Read the Bible

1.
a. After the children of Israel wandered for forty years, God said it was alright for them to possess the land that was swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
b. Moses begins to chronologically sermonize the journey and what happened between the children of Israel and God.

2.
a. Moses continues the sermon, explaining how God instructed them to leave certain communities alone along the way, including the community of giants known to some as Zam-zum’mims.
b. He details how they passed over Jordan and utterly destroyed Sihon and his people: the men, and the women, and the little ones.

3.
a. Moses goes on to explain how they utterly destroyed Og and his people too, and took threescore cities from them.
b. It is explained that God began to get wroth with Moses at some point and asked him to stop bringing up certain matters when they spoke together.
c. God asked Moses to encourage and strengthen Joshua, for it was Joshua that would eventually go before the people and cause them to inherit the land.

4.
a. Moses explains that the statutes, commandments, and judgments set up by God are not open to interpretation.
b. Moses was not allowed to go to Jordan for previously upsetting God.
c. Moses explains to all his people how they should believe in God because God was able to speak to them through a midst of fire.

5.
a. Moses once again affirmed God as being jealous and that the children of Israel where to believe in no other gods.
b. Moses also reminded everyone of the 10 commandments again.
c. Moses exclaims that if you walk in all the ways which God hath commanded you, that you may live, and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land.

6.
a. Moses states that everyone needs to fear God, serve God, and swear by God’s name.
b. He told the children of Israel they need to remind their sons that they were Pharaoh’s bondmen in Egypt; and that God was the one that brought them out of Egypt with a mighty hand.

31.
a. The children of Israel went to war against the Mid’i-an-ites and killed all the males (which included the kings) under orders from God. They took all the women, children and livestock alive but then burnt down all the Mid’i-an-ite cities.
b. Moses was upset that the children of Israel had brought back all the women and children. He ordered all the women and children killed, with the exception of virgin women. By performing a seven day ritual you were purified of any wrongdoing.
c. Moses then split up the booty, virgins and livestock and redistributed them amongst the church and the people.

32.
a. Moses told the children of Gad and the children of Reuben that they must partake in war or suffer grave consequences handed down from God.
b. They did as God commanded through Moses and in turn they were offered land to build cities for their families and folds for their sheep.

33.
a. This chapter chronicles the travel of Moses and his people all the way to the land of Canaan.
b. During their travels Aaron the priest died on mount Hor at the age of 123.
c. God instructed Moses (when they finally got to the land of Canaan) to tell the children of Israel to drive out all the current inhabitants of this land—and if they didn’t then it would come to pass, that those people that were allowed to remain would be pricks in the eyes of children of Israel and thorns in their sides.

34.
a. God outlined to Moses the new borders he should establish when they conquer the land of Canaan.
b. God further details to Moses how to divide the land of Canaan amongst nine and half tribes that were entitled to some of the inheritance.

35.
a. Included in the land redistribution was 48 cities (and accompanying suburbs), which Moses earmarked for the Levites.
b. Six cities were to become cities of refuge.
c. God also outlined to Moses how murderers should be dealt with. God outlined various ways of killing of people and the respective consequences if one was caught doing so.

36.
a. God indicated to Moses that women needed to marry within their own tribe so that dowries of land where not constantly changing hands.
b. The daughters of Ze-lo’phe-had obliged and were married unto their father’s brothers’ sons.
c. These are the commandments and the judgements, which the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses unto the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho.

Wow, pretty gruesome stuff. I am so glad to be done with Numbers—that almost took a year to get through… ouch! I wonder if the quote “thorn in your side” came from Chapter 33 in Numbers?

Anyway, on to Deuteronomy… hopefully it is an easier read.

25.
a. One of the children of Israel (Zimri) wanted everyone to meet a woman he liked from Mid’i-an-it-ish (Coz’bi). However, she wasn’t really welcomed at the camp and Zimri and Coz’bi were speared with a javelin.
b. Phin’e-has, the guy that did the spearing was awarded the covenant of peace by God for executing the killing of Zimri and Coz’bi.

