Deuteronomy 34 / Wrap Up: Moses' death / looking back / looking ahead

Deuteronomy 34: Moses Dies and is Buried in the Land of Moab
Deuteronomy Wrap-up

Moses Dies and is Buried in the Land of Moab: Deuteronomy 34
The tale of the central character of four biblical books finally comes to an end in the last chapter of the last book of the Torah.

Moses ascends Mount Nebo, as the Lord commanded. There he finally sees the promised land sworn to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. Moses then dies, and is buried in Moab, "opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day" (Deut. 34.6). Though Moses dies at age 120, the biblical author tells us he was still vigorous and had perfect vision - attributes befitting such a storied leader.

The Israelites mourn Moses 30 days, and are then led into the promised land by Joshua, who has been imbued with Moses' "spirit of wisdom."

The biblical author closes with a testament to Moses' greatness and importance.

Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. He was unequaled for all the signs and wonders that the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants and his entire land, and for all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.
(Deut. 34.10-12)

So ends the fifth book of the bible - and the fourth in which Moses was the protagonist. Moses receives the second-longest tale of all the characters of the Hebrew Scriptures. The longest? God. Then again, the entire book is about him.

Deuteronomy Wrap-up

The Story
The bible until this point has been very much concerned with the relationship between God and humankind. It is a strained relationship, and not one of equality. Inequality is in fact the basis for the relationship between God and Israel and gives the story its plot and curious nuances. God is always faithful to his chosen people of the Israelite line. The relationship began with Adam and continued through his son Seth to Noah, and eventually to Abraham. It was the covenant between God and Abraham that established his descendants as God's people. From that point forward, God would be ever-faithful to the covenant, promising land and progeny to the patriarchs.

The covenant changes as Israel prepares to enter the promised land. Here the covenant is not a promise of anything, for the promise of progeny has been fulfilled and the promise of land nearly-so. Now the covenant is based on the behavior of the people. God demands that the people obey him, and if they do, all will be well for them. Whereas the covenant with Abraham required only the action of God, the covenant with the people requires action from both God and his people. And yet God will never break the contract. If the Israelites break the contract by making false idols, God will punish them with the curses listed in the Torah. However, the covenant will always stand. The curses in a very real way define the covenant; their existence proves that the bond between God and his people is unbreakable, no matter how badly the Israelites screw up. God is always willing to again support his people once they begin again to follow his ways.

Fiction and History
The bible so far is a work of historicized fiction. It is a work of fiction that appears to be real with all of the place and character names, dates, and locations. These elements serve to add realism to the story. But in reality, many of these things probably never happened. The story is therefore a fiction that is historicized with realistic elements. Historicized fiction lacks a factual basis - all the facts are made up. However, it would be unfair to call historicized fiction "untrue." While the tales may not have hard facts, they do reveal "truths" about life or "the human condition." In fact, these "truths" may be the most effective way of making a point.

I would argue that some of the greatest historicized fiction written today falls under the genre of science fiction. In this case, the "history" is in fact the future, but the level of creativity the author must employ in creating this fiction is astounding. Names, dates, places must be created in order to set the fiction in time and place - to historicize it. This is exactly what the biblical authors did, albeit it was a number of people over a very long period of time.

The counterpart to historicized fiction is fictionalized history. This is pretty similar to historical fiction but has more of a poetic license in changing and creating names and numbers. Fictionalized history is concerned with actual events, and applies to them fictional people, numbers, names, etc. This method was used by the biblical authors to in effect flesh out the biblical narrative and give it a point of view. Because the authors are concerned with story-telling, the chronicle "X people died at the battle of Y" is expanded upon to yield a richer story. Little if no fictionalized history has cropped up yet, but it will become more and more common as the biblical story moves through the years toward modern day.

My Journey
I started this blog the day after my college graduation - the day I entered to so-called "real world" of living with my parents while searching for a job. It has been a long journey so far - but the majority of the text lies ahead.. I first posted to this blog Sunday, May 23, 2010. 127 posts and 486 page views later, i'm still writing, but much has changed.

Four months later I landed a full-time job as a staff writer in the Provost Office of Stevens Institute of Technology, which means that most of my day is spent writing or otherwise communicating in one way or another, whether it is through text, video, images, or web development. I blog every morning on the train ride into Hoboken and if my eyes do not fail me by the end of the day I try to blog a little more on the way home.

One of my original goals was to present a non-gender specific image of God, which I see now imposes my own view on the bible. In fact, the God of the Hebrew bible is portrayed as male. I adopted the language of the bible, referring to God as "he" in order to better represent the language and ideas of the biblical authors. A number of other changes to style and content have been made. This blog will surely evolve as I write more and learn more about the bible.

This was my first time reading completely through the rules and regulation, and I am sure at times that the tedious nature of some of these passages seeps into my writing. I don't expect everyone to find the bible fascinating. However, if there is something you like or do not like, please let me know in the comments below. I would love to hear what you think of the blog, and am open to suggestions for improvement.

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy this blog as it continues to grow.

Deuteronomy 33: Moses' final blessing on Israel

Deuteronomy 32 (part II): Moses' Death Foretold
Deuteronomy 33: Moses' Final Blessing on Israel

Moses' Death Foretold: Deuteronomy 33.48-52
As promised, God allows Moses to see the promised land before he dies. Moses is told to ascend Mount Nebo in Moab to view Canaan. Moses will die there on the mountain. Neither he nor Aaron will enter the promised land because of the incident a Meribath-kadesh, an apparent breach of faith with the Lord.

Moses' Final Blessing on Israel: Deuteronomy 33.1-29-
The blessings are all in verse, and as such exhibit all the classic characteristics of biblical poetry. Note that Simeon does not appear here. There are only ten blessings; Zebulun and Issachar are lumped together.

