknown, but he definitely has been through a similar situation at some point, as have most of us. We have all had a time in our lives when it seems like God is not listening to our prayers, or that he simply doesn’t care about us and there is no end in sight to the pain we are enduring. It’s extremely difficult to maintain our hope during those times, but remember that even Jesus felt once in his life like God had forsaken him, and yet just three days later, he conquered the immutable boundary we call death.

Samantha: Today’s reading made me think of songs that we sing in church in this generation. After every couple verses I would say, “that verse is in this song” or “I just sang along to that in the car”. Several songs (psalms) that stood out to me were On Eagles’ Wings (Psalm 91), Come Let Us Worship & Bow Down and the Chris Tomlin version Come Let Us Worship (Psalm 95:6-7), and the Sons of Korah version Come Let Us Sing (Psalm 95:6-11). These are just the songs I found on YouTube–there are many more out there. I am amazed that poetry written three thousand years ago is still popular today, just with updated music!

David's farewell PowerPoint

1 Chron. 26:12-32, 1 Chron. 27:1-34, 1 Chron. 23:1b, 1 Chron. 28:2-21, 1 Chron. 29:1-22

Ryan: As always happens when we read passages with a lot of numbers, I have to do a little bit of math and research to find a way to put the numbers into perspective. Going through the list of all the military commanders and their battalions, the total number of troops adds up to 288,000 (1 Chron. 27:1-15). To compare that to a modern-day number, that would be (very) roughly the size of the 2008 U.S. Army Reserve combined with the U.S. Air National Guard. So, not even up to the size of our “regular” army, which is 543,000 active troops (in 2008). However, I didn’t stop there. I wanted to compare that number to the total population of the earth. Best estimates put the total earth population during David’s time at somewhere between 30 and 50 million (I used 40M). That would put David’s army at approximately .73% of the entire earth population. By contrast, the entire United States military (3 million, including all reserves and guards) equals only .05% of the entire earth population. David’s army was over 14 times larger than the United States, by proportion. Think the United States is a superpower? We’d be an ant in the eyes of King David.

Samantha: Today’s reading was reminiscent of when God instructed Moses to build the tabernacle and the people then brought freewill offerings (Exodus 35-39). They followed the pattern God had given them and were blessed. The same is true for David’s preparation for the temple. Even though he didn’t get to build it, David followed the plans God had given him through the Spirit and made sure that the best materials were brought in and prepared ahead of time for Solomon. The people, like in Moses’ day, brought in abundant offerings (1 Chron. 28-29). 

Ryan: Yet another “job-that-we-could-do-without-if-we-followed-the-Bible”: career counselors. Most of what we read today was simply a list of who was going to do what job. And how did they decide who was going to do which job? They cast lots. How would you have liked it if instead of filling out those insipid career aptitude tests, that the school counselor came in and said, okay, here’s a 6-sided die. Roll and look up on this list to see what job you get to do when you graduate (if you’re lucky, you’d get a counselor who plays Dungeons & Dragons and so would have a 12- or 20-sided die to use instead). “All of them trained and skilled in music for the LORD–they numbered 288. Young and old alike, teacher as well as student, cast lots for their duties” (1 Chronicles 25:7-8). In some ways, I would have hated that, but in other ways, I would have loved that too. It sure takes the guess work out of “what do I want to be when I grow up?”

King David's Lyre: Echoes of Ancient Israel by Michael Levy

Samantha: As David makes preparations for the Lord’s temple he appoints musicians. “All these men were under the supervision of their fathers for the music of the temple of the LORD, with cymbals, lyres and harps, for the ministry at the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun and Heman were under the supervision of the king. Along with their relatives—all of them trained and skilled in music for the LORD -they numbered 288″ (1 Chron. 25:6-7). If you’ve never heard ancient music from a lyre check out the link below!

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/king-davids-lyre-echoes-ancient/id295165096

Absalom's Monument - Source: Wikipedia

Ryan: I always feel terrible when I laugh, accidentally or not, at another’s misfortune. Having said that, the scene we read today where Absalom’s hair gets caught in the tree, causing him to be “left hanging in midair, while the mule he was riding kept on going” has to be the absolute funniest thing we have encountered so far in the Bible. This was a story I did not remember reading before today, and so was totally taken by surprise. And to read such a tale in the Bible, which we always perceive as stoic and dry, made it all the funnier. Sadly, the humor of the situation quickly fades thanks to the viciousness of Joab and his men. As if getting humiliated by getting your enormous afro (don’t forget his hair weighed about five pounds, according to 2 Samuel 14:26) caught in the tree wasn’t enough, poor Absalom was slaughtered while he was defenseless. While his death may have been warranted, David still mourned for his lost son, even if he was his enemy in battle.

Samantha: You know how sometimes when we’re in a hurry we use phrases like “so and so said that” or “and such.” Usually the person we’re talking to can figure out what we me mean by the context, but if you’re reading those phrases in writing it can be a little ambiguous. I laughed when we read the account of the battle plans today: “Hushai told Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, ‘Ahithophel has advised Absalom and the elders of Israel to do such and such, but I have advised them to do so and so.’” Ha! Was the scribe in that much of a hurry when he recorded this? What is “so and so”? That seems, um, sort of an important piece of information to have. Then, as the men deliver these “such and such” battle plans to David they say, “Set out and cross the river at once; Ahithophel has advised such and such against you” (2 Sam. 17:15, 21). Clearly the message made it through, but we’ll never know if it was because David was clairvoyant or the messengers really did give the details. 

Ryan: There is a great lesson to be learned from the manner in which David handled the death of his son. Sure, we can talk about grieving for loved ones who have died and how to deal with the stages of grief. But instead, I’d like to use it as a parallel to our “Great Commission” to spread the Gospel to the lost. Read the words of David: “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let the child live.’ But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me” (2 Sam 12:22-23). Every day, we encounter people who are still living but have not yet claimed the redemption of God’s Son as their own. It is for these people that we should be fasting and weeping to God daily in order to help bring them to the LORD. Once they die, we will no longer have any ability to help save them. Mourning for those who died without the hope of salvation will do nothing to save them–we failed the task we were given.

Samantha: A few days ago we read about King David sending a delegation to the Ammonites to express sympathy for the death of their king, who had shown kindness to David. The new king returned the favor by completely humiliating David’s men (1 Chron 19:1-5). According to the Archaeological Study Bible, this act was equivalent to a declaration of war (p. 454). After what is thought to be two years of siege, Joab and David captured the city, and David symbolically took the crown off the head of their king and put it on his own (1 Chron, 20:1-3). While it may not seem like it (since it was in yesterday’s reading), this is the very same battle where David sent Uriah the Hittite to his death (2 Sam. 10-11). Interestingly, this is also the same town where, back in Deuteronomy, the iron bed of Og, King of Bashan, was on display (Deut. 3:11). The reason I bring all this up is because I thought it was interesting that all these things happened in the same place, the Ammonite capital Rabbah (see map). Our reading is spread out between different books and different days, and it can be really hard to keep the story line straight! Sometimes I feel like I need to have my maps handy, along with my Israeli tour guide, museum scrolls, archaeological dig team, and time machine. Having the chronological Bible helps immensely for narratives like this.

Ryan: There are people in this world who refuse to go to church or even attempt to draw nearer to God because they feel that “the things that they’ve done” are just too big to be forgiven. I do think, however, that the story of David is one of the strongest arguments to counter those feelings. While men have a way of assigning ranks or values to different sins, to God, sin is sin, and no one sin is greater than any other. No matter what you’ve done in your life, I seriously doubt it can compare to David: he lusted after a woman to whom he was a peeping Tom, he invited this woman to his bedroom, knowing full well that she was married, had sex with her and got her pregnant, then got her husband drunk and sent him off to war with the instructions to make sure that he got killed in battle. In our man-made system of ranking sins, I’d say that one is right up there. But amazingly, he was forgiven! After Nathan rebuked David for his sin, David repented in his heart and confessed, “‘I have sinned against the LORD.’ Nathan replied, ‘The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die’” (2 Sam. 12:13). David made no sacrifices or offerings, and yet Nathan proclaimed that David’s sin was taken away! We learn why this is even possible through David’s prayer for forgiveness in Psalm 51:16-17 — “You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

Samantha: I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at the part where Joab is preparing his messenger with what to say to King David when he delivered the news of Uriah’s death. Joab pretended to be David and said to the messenger, “Why did you get so close to the city to fight? Didn’t you know they would shoot arrows from the wall? Who killed Abimelech son of Jerub-Besheth? Didn’t a woman throw an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you get so close to the wall?” (2 Sam. 11:20-21). It is good to know that military leaders know their history, but Abimelech might not be happy with Joab’s knowledge–Abimelech didn’t want people to know he was killed by a woman! “Abimelech went to the tower and stormed it. But as he approached the entrance to the tower to set it on fire, a woman dropped an upper millstone on his head and cracked his skull. Hurriedly he called to his armor-bearer, ‘Draw your sword and kill me, so that they can’t say, “A woman killed him.”‘” (Judges 9:52-54). Looks like God wanted everyone to know that he was killed by a woman!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFtmtx3H5iY

Ryan: Another first we read about today! While I’m sure they’ve already had them in the past, during today’s reading, we learn about the first song leader mentioned in the Bible. Of course, we had also had the lead trumpet players, harpists, and percussionists as well. “Kenaniah the head Levite was in charge of the singing; that was his responsibility because he was skillful at it” (1 Chron. 15:22). I just found the wording of that quote interesting, because it called to mind two passages–the first from Exodus when they were building the tabernacle when God appointed master craftsmen to do the work, and the second from Romans 12:6-9 where Paul is instructing the church members that they each have an important role to play in the church, and that whatever God tells them to do, they should do cheerfully.

