Luke
14: Jesus continues to call the "status quo" into question. If you can haul your donkey out of a hole on the sabbath, why not heal someone? Do not presume; do not carry around with you a sense of entitlement (he nearly quotes Proverbs 25.6-7 here). Those who are first will be last and those last will be first. Jesus is setting up a new kingdom that will not be like the world you revere today.
15: This chapter is all about that parable. The Pharisees were appalled because Jesus was eating with (and therefore associating himself with) the wrong kind of people. The brilliance of the parable is not only because it is about the prodigal son, but the elder brother as well.
16: I'm interested to hear what you think about the story of the dishonest manager. What is the point Jesus is trying to make? What is Jesus trying to say about money and riches? The Pharisees, and most of the culture at the time, saw wealth as a sign of God's blessing. If you had lots of resources, you must have deserved them.
John's arrival herald's the coming of God's kingdom. How this relates to divorce is unclear, though Jesus may have specifically referred to divorcing in order to marry another, which is what Herod Antipas had done.
The story of the rich man and Lazarus is another tale of great reversal. The one who is blessed is cursed and the one cursed, blessed. Jesus is indicting a system where the poor could be allowed to suffer so much at the door step of the rich. The other point he makes is our own lack of trust. We sometimes think that an experience we have will convince us of something. Jesus points out that it is never that simple.
17: It starts with a collection of different sayings about obedience, forgiveness, leading others astray. We then have the story of 10 lepers. The one who returns is the Samaritan. That's not how it's supposed to be. Topsy-turvey again.
Jesus talks about the kingdom. The Pharisees are looking for political or military events. Jesus tells them to find the kingdom in his ministry.
He talks about one of the days of the Son of Man. He warns against false prophets who foretell it's arrival. He warns them that there will be no warning. People will be carrying on in life as usual - so you must always be prepared. That message would have been important for Christians at the end of the first century who expected Jesus to have returned by then.
Judges
9: The sordid tale of Abimelech. He convinces the people of the area of Shechem (the Lords of Shechem) to make him king - which is a bad idea. Shechem is an important place, where several covenants with Yahweh were ratified by the assembly. We learned last week that a wise man proclaims Yahweh as king. He has all his brothers (they would be rivals) executed, probably in one day. Seventy heads on one bloody stone. The youngest escapes and pronounces a curse in a satirical story about Abimelech and those who would make him a king.
The Shechemites come to dislike Abimelech. They side with Gaal who is bragging. Zebul, who ruled that city, sends word to Abilmelech, who attacks. Gaal asks for help, but doesn't get any; he and many Shechemites are defeated.
Abimelech then does three things. He slaughters the people who come out to work the next day. He destroys the tower of Shechem and sows the ground with salt (so nothing would grow there). He besieges the city of Thebez, where he is killed by a woman who hurled a stone over the wall. When he dies, everyone seems to lose resolve and goes home.
How does the writer/editor evaluate this tale: snakes fighting snakes.
10: Two minor judges followed by the story of Jephthah. This story begins with the setup. It is the only story to take place in the Transjordan and the only one where the people repent. The people chased after other gods. They become oppressed by the Ammonites. The people cry out, and God could not longer bear to see them suffer.
11: Jephthah was no pillar of virtue. He was shrewd and accomplished as a military leader. Think if the local government turned to the Mafia for help in dealing with a threat.
Jephthah has no motivation to help except that he is made "head," which is apparently better than being a commander.
Jephthah attempts diplomacy and argues from history and the result of battles that the Israelites have a claim to the land. This might sound familiar; it is the same type of argument that we hear from both Jews and Palestinians today.
Jephthah's vow and its fulfillment should not be seen in a positive light. It is, rather, another story showing the downward spiral of the Israelites. Their enemies in this story, the Ammonites, worshiped Molech who demanded child sacrifice. The Law speaks about this specifically as a hideous abomination. Yet here the Israelite who defeated them is sacrificing his own daughter.
12: Again we have civil war as in chapter 9. God is not mentioned nor apparently involved. The motivation of the Ephraimtes are not clear, but they seem to be portrayed as scavengers looking for an easy meal. They battle with Jephthah and his Gileadites and lose control over the Jordan crossing. The Ephraimtes couldn't say the "sh" sound and so were found out. You can imagine Americans having to pronounce an Italian or a French "R" sound - or an Asian trying the same. These civil conflicts anticipate the further downward spiral that climaxes at the end of the book.
Finally there are a few minor judges.
13: This begins the story of Samson. He is the final judge and really reaches into the moral dregs. Samson is perhaps the mightiest but also the worst judge: He breaks his nazarite vow; he sleeps with non-Israelite women; never works with the other Israelites in his fight with the Philistines. And of course, he never really liberates the people from oppression. On the whole this is a tragic story of failure.
Samson is a Danite. They were along the Philistine border at the time of Samson but later move north. Samson's birth is accompanied by signs and appearances; it can be compared with the birth of Isaac, Samuel, John the Baptist and Jesus. Manoah does not come off as well as his wife, but neither of them know what the nazarite vow was anymore, and they don't seem to understand whether they should worship the angel or whether it is another kind of god. Eventually Samson is born and becomes strong.
14: Samson finds a foreign wife and demands his parents get her for him. He kills a lion. Later he takes the honey from the corpse, breaking his vow and defiling himself as well as his parents. He shoots his mouth off at the wedding. He gets fooled by his wife. He murders thirty men in another town to pay his debt. His wife is given to his best man. Quite a start.
15: When he cannot get his wife back he burns down the local grain fields. The people respond by burning his wife and her family. He gets so angry he kills these people. This escalating revenge is exactly what the law "eye for an eye" was meant to prevent.
Samson flees, but his fellow Israelites want nothing to do with him. They bind him and bring him to the Philistines, but he breaks loose and kills them with the jawbone of an ass. His poem plays upon the similarity in Hebrew between jawbone and heap.
Samson's first prayer is a demand for water - much like the Israelite's in the desert when they tested God.
16: Samson's weakness and foolishness reaches it's height with Delilah. You think he would have caught on. He is shaved, blinded and shamed with forced labor. He is made to perform like a monkey at the Philistine feast. His final prayer and his final act, like all the others he had performed, were for personal revenge. Samson was never concerned about anyone but himself and his appetites and pride. Again: snakes killing snakes.
17: We begin to hear the phrase, "there was no king in Israel, everyone did what was right in their own eyes"(as opposed to following the law). 17-21 form a kind of double conclusion that describes the final and utter disintegration of the society of the 12 tribes. It begins with a man who takes stolen money and builds an idol and shrine and sets up his own worship center instead of the tabernacle (which likely resided primarily at Shiloh). Later he hires a priest who is not dwelling in a Levitical town, as he was supposed to.