Introduction
As a literary convention, an invocation calls on a divine being for help in composition. Moses' final blessing begins with something that is not quite an invocation. It presents an image of the Lord first and foremost, but the Lord is not called upon to help the biblical author compose this work.

The Lord is presented coming down from Sinai with "myriads of holy ones...a host of his own" that aid the Israelites in battle. This is how the Lord wins in battle; a heavenly militia that accompanies him and therefore attacks with his chosen people, Israel.

With the codification and revelation of the law, says the verses, the "united tribes of Israel" forms as well.

Then begin the blessings. I paraphrase:

Reuben
The continuance of the tribe, though its members are hew.

Judah
Strengthen his hands, and help him against adversaries.

Levi
The Levites obey the Lord and should be blessed for this. The Lord is called upon to "crush the loins of his adversaries....so that they do not rise again." [It is quite clear that the bible associates genitalia with power.]

Benjamin
The beloved of the Lord is completely wrapped up in God.

Joseph
Blessed and bountiful land is called for. Joseph was the favored child of not only Jacob but God as well, and therefore his section of the poem is longest, while Levi, whose family comprises the servants of the Lord, receives the second-longest section.

Zebulun and Issachar
These tribes live in the mountains, where they offer proper sacrifice. Also, "they suck the affluence of the seas / and the hidden treasures of the sand."

Gad
Gad's tribe will be enlarged. Gad is like a lion, and takes the best portion for himself.

Dan
Dan's blessing is the shortest: "Dan is a Lion's whelp / that leaps forth from Bashan."

Naphtali
Blessed by the Lord, Naphtali possesses the west and south

Asher
The Asherites are well-protected and strong, the favorite of their brothers.

Conclusion
The blessing concludes with an image of YHWH Sabaoth protecting the people, acting as sword and shield to deliver Jacob's descendants to "a land of grain and wine, / where the heavens drop down dew."

Deuteronomy 32: The Song of Moses

Deuteronomy 32: The Song of Moses

Yesterday's reading speaks of a song that the Lord gives to Moses to teach the people. It is a song to remind the Israelites of their broken covenant when they turn away from God. Today we will analyze the song, whose poetic verses comprise most of Deuteronomy 32. I would recommend following the link above to read the song in its entirety. It is a beautiful piece of literature. However, the narrator shifts a few times throughout the song, so when reading it be careful to discern who is saying what.

The Song of Moses: Deuteronomy 32.1-47

You might remember from Deuteronomy 30 that the Lord's new covenant with Israel calls on the heavens and earth as witnesses. These witnesses are invoked in the very first line of the song:

Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak;
let the earth hear the words of my mouth

The heavens and earth comprise the universe; there is nothing that is not a witness to this contract. The witnesses of the covenant are omnipresent in order to ensure that God is eternally in his people's hearts and on their lips.

Next we are to consider God's speech/teaching in four different forms of water droplets: rain, dew, gentle rain, and showers. These are all synonymous in the sense that they come down upon the earth and yield growth.

Next we are presented with the Lord as Rock, a motif that will appear throughout the rest of the poem. The rock is perfect and just and faithful and upright. His "degenerate children," on the other hand, are perverse and crooked, foolish and senseless. This generation of Israelites is rebuked, and asked to remember their creation and protection by the hands of God.

Then comes a primeval image of the Most High (Elyon) apportioning nations and fixing boundaries "according to the number of the gods." The Israelites are kept by God as his own portion. This seems to suggest monolatry - the belief that there is more than one god but worshipping one only. This version of monolatry even suggests a hierarchy, with Elyon as the most high God, capable of assigning other gods to other peoples. From the Israelite point of view (in this verse at least), the Israelites are a protected people of the High God, and are justified in maintaining their convictions in the face of foreign peoples. [God, of course, just wants the Israelites to obey God.]

An eagle simile appears after to convey how God shields and cared for God's people in the wilderness. God protects and cares for the Israelites as an eagle protects its young. The Lord covers, bears, guides Israel, sets the nation "atop the heights of the land" (the location of eagle nests), feeds it, nurses it "with honey form the crags."

The Israelites grow fat, bloated, gorged, and then abandon God. This is a recurrent motif throughout the bible; when the Israelites get full access to food, they stuff themselves, grow complacent, and turn against the Lord. They follow strange gods, sacrifice to demons, forget the Rock that bore them.

The Lord sees this and "hides his face" from his people - meaning he will no longer support them. Just as the Israelites turned to another god, the Lord will support another people temporarily in order to seek revenge on the Israelites a la "eye for an eye."

The anger of the Lord is fiery like a volcano. It burns to the depths of Sheol [a shady place where souls go after death, though not a place where souls are tortured, like Hell) and "sets on fire the foundations of the mountains." The Lord will wage war against the Israelites with arrows, hunger, disease, and deadly animals. Young and old alike will die, their names blotted out.

Israel's enemies will not understand that they are successful because the Lord has given Israel into their hands:

They are a nation void of sense;
there is no understanding in them.
If they were wise, they would understand this;
they would discern what the end would be.
How could one have routed a thousand,
and two put a myriad to flight,
unless their Rock had sold them,
the Lord had given them up?
Indeed their rock is not like our Rock;
our enemies are fools.
(Deut. 32.28-32)

Even when the Lord turns his face from the Israelites, he is still their one and only God. There will always be that connection between them. Other people have other false gods, but YHWH is the one true God that can make armies win and lose as YHWH Sabaoth. And so the Lord will vindicate his people, and their enemies will realize that their gods are naught.