Samantha: I really enjoyed listening to David recount the oral history of the Israelites back to Abraham. It seems like it has been a while since the people have been reminded of who they are and why they are here. God’s plan is one big picture and it is important to know that you’re a part of that picture and that your life serves a bigger purpose.

Ryan: We frequently think of David as a great warrior, which indeed he was, but I think we often overlook his prowess as a military leader. Sure, Joshua was great, but David shows moments of brilliance. We read today how David and his men protected the fields of a very influential farmer (which admittedly didn’t turn out how David intended, but God still claimed a victory). We also read of David and his men sneaking into Saul’s camp, not to kill him, but to scare them and in turn earn what we would call in today’s vernacular “political capital.” In a move that even Jack Bauer would appreciate, David even went deep “undercover” and lived and fought with the Philistines to gain their trust. Throughout all of his victories, though, David never got a big ego and believed that it was he and he alone that was responsible for these victories. David always sought the will of God, as one instance was recorded in 1 Samuel 30:8, “David inquired of the LORD, ‘Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?’” A wise lesson to be learned from the father of the wisest man who ever lived: always consult the will of God and don’t ever think you did something all on your own.

Samantha: I was surprised at the amount of food that Abigail sent to David and his men: “two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of pressed figs” (1 Sam. 25:18). Back then they didn’t have grocery stores–everything was grown and made by hand. That can be hard to imagine for us “servantless American cooks” who have the advantage of mass production! There’s a fantastic cookbook, called The Good Book Cookbook, that uses history and archaeology to recreate Biblical recipes. I made Sarah’s bread with my Bible class once and it took four hours total for one loaf (not including time to grind the grain, which they had to grow and grind themselves–no pre-packaged milled flour!). The wine had to be made from the harvest of grapes, fruit, or grain, and then fermented for at least a few months. The sheep Abigail provided had to be killed and dressed, which takes a few hours. The grain she provided had to have been cultivated (planted, irrigated, harvested) and then roasted; it measured about 2 gallons–that’s about six of the 43-ounce value size boxes of our cereal today. To top if off she provided 100 raisin cakes and 200 fig cakes. Her husband was very wealthy and no doubt she had many, many servants to help her prepare this enormously time consuming gift for David!

Ryan: Once each year, Samantha and I devote 12 hours (usually over the course of three different Saturdays) to the re-watching of The Lord of the Rings trilogy (extended editions). [I'm sure you've notice more than one reference to LotR if you've been following this blog very long.] In the third film, The Return of the King, Aragorn takes possession of the sword of Isildur, and in doing so, stakes his claim on the throne of Gondor. That scene played out in my head as we read through the scene in 1 Samuel 21:7-9 when David is staying in Nob. He asks the priest, Ahimelech if there were any swords or spears to be had, and Ahimelech responds, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here; it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod.” To this, David replies, “There is none like it.” In my opinion, there are many parallels to be explored here, most of which were likely not accidents on J.R.R. Tolkien’s part. For me, this is truly the beginning of David’s reign as king, as immediately after this, he amasses about four hundred men to follow him instead of Saul, and claiming Goliath’s sword as his own is tremendously symbolic of the power from the Lord that has come upon him.

Samantha: I am really thankful that David took the time to write down his songs. Rarely do we get to a glimpse of the internal feelings of a Bible character in the first person. With these psalms you see his perspective on situations, feel his anguish, rejoice in his successes, or cry with him in grief. It is easy to relate to David because he is so open about his thoughts and he shares how he talked to, pleaded with, and praised the Lord.

Ryan: “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit” (Judges 21:25). A couple of years ago, I participated in Northside’s Bible Bowl (www.ksbiblebowl.org); the material for testing was the book of 1 Samuel. As we will soon read, the people of Israel come to Samuel, a prophet of the Lord and Israel’s last judge, and say “appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have” (1 Samuel 8:5). At the time I was doing the study, that sounded like such a childish thing to say (I wanted to respond, “and if the other nations jumped off a bridge, would you do it to?”). However, as we conclude the era of the Judges, it is actually very understandable why they would make such a request. With Benjamites–one of the clans of Israel–behaving in such a “vile” and “disgraceful” way (Judges 19:23), and the other eleven tribes rising up together to punish them by the sword, the nation of Israel is in total disarray. I’m sure God’s people didn’t look any different to outsiders than did the pagans. It was necessary for a strong leader to step up and lead the people of Israel back to the God-centeredness that had been missing since the death of Joshua. Again as we will soon read, Israel’s first king, Saul, unfortunately did not live up to that expectation.

Samantha: In my favorite Michael Crichton book, Timeline, there’s a quote that reads: “If you don’t know history, you don’t know anything. You’re a leaf that doesn’t know it’s part of a tree.” I found that to be very true in today’s story–a Levite who should have known scripture/history backwards and forwards didn’t make the connection between his current situation and a similar event that happened in the past. The same scenario that happened to Lot at Sodom (Genesis 19:1-8) went one step farther in today’s reading with gruesome and devastating consequences. What happened in today’s story was a direct result of Israel following the customs of their pagan neighbors instead of following God. Back before Moses died, God warned the Israelites that, “if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess” (Deut 30:17-18). Today’s reading showed a fulfillment of this–only the Israelites didn’t need enemy nations to destroy them, they did just fine on their own through civil war.

Ryan: One thing that reading through The Daily Bible: In Chronological Order day by day does for you is give you more of the feeling that the Bible is one big book that tells one big story, instead of 66 books that are disconnected and independent stories. That being said, I view the “literary” Bible as a work in three parts (not unlike Lord of the Rings). Today’s reading is the climax of “book one”, with the denouement taking place tomorrow plus the first three verses of March 16 (the death of Joshua and Eleazar, and the burial of Joseph’s bones). What makes this the climax of the first part of the trilogy? It’s the fulfillment of the patriarchal promises we read about in Genesis, way back on January 6. Everything promised to Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is getting wrapped up right here in the end of the book of Joshua. Thanks to all the blood, sweat, and tears that Moses, Aaron, and now Joshua have shed, the Israelites have claimed their inheritance and have established a formal relationship with Jehovah, God of gods. “Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled” (Josh. 21:45). Book Two of our trilogy will focus on what happens when man interferes with God’s plan–judges, kings, and prophets. And the final exciting conclusion of the trilogy? The New Covenant, of course.

Samantha: In one of my engineering classes in high school I learned how draw a cut and fill map. That type of map shows the measurements and topography of an area to determine which hills to “cut” and which valleys to “fill” in order to make a flat road surface. Drawing the map was easy; learning how to survey the land was hard and required precise surveying tools as well as geometry, physics, and calculus. Joshua didn’t have the Israelites do any earthmoving, but he did have them survey the land of Canaan to map out the area like a cartographer would. He called for three men from each tribe, and, “As the men started on their way to map out the land, Joshua instructed them, ‘Go and make a survey of the land and write a description of it’” (Joshua 18:8). These men went out Lewis and Clark style, making notes of cities, landscapes, resources, cultures, and made maps. I wondered how the Israelites did it, especially since calculus hadn’t been invented yet and they didn’t have modern surveying equipment. If you read about the ancient Egyptian builders they used a technique called rope stretching, where they had a rope with knots at intervals and they would stretch it out to determine length. They applied basic geometry and voila!, they had perfect squares and straight lines. They used this method to survey the land for the pyramids and to reset boundary lines after annual Nile flooding. I imagine the Israelites used similar methods to mark out their boundary lines.

Ryan: When I was a young boy, one set of grandparents always gave me a U.S. Savings Bond for Christmas. As you might expect a young child to feel, it was always a feeling of, <sarcasm>”Oh yea… a savings bond,”</sarcasm>. Since then, of course, those savings bonds have been very valuable to me and lasted way longer than any toy or even article of clothing I may have received. As we were reading through the exhaustive list of property boundaries and town and village allotments for all the tribes of Israel, I couldn’t help but think the Levites were sitting there thinking, <sarcasm>”Oh yea… we get to work at the Tabernacle as our inheritance,” </sarcasm>. All of their brothers got land, and lots of it. The Levites received the Lord as their inheritance (Joshua 13:33). Now that–in modern days–all that land has been conquered many times over and the Israelites (as a spiritual nation, anyways) no longer lay claim to any of it, now who do you think got the better end of the deal? When we feel like we’re getting the short end of the stick, so to speak, always remember the words of the Lord: “My grace is all you need” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT).

Source: eBibleTeacher.com

Samantha: For those of us who live in Wichita, we have a pretty good idea of the names and locations of the surrounding towns; most of us can locate Goddard, Derby, Valley Center, or Wellington. When it comes to Bible cities it is not as easy to picture them because most of us have not been to the holy land. That’s where maps like Google Earth or Bible Geocoding come in handy–they at least give us a general idea of the main cities, landmarks, and water features. Combining the map and the Bible’s specific descriptions of the areas we can map out where the tribes of Israel settled. On the map it is easy to spot the three tribes that settled east of the Jordan River (Joshua 13) and see that the tribe of Judah includes the town of Jerusalem.