18: The Danites (Samson's relatives) leave, probably because they are being oppressed by the Philistines, whom Samson failed to defeat. They go to the far north of the Israelite territory and set upon a town with no walls (they were living there securely v. 8). On the way they capture the idol and priest from Micah and set up an alternative temple (likely to Yahweh) far to the north in Dan - take a look at a map - Dan is directly north of the Sea of Galilee (or Chennereth). The description of their apostasy is an echo that resonates into the later history of the northern tribes of Israel after the kingdom is split at the end of Solomon's reign.
19: Not a pleasant story. The Levite is put on the road to retrieve his concubine. Remember familial relationships were often a matter of survival. The man in Bethlehem, of Judah, is hospitable to a fault. When the Levite leaves, he travels and skips Jerusalem (Jebbus) because he expects hospitality from his own kindred, his fellow Israelites. He stops at Gibeah, which belonged to the tribe of Benjamin. The Benjemanites do not show hospitality and take him in. It is an Ephraimite, living in the city who takes him in. What unfolds is an unseemly tale that reminds the reader of the story of Lot in Sodom and Gomorrah.
The Levite shows callousness to the concubine the next morning. We are not even sure when she died. The implication is that it was in the night, but it is possible that she finally died when he cuts her up. The Israelites have hit rock bottom here.
20: In all the book of Judges no one has been able to muster all of Israel until now (Dan is to the far north, Beer-sheba to far south and Gilead is the Transjordan). The callous Levite, his honor besmirched, gives his account, and based on the testimony of one witness (and not two) the assembly decides to apply the ban or herem on the people of Gibeah.
The Benjamites, from whom will come the first Israelite king, Saul, decide to fight. They are very successful at first, but in the third encounter the armies of Israel use a classic tactic to get the Benjamite army to draw away from the city. They find themselves completely surrounded and flee. Of all the Benjamites only 600 escape, and the town of Gibeah, as well as a few nearby others, are put to the herem - men, women, children and animals. The city is burned to the ground.
How God fits in can be difficult to determine. When it says they "inquired of the Lord," this means by divination. What probably occurs is what is found later in the stories of Samuel and Kings - the Urrim and Thurrim are used, which was a basic "yes" or "no." We shouldn't think of this as a voice from heaven, but rather someone rolling dice.
21: The rash oaths of the assembly threaten the existence of Benjamin. The other oath provides a solution. They put the Israelite town of Jabesh-gilead to the herem, take the virgins from that town and give them to the Benjaminites to repopulate.
After this abhorrent act there are still not enough women. The second idea - go and abduct the dancers who are celebrating at the annual festival of Yahweh. If their fathers complain, we'll protect you from reprisal. They do not bother to consult Yahweh in any way.
The final judgment of this time echoes in v. 25.
Ruth
Ruth is a story of fertility and life. The themes of marriage and harvest meld together in its text. After the madness of Judges, it is a pleasant reminder that during the time of the judges people were still able to find happiness and blessing.
1: It starts out with some bad luck. Naomi's sons are sickly. They marry, but die soon and eventually Naomi's husband dies as well. Now Naomi finds herself with no hope and two daughter-in-laws. Remember, women of this time didn't own property. They had moved away from their family and so had no welfare safety net. Their likely future was one of starvation or prostitution.
Orpah goes her own way to try and find another husband, but Ruth decides to stick with Naomi. They return to Bethlehem, arriving at the beginning of the barely harvest. Notice a point is made that Ruth was a Moabite, not an Israelite. This is an important part of understanding the reversal of fortune that happens to her.
2: Boaz is introduced, a member of Naomi's extended family. Ruth goes to glean for Naomi and herself. If you recall the law, the farmer was not to go over their fields twice or harvest the edges of their fields. What was missed was for foreigners, the poor and widows. Ruth is all three.
Boaz notices Ruth and apparently has heard of her story. He is especially gracious to her, offering protection and water. He then invites her to the shared meal and tells the reapers to leave extra grain for her. Boaz is being generous far beyond what the law dictated. An ephah of grain is a very good day's work. Notice both men and women worked in the harvest. The chapter ends with the end of the harvest, as it began at the beginning.
3: Feet are often a euphemism for genitals, so there may be more going on than a purely literal reading would give. Boaz is not a brother-in-law, so there is no strict requirement that he marry Ruth. However, it would be seen as an appropriate and generous act. There is the added suspense of a nearer related kinsman - will that the get married and live happily-ever-after??
4: Boaz makes a shrewd deal and gets some land as well as Ruth's hand in marriage. It is likely that the family did not want the hassle of a land dispute, so Boaz aquires both. The live happily ever after, and we discover that Ruth the Moabite becomes King David's grandmother.
1 Samuel
1 &2 Samuel were originally one book, probably also connected with 1 &2 Kings. The viewpoint and themes are similar throughout. 1 Samuel is a book that focuses on three people. The first section is the story of Samuel. Then we have the story of Saul; then the story of David. Samuel is the last judge and is also a prophet who anoints both Saul and David as King over the Israelites.
1: We start with Samuel's mother, Hannah. She cannot have children, so the other wives made fun of her, but her husband liked her. She prayed for a child with the promise that he will be dedicated to service in the temple.
2: God hears her prayer and Hannah responds with her song. Notice how similar her song is to Mary's in Luke 1.46-55.
The second part of this chapter connects with chapter 3. Eli's sons are priests in the tabernacle, but they are crooked and making themselves rich. Eli seems powerless to stop it. A prophet comes to warn Eli. We don't know his reaction. However, later Samuel, when he is still young and serving in the temple hears this prophecy from God as well. He is worried about telling Eli, but when pressed he reveals the message. Eli seems to accept this judgment as just.
Samuel rises to prominence as one who speaks truly for God (his words do not fall). He becomes known and respected from Dan in the far north to Bee-sheba in the far south.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
Joshua 13-Judges 8/Luke 11-13
Joshua
13-21: How the conquered land is divided up. There are a lot of confusing geographic references here, so skim that part and check out the ugly but informative map here: http://members.aol.com/Wisdomway/twelvetribes.htm
Here's the map of where the Canaanites were.
There are a couple of interesting narratives here, so don't skip those. You'll notice that Judah (the tribe of King David) gets a special mention. Recall that Caleb was one of the early scouts who thought they could take the land from the beginning. Because of his faith, he and Joshua were the only survivors of the 40 year wandering.