God then declares monotheism:

See now that I, even I, am he;
there is no god beside me.

God kills and makes alive, wounds and heals. God is omnipotent and will take vengeance on those who hate him. Those arrows that were before aimed at the Israelites will now be used against their enemies:

I will make my arrows drunk with blood,
and my sword shall devour flesh.

The people are told to worship God, as are the false "gods" of the foreign people. This is not meant to acknowledge that these gods exist, but rather is a rhetorical device to demonstrate YHWH's power. Even false gods would bow down to YHWH. And God will take vengeance and cleanse the land for his people.

These are the words that Moses recites for the people to remember after they have crossed the Jordan.

Deuteronomy 31: Confronting Moses' death

Deuteronomy 31: Joshua Becomes Moses' Successor / The Law to be Read Every Seventh Year / Moses and Joshua Receive God's Charge

Soon the 120-year-old Moses is to die. Before he does, there is some business to take care of.

Joshua Becomes Moses' Successor: Deuteronomy 31.1-8
Moses, if you recall, has been dictating God's law to Israel for the entire book of Deuteronomy. Here he finishes an old man - not old because he spoke so long, but because he is blessed by the Lord with a long life. Yet because of the iniquity of the people he will not enter the promised land. It is God that will lead the Israelites across the Jordan and God that will ensure the Israelites destroy the people living there, just as God did to Sihon and Og. Moses urges his audience to have no fear, because the Lord is with them and will not forsake them.

Moses the charges Joshua to be strong and bold, because he will lead the people into the Land. [Joshua will take the place of Moses as the mouthpiece of God to th Israelites.] The Lord is with him and will not forsake him.

The Law to be Read Every Seventh Year: Deuteronomy 31.9-13
Moses then writes down the law he dictated to the Israelites. he gives it to the Levites, who carry it to the ark of the covenant and the elders of Israel.

Moses commands that the book of the law should be read every seventh year at the festival of booths, when all of Israel appears before God in the place of consolidated worship.

[The reading of the law every seven years is an attempt to ensure that the commandments are all fresh in the minds of the Israelites, and obeyed. Of course, seven years is a long time...]

Moses and Joshua Receive God's Charge: Deuteronomy 31.14-29
The Lord tells Moses that Moses will soon die, and that Joshua should be brought to the tent of meeting, so that he may be commissioned [as Moses was]. The Lord appears at the tent in a pillar of cloud, the traditional representation of God throughout Israel's journey through the wilderness.

God tells Moses that after his death, the people will begin to fall away from God. They will eat their fill and grow fat and complacent. They will turn to other Gods. In that time, the Lord will turn away from the people. The Lord therefore gives Moses a song to teach the people, that will be passed down through the generations. When the people sing this song, they will remember their broken covenant with the Lord.

The Lord then commissions Joshua son of Nun: "Be strong and bold, for you shall bring the Israelites into the land that I promised them; I will be with you" (Deut. 31.23). This seems to stand in contrast to what God just said, and perhaps God realizes this. A leader can only do so much, after all, in leading the people. The people themselves must want to follow God and there is only so much that God can do to sustain their fidelity.

When Moses finishes the writing of the law, he gives it to the Levites to put beside the ark of the covenant. But you know this already. Why does the bible repeat itself? In this instance it is to clarify something. The first time this story is told the phrasing goes: "Then Moses wrote down this law" (Deut. 31.9). The second time the phrasing goes: "When Moses had finished writing down in a book the words of this law to the very end" (Deut. 31.24). In the second verse the emphasis is on the fact that Moses wrote down these words to the very end. If we assume that what he wrote comprises the book of Deuteronomy, then Moses would have had to write the story of his own death. And indeed, there is a tradition that champions this idea, and also that Moses wrote the entire Torah by himself. Nowhere does the bible explicitly state this. Nevertheless, the idea commanded quite a following until very recently.

The reason the book is to be placed beside the ark of the covenant is that it is to remain as a witness. Moses calls the people out on being rebellious - and imagines how much more rebellious they will be after he is gone. Moses then calls for the elders and officials to be assembled, that he may recite the words of the law to them, as a way to guard against corruption. The witness Moses calls for this is the heaven and the earth, which just so happens to be the witness called to witness the covenant that closed in yesterday's post.

Funny how things work out like that.

Deuteronomy 30: A gentler part of the covenant

- or -
Covenant at Moab, part II of II

Deuteronomy 30: God's Fidelity Assured / Exhortation to Choose Life

View the first part of this covenant in yesterday's post. This is to be the last covenant before the Israelites enter the promised land.

God's Fidelity Assured: Deuteronomy 30.1-10
If the people disobey God and are cursed by him and are driven out among foreign nations, there is still hope. The people simply need to remember the blessings and curses that God has set before them and return to the Lord. When the people return to the Lord with all their hear, the Lord will restore them and once again have compassion on them. Such is the devotion of the Lord to his people - as long as they are obedient, the Lord will love them.

That is, God maintains fidelity to God's people, even through the times when the people do not reciprocate.

After returning to God in their hearts, the people will physically return to the land of their ancestors and be more numerous and prosperous than their ancestors were. The Lord will circumcise Israel's hearts so they will follow him. The Lord will curse their enemies and those that took advantage of them.

Exhortation to Choose Life: Deuteronomy 30.11-20
One of the distinguishing features of God's covenant with God's people is that it is accessible. It is not difficult to follow because the people have all the terms. The biblical author writing the Lord's speech puts this sentiment about the covenant in beautiful prose:

It is not in heaven, that you should say, "Who will go up to heaven for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?" Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, "Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?" No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe.
(Deut. 30.12-14)

The choice, God says, is up to you. You can obey the commandments of the Lord and be blessed, or disobey and be cursed. The terms of the contract are quite explicit, and most importantly, are present. God will not act on a whim, but rather only as he is required to act by the choices God's chosen people make. And it is a requirement that God acts on. This is a contract that God must keep.