Ryan: Whenever you’re leaving a job/city/church, you always have a feeling of concern about who is going to take your place, and whether they will be able to do “as good of a job” as you did. I’m sure Moses felt a little bit of that when God was showing Moses the promised land from atop Mt. Nebo. I think today’s Daily Bible Reading definitely proves that Joshua was the right man to take Moses’ place as leader of the Israelites. We read in Joshua 12 that Moses defeated two kings, while Joshua defeated thirty one. Now obviously, it wasn’t Moses’ job to defeat kings and conquer the promised land, so I’m not trying to hold that over him. All I’d like to point out is that Moses was a great spiritual leader, and Joshua is a powerful military leader. God puts into place the leaders he needs to do the exact job he wants done exactly when he wants it done. As we will learn (when we get there) from the book of Romans, “all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God” (Romans 13:1 NLT). So, that feeling I mentioned earlier? It is in reality a lack of faith that God has a plan for your job/city/church without you in it and that He can execute His plan faithfully.

Samantha: Today we read about Joshua’s conquests of the land of 31 different kings in Canaan. One of those towns, Hazor, is giving us clues about life 1,000 years before Moses, during the conquest, during the reign of Solomon, and of the time periods up to the current date. The archaeological remains of Hazor (pronounced Hahtzor) were discovered in 1875 and has since become the largest archaeological site in Israel. In 2005 it was named a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem has a great site on the current Hazor excavations, and the PBS show NOVA has a great video online showing the excavations at Hazor and what they’ve found so far. Biblical Archaeological Review also has some good articles on discoveries at the site. It amazes me that a thriving city older than Moses is still evident today and that archaeologists can dig down layer by layer to discover elements of life during each period to see the charred layer from when Joshua had the city burned, and dig down to the layers with 45-foot high walls and a municipal water system.

Ryan: Today, I’m not going to write about something that was in our Daily Bible Reading, but rather, I am going to write about something that was conspicuously not in our Daily Bible Reading. Having just finished reading about the life of Moses and the Israelites’ wandering in the desert, it’s still fresh in my mind how many times the Israelites complained to Moses and wailed at their (perceived) impending doom whenever Moses told them what God’s plan was. When we read the account of Joshua and the capture of Jericho, however, no complaining or questioning is recorded. No “God wants us to march where?” or “We do this for how many days?” or “How is shouting going to help anything?” No, with the obvious unfortunate exception of Achen, it seemed that the people followed God’s plan and did so without complaining. (I say it seemed that way because it’s entirely possible that there was some grumbling, but for whatever reason the Holy Spirit chose not to include it in the account.) I guess we’ll chock that one up to “new leader euphoria.”

Samantha: It seems to me that the battle of Jericho was more psychological than physical combat. From both the warrior and terrified city perspectives I imagine that everyone was prepared to rush immediately into battle; Jericho was “tightly closed up” in fear of their impending doom (Josh. 6:1). But instead God instructs the Israelite army to march once around the city each day for six days and then attack on day seven. No doubt that on the first day the Israelites marched around the city the people of Jericho were prepared for the worst. But when the Israelites didn’t attack them they probably felt a bit bewildered and confused. Maybe they thought that Israel had sized them up and decided that Jericho was too much for them. I’m sure they were surprised on day two when Israel marched around the city again, expecting them to attack. They didn’t on that day, or on days three, four, five, or six. That’s almost an entire week of just marching once around the city once per day. It sounds like The Boy Who Cried Wolf; after a while Jericho got used to it and stopped paying attention, thinking that Israel might never attack. It was probably a huge scare on day seven when the trumpets (bugles) started blaring and the army and priests shouting!

Source: David Bjorgen on Wikimedia commons

Ryan: After reading about God showing the promised land to Moses and his subsequent death on Mount Nebo, I got a strong urge to know what Moses saw. So I looked up Mount Nebo on Google Earth. It was interesting to see the terrain, but since Google still doesn’t have Street View on the top of Mount Nebo, it wasn’t really like being there in the first person. Then, thanks to the magic of Wikipedia, I found this picture taken from the summit of the half-mile high mountain ridge looking towards the Dead Sea (southwest). It truly is a wonderful vantage point to see the entire valley, including the cities of Jericho and Jerusalem. According to the article, six tombs have been found below a church basilica built there in the 4th century A.D. Also, even though protestant Christianity does not view the Apocrypha as inspired, the book of 2 Maccabees also cites Mount Nebo as the place where Jeremiah hid the tabernacle and Ark of the Covenant. How appropriate to bury the tabernacle and the ark alongside the man who worked with God face to face to give them to the Israelites!

Samantha: I’ve heard many presentations and been to seminars on workplace culture and how to change it for the better. One of the main points is always that many workplaces/churches/organizations are dependent on one central leader (“personality”) to guide them. While this is great when you’re starting from scratch or re-organizing, the eventual goal is to become a culture-led environment where each individual takes responsibility. The problem with having a personality-led group is when the leader leaves the people typically don’t continue the traditions or follow the methods that leader established. For the Israelites in today’s reading their personality was Moses. Moses tried continually to teach the Israelites about God’s laws and ways in the hopes of maturing their faith, but because they were dependent on him to intercede for them (Ex. 20:18-19), they never quite took responsibility for their own salvation. This is why Moses said to the Israelites, “I know that after my death you are sure to become utterly corrupt and to turn from the way I have commanded you” (Deut. 31:27-29). This is why I think our daily Bible reading is so important; knowing what it says yourself helps you to mature and become a more responsible Christian. This way, no matter who is in a leadership position you will be equipped to handle the word and will be ready in all circumstances.

Ryan: I am currently reading (other than my daily Bible reading) a book by Francine Rivers called The Prophet: Amos. It is one of her outstanding historical fiction novels in which she builds a narrative around the facts and dialogue that appear in the Bible. Today’s daily Bible reading reminded me of that book when we were reading all the curses that the Levites were to recite to Israel, and “then all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’” (Deut. 27:26). In Amos, the prophet goes to Bethel and pronounces–over the course of several months–curses on all the neighboring nations, starting with the nations that are most distant from Israel. Every time Amos cursed a nation which was their enemy, all the people shouted “Amen!” and heaped praises on Amos; however, they grew uneasy as he slowly worked his way through the curses of Israel’s nearest neighbors. Finally, when he proclaimed the curses on Israel and Judah, the people stopped shouting “Amen!” and were now themselves shouting curses upon Amos. A reminder: the word “Amen” means “so be it” or “let it be so.” We’re always quick to say “Amen” about the curses that will be brought upon others, but not quite as eager to say “so be it” about the curses that we bring upon ourselves through our own sin.

Samantha: Back on March 5th I talked about methods of besieging cities and the Lord’s rule of not cutting down food trees for siege works. Today’s reading is an example of that. Deuteronomy 28:53-57 talks specifically about the gruesome reality of a city that is under attack and gives descriptions of how the people will suffer severe famine. Warning: gross-out factor is high.

“Even the most gentle and sensitive man among you will have no compassion on his own brother or the wife he loves or his surviving children, and he will not give to one of them any of the flesh of his children that he is eating. It will be all he has left because of the suffering your enemy will inflict on you during the siege of all your cities. The most gentle and sensitive woman among you…will begrudge the husband she loves and her own son or daughter the afterbirth from her womb and the children she bears. For she intends to eat them secretly during the siege and in the distress that your enemy will inflict on you in your cities.”

Do you remember Jesus’ warning in Matthew 24 about the fall of Jerusalem (that happened in 70 A.D.)? In The Wars of the Jews, the historian Josephus recounts how, for about six months, the Romans besieged the city (5.10 – 5.12). He described the scene as “a sight that would justly bring tears into our eyes.” The food supply had been cut off, and the resulting famine was so bad that,

“what was otherwise worthy of reverence was in this case despised; insomuch that children pulled the very morsels that their fathers were eating out of their very mouths, and, what was still more to be pitied, so did the mothers do as to their infants…they were not ashamed to take from them the very last drops that might preserve their lives” (5.10.3).

In my opinion, this is an example of what Deuteronomy 28:53-57 was talking about. In addition, the Romans used two other warfare tactics I mentioned on March 5th: taunting and storming the wall using banks made of wood. The taunting came from the Romans, who ate their ample supply of corn and other food right in front of the helpless starving Jews. That tactic didn’t lead to a surrender, so the Romans decided to storm the walls instead. They needed wood to build more banks, but unfortunately for them, “all the trees that were about the city had been already cut down for the making of the former banks” (5.12.4).

Ryan: The phrase “do not ignore” kept jumping out at me during today’s reading. How many of us (and how often) have walked past someone in the street in need, driven past a stranded vehicle without offering assistance, sat comfortably while an elderly person or someone with a disability stood nearby? I’m afraid that of all the laws and commands that God has issued us, this one is by far the one I have violated the most. One night after church, I was driving home (alone) and passed a woman with a flat tire on the on-ramp to the interstate. It was late, dark, and misty. She was alone and was attempting to change her tire. I’m ashamed to confess that I drove right past her. The Holy Spirit prodded me to stop, but I ignored Him. When the next exit came, He told me to turn around and return to help her, but I ignored Him. Every time I passed an opportunity to turn around, He prodded me, and I ignored Him. Finally, six miles later, I relented and turned around and drove all the way back. When I got back to the on-ramp, the woman was still there, still trying to change her tire. I quickly helped her; she was almost done changing her tire. She got on her way safely, no thanks to me. I wish I could use this example to say, ‘See how good I am?’ but sadly, I was ashamed that it took me six miles of goading to finally listen to the Holy Spirit, and not to ignore Him.