An important thing to notice in these sections is that the Israelites were still having trouble with some Canaanite tribes. They had not completely conquered the land. Tribes which Joshua had defeated were still causing trouble. The Philistines are mentioned. Notice that the Jebusites hold Jerusalem. It will not be until the time of King David that they will be defeated and Jerusalem made the capital of Israel.
22: Addresses the potential problems with the tribes in the Transjordan. They are worried about being the red-headed step-child. They live on the other side of the river, so the potential of being left out or marginalized is addressed in this chapter.
23-24: Joshua's final words, like Moses. Again they are exhorted to have faith in God and to follow his Law. If they do not, they will fail. There is a covenant renewal ceremony in which Joshua places a copy of Law in the sanctuary. The book ends by tying up three loose ends: Joshua dies and Eliazar dies - the two leaders of the people who brought them to the land and led its conquering. Finally, as almost a footnote we get the burial of Joseph's bones in the place he had purchased from the children of Hamor all those years ago as the patriarchal burial plot (Ge 50.25; Ex 13.19).
Judges
Judges tells the story of the life of the tribes of Israel after the death of Joshua. Much of the land had been conquered, but, as noted in Joshua and the beginning here, there were still Canaanite peoples in the land.
The book gets it's name from the people who are seen to succeed Joshua, who is technically the first judge. They are not judges in the judicial sense, but leaders of the people, usually who are seen to posses authority over more than just their own tribe. They tended to be military leaders; but usually this is not their only role.
More than anything else, however, the book of Judges recounts the downward spiral of the culture and people of Israel. After the successes of Joshua and the general cohesiveness of the people, by the end of Judges we have a people divided and scattered. In deep irony, the book of Judges concludes in lawlessness. It is an ugly story.
1: Judah, the tribe of David, is the most successful of the tribes, though even they cannot conquer the plains in their tribal area because the Israelites do not have a sufficient tactic to defeat chariots (they only have infantry). The other tribes are less successful and dwell with the other tribes in the land. When it says "Judah said to his brother Simeon," it is not describing two people, but two tribes....As in, "The US said to the UK."
2-3: We have the judgment of Israel, based on the previous chapter. They will not have an easy time in the land. We are also introduced to the judge's stories we will find in the book of Judges. The typical format of these stories in some way echoes the wandering stories we have previously read:
• The people wander from their loyalty to God.
• God's anger and judgment comes to them, usually in the form of oppression and slavery.
• God has pity on the people and raises a judge to liberate them.
• The judge fights for the people and establishes a time of peace.
• The judge dies and the people wander from their loyalty to God.
The story of the first Judge, Othniel follows the standard format and serves as a kind of archetype for the others.
The story of Ehud is filled with iron and sarcasm. When he stabs Egon "and the dirt came out," it is the obvious scatological reference you're thinking. Ehud escapes. Meanwhile, the servants, who can smell the odor from the private chamber, do not disturb their lord until it is too late. The Moabites are in disarray when the Israelites attack. The land rests.
We also have a minor judge, Shamgar, who may not have been an Israelite in the strictest sense. There will be a few one-liner judges in the stories.
4-5: Here is the longer story of the Judges Deborah (the only female judge) and Barak. They defeat Sisera who may have been from the north or a Philistine. Deborah not only had a keen military mind, but was a prophetess as well; she also decided disputes for the people in the area. For those who have seen the documentary we watched, this is one of the battles described.
5 is the poetic retelling which also remembers the tribes who did and did not come to the aid of Deborah. It tells of a sudden downpour, which would have flooded the Wadi, leaving the chariot's wheels and horses hooves stuck in the mud.
You will see the valley of Jezreel coming up fairly often. It was part of an important pass through the central hills between the valley of the Jordan river and the plains and sea to the west. It was of great strategic value.
6-8: The story of Gideon. Gideon means "hacker," and that is what we find him doing. The people have to be careful about their harvest because of Midian and Amalekite raiders. A prophet accuses the people of disloyalty, but before there is a reply, we find 'Hacker,' who is characterized by disbelief and cowardice.
Gideon does what God tells him, but only after sign after sign, and in the way which has the least risk - so he cuts down the pole and altar at night. He does, however, at least do that.
When Gideon goes out against the Midianites, God makes him take only 300, so that no one ascribes the victory to anyone else but God. Gideon uses guerrilla tactics to defeat the larger force of Midianites. He attacks at night, when battles at that time where in the day. He uses 300 horns, which probably convinced the enemy they were surrounded by a great army. The fire pots might have been used to start fires in the camp. The Midianites flee in disarray and are set upon by the larger forces as they retreat.
Gideon pursues the leaders of the Midianites across the Jordan along the river Jabbock. Succoth and Penuel do not give him aid, for which he takes revenge. He finally catches the Midianite kings and kills them - avenging his brothers.
Gideon refuses to become king, telling the people that Yahweh is their king. Then there is the strange account of the ephod. Usually an ephod was a special breastplate worn by the high priest. It seems likely that Gideon set up some kind of priesthood in his local town, rather than worshiping at the tabernacle with its Levitical priesthood. Some believe this refers to some kind of idol worship.
After Gideon's death, Israel falls into disloyalty once again. His son, Abimilech will be succeed him in the next story.
Luke
11: Jesus teaches on prayer. He teaches them what to say and how to pray. God does not give us a stone if we ask for bread. At the same time, if we ask for a snake, I don't know if he would give us that either.
There is conflict with some people who distrust his exorcisms. Jesus makes it clear that when it comes to him and the devil, there is no middle ground.
Constantly asking for a sign makes me think of Gideon.
Jesus pronounces his woes, much as in Matthew, on the religious leaders. Not unsurprisingly, this intensifies the conflict between them.
12: Several sayings of Jesus: Bewared of hypocrisy. Do not be afraid to acknowledge Jesus. Do not assign the work of the Spirit to evil.
Beware of money. The rich fool's soul is demanded by the things he is building. Rather than taking joy at the abundance of his crop, he sees it as a problem.
Then Jesus gives two, in some ways, conflicting messages: Don't worry, God will provide. Be vigilant, for Jesus message is controversial, it will rend even families apart. We might ask ourselves how we can understand this message today.
13: First - not all those who suffer deserve it. Second - salvation is still possible; indeed it is at hand. Third - people are what is important; the law was made for people, not people for the law. Fourth - the kingdom's growth cannot be stopped; it starts small and gathers strength. Fifth: the gate is narrow, but people come from all over to the feast of the kingdom of God. Fifth: I'm not afraid of Herod; how I wish I could gather Jerusalem to myself.