26.
a. The earth opened her mouth and swallowed up Da’than and A-bi’ram for being famous in the congregation.
b. This chapter is utilized as yet another sort of documented census of the children of Israel as God instructed Moses to account for every child twenty years old and older, all that were able to go to war in Israel.
c. Moses allocated land based on the size of the various families.

27.
a. The daughters of Ze-lo’phe-had were upset that they did not get any land because their father had died but had no sons to carry on the family name. After talking it over with God, Moses decided it was right to give the women some land and established rules about this scenario in case it happened again.
b. Through a ritual, God empowered Joshua to be the shepard of the children of Israel and the children were too obedient to him.

28.
a. Various offerings for different reasons are outlined, God requested some strong wine be used as the drink offering.
b. God continues (through Moses) to explain numerous more animal sacrifices that should be performed and convoked around.

29.
a. Apparently the seventh month of the year is the time that a lot more sacrificing is done and the details are explained in this chapter.
b. Through Moses, God explains that these things need to be done: set up the feasts, maintain all the vows, perform freewill offerings, burnt offerings, meat offerings, drink offerings and peace offerings. Basically, God wanted a lot of offerings and loyalty.

30.
a. If a man vows something to God, then a man is obligated to that vow.
b. If a woman vows something to God, then it is only a vow if the man of the house (her father or husband) allows the vow. If a man allows the vow of the woman, then it has to be adhered too.

It is a little disconcerting to me that God required so many animals to be sacrificed back in the day. A lot of slaughtering/sacrificing going on in the Old Testament.

19.
a. God explains that it is not okay to touch a dead person and if you do then you need to burn a young cow in order to clean yourself.
b. It is a seven day process to get yourself clean again if you have become unclean by touching a dead body.

20.
a. The congregation and their animals were thirsty so, with the help of God, Moses tapped his rod on a rock two times and made water come out of it for everyone to drink.
b. God had Moses strip Aaron of his garments and brought death upon him because he had rebelled against God.
c. When all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they mourned for Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel.

21.
a. The people of Israel were still upset with God about being told to venture out from Egypt, which made God upset so God sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
b. God had Moses make a gold serpent on a pole, if one stared at it they would not die from their serpent bite.
c. God encouraged Moses to smote other people until there was none left alive so that the children of Israel could possess land.

22.
a. God made an ass speak to Ba’laam to address why he had smacked it three times.
b. Ba’laam was unaware at first that the ass was trying to save him from an angel of the Lord.
c. Balak took Ba’laam into the high places of Ba’al so that he might see the utmost part of the people.

23.
a. Ba’laam had Balak build him seven altars so that he could sacrifice an oxen and ram on each one.
b. It is confirmed in this chapter that God is not a man and has the strength of a unicorn.

24.
a. Balak was upset with Ba’laam because he basically wanted Ba’laam to condemn the children of Israel but God would not let him.
b. After exchanging some words with Ba’laam, Balak and Ba’laam parted ways.

13.
a. Under God’s order Moses sent the heads of Israel off to search the land of Canaan.
b. They came back with a report that the land flowed with milk and honey but that the area might be difficult to conquer because the current inhabitants were mighty.

14.
a. Once again the children of Israel began to lose their faith in God because they questioned God’s judgment and wondered why they had been dragged to the wilderness.
b. God was growing more upset that the children of Israel were being so provoking, and decided to breach the promise of giving some of them land.
c. Then the Am’a-lek-ites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in the area, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hor’mah.

15.
a. God outlined new rules for animal sacrifice and bread offerings when they reached the new land.
b. God had a man killed by ordering that stones be thrown at him. His crime was gathering sticks on a sabbath day.