Samantha: I’m definitely in a Lord of the Rings mood, especially after reading about Israelite warfare regulations. What made me think of it were the trees–God commanded that the warriors only use non-fruit trees to build their siege works. When the Israelites (or any other army, for that matter) went to siege a town they usually started by surrounding the city and then cutting off roads, food, and water supplies. To overcome the city they would employ several different methods: a Trojan horse-like lure, bullying into submission, or taking on the city wall. The wall was probably the most successful method, and they could do a few different things: use dirt to build a mound up the side of a wall so that the warriors could climb up and over, simply scaling the wall with rope, tunneling under the walls, or building “siege works” like battering rams (and later on catapults). To build siege works takes wood, and the Lord was very specific on what wood not to use. Did you catch the reason? So the warriors would have fruit to eat! “When you lay siege to a city for a long time, fighting against it to capture it, do not destroy its trees by putting an ax to them, because you can eat their fruit. Do not cut them down. Are the trees of the field people, that you should besiege them? However, you may cut down trees that you know are not fruit trees and use them to build siege works until the city at war with you falls.” (Deut. 20:19-20).

Ryan: One of the many uses for a time machine would be to introduce the Israelites to common household bleach. If you were reading today’s daily bible reading, you surely noticed that if a house (or an article of clothing) continued to have an area of mildew spreading even after washing with water, that house had to be torn down and taken out of the town into a dump of uncleanness (articles of clothing had to be burned). Think about all the garments and houses that would have been spared by the liberal application of just some simple bleach and water. Unfortunately, household bleach such as we use today was not developed until the discovery of chlorine in 1774. It did not reach widespread use until the mid- to late-1800′s. While a whitening process for clothing, etc., was around as early as 3000 B.C., the process took weeks or even months. When you’re dealing with things like infectious skin diseases and destructive mildews, you need it fixed in days, not weeks. I guess God thought fire and destruction to be a better option than just giving the Israelites chlorine.

Samantha: It isn’t uncommon for people to break out in a skin rash, whether from itchy clothing, an allergic reaction, or pollutants in their environment. Not too many years ago I developed a small rash on the side of my forehead, but thought that maybe hairspray caused it and that it would disappear in a day or so. I didn’t think much about the rash, even after it started itching like crazy the next day. By the third day I woke up with the entire side of my face swollen and one eye swollen shut. After a trip to the immediate care clinic I was diagnosed with impetigo (what adult gets impetigo??). After heavy medication and a few days off from work it cleared up and healed just like new. I can’t imagine living in Israelite times and having this same problem! Today we read that “‘The person with such an infectious disease must wear torn clothes, let his hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of his face and cry out, “Unclean! Unclean!” As long as he has the infection he remains unclean. He must live alone; he must live outside the camp’” (Lev. 13:45-46). I totally understand the unkempt hair; I used my bangs to cover the rash on my forehead. I also see the point of warning those around you; I later learned that impetigo is extremely contagious and I could have easily infected those around me. Living outside the camp until healed also makes sense for the same reason. But I can tell you that during the experience of having impetigo I felt completely embarrassed, a little ashamed and isolated from everyone, and that was only for a short time. Imagine having a real skin disease like leprosy and not only having those feelings but also having to call out ‘Unclean! Unclean!”

Ryan: While the notion of “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” frightens me, there is one aspect of the Israelite law that we read about today that would be nice to include in modern practice. According to their law, only one witness to a murder was not sufficient for convicting him of the alleged murder, so at least two witnesses were required (Num. 35:30). In today’s courts, it is becoming more and more frequent that not only is one witness sufficient, but sometimes people are convicted by no witnesses–forensic evidence alone has been known to send people to prison. While forensic science has been known to make mistakes and convict people wrongly, I’m not going to argue that we should not use it. However, in cases/states where the death penalty is legal for murder cases, I do think that two witnesses should be required in order to apply that sentence. Otherwise, conviction based on forensic evidence alone should never yield a sentence greater than life in prison. Just my two cents.

Samantha: Many times murder is premeditated, but for those times when it was accidental, God instructed the Israelites to “select some towns to be your cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone accidentally may flee. They will be places of refuge from the avenger, so that a person accused of murder may not die before he stands trial before the assembly” (Numbers 35:11-12). As long as the murderer could get safely to the city of refuge closest them, they would be given a trial with at least two witnesses. If they were found guilty then punishment would ensue, but if they were found innocent they could live in that city until the death of the current high priest. If I were an Israelite at that time I would have found this to be a comforting law–to accidentally kill someone would be horrifying enough, but then to have that person’s closest relative hunting you down to exact punishment makes me think of the chase in the movie The Fugitive.

Exodus 21:13-14, Num. 35:20-21, Num 35:16-19, Num. 35:29-31, Num. 35:33-34, Ex. 22:2-3, Num. 35:22-25, Deut. 19:4-6, Num. 35:9-15, Deut 19:1-3, Deut. 19:7-10, Num. 35:26-28, Deut. 19:11-13, Num. 35:32, Ex. 21:22-25, Ex. 21:16, Deut. 24:7, Lev. 24:19-20, Ex. 21:26-27, Deut. 22:25-29, Ex. 21:15, Ex. 21:18-21, Deut. 25:11-12, Deut. 5:19, Ex. 22:3, Ex. 22:1, Ex. 22:4, Deut 19:14

Ryan: A couple years ago, I participated in the Kansas Bible Bowl that our church hosts each year. That particular year, we studied the book of 1 Samuel, named for the prophet of God who God sent to select Israel’s first king, Saul. Near the beginning of that book, we learn that the Israelites are grumbling, and asking Samuel for a king “such as all the other nations have” (1 Samuel 8:5). Before today’s daily bible reading, I did not know that God actually told the Israelites that they were going to make this request almost 400 years before they actually made it. In Deuteronomy 17:14, God says (paraphrased), “So, when you get to the promised land, you’re going to ask for a king like the other nations have.” I can almost hear the Israelites shouting in retort, “No! We would never want a man as king–we serve the Lord!” But as with everything else, God is right–he knows the failings of men, and he knew the Israelites’ faith would waver.

Samantha: I had an “Aha!” moment tonight when we read the section talking about justice and punishment. In reference to a criminal hung on a tree the instruction says, “If a man guilty of a capital offense is put to death and his body is hung on a tree, you must not leave his body on the tree overnight. Be sure to bury him that same day, because anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse” (Deut. 21:22-23). That made me think of the verses in the New Testament that talk about Jesus being hung on a tree. I looked up Galatians 3:23 where it says, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’” There is a footnote on that verse that links back to Deuteronomy 21:23. I had never paid attention to that before! The more I read the Old Testament the more I can see how it looks forward to the coming of the Messiah. Likewise, the more I read the New Testament, the more I can see how it looks backward to show how Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament.

Ryan: One of the many things that separated the Israelites from the nations around them was their countless laws upon laws that dealt with cleanliness. I’m sure all of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites would all just point and laugh (“they’re all gonna laugh at you!”) at the Israelites when they were performing one of their zillions of cleaning rituals. But those laws kept the Israelites healthy when everyone around them were spreading diseases, most of them either sexually-transmitted or from the improper handling of dead bodies, for both of which God had very strict rules. If only the people during the Dark Ages would have followed God’s laws for the Israelites, events like the Black Plague may never have come to be.

Samantha: The Israelites certainly didn’t need hand sanitizer with all the regulations regarding bodily fluids, skin conditions, and dead bodies. God gave them detailed guidelines to follow to prevent the spread of disease: lots of washing! Maybe this is where the old saying “cleanliness is next to godliness” came from?

Ryan: There is one rather famous and iconic relic in the United States that is inscribed with a verse from today’s daily bible reading. The Liberty Bell that hangs in Philadelphia is inscribed, “Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants thereof Lev. XXV X / By Order of the ASSEMBLY of the Province of Pensylvania for the State House in Philad / Pass and Stow / Philad / MDCCCLIII” (Lev. 25:10 KJV). The verse is referring to the Year of Jubilee which happened every 50 years in which slaves were freed, and land and homes were returned to their original owners (if sold out of poverty). Since the bell was cast prior to the Declaration of Independence, the “Independence Bell,” as it was originally known, was seen as a symbol of hope for the time in which the colonists would be freed from the tyranny of the British monarchy. During the 19th century, the bell was renamed the “Liberty Bell” by anti-slavery supporters who were now using the verse to support their argument for the liberation of African-American slaves. Once again, history shows how indelibly linked is the founding of our nation to the Bible.

Samantha: My dad is a crop farmer who no-tills (see no-till infographic), so I am familiar with crop rotation, soil composition, plant nutrients, planting and harvest. I was pleasantly surprised to read that God commanded the Israelites to leave their fields empty every seventh year (Lev. 25:1-7). When the surface of a field is not disturbed and is left alone, the plant matter that was there before starts to decompose and drop to the ground, covering the topsoil. My dad purposefully leaves the corn stalks in the field after the fall corn harvest and then plants wheat over the top of the corn stalks. The corn stalks decompose and provide a layer of organic matter over the soil to protect it from the elements. This is important because when the soil in a farmer’s field is bare and it rains, water easily carries off the top layer of soil which washes away the nutrients. By covering the topsoil with old plant matter it prevents rain from washing the soil and nutrients away. As the plant matter decomposes it continues to provide nutrients to the soil by way of the earthworms. Earthworms are crucial to the health of the soil–they eat the plant matter, mix the soil around, and naturally aerate the soil when they dig their tunnels. When the soil is continuously tilled (turned over) it kills the earthworms and prevents them from making the soil more nutritious. In my opinion, by instructing the people to leave the fields bare every seventh year God is teaching them soil conservation and responsible farming practices. The best part of the story is where God tells the Israelites, “You may ask, “What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not plant or harvest our crops?” I will send you such a blessing in the sixth year that the land will yield enough for three years. While you plant during the eighth year, you will eat from the old crop and will continue to eat from it until the harvest of the ninth year comes in” (Lev. 25:18-22).