13-21: How the conquered land is divided up. There are a lot of confusing geographic references here, so skim that part and check out the ugly but informative map here: http://members.aol.com/Wisdomway/twelvetribes.htm
Here's the map of where the Canaanites were.
There are a couple of interesting narratives here, so don't skip those. You'll notice that Judah (the tribe of King David) gets a special mention. Recall that Caleb was one of the early scouts who thought they could take the land from the beginning. Because of his faith, he and Joshua were the only survivors of the 40 year wandering.
An important thing to notice in these sections is that the Israelites were still having trouble with some Canaanite tribes. They had not completely conquered the land. Tribes which Joshua had defeated were still causing trouble. The Philistines are mentioned. Notice that the Jebusites hold Jerusalem. It will not be until the time of King David that they will be defeated and Jerusalem made the capital of Israel.
22: Addresses the potential problems with the tribes in the Transjordan. They are worried about being the red-headed step-child. They live on the other side of the river, so the potential of being left out or marginalized is addressed in this chapter.
23-24: Joshua's final words, like Moses. Again they are exhorted to have faith in God and to follow his Law. If they do not, they will fail. There is a covenant renewal ceremony in which Joshua places a copy of Law in the sanctuary. The book ends by tying up three loose ends: Joshua dies and Eliazar dies - the two leaders of the people who brought them to the land and led its conquering. Finally, as almost a footnote we get the burial of Joseph's bones in the place he had purchased from the children of Hamor all those years ago as the patriarchal burial plot (Ge 50.25; Ex 13.19).
Judges
Judges tells the story of the life of the tribes of Israel after the death of Joshua. Much of the land had been conquered, but, as noted in Joshua and the beginning here, there were still Canaanite peoples in the land.
The book gets it's name from the people who are seen to succeed Joshua, who is technically the first judge. They are not judges in the judicial sense, but leaders of the people, usually who are seen to posses authority over more than just their own tribe. They tended to be military leaders; but usually this is not their only role.
More than anything else, however, the book of Judges recounts the downward spiral of the culture and people of Israel. After the successes of Joshua and the general cohesiveness of the people, by the end of Judges we have a people divided and scattered. In deep irony, the book of Judges concludes in lawlessness. It is an ugly story.
1: Judah, the tribe of David, is the most successful of the tribes, though even they cannot conquer the plains in their tribal area because the Israelites do not have a sufficient tactic to defeat chariots (they only have infantry). The other tribes are less successful and dwell with the other tribes in the land. When it says "Judah said to his brother Simeon," it is not describing two people, but two tribes....As in, "The US said to the UK."
2-3: We have the judgment of Israel, based on the previous chapter. They will not have an easy time in the land. We are also introduced to the judge's stories we will find in the book of Judges. The typical format of these stories in some way echoes the wandering stories we have previously read:
• The people wander from their loyalty to God.
• God's anger and judgment comes to them, usually in the form of oppression and slavery.
• God has pity on the people and raises a judge to liberate them.
• The judge fights for the people and establishes a time of peace.
• The judge dies and the people wander from their loyalty to God.
The story of the first Judge, Othniel follows the standard format and serves as a kind of archetype for the others.
The story of Ehud is filled with iron and sarcasm. When he stabs Egon "and the dirt came out," it is the obvious scatological reference you're thinking. Ehud escapes. Meanwhile, the servants, who can smell the odor from the private chamber, do not disturb their lord until it is too late. The Moabites are in disarray when the Israelites attack. The land rests.
We also have a minor judge, Shamgar, who may not have been an Israelite in the strictest sense. There will be a few one-liner judges in the stories.
4-5: Here is the longer story of the Judges Deborah (the only female judge) and Barak. They defeat Sisera who may have been from the north or a Philistine. Deborah not only had a keen military mind, but was a prophetess as well; she also decided disputes for the people in the area. For those who have seen the documentary we watched, this is one of the battles described.
5 is the poetic retelling which also remembers the tribes who did and did not come to the aid of Deborah. It tells of a sudden downpour, which would have flooded the Wadi, leaving the chariot's wheels and horses hooves stuck in the mud.
You will see the valley of Jezreel coming up fairly often. It was part of an important pass through the central hills between the valley of the Jordan river and the plains and sea to the west. It was of great strategic value.
6-8: The story of Gideon. Gideon means "hacker," and that is what we find him doing. The people have to be careful about their harvest because of Midian and Amalekite raiders. A prophet accuses the people of disloyalty, but before there is a reply, we find 'Hacker,' who is characterized by disbelief and cowardice.
Gideon does what God tells him, but only after sign after sign, and in the way which has the least risk - so he cuts down the pole and altar at night. He does, however, at least do that.
When Gideon goes out against the Midianites, God makes him take only 300, so that no one ascribes the victory to anyone else but God. Gideon uses guerrilla tactics to defeat the larger force of Midianites. He attacks at night, when battles at that time where in the day. He uses 300 horns, which probably convinced the enemy they were surrounded by a great army. The fire pots might have been used to start fires in the camp. The Midianites flee in disarray and are set upon by the larger forces as they retreat.
Gideon pursues the leaders of the Midianites across the Jordan along the river Jabbock. Succoth and Penuel do not give him aid, for which he takes revenge. He finally catches the Midianite kings and kills them - avenging his brothers.
Gideon refuses to become king, telling the people that Yahweh is their king. Then there is the strange account of the ephod. Usually an ephod was a special breastplate worn by the high priest. It seems likely that Gideon set up some kind of priesthood in his local town, rather than worshiping at the tabernacle with its Levitical priesthood. Some believe this refers to some kind of idol worship.
After Gideon's death, Israel falls into disloyalty once again. His son, Abimilech will be succeed him in the next story.
Luke
11: Jesus teaches on prayer. He teaches them what to say and how to pray. God does not give us a stone if we ask for bread. At the same time, if we ask for a snake, I don't know if he would give us that either.
There is conflict with some people who distrust his exorcisms. Jesus makes it clear that when it comes to him and the devil, there is no middle ground.
Constantly asking for a sign makes me think of Gideon.
Jesus pronounces his woes, much as in Matthew, on the religious leaders. Not unsurprisingly, this intensifies the conflict between them.
12: Several sayings of Jesus: Bewared of hypocrisy. Do not be afraid to acknowledge Jesus. Do not assign the work of the Spirit to evil.
Beware of money. The rich fool's soul is demanded by the things he is building. Rather than taking joy at the abundance of his crop, he sees it as a problem.
Then Jesus gives two, in some ways, conflicting messages: Don't worry, God will provide. Be vigilant, for Jesus message is controversial, it will rend even families apart. We might ask ourselves how we can understand this message today.