And so the covenant closes, with heaven and earth as witness to a contract that began with the patriarchs as an unconditional promise of land and progeny:

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the Lord swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
(Deut. 30.19-20)

Deuteronomy 29: A new covenant / textual unity

- or -
Covenant at Moab, part I of II

Deuteronomy 29: The Covenant Renewed in Moab

Note: Occam's Razor refers to the theory of William of Ockam that the most likely answer to a given problem is the simplest one. Keep that in mind for today's reading.

The Covenant Renewed in Moab: Deuteronomy 29

Something weird happens here. See if you can catch what it is.

(2) Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: You have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, (3) the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders. (4) But to this day the Lord has not given you a mind to understand, or eyes to see, or ears to hear. (5) I have led you forty years in the wilderness. The clothes on your back have not worn out, and the sandals on your feet have not worn out; (6) you have not eaten bread, and you have not drunk wine or strong drink - so that you may know that I am the Lord your God. (7) When you came to this place, King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan came out against us for battle, but we defeated them....

Notice anything peculiar about the above section? The narrator shifts from Moses to God! Verse 2 sets Moses as the speaker, and as for the actual speech part of the verses 2 through 3, the voice is ambiguous. It is just as easy to imagine God speaking those words as Moses. Applying Occam's Razor, we should assume this actually was spoken by Moses. Verse 4 is most likely spoken by Moses as well because the reference to the Lord would otherwise be in the third person. The Lord speaking of himself as the Lord is not unprecedented, but again for the sake of simplicity we should assume that Moses is speaking these words because there is no reason not to believe he spoke all the previous ones. Let us then apply Occam's Razor to verse 5. Verse 6 gets a little weird. The speaker in this verse is clearly YHWH: "I am the Lord your God." Why is this? Moses is not God. So why does the narrator shift? The answer is probably a mixing of traditions - a speech of Moses with a speech of God. But the problem could also be solved by assuming that the biblical author really wasn't paying attention and just threw in the clause "so that you may know that I am the Lord your God." If that is removed, the rest of the passage appears as a unified whole. With it, though, there are many questions about the composition of this section - questions we do not have the answer to. What is clear is that for the rest of the speech the speaker is Moses - the Lord never again appears to refer to himself.

The Lord makes another covenant with the Israel at Moab, though the people gathered include aliens, so probably they are part of the covenant too. It is a very inclusive covenant, including even the unborn. Now you don't even have to agree to a covenant to be held to it - you may simply be born into it.

Israel is told not to worship idols as the foreign nations did in Egypt. Anyone who doubts the command of the Lord - who thinks "we are safe even though we go stubborn in our ways" will suffer the wrath of the Lord. The curses written in Deuteronomy will fall upon them and their names will be blotted out from under heaven. All the curses promised yesterday will befall Israel if they are not faithful to the Lord. Those that come upon the promised land will see the destruction and understand that the Lord's people turned away from the Lord.

The warning section of the covenant ends with a maxim that calls for obedience by assuring Israel that there are things the Lord knows that they do not, and all they need to do is to obey:

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things belong to use and to our children forever, to observe all the words of this law.

We are not yet through with the covenant's renewal. Tomorrow we will examine the more positive aspect of the covenant: the assurance of God's fidelity, and the exhortation to choose life. Thus will end the re-establishment of the covenant.

Deuteronomy 28: A long list of blessings and curses

- or -
"You don't want to eat a placenta, do you?"

Deuteronomy 28: Blessings for Obedience / Warnings Against Disobedience

Yesterday the twelve tribes of Israel stood on two separate mountains - six on each - and agreed to twelve curses. Today there will be more curses applied to the Israelites, but blessings will also be given as well.

In the bible, a blessings and curses are contracts, of sorts. In yesterday's reading, individual terms of the contract were revealed, and then these terms were assented to by the Israelites:
"Cursed be anyone who dishonors father or mother." "Amen."

Today the contracts will be long sections of conditional rewards and punishments. The contract requires obedience of the Lord through diligent and faithful observation of the Lord's commands. If the contract is fulfilled, the Israelites will be blessed. If the contract is not fulfilled, the Israelites will be cursed. Clearly the biblical author favors negative over positive reinforcement. And who can blame him? There is something to be said for a good old (un)healthy fear of God.

Blessings for Obedience: Deuteronomy 28.1-14
As stated above, obedience to the Lord is rewarded by blessings, and the Lord will set the Israelites "high above all the nations of the earth."

"Blessed shall be" blessings (Deut. 28.3-6)
Four specific blessings are offered in exchange for obedience (Deut. 28.3-6):

• "Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field" [a blessing that suggests the Israelites will be blessed everywhere]
• "Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb, the fruit of your ground, and the fruit of your livestock, both the increase of your cattle and the issue of your flock" [a blessing of prosperity, and "nature's" bounty]
• "Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl" [a blessing of material goods]
• "Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out" [a temporal blessing that likewise suggests ubiquitous coverage]

"The Lord will" blessings (Deut. 28.7-14)
These blessings are succeeded by a second, more general section of blessings. These terms are not written in the same blessing formula. Here the formula is "The Lord will..." The terms of the contract are now related in a different way. The repetitions and different style indicates that these blessings may come from a different source than the ones that precede them.