Samantha: Have you ever looked at your wall calendar and seen something called “Yom Kippur” or “Rosh Hashanah”? If you did your daily bible reading with us today, you read about the seven feasts God established for His people. To keep it simple I’ll divide it into two sections: spring feasts and fall feasts. The first spring feast is called Passover, which we read about in Exodus when God rescued His people from slavery in Egypt; this feast celebrates that deliverance. Even though it is celebrated around March or April of our calendar, this feast starts the Jewish religious year. The day after Passover is when the Feast of Unleavened Bread begins, which recalls the haste in which the Israelites made their bread during the Exodus and left out the yeast. This is celebrated for one week. On the second day of this feast is when the third feast begins: the Feast of Firstfruits. This celebrated the first harvest of the barley in the spring. Count out fifty days later and you’re at the Feast of Weeks. In the New Testament, its Greek name is Pentecost. On your wall calendar it appears in Hebrew as Shavout. This feast celebrates the wheat harvest. That concludes the description of the four spring feasts: Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, and the Feast of Weeks. Now to the fall feasts: The Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) which is now used to indicate the Jewish new calendar year; the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), where a scapegoat was used for atonement; and the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), where the people dwelled in huts to remember the housing during the wilderness wanderings. I once heard a well-known preacher say from the pulpit “Sukkot? Whatever that means.” Now you know! I cannot wait until we get to the life of Jesus so that I can show you how Jesus has already fulfilled the four spring feasts and what that means for Christians today. The fact that there are still three unfulfilled feasts gives me goosebumps. God always tells us what He’s going to do before He does it, and I can’t wait for you to see it!

Exodus 23:14-17 (Ex. 34:23), Deut. 16:16-17, Ex. 34:24, Deut. 16:1-7 (Ex. 34:18), Num. 9:13-14, Lev. 23:4-8 (Num. 28:16-17, Deut. 16:8), Num. 28:18-25, Deut. 16:9-12. Lev. 23:9-21 (Ex. 34:22), Num. 28:26-31, Num. 29:1-6 (Lev. 23:23-25), Lev. 16, Lev. 23:26-32, Num. 29:7-11, Lev. 23:33-36, Lev. 23:39-43, Num. 29:12-38, Deut. 16:13-15, Lev. 23:37-38 Lev. 23:44 (Num. 29:39-40)

Ryan: Remember the old cartoon Family Circle? (It’s probably still around, I just don’t read the funny papers anymore.) They had a “character” called “Not Me” that somehow got blamed for all of the trouble caused in the house. I thought of that during our reading today, as Moses was recounting the history of the past 40+ years to the Israelites. He was telling them things like, “YOU disobeyed God…,” “YOU grumbled…,” “YOU would not listen….” I realized as I listened to this passage that the only people who were actually around when those things happened were less than 20 years old at the time. The oldest folks of the camp were now in their sixties, and most of these people that Moses was speaking to were either not born when these events took place or were likely too young to really remember or have any real responsibility in them. I can imagine being one of those Israelites standing/sitting there listening to Moses and thinking to myself, “I didn’t do that…I had nothing to do with that…not me!” It’s so easy to shirk responsibility for the future when we did not have anything to do with getting into our current situation, but guess whose responsibility it is? That’s right, it’s ours. Whether or not our fathers/grandfathers treated the land/environment/economy/whatever the way they should have, it’s now our responsibility to right the wrongs of the past, as we’re the only ones left with the ability to do so. Likewise, it’s the Israelites’ responsibility to follow God better than their fathers did. Good luck with that.

Samantha: I’m big on the transparency of leadership. I realize that some information is confidential and some is strategic–neither of which can be shared publicly. All other information, however, can be public and should be shared with all involved. When leaders share only certain information with certain people it creates an atmosphere of secrecy, distrust, and feeds the rumor mills among the remaining people in the team. I saw this firsthand at my previous company, a conference I was involved in, and countless other projects. What Moses did in today’s reading was to put everyone on the same page by recalling the previous 40 years’ events to the entire population of Israelites. Yes, some of the information might be embarrassing, some might convict of sin, some information might cause conflict. In my opinion it is better to be honest and get things out in the open so that we can move on. When everyone has the same information it promotes unity and common purpose. The Israelites are about to embark on the biggest fight of their lives–conquering the promised land. They have to be 100% together to accomplish their task. By Moses giving everyone the same information, the same goals, and the same instructions they are now mentally equipped to help each other succeed.

Ryan: I think it always bears repeating that had the Israelites done what God had commanded of them upon entering the promised land, we would not have seen as much fighting and territory disputes–not only throughout history, but also today. God gave the Israelites a direct command through Moses: “Drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you…. Take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess,” (Num. 33:52-53). In addition to the command, God also issues a warning/prophecy of the consequences of not driving out all the people in verse 55: “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.” One look at the modern-day conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians is proof that God knew exactly what he was talking about. Sin in our lives is the exact same way: if we do not drive out all sin from our lives, it will always be a barb in our eyes and a thorn in our side.

Samantha: In our reading today Moses took the opportunity to pass along some critical information about events that took place in the past, so that the new generation could make informed decisions about the present. In Numbers 32 we read about the tribes of Reuben and Gad asking Moses if their land could be outside the promised land. Moses clearly recoils at the suggestion, having a flashback to what happened 40 years earlier. He then gives them a history lesson paired with a stern warning of what will happen if they do not follow God’s instructions. Having a living history from an older person truly is invaluable; the knowledge from previous generations is what helps us succeed and build on what’s been done before. When knowledge is not passed down we will continue in the same repeating cycles, having to start over each new generation. I saw this firsthand at the company where I was an intern; I was given the opportunity to make an important decision and was about to make the wrong decision until the advice from seasoned co-workers helped me to understand what had been done in the past and worked. Passing on knowledge is invaluable.

Ryan: It was only five days ago (February 8) that we read of God’s vow that none of the Israelites over the age of 20 would get to enter the promised land, save for Caleb and Joshua. Now that day has come, and after reading through the long listing of the second census (through  which we learned that there are about 1,800 fewer men now than 40 years ago), we’re rewarded with the evidence that God’s promise has been fulfilled. Numbers 26:64 records, “Not one of them was among those counted by Moses and Aaron the priest when they counted the Israelites in the Desert of Sinai [except Joshua and Caleb].” Of course Moses is still around at this point, but if you remember, God promised him that he won’t get to go into the promised land either. We serve a God who keeps his promises–Hallelujah for that!

Samantha: What a jump in the timeline today! After the plague, God had Moses and Eleazar take another census of the men 20 years old or more for the purpose of dividing up the land (26:52-56). So where did the 40 years go? The Israelites had just celebrated their first Passover after leaving Egypt (Numbers 9:1-5), and now we’re already talking about events 40 years later? So far we’ve read about the Israelites’ escape from Egypt, their trek down to and time at Mt. Sinai, and their wanderings up to Kadesh (Numbers 20:1). It turns out that only two years or so of their journey are recorded, and for the remaining 37 years, all we know is what is recorded in Numbers 33.

Ryan: There are pluses and minuses to reading supplemental material in addition to the Bible. I’m thinking specifically of historical fiction novels in the vein of Francine Rivers’ Sons of Encouragement series and Lineage of Grace series. When we read today the one sentence devoted to the death of Miriam (20:1), and the one or two paragraphs about Aaron’s death (20:22-29), I thought to myself, “That’s it?!” I had remembered both of those events as much more significant, emotional, and frankly, longer. It dawned on me then, that my memories of those events were very much tied to Francine Rivers’ retelling of them, not the Biblical account. So, while reading supplemental material may help you gain a deeper understanding and see a much richer context for these events, it also can lead to confusing fiction with fact. That said, I do indeed strongly recommend reading The Priest: Aaron as it certainly made these two events (and others) seem more real, more personal, and helped me to connect to the stories in a more meaningful way than simply reading the Biblical accounts.

Samantha: I strongly dislike snakes. Maybe it is because I’ve been conditioned to think of them as the serpent in the Garden of Eden, or maybe it is because I grew up in a 100-year old farm house with a rock basement and had to help catch a few that found their way into the house. Snakes were a constant problem to ancient people who did not have anti-venom like we do today. Lethal snakes are abundant in the wilderness and Canaan (think vipers and cobras), and no doubt the Israelites feared them. I shiver at the thought of God sending venomous snakes as punishment to the ungrateful Israelites! What confused me in this story, though, was why God had Moses setup a bronze serpent on a pole as the means of healing. I have read that the pagan reaction to a snakebite was to recite a magical spell in the hopes that their deities would counter the venom. In fact, archaeological excavations have uncovered copper statues of serpents from Egypt to Midian to Edom. But isn’t a bronze serpent on a pole a lot like an Asherah pole, or the golden calf, or any pagan idol made from metal? Why would God use an inanimate idol to heal his people? The difference is that once bitten the Israelites didn’t recite a magical spell to the statue as their pagan counterparts did. They looked up at the statue and submitted to the one God who could heal them (Jehovah Rapha). In the New Testament Jesus said, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life (John 3:14-15).