13: First - not all those who suffer deserve it. Second - salvation is still possible; indeed it is at hand. Third - people are what is important; the law was made for people, not people for the law. Fourth - the kingdom's growth cannot be stopped; it starts small and gathers strength. Fifth: the gate is narrow, but people come from all over to the feast of the kingdom of God. Fifth: I'm not afraid of Herod; how I wish I could gather Jerusalem to myself.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Map of Canaanite tribes
As you are reading Joshua, I thought this might be helpful. Here's a map of where the Canaanites were:
http://www.foundationsforfreedom.net/Article/Bible/OT/OT_Historical/Joshua/Palestine_Time-of-Conquest.png
http://www.foundationsforfreedom.net/Article/Bible/OT/OT_Historical/Joshua/Palestine_Time-of-Conquest.png
Deuteronomy 28-Joshua 12/Luke 8-10
Luke
8: Jesus shows his power. The disciples are left wondering, "Who is this guy." It is an astonishing moment. He also proclaims a different kind of family. This is a radical departure from the culture at hand and offered to people a different kind of community based on Jesus' vision of the kingdom.
9: It is important to pivot in the story of Jesus. This is the first time he speaks of his inevitable death. Jesus is transfigured before the disciples, and again the voice from heaven comes pronouncing blessing upon Jesus. He is the one God has chosen as his representative and spokesperson. Finally, in v. 51, Jesus "sets his face to go to Jerusalem." This is a Semitic figure of speech which speaks of resolve and determination. What Jesus does is not easy for him to do.
10: After we hear of the difficult demands of Jesus ministry, we get the commissioning of the twelve who are sent out on an urgent mission. Jesus has a vision of Satan, the accuser and opponent, falling from heaven: ie being ejected from God's court. He gives thanks for this sign of the vindication of his mission.
The lawyer would have been someone educated in the intricacies of the Law - that is the Torah. Luke (and only Luke) then gives us the story of the Good Samaritan - a story with great intricacies that in fact turn the question the lawyer asks in upon itself. He asks, "Who is my neighbor?" Jesus responds: "Be a neighbor." Not exactly the question he asks, but then Jesus was in a habit of shaking the foundation from which those questions arose.
Deuteronomy
28: A long chapter, but the point is clear: If you do not follow the Law you will lose the land, you will be taken away by foreign invaders and (in a kind of reverse Exodus) the plagues of Egypt will come upon you.
29-30: The ratification of the covenant and a restatement of blessing and cursings. There are several sections here which seem to speak of another time, specifically after the exile, which we will read of later. There is a hope, even at the end of a tumultuous future, for restoration.
31-33: Moses prepares for his death. Joshua is sworn in as the new leader; Moses prophesies about the future of the people. This intricate and beautiful poem is likely a later addition that recalls the history of Israel from the exile. He then speaks blessing on each of the twelve tribes.
34: The death of Moses. Notice he ascends to the top of Pisgah (yes just like south of Eugene). He is able to see the Holy Land, but he is not able to enter it. He is given an epitaph we could all desire: whom the Lord knew face to face.
Joshua
We are out of the Torah now. We have entered the history books. These books tell the story of how the children of Israel conquered Canaan, built an empire, lost it, and returned again. It covers the books of Joshua through Ezra/Nehemiah and Esther. But we cannot imagine that the people who told these stories, who recorded and edited them thought of "history" in the same way as we do today. As I have pointed out before, no one thought that way until very recently in the Western world. These stories are told to make a point.
These books are of totally different nature than the preceding one. God is still intertwined in the lives of the people, but not in the same way as before. There are differences also of how people understand God and their relationship with him. Many of the stories are idealistic retellings that were recorded during the exile, but most of them contain, without a doubt, many kernels of truth. They are above all descriptions of what happened and less prescriptions of how things should happen or how God might be acting. This is important to remember when we get to certain places.
We start with Joshua, which is perhaps the most idealistic of all the books. Good and evil are very obvious and presented in black and white - and anything with a taint of evil was utterly destroyed. It is a brutal and bloody book, but it took place in a brutal and bloody land. There are two things you should remember: first the warfare that was practiced was not unusual at the time; second, the stories are almost certainly untrue in their absoluteness. We know these people that Joshua fought were not utterly destroyed because they pop up again and again in later stories. For further notes on the herem or ban, see my previous posts.
As always for more information check out wikipedia.
1: Introduction and Joshua is encouraged by God to be courageous and tells the people that they will be successful as long as they follow the law and remain loyal to God.
2: An interlude in which spies are sent into the land. People had heard about the Israelites and their victorious battles with other people in the land. We also get the introduction of the story of Rahab the prostitute, who is also an ancestor of Jesus in Matthew's genealogy.
3-4: The people cross the Jordan. There are various rituals which recall the covenant and God's faithfulness to the people. The largest of which, of course, is the echo of their crossing of the Red Sea.
5: Before they go to Jericho they a ritually made holy. Those who are uncircumcised are now circumcised. They hold a passover and eat the produce of the land they are encamped at, Gilgal. On that day, the manna stops. They are no longer being fed by the bread that comes from heaven, but by the food of the land they have been promised. Joshua has a vision of the commander of God's army which is going to aid them in their conquest.
6: Jericho. We all know the story.
7: Someone did not follow the law to destroy everything. We tend to concentrate on the human part of the herem or ban, that everyone was killed. Yet it was not just people. The Israelites were not to take the wealth of the people put to the herem. They were to destroy everything. Achan got greedy and so he and all that he had taken is put to the herem.
8: Ai is conquered through some military cleverness and put to the herem. Joshua makes sacrifices and inscribes and reads the Law.
9: The campaign continues. The Gibeonites deceive the Israelites, but eventually fall under their rule. They are the only people to escape the herem in this early campaign.
10: The defeat of the Amorite alliance and putting the towns in the south to the herem.
11: The northern campaign and defeat of Canaanite coalition. Putting the towns to the herem.
By the end of 11 Joshua had pretty much captured the central hills of Canaan, securing a power base in the land. This would prove an important strategic move in that area of the world. Remember in Deuteronomy God tells the people that the land they are going to is one of hills - not a flat land that could be irrigated. They would have to depend on God for the rain to grow their crops. Joshua has captured these hills and will use them as a power base in the future.
12: A list of the conquests beginning with Moses campaigns in the Transjordan.
8: Jesus shows his power. The disciples are left wondering, "Who is this guy." It is an astonishing moment. He also proclaims a different kind of family. This is a radical departure from the culture at hand and offered to people a different kind of community based on Jesus' vision of the kingdom.