• Israel's enemies will be defeated by the Lord: "They shall come out against you one way, and flee before you seven ways."
• Barns and manual tasks, are blessed. The people will be blessed.
• The Lord will establish the Israelites as his "holy" separate people, but only if they obey him.
• All the people of the earth, seeing Israel's relationship with the Lord, will fear the people.
• A second blessing of prosperity is bestowed on the fruits of womb, livestock, ground.
• A metaphor: "The Lord will open for you his rich storehouse, the heavens, to give the rain of your land in its season and to bless all your undertakings. You will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow."
• Israel will be the head, not the tail; the top, not the bottom.

All this will come only if the Israelites obey the commandments of the Lord their God.

Warnings Against DisobedienceDeuteronomy 28.15-29.1
If Israel does not heed God, it will be cursed.

"Cursed shall be" curses (Deut. 28.15-19)
The first set of curses (Deut. 28.16-19) is written in a negative form of the first set of blessings (Deut. 28.3-6) [e.g. Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field]. The point-counterpoint style indicates that these two are very highly probably part of some tradition that includes parallel blessings and curses. The matching of blessing and curse offers an aesthetic symmetry to the Lord's commands - and keeps them easy to remember.

"The Lord will" curses (Deut. 28.20-28)
The next section of curses serves as a negative rewriting of the second section of blessings above. As with that section, these terms are parallel in form, all beginning with the same formula: "The Lord will." Though some passages are scattered throughout, this section is not a term-by-term parallel with the blessing section.

The Lord will send disaster, panic, and frustration on everything the Israelites try to do, until they are destroyed. They will be afflicted by pestilence, illness, mildew. "The sky over your head shall be bronze, and the earth under you iron" - suggesting the Lord's wrath is hard, impenetrable, impersonal, militant. Rain will turn to dust. The Israelites will be defeated, and the Israelites will be an object of horror, their corpses food for birds and animals, with no one to frighten them away. The Lord will actively afflict the Israelites with physical and mental illness.

Curses of helplessness (Deut. 28.29-34)
Next comes a section of curses that do not employ the formula "the Lord will." All are concerned with a feeling of utter helplessness that will result if the Israelites do not obey the Lord.

The Israelites will grope about, unable to find their way. They will be abused and robbed, without anyone to help. They shall be married, but their wife will be raped; build a house, but not live in it; plant a vineyard, but not enjoy its fruit. Their ox will be butchered and they will not receive food, their donkey stolen and not returned, their sheep given to their enemies. Their sons and daughters will be taken. Foreign people will eat the fruit of their labors.

More "The Lord will" curses (Deut. 28.35-37)
This is just more of the same.

More curses of helplessness (Deut. 28.38-46)
This is also more of the same.

The Lord retaliates (Deut. 28.47-52)
This section demonstrates the retaliation of the Lord on Israel, and the reversal of Israel's fortune.

The Israelites will serve their enemies with an iron yoke [metaphorical] the Lord puts on them. The Lord will sponsor another, completely different nation to destroy the Israelites, one that speaks a different language, does not respect the old or favor the young.

And then things will become desperate and the people will begin to starve.

Desperate straits (Deut. 28.53-57)
The situation gets so bad in the siege of this foreign people that "you will eat the fruit of your womb, the sons and daughters whom the Lord your God has given you" (Deut. 28.53). This phrasing makes a grotesque image even more revolting. Not only will the Israelites eat their children, they will eat their children that the Lord has given them. They have fallen so far from the Lord that they take away the most physical representation of what the Lord has granted them.

The biblical author goes into greater detail. Even the most refined man will begrudge the flesh of his son to his closest brother. Even the woman will begrudge even the afterbirth of her newborn children to her husband and son and daughter. The Israelites will be reduced to eating placentas - and will be in such desperate straits that they will not share it.

And then... (Deut. 28.58-29.1)
The Lord will reverse the fortunes of the Israelites. The diseases of Egypt will return. The promise of progeny will be reversed. Just as the Lord took delight in helping the people prosper, he will take delight in taking that prosperity away. The people will be scattered and serve other gods. Their eyes trembling, eyes failing, spirit languishing, they will never rest.

In the morning they will wish it was evening. In the evening they will wish it was morning.

Finally, "The Lord will bring you back in ships to Egypt, by a route that I promised you would never see again; and there you shall offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but there will be no buyer" (Deut. 28.68). The reversal of fortune is not only complete, but the situation is made even more dire. The Israelites will again be slaves, but this time they will be slaves that no one even wants.

As for the "ships" part of the curse, the reference is vague, and might or might not point to a (probably pretty epic) tradition in which the Israelites escaped Egypt by ship. ("Hey Dan Brown, I have a new book for you.")

In any case, these are the words of the covenant, an additional covenant besides the one the Lord made with Israel at Horeb.

Sounds like a good thing to obey.

Deuteronomy 27: Cursed are those

Deuteronomy 27: The Inscribed Stones and the Altar on Mount Ebal / Twelve Curses

Moses has wrapped up the regulations that the Lord has given to the Israelites from Mount Horeb. Now it is time for some blessings and curses, and maybe some narrative if we're lucky. The key theme will still be "follow the Lord," but the mode of this communication will change.

The Inscribed Stones and the Altar on Mount Ebal: Deuteronomy 27.1-10

Moses and the elders of Israel - people that will not enter the promised land because of God's destruction of the wandering generation - give the people a commandment. When they enter the promised land, they are to set up large stones on Mount Ebal and cover them with plaster. An altar is to be built there of stone - one which iron tools have not touched. The words of God's commandments are to be inscribed there. This is were the Israelites shall make sacrifices.

Moses and the levitical priests then inform Israel: "This very day you have become the people of the Lord your God" (Deut. 27.9). Through following God's commandments the ancient covenant with their ancestors has been reestablished in them.

On Metaphor.