Ryan: Since Samantha stole my idea, I think I’d like to talk briefly about the offerings and tithes discussed in chapter 18. Since God is making the Israelites do all of the “church work,” including care of the tabernacle and receipt of all the offerings from all of the Israelites, He is instituting a type of communism (in the true sense of the word) in that since they themselves do not have land, herds, or flocks, they get to live off of the offerings from the Israelite community. All the cooked meats, the grains, the wines, everything. For the firstborn sons and unclean animals, the priests would instead “redeem” them. I didn’t quite understand exactly how this worked until I read Adam Clarke’s commentary for chapter 18. (Go here to read it now…I’ll wait.) Basically, the parents of the sons or owner of the unclean animals would pay the price instead of handing over their firstborn. So, between all of the meat, grains, grape drinks, and the redemption money, the Levites had everything they needed provided to them in exchange for doing the work of the Lord. I’d say that’s a pretty good argument for having paid full-time preachers, staff, and elders, wouldn’t you?

Samantha: Our youth group sings a song that starts with the words “it only takes a spark to get a fire going.” In today’s reading Korah was that spark, and brought along 250 men to stand against Moses’ leadership and Aaron’s priesthood. From the reader’s perspective we can see how God is working through Moses and that it isn’t just Moses doing everything on his own. How can people who have seen the power of God firsthand be so easily swayed to believe otherwise? Korah’s argument sounded logical: “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?” (16:3). I can see Korah’s sheep-like followers saying “yeah, we’re all holy, too! why should you get all the credit?” That kind of thinking spreads like wildfire because it makes sense if you didn’t know the rest of the facts. Humans seem to have an innate need to take credit for the things they do. I have always had a major struggle with this, I think because I thrive on praise. Being a female engineer definitely didn’t help my need to take credit for my accomplishments. Reading through Korah’s arguments today made me think about how he must want the credit, or the glory, for himself. If he really wanted to serve God, he would have kept on doing what he was doing. But the way in which he accosted Moses shows that he wasn’t in it to serve God. One of my favorite quotes is from President Harry Truman: “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”

Ryan: Reading Francine River’s book, The Priest, which is a historical fiction book based on the life of Aaron, it was very interesting to read how God trained the Levites to setup and tear down the tabernacle at moment’s notice. As soon as the cloud lifted or the pillar of fire moved, the trumpets blew, and the three crews would set into action. I was amazed how fast–according to Francine River’s account–the Levites were able to get that thing assembled or disassembled. Now, after reading how God had divided up the tasks by family, and reading just how many men there were doing these tasks, it’s quite easy to understand how it got done so fast! Each of these three clans had very specific tasks to do, all while Aaron and his sons were directing traffic and shouting commands. And, while I’m sure they didn’t all participate every single time, there were over eight thousand men available for this chore. We always marvel at the enormous structures that were built by the ancients that still stand today (think pyramids, etc.), but I would love to go back in time and watch the Levites tear down and set up the tabernacle after having 39 years of practice!

Samantha: Being a firstborn child I found it interesting how God redeemed each firstborn of the Israelites. “The LORD also said to Moses, ‘I have taken the Levites from among the Israelites in place of the first male offspring of every Israelite woman. The Levites are mine, for all the firstborn are mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set apart for myself every firstborn in Israel, whether man or animal. They are to be mine. I am the LORD’” (Numbers 3:11-13). God took one Levite in exchange for every firstborn Israelite. He had Moses count the Levites, who numbered 22,000. He then counted all the firstborns in Israel (excluding the Levites), and they numbered 22,273. There weren’t enough Levites to redeem Israel–they were 273 Levites short! The Israelites had to pay a redemption price to cover each of the remaining 273 firstborn. Under the new covenant everyone is redeemed by God’s firstborn Son, Jesus, who is also the “firstborn from the dead” because he was resurrected (Colossians 1:15-20). We don’t have to pay a redemption price because Jesus has done it for us!

Ryan: I know for me personally, when I visualize the Israelites, I see a mental image in my head of a rag-tag group of people maybe five to six thousand people strong. I understand cognitively that the number is larger than that (or at least I have for 5+ years now), but for some reason, I just can’t picture it. So, after reading the census in today’s passage, I did some research to put it into perspective. Numbers 2:32-34 indicates that the total number of men was 603,550. But that wasn’t all men, that was just 20 year-old men or greater who were able-bodied enough to fight in the army, and it also did not include the Levites. So, if you assume one grown woman for every man, you’re up to 1.2 million people. Then, add in girls and boys from infants to 19 years old, the old men who are not capable of fighting, and all the Levites and their families. I think even 1.5 million people is a very conservative estimate of the total number of Israelites. So here’s the perspective part: the U.S. city that has a roughly equivalent population is Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2008 US Census). That’s the 6th largest city in the United States, home to the Liberty Bell, the first Continental Congress, and one of the first capitals of the country. Can you possibly imagine the entire population of modern-day Philadelphia camping around the outside of an 11,250 square foot temporary/movable tent?!

Samantha: Using the census numbers (which counted men of fighting age only), the tribes on the east side (Judah) had 186,400 men, the south (Reuben) had 151,450 men, the west (Ephraim) had 108,100 men, and the north (Dan) had 157,600 men. The Levites, who were not counted, were situated all around the tabernacle (Numbers 1). Notice how the north and south sides are around the same number, the west side is much smaller, and the east side is the largest? Think of it like a marching band; on the ground it doesn’t look like much, but from the stands you can see the patterns the musicians make. In Session 4 of A Woman’s Heart, Beth Moore points out that from God’s bird’s eye view, the entire assembly with the tabernacle in the middle looks like a giant sideways (to us) cross! Talk about foreshadowing!

Ryan: I thought about writing about how God should have taught Moses how to use ditto marks, but that would be sarcastic of me. I also thought about making some wisecrack about how the Levites had to completely shave their bodies (8:7), but I thought better of that too. So instead, I will focus on the summary of the offerings that is found in Numbers 7:84-88. Given the totals listed in that section, I used those numbers and multiplied them out to today’s gold, silver, and livestock prices (the most accurate numbers I could find in a quick Google search anyways). The total for the dedication and fellowship offering was $130,628 plus the cost of the flour, oil, and incense. It’s not very much in proportion to the $70M it took to build the tabernacle (0.18%), but the sheer volume of livestock alone is enough to make modern farms proud (252 heads!).

Samantha: During the monotonous repetition of the offerings it occurred to me–the offerings were brought to the tabernacle in clockwise order! I know we’re not there yet, but I felt compelled to share this observation. Numbers 2 gives the arrangement of the tribes around the tabernacle: Judah is on the east (with Issachar and Zebulun), then Reuben on the south (with Simeon and Gad), then Ephraim on the west (with Manasseh and Benjamin), and finally Dan on the north (with Asher and Naphtali). The order of offerings in Numbers 7 follows this same order! I then wondered since there are four sides to the tabernacle that maybe these tribes are grouped according to ancestry back to Jacob’s four wives. That reasoning could work because the east and south sides are all descended of Leah: Reuben, Simeon, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. It works for the west side because Ephraim and Manasseh came from Joseph, the brother of Benjamin, both sons of Rachel. The descendants of Bilhah are Dan and Naphtali, whose tribes are both on the north side of the tabernacle. My cool pattern theory breaks down with the descendants of Zilpah, whose tribes are split between the north and south; Gad is with Reuben on the south and Asher is with Dan on the north. Rats. I thought I was on to something there. Well, at least the clockwise offerings are pretty cool!

Ryan: This past Sunday, the finance deacon for our congregation gave us his annual report and budget for 2010. He also mentioned that we are almost half way done in paying off our building loan of a little more than $1 million. Hearing that our building loan (which was for improvements, not the initial build) cost that much amazed me and made me feel mildly ashamed to be sitting in those comfortable pews in the heated auditorium when there are people all around the world who don’t have enough to eat every day. For today’s reading, God had Moses record the exact amounts of most of the raw materials used in building the tabernacle. I added them up, and multiplied those by the current market prices and found the following expenses: $38.8M in gold, $2M in silver, and $16k in bronze (at scrap rate). Then add in the fabrics, dyes, skins/hides, wood (I found a bench made of acacia wood that was about the same size as the table in Exodus 37:10-16 that cost about $350), and not to mention the precious stones. All of this is for materials only. Add in the labor rate for “master craftsmen” (35:30-36:1) and the cost of tools. I estimate that a project of this magnitude would easily cost $60-75 million. The entire area, including the courtyard was approximately 11,250 square feet (about 1/4 acre). This works out to $5.3k-$6.7k per square foot. And the Israelites completed this project without going into debt. (Of course, they did plunder the Egyptians to obtain all of these materials, so there is that….)