9: It is important to pivot in the story of Jesus. This is the first time he speaks of his inevitable death. Jesus is transfigured before the disciples, and again the voice from heaven comes pronouncing blessing upon Jesus. He is the one God has chosen as his representative and spokesperson. Finally, in v. 51, Jesus "sets his face to go to Jerusalem." This is a Semitic figure of speech which speaks of resolve and determination. What Jesus does is not easy for him to do.
10: After we hear of the difficult demands of Jesus ministry, we get the commissioning of the twelve who are sent out on an urgent mission. Jesus has a vision of Satan, the accuser and opponent, falling from heaven: ie being ejected from God's court. He gives thanks for this sign of the vindication of his mission.
The lawyer would have been someone educated in the intricacies of the Law - that is the Torah. Luke (and only Luke) then gives us the story of the Good Samaritan - a story with great intricacies that in fact turn the question the lawyer asks in upon itself. He asks, "Who is my neighbor?" Jesus responds: "Be a neighbor." Not exactly the question he asks, but then Jesus was in a habit of shaking the foundation from which those questions arose.
Deuteronomy
28: A long chapter, but the point is clear: If you do not follow the Law you will lose the land, you will be taken away by foreign invaders and (in a kind of reverse Exodus) the plagues of Egypt will come upon you.
29-30: The ratification of the covenant and a restatement of blessing and cursings. There are several sections here which seem to speak of another time, specifically after the exile, which we will read of later. There is a hope, even at the end of a tumultuous future, for restoration.
31-33: Moses prepares for his death. Joshua is sworn in as the new leader; Moses prophesies about the future of the people. This intricate and beautiful poem is likely a later addition that recalls the history of Israel from the exile. He then speaks blessing on each of the twelve tribes.
34: The death of Moses. Notice he ascends to the top of Pisgah (yes just like south of Eugene). He is able to see the Holy Land, but he is not able to enter it. He is given an epitaph we could all desire: whom the Lord knew face to face.
Joshua
We are out of the Torah now. We have entered the history books. These books tell the story of how the children of Israel conquered Canaan, built an empire, lost it, and returned again. It covers the books of Joshua through Ezra/Nehemiah and Esther. But we cannot imagine that the people who told these stories, who recorded and edited them thought of "history" in the same way as we do today. As I have pointed out before, no one thought that way until very recently in the Western world. These stories are told to make a point.
These books are of totally different nature than the preceding one. God is still intertwined in the lives of the people, but not in the same way as before. There are differences also of how people understand God and their relationship with him. Many of the stories are idealistic retellings that were recorded during the exile, but most of them contain, without a doubt, many kernels of truth. They are above all descriptions of what happened and less prescriptions of how things should happen or how God might be acting. This is important to remember when we get to certain places.
We start with Joshua, which is perhaps the most idealistic of all the books. Good and evil are very obvious and presented in black and white - and anything with a taint of evil was utterly destroyed. It is a brutal and bloody book, but it took place in a brutal and bloody land. There are two things you should remember: first the warfare that was practiced was not unusual at the time; second, the stories are almost certainly untrue in their absoluteness. We know these people that Joshua fought were not utterly destroyed because they pop up again and again in later stories. For further notes on the herem or ban, see my previous posts.
As always for more information check out wikipedia.
1: Introduction and Joshua is encouraged by God to be courageous and tells the people that they will be successful as long as they follow the law and remain loyal to God.
2: An interlude in which spies are sent into the land. People had heard about the Israelites and their victorious battles with other people in the land. We also get the introduction of the story of Rahab the prostitute, who is also an ancestor of Jesus in Matthew's genealogy.
3-4: The people cross the Jordan. There are various rituals which recall the covenant and God's faithfulness to the people. The largest of which, of course, is the echo of their crossing of the Red Sea.
5: Before they go to Jericho they a ritually made holy. Those who are uncircumcised are now circumcised. They hold a passover and eat the produce of the land they are encamped at, Gilgal. On that day, the manna stops. They are no longer being fed by the bread that comes from heaven, but by the food of the land they have been promised. Joshua has a vision of the commander of God's army which is going to aid them in their conquest.
6: Jericho. We all know the story.
7: Someone did not follow the law to destroy everything. We tend to concentrate on the human part of the herem or ban, that everyone was killed. Yet it was not just people. The Israelites were not to take the wealth of the people put to the herem. They were to destroy everything. Achan got greedy and so he and all that he had taken is put to the herem.
8: Ai is conquered through some military cleverness and put to the herem. Joshua makes sacrifices and inscribes and reads the Law.
9: The campaign continues. The Gibeonites deceive the Israelites, but eventually fall under their rule. They are the only people to escape the herem in this early campaign.
10: The defeat of the Amorite alliance and putting the towns in the south to the herem.
11: The northern campaign and defeat of Canaanite coalition. Putting the towns to the herem.
By the end of 11 Joshua had pretty much captured the central hills of Canaan, securing a power base in the land. This would prove an important strategic move in that area of the world. Remember in Deuteronomy God tells the people that the land they are going to is one of hills - not a flat land that could be irrigated. They would have to depend on God for the rain to grow their crops. Joshua has captured these hills and will use them as a power base in the future.
12: A list of the conquests beginning with Moses campaigns in the Transjordan.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Deuteronomy 24-27/Luke 7
Deuteronomy
24-26 in a continuation of the laws. Notice these are pointed specifically at justice and fairness which should be applied to everyone, not just the people of a particular status level. The poor, the stranger, and the orphan are even accorded some extra rights. You cannot utterly deprive someone of their dignity, no matter what they owe you. As human beings, they are not to be treated as animals or sub-human. 26 ends with further ratification of the agreements of the covenant God is making with the Israelites.
27 tells us of the ceremony held when the people enter the holy land. There are a couple of competing stories regarding exactly where and how these things happened. The curses at the end, however, echo the meaning of covenant as "to cut." Remember the animals that were halved, between which the two covenant makers passed: the declaration being, "If I break this covenant, let what happened to these animals happen to me."
Luke 7
Here we have three stories in which the people who are supposed to get it don't get it, and the people who aren't supposed to get it, do. The Centurion does not represent the nice police officer or NCO from the local base. The Centurion represents "The Man." He stands against freedom and self-determination. John of course is the crazy man from the wilderness who is prophesying the fall of the "system." Then there is the unrespectable woman, the woman who does not get invited to dinner parties but to bachelor parties. In each case, Jesus sees beyond the classification their society has laid upon them, and sees the true person underneath - in need of the good news of his kingdom and his healing and forgiveness.