The fact that no tools are used in construction of the altar jells with the commandment that no false idol is to be made. That is, a sacred space of the Lord is not to be constructed by humans' tools, just as humans' tools are incapable of properly constructing an image of God. Also, to mark the stones with tools would desecrate them, bestowing a profane mark on a holy object. The stones of the altar are to be separate - just as Israel is a separate people.

Twelve Curses: Deuteronomy 27.11-26

Moses further charges the people that when they enter the promised land they should split the tribes in half. Six tribes will stand on Mount Gerizim to receive the blessing of the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, Benjamin. Six tribes will stand on Mount Ebal to receive the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, Naphtali. Then the Levites will warn the Israelites of twelve curses to which they will respond "Amen."

"Cursed be anyone who..."

1. Makes an idol
2. Dishonors father or mother
3. Moves a neighbor's boundary marker
4. Misleads a blind person on the road,
5. Deprives an alien, orphan, or widow of justice
6. Lies with his father's wife
7. Lies with an animal
8. Lies with his sister (or sister-in-law)
9. Lies with his mother-in-law
10. Kills a neighbor in secret
11. Takes a bribe to shed innocent blood
12. Anyone who does not observe these laws

Of these, 4 are concerned with family life, 3 with social justice, 2 with worship/proper practice before the Lord, 2 with murder, and 1 with having sex with animals. For that matter, 4 are concerned with sex.

Priorities.

Deuteronomy 26: Ubiquity

Deuteronomy 26: First Fruits and Tithes / Concluding Exhortation

Today's reading serves as a wonderful example of the biblical plot: the relationship between God and Israel. God's presence is to be all-encompassing. And as long as the people obey the Lord, it will be well for them.

First Fruits and Tithes: Deuteronomy 26.1-15
Moses gives instructions from the Lord regarding the harvest of the first fruits when the Israelites enter the promised land. The ritual is described in a manner that emphasizes the Lord's all-encompassing presence in the lives of the Israelites. The phase "the Lord your God" appears 9 times from verse 1 through verse 11. The word "Lord," (YHWH) separate from this phrase, appears 5 additional times. Therefore the divine name YHWH is invoked 14 times in 11 verses. God's presence is interspersed throughout the verses in imitation of the ubiquitous reminders of God's presence in daily Israelite life.

The Israelites are to take some of the harvest of the first fruit to a priest at the dwelling-plce that the Lord designates for himself. They will make a declaration to the Lord acknowledging that they have entered the land promised to their ancestors. The priest will take the basket and the Israelites will make another declaration. The second declaration acknowledges the Israelite history in Egypt, their affliction, imprisonment, and deliverance through the Lord's terrifying displays of power and wonders into the promised land flowing with milk and honey. The gift of first fruit, they will swear, has been given ultimately by the Lord.

The gift of first fruits is to be placed before the Lord and the Israelites and their Levites and resident aliens "shall celebrate with all the bounty that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house" (Deut. 26.11).

In the third year the Israelites will pay a tithe to the Levites, the aliens, the orphans, and the widows, as discussed earlier in Deuteronomy 14.28-29. Again the divine presence is acknowledge: the Israelites will make a declaration to the Lord that this is done in accordance with the Lord's commandment. The closing portion of the prayer offers a glimpse at the conception of the divine: "Look down from your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless your people Israel and the ground that you have given us, as you swore our ancestors - a land flowing with milk and honey" (Deut. 26.15). God resides in a place holy separate place physically above the Israelites.

Concluding Exhortation: Deuteronomy 26.16-19
This legal section concludes with a reminder that the commandments of the Lord should be followed diligently. An agreement has been reached: YHWH will be the god of the Israelites, and the Israelites will follow God only and obey all his commands in order to keep his favor. In this way God will set the Israelites above all nations he has created, and the Israelites will become a people wholly devoted to God.

Deuteronomy 24-25: More commands and laws.

Deuteronomy 24: Laws Concerning Marriage and Divorce / Miscellaneous Laws
Deuteronomy 25: Levirate Marriage / Various Commands

Laws Concerning Marriage and Divorce: Deuteronomy 24.1-4
A refresher on the sex-marriage economy: The sex-marriage economy is the system wherein women are commodities that exchange hands through rape, marriage, and divorce. The "economy" is not limited to the bible or ancient history. It is a useful tool to analyze many societies, as I learned from an English professor who used it to analyze literature of the Restoration and beyond. In these examples cash and land are being thrown all over the place, and the system gets really messy.

This regulation presents the following scenario: a man marries a woman but finds he does not please her, so he hands her a certificate of divorce and sends her out of his house. The woman marries a second man who also dislikes her, divorces her, and kicks her out. Or, perhaps, the second man simply dies. In any case, the first man "is not permitted to take her again to be his wife after she has been defiled; for that would be abhorrent to the Lord."

Clearly we can see the woman as a piece of property. Her presence in the house is dependent on her husband's approval, and she may be discarded at will. Not only that, but the woman comes with a seal of sorts.

[Thanks, Wikipedia!]

Not that kind of seal - a "do not open" sort of seal. And once the seal is opened the product irrevocably changes. The first man has consecrated the marriage, thereby "defiling" the woman, and cannot take her back because he has already opened the seal and found the product was not to his liking.

Miscellaneous Laws: Deuteronomy 24.5-25.4
Some of these have humanitarian concerns, but the thread that best unites these is that each has nothing to do with the others.

A newly-married man is exempt from serving in the army one year, so that he may be happy with his wife.

You may not take a mill or upper mill-stone in a pledge, "for that would be taking a life in pledge." [This regulation depends on the precept that a mill is essential for milling grain, which is essential for making bread, which is essential for sustaining life. Without a mill, a person cannot survive, so to require a mill in a pledge is to sentence a person to death.]