Samantha: Moses has the divine blueprints for the tabernacle and has asked the people to help contribute construction supplies. “Everyone who was willing and whose heart moved him came and brought an offering to the LORD for the work on the Tent of Meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments” (35:21). Not everyone gave, only those who wanted to give. Even without everyone giving they still had so much that “the people were restrained from bringing more, because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work” (36:6b-7). I have yet to hear this passage read during the offering prayer on Sunday, but I hope to hear it more now that everyone (hopefully!) has been following along with daily Bible reading. What’s fascinating to me is that people gave what they wanted to and there was still more than enough. For an application to today, think about how God’s tabernacle today is the human soul–he dwells in us (1 Cor 3:16)! We’re not contributing our money to build a physical dwelling for God; rather, we are bringing our offering to help win others to Christ so that God can dwell in them, too. I know that our congregation gives enough money each week to meet the budget requirements, but what if we stopped thinking about the contribution as a dollar value and started thinking about it as the value of a soul? How much money does it take to reach someone who has never heard that God loves them? How much money does it take to feed a hungry child? How much money does it take to provide a homeless person a winter coat? In my opinion, if all the Christians in Wichita pooled their freewill offerings together there wouldn’t be a homeless problem, no one would go to bed hungry, school kids would have all the school supplies they needed, and so on. We ought to bring whatever “building materials” we can to help Him build up the lost and hurting souls around us.

Ryan: Again, today’s reading is filled with many details that do not have a ton of relevance to modern Christians, but a good understanding of the laws of the Israelites is invaluable in coming into a deeper relationship with God. For example, in the section regarding the bronze wash basin (30:17-21), God said to Moses, “Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet with water from it. Whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting, they shall wash with water so that they will not die.” I find this to be an interesting parallel for us today, in that we (Christians) have been called the “royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:5). That means that we are all priests who serve the King. If that is the case, it is probably important to make sure that we have likewise been washed so that we will not die. But we have no bronze basin, and there is no more physical tabernacle, so what are we to do? We are washed and sanctified when we follow Christ in baptism: “let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10:22).

Samantha: Reading about the incense and anointing oil made me want to take a trip to The Spice Merchant, a local shop with amazing spices from around the world. The incense had “gum resin, onycha and galbanum—and pure frankincense” (30:34), and the anointing oil had liquid myrrh, fragrant cinnamon, fragrant cane, cassia, and olive oil (30:22-24). I got to looking at where all these spices came from and was quite amazed: gum resin is the resin from trees, onycha comes from sea snails, galbanum is also a resin and is found in Persia (Iran), and frankincense is a resin found in Somalia (Africa) and Yemen (Arabia). Notice that many of the items come from trees but the Israelites are wandering around the Sinai Peninsula, which is not known for its trees. In fact, most of the items used in the incense had to come from other places. This afternoon I watched a Nova episode called “Building Pharaoh’s Ship“. They described how the ancient Egyptians had to travel south down the tumultuous Red Sea to the Land of Punt (near Sudan or Eritrea) to get the incense that the priests used in their worship. I wonder if when the Israelites “asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing” if they also asked for incense (Exodus 12:35). God has a way of providing for us in advance before we realize we need it!

Ryan: Anybody who says that God isn’t interested in the minutiae of life on earth has never read Exodus 25-28. My how our God loves detail! Of all the fine details of these four chapters, I really love reading about the ark of the covenant. Watching Raiders of the Lost Ark as a kid growing up, I more or less understood that this thing that they were fighting over had something to do with God, but that’s about it. Then, sometime in high school I actually read this section in Exodus (25:10-22) and learned that the ark they showed in the movie is a fairly good representation, at least in terms of its appearance. It wasn’t really until I met Samantha and really started studying the Bible that I learned more about the power of the ark and what its existence meant to the Israelites. The ark is the place that God resided when he came down to the tabernacle. He would “sit” between the cherubim (not fat babies with wings, if that’s what you’re thinking), hovering above the law that Moses had written on the tablets of stone. Once per year (as we’ll find out in Leviticus), the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies and smear the blood of the peoples’ sacrifices on this “mercy seat” only once per year during Yom Kippur (Feast of Atonement). As long as that blood was there on the seat when God came down to rest between the cherubim, He considered His law fulfilled. We’ll revisit this topic again (most likely) when we get to the book of Hebrews.

Samantha: One of my favorite web sites is the 3D Bible Project. They have brought the Tabernacle, Noah’s Ark, and Solomon’s Temple to life using 3D virtual reality. You can walk through these models and see all the details as if you were there. I found this tool very useful as I was teaching my 2nd & 3rd graders about the Tabernacle–they learned more from this interactive model because they could see the things that they had just read about. They were so excited to point out landmarks: ‘Ooh, there’s the altar!’ or ‘Look at the priest! There’s those 12 stones on his chest’ or ‘I see the lampstand!’ or ‘I found the ark!’ Sometimes when there are so many excruciating details it is easy to tune out or skip on down to the next section, but when you have an accurate and vivid model to examine it becomes easy to appreciate the precision.

Ryan: There is so much in today’s reading that we could talk about: The Ten Commandments (there’s at least 10 days’ worth of posts right there), the Israelites’ promises to obey and be faithful to God (let’s see how long that lasts), Moses getting to be the only one to meet with God face-to-face (when not even the consecrated priests got to do that). The thing that caught my eye and required some more attention was Exodus 23:20-22, where God tells Moses that he is sending “an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way” (King James version). In the NIV, it says that “he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him.” The fact that these were capitalized made me stop and do some research. Apparently, the word for “angel”–Mal’ak in Hebrew–means “messenger” or “one who is sent.” This is different than the Spirit of God, who is not necessarily a messenger sent with a purpose. Whenever Mal’ak is used as a proper noun (i.e. capitalized), it is referring to Jesus as an angel, prior to his incarnation (see David Guzik’s commentary on Exodus). Jesus himself alluded to this instance of he himself being sent when he said, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). It is so truly amazing and comforting to me to know that Jesus was with the Israelites in the desert to guide and protect them almost 1,500 years before he was sent to earth to become “the way” for all of mankind.

Samantha: Ever since I read Bruce Feiler’s Walking the Bible, I have dreamed of walking the same paths as Abraham, Joseph, and the Israelites. Mt. Sinai is at the top of my list of places to see. The Bedouin call it Jabal Musa, “Moses’ Mountain.” I hope that I can stay at the base of the mountain at St. Catherine’s monastery (Greek Orthodox), the oldest working Christian monastery in the world. I want to visit their vast library, meet Father Justin from Texas, and read from the oldest copy of the New Testament in the world, the Codex Sinaiticus. It is reported that the large bush inside the monastery is the very same burning bush that Moses saw; the fire extinguisher next to it, not so much. Outside the monastery walls are two paths to the summit, where there is a cave that is thought to be the one where Moses waited for the commandments. I’ll have to start working out now to be prepared for the over 3,000 stair climb to the top!

Ryan: Samantha loves watching documentary-style shows on the History Channel, Discovery, TLC, PBS, etc. I remember seeing one such show with her once that was talking about Bible stories, and this one episode in particular was talking about the parting of the Red Sea. They had many “experts” on trying to explain how, at this one particular point in the Sinai Peninsula, if there was a great earthquake somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea, it would cause the waters to recede which would allow for passage through the sea for maybe 20-30 minutes. Apparently, these “experts” never actually read the Bible, because it clearly states that the Israelites had “walls of water” on both sides (14:22). Not to mention that if the water had simply “receded,” the ground would most likely not be dry ground, but a muddy, soggy mess. And let’s not forget how many people we’re talking about–Exodus 12:37 recounts that there were six hundred thousand men plus women and children. Many scholars estimated anywhere from 1.25 to 2 million human beings that were involved in the exodus. I’m sure it would have taken much more than 20-30 minutes to cross the sea with that many folks. Being that the Bible is the only historical account of this event, it would behoove them to take it at its word, whether they can come up with a modern explanation for it or not.

On another note, in today’s reading, we also get the world’s first documented case of a cover song. You’ll note that Miriam’s song (15:21) is simply the first verse of Moses’ song (15:1). I wonder if she purchased the copyrights to do that?? For more on cover songs, visit Coverville.com.

Samantha: When we picture the Exodus we think of it as a serious drama film (think Ten Commandments), where the humble Israelites are in a life or death struggle against strong and powerful Egypt. We can imagine the fright and panic of the Israelites as they see Pharaoh’s army rapidly approaching. We can even hear the thunderous hoof beats of the hundreds of horses ready to overtake the helpless people. When Moses comforts the people he tells them that “the LORD will fight for you” (14:14). Yes, we know that God parted the Red Sea, but we often overlook the part where God made the wheels of the Egyptian’s chariots fall off! This serious drama has now morphed into a Keystone Kops film in my mind. I picture the film being sped up showing the Egyptians running around in mass confusion, running into each other, falling down, wheels rolling down the hills, all the while the goofy music is playing in the background. I can’t stop giggling–it cracks me up! I told Ryan that’s how I pictured it and he gave me a confused look (he was thinking it was more like Gladiator or Lord of the Rings style). I can’t help it. I think it is hilarious! Of all the things God could have done, he made the wheels of their chariots fall off. Sometimes it is the unexpected things that make you praise God even more.

Ryan: Today marks the first of many days that we will be learning about the life of Moses. From his humble beginnings in a basket in the Nile (2:3) to receiving the law and the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai, to his death in Moab, just outside the promised land, Moses is irrefutably the most important man in Jewish history. By extension, then, he is likely the second most important man in Christian history. It is fitting, therefore, that we get to start off our journey with Moses by watching him fail, sin, and doubt. If such an important man in our history can be just as feeble as us, it gives us great hope in the redemption we have through our faith in the God of Moses, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. We worship a God who is able, a God who loves, and a God who is. He is the great “I AM.”