24-26 in a continuation of the laws. Notice these are pointed specifically at justice and fairness which should be applied to everyone, not just the people of a particular status level. The poor, the stranger, and the orphan are even accorded some extra rights. You cannot utterly deprive someone of their dignity, no matter what they owe you. As human beings, they are not to be treated as animals or sub-human. 26 ends with further ratification of the agreements of the covenant God is making with the Israelites.
27 tells us of the ceremony held when the people enter the holy land. There are a couple of competing stories regarding exactly where and how these things happened. The curses at the end, however, echo the meaning of covenant as "to cut." Remember the animals that were halved, between which the two covenant makers passed: the declaration being, "If I break this covenant, let what happened to these animals happen to me."
Luke 7
Here we have three stories in which the people who are supposed to get it don't get it, and the people who aren't supposed to get it, do. The Centurion does not represent the nice police officer or NCO from the local base. The Centurion represents "The Man." He stands against freedom and self-determination. John of course is the crazy man from the wilderness who is prophesying the fall of the "system." Then there is the unrespectable woman, the woman who does not get invited to dinner parties but to bachelor parties. In each case, Jesus sees beyond the classification their society has laid upon them, and sees the true person underneath - in need of the good news of his kingdom and his healing and forgiveness.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Deuteronomy 8-27/Luke 4-7
Luke
Luke 4: The temptation of Jesus is nearly identical to the one in Matthew, except for the order (Mt 4.1-11). It is likely that they thought the temptation they put last was the trickiest one, and so left it to the last.
Jesus comes out of the wilderness and begins his ministry (this should be a familiar pattern). He reads what was probably a well known passage about the establishment of the kingdom of God and return of the people from exile. He states that it has been fulfilled; the people are intrigued and excited. They perhaps start to question his authority and claim (Is this not Joseph's son?). He answers with two challenges: references to God's grace coming to gentiles (widow of Zarephath and Naaman), coupled with the famous quote about a prophet not being welcome in their home town. Response: they try to throw him off a cliff.
Having encountered this response and weathered the conflict, Jesus next enters into conflict with the demons. This will be an important point in the story of Jesus: his conflict with people and his conflict with the supernatural powers. In Jesus' world, the two would have been more connected than in ours.
When Jesus goes to leave Capernaum and the area of Galilee, the people want him to stay, but he most proclaim his message in other cities. Notice he continues to proclaim that message in the synagogues of Judea (take a look at your maps).
Luke 5 begins with the miraculous fishing and the call of Peter, James and John. During a healing, he touches a leper (which you weren't supposed to do). His healing starts to draw crowds, including the "teachers of the law."
There is a whole section here, from about 5.17 - 6.11 where he has various conflicts and disagreements with these religious leaders. They want him to be proper and respectable. Jesus is more interested in living life and bringing life to others. Notice Jesus also consistently gets away for rest and restoration.
Chapter 6.12-16 is the list of disciples who become "The Twelve." There is some variation in the lists between the different gospels, but they always start with Peter and end with Judas Iscariot.
The end of 6 is Luke's version of the sermon on the mount. Here we have the sermon on the plain (v. 17), and some very basic differences, even in the Beatitudes, which includes the classic formula of blessings and cursings (remember how often this occurs in the Torah). Compare with Matthew 5.
Deuteronomy
8: it is serendipitous to be reading this with Luke 4. We hear the phrase with Jesus quotes to Satan in v. 3 - one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. The point here is clear....it is God who feeds us, who clothes us, who gives us shelter. We are wholly dependent on God. The Israelites are warned not to forget this, now they are moving into a land that is bountiful from a land where they would have starved if bread had not fallen from the sky.
9: retells the story at Mt. Sinai, but there is a deeper warning against self-righteousness. "Do not think you are taking this land as a reward for being good." No, it is God's judgment on the Canaanites and because of the promises made through Abraham that they are receiving the land.
10: a conclusion of the historical recap and a plea, not simply to obey the law, but to love God, and not only God, but the stranger, the widow, the orphan. The point here is that Yahweh is not only the God of the Israelites, but of everyone, especially the downtrodden.
11: We hear again the call to loyalty to God. Notice vv. 10-12. The Nile Valley in Egypt is irrigated by human effort. The land of Canaan is a place of hills and valleys where a large irrigation endeavor won't work. The land of Canaan is a place where the agriculture is completely dependent on the rain God sends. This will become important when the land is afflicted with drought. Notice also the use of the plural you throughout. It is a communal injunction that the community (not just individuals) remain loyal. They were in it together.
12 - 26.15 is the next great body of law in Dt.
12 speaks to a centralized worship of their God to the exclusion of all others. They are to destroy the pagan temples. They were not to worship God there. One of the key distinctions here is that now that the people are living throughout the land, they do not have to bring every animal to the tabernacle to slaughter it. Now when an animal is killed in "a town" it is not a sacrifice, where before it was. There is now also only one place (from among the tribes) for sacrifices to happen. This is where we see the writer reflecting the time of Josiah, when there was only one temple and one altar in Jerusalem rather than places throughout the land. This becomes much more important later. This new description of slaughtering an animal that is not sacrifice is one of the first divisions between the "sacred" and the "secular."
13: Don't worship other gods, no matter who says so. 'Nuff said.
14: Tithe was what was usually owed to the monarch or the landowner - the people are stewards, God is the owner. Their tithe was used to support the Levites and the poor.
15: We hear again of the year of jubilee. Every 7 years, no more debt, no more slavery (most likely indentured servants).
16: Is a revamping of the calendar and the establishment of local courts which usually held their meetings at the town gates.
17: What do you do with crime and disputes. If the local court cannot reach a conclusion, bring them to the temple and the priests and judge (as in the book of Judges) will decide. There is also a provision for a king (strange considering what happens over the next couple of hundred years if this was indeed written before Josiah). Notice the king's power is greatly limited, and there are several prohibitions against extravagance (which is what gets King Solomon in trouble).
18: More on the levitical priesthood, and also in some sense creates the role of the prophet. This is one who speaks for God, not in the way the pagans do (9-14), but in the way Moses did.
19: covers two topics: the cities of sanctuary and the rules of evidence for the court. You must have more than one witness to convict.
20: again we have the herem or the ban. The Israelite holy war described here frankly never took place. The rules here are similar to other Near East descriptions, and you can even see in verse 16 how the rules were amended. When this was written, the Canaanite tribes were already assimilated into the Israelite populace. This was an attempt to idealize the conquering of the land in a way to convince contemporary Jews (7th cent.) to not be tempted by the pagan gods and worship.