16.
a. Moses tried to assure everyone that he wasn’t making anything up and that everything he was passing on verbally to the people was/is the word of God.
b. God finally had it with the people and killed all the people that had murmured pessimistically via earthquakes, fire and a plague.

17.
a. Moses gathered tree rods from the children of Israel to lay up in the tabernacle of witness.
b. The day after laying the rods up Aaron’s had budded and bloomed blossoms.

18.
a. God allowed Aaron to keep some of the children of Israel’s offerings, specifically all the best of the oil, and all the best of the wine, and of the wheat, and the firstfruits.
b. God continues on by stating that those that are to be redeemed from a month old shalt thou redeem, according to thine estimation, for the money of five shekels.

Numbers is a tough book to get through. Also, I am continually intrigued by why God would identify to Moses a desire for money (i.e. five shekels in chapter 18). Hopefully I can get through Numbers before the end of the year.

7.
a. For twelve days different princes within the children of Israel brought offerings for the tabernacles which consisted of a charger of silver, a silver bowl and a golden spoon.
b. This was to officially provide dedication to the alter and after the dedications it was anointed.

8.
a. Moses was informed that the Levites would now be the possession of God.
b. Basically the Levites were told that from age 25 to 50 they would be involved in the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.

9.
a. God adjusted the rules for Passover to help a few men who had been defiled by a dead body.
b. God also outlined what to do if you happened to be on a journey during Passover.
c. The children of Israel would move around or rest depending on whether there was cloud cover, based on the commandment of God.

10.
a. God ordered Moses to make two trumpets out of silver.
b. These trumpets were to be used to communicate various messages to the children of Israel.
c. The children of Israel searched out a new resting place for themselves.

11.
a. The new resting place did not have any meat and the children of Israel began to whine about God and also whined to Moses. This displeased both of them.
b. So God gifted them with a feast of quails but also smote the people with a very great plague.
c. The name of the place they rested was called Kib’roth-hat-ta’a-vah because there they buried the people that lusted.

12.
a. Miriam and Aaron talked smack about Moses because he had married an Ethiopian woman.
b. To punish Miriam for this God made her leprous.
c. Moses pleaded with God to reverse the condition – which was done (the condition was reversed) by God after Miriam served out seven days of being shut out from the camp.

1.
a. Under God’s orders a census was preformed where each family within the children of Israel was literally ‘numbered’ to establish an army.
b. Levi’s family was excused from this numbering and instead was appointed to be in charge of the tabernacle.

2.
a. The families were “pitched by their standards” and scattered around strategically in the land.
b. The total amount of people ‘numbered’ was 603,550.

3.
a. God makes claim to all firstborn “both man and beast”.
b. God also reconsidered the decision not to number the children of Levi and instead numbered them after the house of their fathers.
c. Duties, custody, and charge of different elements of the tabernacle were dispersed among the various families.

4.
a. All the various vessels of the tabernacle were to be covered in badger skins. In fact, it is quite clear in this chapter that God is very fond of badger skins.
b. It appears that the desired respective sex and age range for congregation work was males between the ages of thirty to fifty.
c. According to the commandment of the Lord people were numbered by the hand of Moses, every one according to his service, and according to his burden; thus were they numbered of him, as the Lord commanded Moses.

5.
a. God restates that the children of Israel put out of their camp every leper, every one that hath an issue, and whosoever is defiled by the dead.
b. An elaborate jealousy ritual is described where if a husband suspects his wife of cheating but is unsure he can have a priest perform a ritual that will make her thighs rot and belly swell if his suspicions are correct.

6.
a. The vow of Nazarite is described: A vow to lave the hair uncut, to abstain from wine and strong drink, and to practice extraordinary purity of life and devotion.
b. Because the dead is considered unclean, even if your parents or siblings die during this time (vow of Nazarite) you are not suppose to get near them.
c. Once the vow is over you get to shave your head, you can drink wine again and you can go visit your parents or siblings if they happened to die.

