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15”Have you allowed all the women to live?” he asked them. This is one of those moments that seem repugnant to our Western ears. There has been a battle and the soldiers have taken plunder. They have killed all the adult males, but have spared the women and girls. Of course it was the womenContinue reading “13Mar 2011 Numbers 31:15”

25On the seventh day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. It must be time for church! The Lord sets out all the regular sacrifices that were part of the worship rotation that formed the central part of Israelite worship practices. Throughout this passage the phrase “do no regular work” appears repeatedly. TheseContinue reading “12Mar 2011 Numbers 28:25”

8”Say to the Israelites, ‘If a man dies and leaves no son, turn his inheritance over to his daughter. This is a radical departure from cultural norms of the day. For us, this seems like a no-brainer. But for them, raising the level of daughters to that of sons in regards to inheritance rights isContinue reading “11Mar 2011 Numbers 27:8”

2When Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came upon him This man, Balaam, is an interesting character. He has a reputation of getting messages from God. He has been sought out in order to curse Israel so that Balak, Israel’s enemy might get the upper hand. ButContinue reading “10Mar 2011 Numbers 24:2”

14That is why the Book of the Wars of the Lord says: “…Waheb in Suphah and the ravines, the Arnon” It would be foolish to not realize that there were other books written during that timeframe, some history, some poetry, and some of the ordinary affairs of life. And only a few of those booksContinue reading “9Mar 2011 Number 21:14”

1The Lord said to Aaron, “You, your sons and your father’s family are to bear the responsibility for offenses against the sanctuary, and you and your sons alone are to bear the responsibility for offenses against the priesthood. Responsibility is a powerful thing. We all bear responsibility for different things in life. We bear theContinue reading “8Mar 2011 Numbers 18:1”

16The same laws and regulations will apply both to you and to the alien living among you. What a great protection for foreigners living among the Israelites. The same rules apply. This is so different from what they themselves experienced as foreigners when they were in Egypt. They were the object of very different lawsContinue reading “7Mar 2011 Numbers 15:16”

11 The LORD said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them? Even the Lord gets impatient with His people when we refuse to believe and obey. How long! You can hearContinue reading “6Mar 2011 Numbers 14:11”

31 But Moses said, “Please do not leave us. You know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you can be our eyes. How quickly and easily almost anyone can get their eyes off the Lord’s provision. Moses has just received instructions about how and when to move camp. When the cloud of theContinue reading “5Mar 2011 Numbers 10:31”

25but at the age of fifty, they must retire from their regular service and work no longer. Mandatory retirement at age 50. That seems very young by today’s standards, but back then, not many people lived to age 50. Since the time of the flood the length of life has dramatically been reduced. People livedContinue reading “4Mar 2011 Numbers 8:25”