Week 56, Day 5: Cities of Refuge

Today’s Reading:  Numbers 35:1-34

Some thoughts from today’s reading…

In this chapter Moses is told to command Israel to give a portion of their inheritance to the Levites.  They are to give 42 cities and their surrounding fields to live in.  Each tribe was to give cities for them to live in, each giving based on the size of their inheritance.  In addition to these cities they were to give them 6 cities to be cities of refuge.  These cities were to be places of refuge for the manslayer.  The Lord then gives details of who is to be regarded as a manslayer.  This is a very interesting section to me since we see a practice in our justice system of trying to sympathize with criminals or killers.  A wife can kill her husband by shooting him 15 times and the courts want to characterize her actions as excusable because she was abused.  This portion of scripture indicate that God views such actions as murder, not manslaughter.  Man slaughter is clearly defined as accidental death caused to another.  If the act was done suddenly, without enmity or without lying in wait (planning it) or with any deadly weapon (an object of stone, wood, iron, etc), then it could be classified as manslaughter (22-23). 

God also emphasizes the importance of punishing those guilty of murder.  They were not to allow a ransom to be paid for sparing the guilty (30).  The spilling of blood pollutes the land.  God said they were not to allow the land to be defiled since He dwelt in the midst of Israel.  The only way to make atonement for blood being shed was that the blood of those guilty of murder to be shed (33). 

Even the one guilty of manslaughter could not escape punishment (living in the city of refuge for the rest of the days the high priest lived) (32).  Also justice needed to be established on the basis of at least two witnesses (30).

Question:  What do you think happens when a country begins to make excuses for murderers?  What is wrong with a different standard of punishment for those who are rich or famous?

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Week 53, Day 3: The Portions

Today’s Reading:  Numbers 18:1-32

Some thoughts from today’s reading…

I appologize for missing the post yesterday.  I will be posting twice today to keep up with the scheduled reading. 

What I wanted to point to today was the way in which this text mentions that the Levites received the tithe they were still expected to give an offering from that to the Lord.  So they gave a tithe of all that they received.  It was a tithe of the tithe.  They were to treat it as if it was the grain that came straight from the threshing floor or from the wine vat.  Like they had harvested it or produced the wine themselves  The tithe was given to the Levites in return for their service in the tent and as their inheritance in Israel.  I just find it interesting that they were still expected to each one give/ make offerings to God even though the source of these offerings were from the requirements of Israel to give the tithe. 

Question:  If the tithe was given to the Levites for their service.  What was given to the priests for their service?

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Week 51, Day 3: Levites cleansed

Today’s Reading:  Numbers 8:1-26

Some thoughts from today’s reading…

The main thrust of this chapter is the cleansing of the Levites.  We are not told all the “whys” in many passages.  I had wondered why the Levites were required to shave all the hair from their body as part of the cleansing process (vs. 7).  But regardless of understanding why they had to, it was what was commanded.  Moses was to cleanse the Levites and present them before the Lord and the sons of Israel.  The sons of Israel were to lay their hands on the Levites.  This too is an interesting action.  In this instance this action of laying on their hands is part of Israel offering the Levites as a wave offering before God.  Again, this is an interesting picture because we do not see such an action happen with people.  Verse 12 has the Levites lay their hands on the bulls, which would be them in some symbolic way imparting their sins onto the animal that is to be sacrificed.

Question:  Why did the Levites have to be cleansed before being able to serve?

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Week 50, Day 4: Respect

Today’s Reading:  Numbers 4:1-49

Some thoughts from today’s reading…

In this chapter we have some more details given about the duties of the three families of the Levites.  To serve the person was to be between the age of 30 and 50.  What I want to point out is how Aaron and Moses are instructed to go in before the men of Kohath come in to move the articles from inside the tent.  Aaron and Moses are to cover everything and insert the poles into those articles that were fashioned with such.  Thus none of the Levites would be able to see or touch the items themselves.  Verse 15 & 20 tells us that if they were to see the holy objects, even for a moment, they would die.  What I gather from this is the respect these articles used in worship were to be regarded with.  They were Holy and were not to be treated as common objects, no matter how curious someone might have been to see these.  It also emphasizes to me how few people of Israel were able to see these things.  Thus I believe this explains well why we have such detail recorded for us about what the tent and the objects looked like.  So few would have ever seen these things other than through what was recorded.

Question:  The number of Levites counted this time are 8,580.  Last time I had asked about why all the males of Levi were numbered.  What is the difference between the 22,000 counted in chapter 3 and the number counted here?

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