21: various situations: how will the land be cleansed by bloodshed if we cannot find the perpetrator? How shall we settle certain civil disputes? Remember, the family was the welfare system; the welfare of woman depended on the rights they demanded from their husbands and fathers. Regarding the corpse on a tree, we find the reason the people asked for Jesus' body before sundown.
22: Lots of different laws mostly covering civil matters; that is the obligations between people. Remember the precarious position of woman in this society. Most of these laws are there to protect her from summary execution or from banishment from the protection of family which would lead either to starvation or prostitution (perhaps both).
23: Restriction on those who could be a part of the Israelite assembly, which was the governing body of Israel, and most likely a popular legislature made up of tribal and town leaders (Edomites are descendants of Esau) .
More in a couple of days....
Luke 4: The temptation of Jesus is nearly identical to the one in Matthew, except for the order (Mt 4.1-11). It is likely that they thought the temptation they put last was the trickiest one, and so left it to the last.
Jesus comes out of the wilderness and begins his ministry (this should be a familiar pattern). He reads what was probably a well known passage about the establishment of the kingdom of God and return of the people from exile. He states that it has been fulfilled; the people are intrigued and excited. They perhaps start to question his authority and claim (Is this not Joseph's son?). He answers with two challenges: references to God's grace coming to gentiles (widow of Zarephath and Naaman), coupled with the famous quote about a prophet not being welcome in their home town. Response: they try to throw him off a cliff.
Having encountered this response and weathered the conflict, Jesus next enters into conflict with the demons. This will be an important point in the story of Jesus: his conflict with people and his conflict with the supernatural powers. In Jesus' world, the two would have been more connected than in ours.
When Jesus goes to leave Capernaum and the area of Galilee, the people want him to stay, but he most proclaim his message in other cities. Notice he continues to proclaim that message in the synagogues of Judea (take a look at your maps).
Luke 5 begins with the miraculous fishing and the call of Peter, James and John. During a healing, he touches a leper (which you weren't supposed to do). His healing starts to draw crowds, including the "teachers of the law."
There is a whole section here, from about 5.17 - 6.11 where he has various conflicts and disagreements with these religious leaders. They want him to be proper and respectable. Jesus is more interested in living life and bringing life to others. Notice Jesus also consistently gets away for rest and restoration.
Chapter 6.12-16 is the list of disciples who become "The Twelve." There is some variation in the lists between the different gospels, but they always start with Peter and end with Judas Iscariot.
The end of 6 is Luke's version of the sermon on the mount. Here we have the sermon on the plain (v. 17), and some very basic differences, even in the Beatitudes, which includes the classic formula of blessings and cursings (remember how often this occurs in the Torah). Compare with Matthew 5.
Deuteronomy
8: it is serendipitous to be reading this with Luke 4. We hear the phrase with Jesus quotes to Satan in v. 3 - one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. The point here is clear....it is God who feeds us, who clothes us, who gives us shelter. We are wholly dependent on God. The Israelites are warned not to forget this, now they are moving into a land that is bountiful from a land where they would have starved if bread had not fallen from the sky.
9: retells the story at Mt. Sinai, but there is a deeper warning against self-righteousness. "Do not think you are taking this land as a reward for being good." No, it is God's judgment on the Canaanites and because of the promises made through Abraham that they are receiving the land.
10: a conclusion of the historical recap and a plea, not simply to obey the law, but to love God, and not only God, but the stranger, the widow, the orphan. The point here is that Yahweh is not only the God of the Israelites, but of everyone, especially the downtrodden.
11: We hear again the call to loyalty to God. Notice vv. 10-12. The Nile Valley in Egypt is irrigated by human effort. The land of Canaan is a place of hills and valleys where a large irrigation endeavor won't work. The land of Canaan is a place where the agriculture is completely dependent on the rain God sends. This will become important when the land is afflicted with drought. Notice also the use of the plural you throughout. It is a communal injunction that the community (not just individuals) remain loyal. They were in it together.
12 - 26.15 is the next great body of law in Dt.
12 speaks to a centralized worship of their God to the exclusion of all others. They are to destroy the pagan temples. They were not to worship God there. One of the key distinctions here is that now that the people are living throughout the land, they do not have to bring every animal to the tabernacle to slaughter it. Now when an animal is killed in "a town" it is not a sacrifice, where before it was. There is now also only one place (from among the tribes) for sacrifices to happen. This is where we see the writer reflecting the time of Josiah, when there was only one temple and one altar in Jerusalem rather than places throughout the land. This becomes much more important later. This new description of slaughtering an animal that is not sacrifice is one of the first divisions between the "sacred" and the "secular."
13: Don't worship other gods, no matter who says so. 'Nuff said.
14: Tithe was what was usually owed to the monarch or the landowner - the people are stewards, God is the owner. Their tithe was used to support the Levites and the poor.
15: We hear again of the year of jubilee. Every 7 years, no more debt, no more slavery (most likely indentured servants).
16: Is a revamping of the calendar and the establishment of local courts which usually held their meetings at the town gates.
17: What do you do with crime and disputes. If the local court cannot reach a conclusion, bring them to the temple and the priests and judge (as in the book of Judges) will decide. There is also a provision for a king (strange considering what happens over the next couple of hundred years if this was indeed written before Josiah). Notice the king's power is greatly limited, and there are several prohibitions against extravagance (which is what gets King Solomon in trouble).
18: More on the levitical priesthood, and also in some sense creates the role of the prophet. This is one who speaks for God, not in the way the pagans do (9-14), but in the way Moses did.
19: covers two topics: the cities of sanctuary and the rules of evidence for the court. You must have more than one witness to convict.
20: again we have the herem or the ban. The Israelite holy war described here frankly never took place. The rules here are similar to other Near East descriptions, and you can even see in verse 16 how the rules were amended. When this was written, the Canaanite tribes were already assimilated into the Israelite populace. This was an attempt to idealize the conquering of the land in a way to convince contemporary Jews (7th cent.) to not be tempted by the pagan gods and worship.
21: various situations: how will the land be cleansed by bloodshed if we cannot find the perpetrator? How shall we settle certain civil disputes? Remember, the family was the welfare system; the welfare of woman depended on the rights they demanded from their husbands and fathers. Regarding the corpse on a tree, we find the reason the people asked for Jesus' body before sundown.
22: Lots of different laws mostly covering civil matters; that is the obligations between people. Remember the precarious position of woman in this society. Most of these laws are there to protect her from summary execution or from banishment from the protection of family which would lead either to starvation or prostitution (perhaps both).
23: Restriction on those who could be a part of the Israelite assembly, which was the governing body of Israel, and most likely a popular legislature made up of tribal and town leaders (Edomites are descendants of Esau) .
More in a couple of days....
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