Those caught kidnapping, enslaving, or selling an Israel shall die.

Guard against skin diseases by obeying the priests and the Lord's commands. "Remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam on your journey out of Egypt." This last command serves to associate disease with improper practice. In disobeying the Lord, as Miriam did, an Israelite might bring the wrath of the Lord upon him/her.

"When you make your neighbor a loan of any kind, you shall not go into the house to take the pledge. You shall wait outside, while the person to whom you are making the loan brings the pledge out to you. If the person is poor, you shall not sleep in the garment given you as the pledge. You shall give the pledge back by sunset, so that your neighbor may sleep in the cloak and bless you; and it will be to your credit before the Lord your God."
(Deut. 24.10-13)

Likewise, you shall not withhold the wages of needy laborers, whether Israelite or alien. Those that depend on your daily wage might cry out against you, which would cause you to incur guilt. Interestingly, you will only incur guilt for this offense if the person you owe cries out against you to the Lord. The Lord is just in this case, but only when his justice is called upon.

In executions for crimes, children must not be substituted for parents or parents for children. The one who commits the crime must suffer the consequences.

Do not deny justice to the resident alien or orphan, and do not take a widow's garment in pledge. The memory of the Lord bringing the Israelites out of Egypt is invoked for this command, bringing to mind that the Israelites too were disadvantaged not too long ago.

Aliens, orphans, and widows have the right to the leftovers of harvest: the forgotten sheafs of grain, the remaining olives on the tree, the last grapes of the vineyard. Again Israel's plight in Egypt is invoked.

Flogging as punishment for an offense shall not exceed forty lashes.

Oxen should be treated humanely; you shall not muzzle them when they are working.

Levarite Marriage: Deuteronomy 25.5-10
If two brothers live together and one dies, leaving a wife but no son, the living brother should marry the widow, and their firstborn child shall be named after the deceased brother. This is a method of perpetuating land holdings in Israel, passing down a name and wealth through generations. If a man does not wish to marry his brother's widow, it is a great disrespect to his dead brother. The woman should complain to the town elders, who will consult with the living brother. If he still refuses, the widow shall pull the sandal off his foot and spit in his face, declaring that he has disrespected his brother's house. Thenceforth his family shall be known as "the house of him whose sandal was pulled off," which is really a great insult, despite how trivial it might sound to modern readers.

Various Commands: Deuteronomy 25.11-19
What is the difference between "Miscellaneous Laws" and "Various Commands"? Besides phrasing, I have no idea. In any case, here are what the HarperCollins Study Bible refers to as "Various Commands."

If two men get in a fight and the wife attempts to rescue her husband by grabbing his opponents genitals, you shall cut off her hand. [The phallus is a source of power, and to touch another man's source of power - and possibly endanger its potency - is a grave error indeed.]

Keep fair and honest weights and measures.

Kill the Amalekites in vengeance for their attach on you as you journeyed from Egypt. He did not fear God, and deserves what is coming for him.

Deuteronomy 23: More (more) grab-bag regulations

Deuteronomy 23: Those Excluded from the Assembly / Sanitary, Ritual, and Humanitarian Precepts

More grab-bag regulations. These get kind of gruesome. Enjoy?

Those Excluded from the Assembly: Deuteronomy 23.1-8
The assembly of the Lord is a group of adult male Israelites that served various government functions. This section covers those that are excluded. Note that Israelite religion cannot be separated from Israelite government. More on that later.

Freud would love this first one. Your genitals must not be crushed or your penis cut off if you wish to be admitted to the assembly of the Lord. Your sexual potency, though concealed, directly affects your ability to hold power within this assembly.

Bastard (those born of an illicit union) may not enter the assembly of God. In addition, descendants to the tenth generation may not be admitted.

Ammonites or Moabites (even to the tenth generation) may not be admitted to the assembly of the Lord. The justification given is that these peoples did not give food or water to the Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness, and furthermore because they hired Balaam to curse the Israelites (even though it did not work). In fact, the Israelites are never to promote the welfare or prosperity of the Amonites or Moabites.

Sanitary, Ritual, and Humanitarian Precepts: Deuteronomy 23.9-25
When encamped near your enemies, guard against impropriety. [Like my crew coach used to tell me: "When you're on the road, you're representing Ithaca College. Don't do anything to make the school look bad."]

One who has a nocturnal emission is ritually unclean and must exit the camp. He should wash himself and may reenter the camp at nightfall the next day.

The Lord travels with you when you are encamped. Therefore, keep the camp holy by doing your business in a hole you dig outside the camp, and fill it when you are finished.

Escaped slaves from other peoples should not be retuned to their original owners. They will be free among the Israelites to live where they choose.

Israelites may not be prostitutes. Any money gained through prostitution or the money that will be used to pay a prostitute may not be brought into the house of the Lord.

Interest may not be charged on anything one Israelite lends to another. However, a foreigner my be charged interest.

Don't postpone fulfilling vows to the Lord. If you do so (or do not fulfill them at all), you will incur guilt. An exit strategy is proposed: don't make vows.

Two hospitality regulations demonstrate that to a degree, you are to provide for the hungry that come to you: Israelites may eat their fill of grapes from a neighbor's vineyard, but are not allowed to put any in a container. Likewise, you may pluck your neighbor's grain by hand but may not employ a sickle to make the work easier.

Deuteronomy 21-22: More grab-bag regulations

Deuteronomy 21: The Right of the Firstborn / Rebellious Children
Deuteronomy 22: Miscellaneous Laws / Laws Concerning Sexual Relations

Day two of grab bag regulations, ending with some good, old-fashioned sex.