25.
a. You are to treat your land to a sabbath every seventh year of harvest until you reach year forty-nine, then on the fifty year you are to throw a jubilee.
b. Human slaves are passed down through inheritance saith the word of God.
c. Various rules of land and slave ownership are outlined but God reminds us that we are all really just God’s servants anyway.

26.
a. It is explained that as long as the children of Israel follow the rules, God will walk among them, and be their God, and they shall be God’s people.
b. If they don’t follow the rules however, God plans to appoint terror, consumption, and the burning ague on them. And if they try and have a child it will be in vain because their enemies will eat it. They might even be compelled to eat the flesh of their son or daughter.

27.
a. God outlines what men and women should pay to make a singular vow. One needs to start paying as early as one month old, however if you are poor exceptions can be made.
b. Further rules of tithing and giving to God are outlined in detail.

Finally done with Leviticus, that was an excruciatingly hard read. Hopefully Numbers is better. I am almost positive I will be benching 315lbs before I finish this goal. Any bets?

19.
a. God proclaims you should fear your parents.
b. Also, you should not steal, cheat, or lie.
c. God was also against tattoos.

20.
a. God states that if you commit the act of adultery then both adulterer and adulteress should be put to death.
b. God goes on to say that if a man lies with another man they should be put to death.
c. Furthermore, if a man has intercourse with a menstruating woman they are both to be banished.

21.
a. If the daughter of any priest ends up being a whore she was to be burnt by fire.
b. A high priest at the time was not allowed to marry a widow, a divorcee, someone who is profane or a harlot. She also needed to be a virgin.
c. In the time of the Bible most handicapped people are not allowed to approach the church’s altar to offer the bread of God.

22.
a. God reiterates to Moses that animals put up for sacrifice need to be without blemish.
b. God commanded that an animal and their mother cannot be sacrificed in the same day.

23.
a. God outlines further rules requiring the children of Israel to give up their cattle, crops, and other food items as a sign of worship.
b. God also outlines more convocation and sabbath days and what you should and shouldn’t do during them.

24.
a. A man was caught using God’s name in vain and the children of Israel were ordered by God to throw stones at him. This offense (using God’s name in vain is punishable by death).
b. The famous verse – Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him again – is contained in this chapter.

Wow, the Bible is really not an easy read. There has been some good advice so far but some goofy stuff as well (in the first three books of the Bible at least). I am looking forward to getting to the New Testament. However, I am never going to poke fun at people that believe in Joseph Smith, Xenu, or Ramtha again. Those religions just don’t seem as strange anymore.

13.
a. God told Moses how to identify leprosy and laid out various stages of the disease and parameters in deeming people and garments clean and unclean.
b. If you are deemed a leper God ordered you to be defiled and left to live a life in solitude.
c. It is indicated that just going bald however is not that big of a deal.

14.
a. In fact to treat leprosy one was to shave off all their hair including their pubic hair.
b. God continues by telling Moses how to save a house from leprosy.

15.
a. God explains what to do if one has a venereal disease, wet dream or menstruates, all of which are unclean.
b. A woman is to be separated from her group/family during menstruation because she is unclean and can turn other people unclean.

16.
a. This chapter is where the word scapegoat comes from. In one of God’s sacrificial rituals God allows a goat to escape sacrifice during a sin offering as part of one’s atonement.
b. God created an everlasting statute that on the tenth day of the seventh month one should not work (to make atonement for the children of Israel’s sins).

17.
a. God communicates that it is the blood of animals that makes atonement for one’s soul.
b. Therefore, no one is allowed to eat blood.
c. Also, it was recommended by God not to eat animals you did not kill yourself (i.e. road kill or from a carcass of an animal killed by another animal).

18.
a. God outlines rules that forbid incest. God also forbids God’s name being used in vain.
b. This is the chapter God forbids a man sleeping with another man as well.
c. God also forbids bestiality.