Samantha: What do asphalt, tarmacs, roofing, and baby Moses’ basket have in common? They all used bitumen, a tar-like mixture of organic liquids that made fantastic waterproofing. I didn’t make the connection until reading the footnotes in the Archaeological Study Bible, that bitumen was also used to waterproof Noah’s Ark (Gen. 6:14) and for mortar in the Tower of Babel (Gen. 11:3). Genesis 14:10 mentions that the “Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits.” That valley is at the southern end of the Dead Sea, where asphalt deposits can be seen floating in the Sea even today. The Greek historian Heroditus described the Babylonians using bitumen as mortar in their walls. Bitumen is still widely used today in pavement and roofing applications, and has also been used by early photographers and painters. Praise the Lord our God who gave us on the earth all that we need.

Ryan: There are those who would tell you that the Bible is just a collection of fairy tales, moral lessons for us to learn and apply to life, but not a book of truth. If that were so, then what purpose would be served by including the information in Genesis 36? If these were fables, all we’d really care about is that the Edomites were to become the constant thorn in the side of Israel. We wouldn’t need to know who was whose offspring, and what king succeeded after which. No, the Bible is an accurate, detailed historical record that is better preserved and wider studied than any others on earth. There is evidence that the written text of the Old Testament is at least 3,000 years old, which would put it around the time of Moses. This would make sense, since it has long been believed by Jews and Christians alike that Moses wrote the pentateuch (the Torah) from what God told him to write on the mountain. This chapter is evidence that the Bible is a historical text that gives very thorough records of deaths, burials, marriages, monarchs, land sales, and more. It is not a book of fables, it is true, historical accounts.

Samantha: One of the most often mocked things about the Bible are the endless genealogies (understandably!). What most people miss is that genealogies are there for a very specific purpose and give you insight if you know what you’re looking for. As we were reading through today’s chapter I stopped at a familiar name: Amalek. He was a grandson of Esau, and thus an heir to the blessing given Esau by Isaac: “You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother.” Why is that important? Last summer I spent a lot of time in the book of Esther. The antagonist is Haman, an Amalekite (descendant of Amalek), and the story highlights his hatred for Mordecai the Jew. The narrative spends a lot of time pointing out that Haman was an Amalekite and Mordecai was a Jew, but it doesn’t explain why it was important. Jews reading that story would have instantly understood; with a little research we, too, can get the historical inference. We learned in Beth Moore’s study that Haman’s hatred wasn’t just personal, it was an age-old struggle carried down the generations. The nation of Israel had always been tormented by the descendants of Amalek: the Amalekites are mentioned in Exodus 17:8 when they attack the Israelites right after crossing the Red Sea (that’s the story where Moses has to hold up his arms, but I’m getting ahead of myself), they joined forces with the Midianites in Judges 6:33 and were defeated by Gideon (story of the fleece test), again in 1 Samuel 15:8 when King Saul spared the Amalek king Agag, and lastly in the book of Esther. So now we see where it all started–Amalek, grandson of Esau. All that from one small verse in a genealogy!

Ryan: There are so many parallels between the story of Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac and the death of Jesus on the cross that it’s almost like God is trying to hit us over the head with it. If you’ve attended church much at all, then you’ve likely heard the story eleventy billion times, and you’ve been asked by preachers, “how do you think you’d feel if you’d waited for 25 years (or more) to have a son with your wife, only to then be asked to sacrifice him in obedience to God?” One parallel that I had either glossed over in the past or had simply forgotten was that it was “on the third day” that Abraham offered up Isaac on the altar (22:4), meaning that, since the angel stayed his hand, Isaac was in one sense “resurrected” on the third day to live again with his father. It was also on the third day that Jesus was resurrected to live again with his Father. So even though I am no preacher, I pose this question to you today: How do you think you would feel if you had waited for over three thousand years for your children to become obedient so that you wouldn’t have to sacrifice your son, only to then be required to follow through and offer up your only son for a bunch of disobedient ingrates?

Samantha: We live down the street from an Islamic community center. We see when their prayer light goes on, when they meet on Fridays for worship, and when they celebrate festivals. I think it is fascinating to learn more about their culture and worship, mostly because their history is so closely related to that of the Jews (and us by extension). All of us trace ancestry back to Abraham, but there are some major differences. One Islamic festival in particular caught our attention, called Eid al-Adha (you may have heard of this through Best Buy’s Eid al-Adha ad). Celebrated near our Thanksgiving time, this feast commemorates Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his only son, Ishmael. There is no mention of Sarah and Isaac, only Hajar (Hagar) and Ismael (Ishmael). Their history tells how Ibrahim went to sacrifice Ismael and God provided a ram instead. Same plot line, but with one different character who brings completely different implications. By saying Abraham’s only son was Ishmael, they are saying that God’s promise to Abraham was to be fulfilled through Ishmael and the Arab nation, not Isaac and the Jewish nation. Now we see why the violence in the Middle East is so fierce–each side believes they are the true heir to God’s promise through Abraham! Note in our reading today that Sarah was buried in a cave in what is today the city of Hebron. That cave became the Cave of the Patriarchs and went from Canaanite rule, to Israelite rule through Caleb and the conquest, King David ruled from there for seven years, King Herod build an enclosure around the cave, later the Byzantines built a basilica over the cave, then the Muslims tore down the basilica and built the Ibrahimi Mosque, which stands today. This is a place where Jews and Palestinians clash continuously, and now we see why (watch this BBC video, and note the sign hanging from a window “God gave Israel to the Jews”).

Ryan: God is immutable and yet mutable. Genesis 18 recounts the first time (recorded) when someone intercedes on behalf of sinning people instead of cheering while God smites the wicked (a lesson to be learned there for modern Christians). God was all ready to destroy Sodom & Gomorrah before Abraham interceded and got the Lord to agree to not destroy it if He found 50 righteous people there (18:26). Of course, Abraham was most concerned with saving his nephew, Lot, and his family, but I do not doubt that he was also concerned with anyone else who might be innocent of the atrocities committed there. Abraham was even able to talk God down to ten righteous people to spare the city (he should have been a used car salesman), which still would have been enough to save Lot’s family and even future sons-in-law. In the end, though, there were not ten righteous people to be found, and God followed through with His initial plan. Even though Abraham was not able to spare the entire cities, it is truly amazing that God listened to his council enough to even entertain the idea. That is why we teach that, if it is within God’s will, you can ask Him to move mountains (Matthew 21:21).

Samantha: One of my favorite shows on the History Channel was Digging for the Truth. This show took a scientific approach to uncovering facts of archaeological myths and mysteries. The Indiana Jones-like host would travel around the world to work with archaeologists, historians, and Bible scholars as he gathered evidence and artificats about the topic of the episode. Topics included everything from the pyramids to Easter Island to the Maya; there were also several episodes on Biblical topics, including an episode on Sodom and Gomorrah. What I really enjoyed about the episode on Sodom and Gomorrah was seeing the modern day ruins in Jordan of Bab edh-Dhra and Numeira, charred remains of what could have been the actual cities God destroyed in our reading today. That area today is a barren wasteland full of sulfur, which they showed how to turn into brimstone–it’s quite flammable! There are also lots of salt deposits, being by the Dead Sea, and there is even one particular pillar that all the local children call “Lot’s Wife.” What a stark contrast to our reading from January 4th; when Abraham and Lot parted ways, Lot “saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, toward Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah)” (Genesis 13:10). Today it exists as a warning to us to believe and obey God, otherwise Jesus tells us that “it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you” (Matthew 11:24).

Ryan: Genesis 14 brings us the Bible’s first specifically-mentioned battles and wars. While it is true that prior to the flood the people were considered “violent” by God (Gen. 6:11), I imagine what went on prior to the flood was infighting among small clans over resources and possessions. Now that the descendants of Ham and Shem have established kingdoms, now we are beginning to see more structured battles over borders and territories (likely). We even see the first “international” alliance force, with the kingdoms of the “west” (Dead Sea region) allying to resist an onslaught from another alliance from the “east” (I use quotes since we’re only talking about a difference of a couple hundred miles… that’s like calling Kansas City the “west” and St. Louis the “east”). This is the first recorded territory dispute in the same region that has seen this kind of fighting now for almost 5,000 years, thanks to three separate religions who all try to lay claim to the land that was promised Abram (Genesis 12:7).

Samantha: When I picture Abram in my mind’s eye I see a regal bedouin man in white flowing robes and head cover wandering through the desert on a camel, like in Lawrence of Arabia. Just simple nomads living a peaceful life: a small family walking beside him, a small tent with a small cook fire outside, and some hot tea, crusty bread and fresh cheese for dinner (like my 2nd & 3rd grade Bible class made!). I think of it being small, cozy, and quiet. So I’m reading along in chapter 14 and read that Abram “called out the 318 trained men born in his household” to rescue his nephew Lot. Wait… how many? Let’s go back to 12:5, where Abram took “the people they had acquired in Haran” and now add to it verse 16 where Abram acquires even more servants from Pharoah. This was not a small 3-person family unit! Think about it; if there are 318 men trained for battle, those men most likely had wives (or several), children, parents, grandparents (think how old people lived back then!), plus all the servants it took to prepare food and provide care for those people. Abram’s entourage was probably more like the size of Kechi or Colwich, small populations around 1,000. They grew to such numbers in 13:5-7 that the herdsmen began fighting each other over resources and the group had to split in two.