The Right of the Firstborn: Deuteronomy 21.15-17
This commandment states that the firstborn son is to receive 2/3 of his father's inheritance, even if the second-born son is loved more by the father. The reasoning is somewhat circular, but was probably convincing enough for the people reading it: the firstborn is "the first issue" of the father's "virility" and therefore the right of the firstborn is his.

The topic of the firstborn is of great interest to the biblical authors and is a great concern to the biblical narrative as a whole. Frequently societies favor the first born in terms of inheritance and importance within the family. This section states as much. In the Torah, however, we constantly find this idea being undermined.

Rebellious Children: Deuteronomy 21.18-21
A rebellious son is to be stoned to death as a warning to all Israel [that the xth commandment shall be obeyed].
Stubbornness and rebelliousness, the marks of a rebellious son, are apparently manifested in gluttony and drinking. The parents are to tell the elders of the town, "This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey us. He is a glutton and a drunkard."

Miscellaneous Laws: Deuteronomy 21.22-22.12
What follows is a list of miscellaneous laws, abbreviated for the sake of brevity.

Bodies hanged as punishment for a crime must be not remain overnight on the tree. They shall be buried the same day because the person is under God's curse, so leaving the corpse defiles the land.

If you see your neighbor's ox or sheep straying, return them to him. If you don't know who it belong to, keep it until your neighbor claims it. The same goes for anything a neighbor loses that you find. [Help in Israel is to be an active, rather than a passive, activity.]

If you see your neighbor's livestock fallen on the road, help it up; don't ignore it. [Again, you are to help your neighbor.]

Cross-dressers are abhorrent to the Lord.

If you come upon a bird's nest and see a mother with eggs or hatchlings, let the mother go but take the young, "in order that it may go well with you and you may live long." [The juxtaposition of the mother's spared life and "your" own long life is no coincidence. This law betrays a favoritism for old over young, established over new.]

Houses should have parapets along their [flat] roofs [that functioned as domestic spaces], lest someone fall off and you incur bloodguilt.

A vineyard should be sown with only one type of seed, or you the crop and the entire yield will be forfeited. [This is a law of holiness: what goes in a field must remain uniform. The introduction of a new seed would corrupt the land, much as the introduction of a new god would corrupt Israel.]

An ox and a donkey should not be yoked together for plowing. [Another regulation concerned with holiness.]

You shall not wear clothes made of wool and linen woven together. [The third consecutive holiness regulation.]

Cloaks are to have four tassels.

The Virginity Trick: Deuteronomy 22.13-21
Here a clear example is given of a plausible situation.

A man marries a woman, but after having sex decides he dislikes her. He therefore states that the woman was not a virgin, and in doing so gains cause for divorce and slanders the woman terribly. So how do you prove exactly what happened on the wedding night? The woman's father and mother can fight the case by spreading the bloody bedsheet before the elders of the town. The man will then be fined 100 shekels for slander, to be given to the woman's father. As punishment to the husband [and to the wife, though to the biblical author women are frequently of little concern] he will not be permitted to divorce his wife.

If the charge is true, however, the woman shall be brought to the entrance of her father's house (which, in classic biblical metonymy, the very one she disgraced).

Other Laws Concerning Sexual Relations: Deuteronomy 22.22-30
If a man is caught lying with the wife of another man, the woman and the man who was caught lying with her shall both die.

If a man rapes a virgin woman engaged to be married while in a town, they shall both be stoned at the gate of the town, the woman because she did not cry for help and the man because he violated another man's wife-to-be.

If a man rapes an engaged virgin woman in the open country, only the man shall die. Because there was no one there to rescue the woman, she will not die.

If a man rapes a virgin that is not engaged, and they are caught in the act, the man shall give 50 shekels to the woman's father and the woman will become the man's wife. Because the man violated the woman, he may not divorce her. [The dynamic behind this one is rather chauvinistic. The sex-marriege economy ensures that the woman is only a piece of property that may be traded between father and husband. By raping the woman and paying the bride price, the man in effect buys the daughter. In this instance, the rape could conceivably be committed with intention to buy, as it were. The divorce clause is set up as a punishment, but the only person who it would punish every time would seem to be the raped woman.]

A man shall not marry his father's wife. [In the sex-marriage economy, you may not steal your father's property.]

Deuteronomy 20-21: Laws regarding warfare and murder

Deuteronomy 20: Rules of Warfare
Deuteronomy 21: Law Concerning Murder by Persons Unknown / Female Captives

Warfare and murder. Today will be a bloody interesting day.

There is a lot of speech in the first section, which sets it apart from many other commandments. The more notable laws feature either an example or speech, rather than simply stating the commandment that is to be followed (which may or may not be followed by a reason such as "for the Lord your God brought you up out of the land of Egypt"). I call these "notable" because they are uncommon and might seem peculiar in comparison to modern legislation. In our legal system crimes are judged based on a set of laws that are shaped by past crimes. Lawyers use these past crimes to argue a case, but the laws themselves do not tell a story. Here laws do tell a story - in fact are told by a story. Let's listen in

Rules of Warfare: Deuteronomy 20
Moses, speaking on behalf of God, informs the congregation regarding warfare. The Israelites are told not to be afraid of armies larger than their own, with horses and chariots. After all, God brought them up out of Egypt against Pharaoh's forces. YHWH Sabaoth, the God fashioned for war, defends them.

Then a scene is painted for us. A priest appears before troops prepared for battle. He says,

"Hear, O Israel! Today you are drawing near to do battle against your enemies. Do not lose heart, or be afraid, or panic, or be in dread of them; for it is the Lord your God who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to give you victory."
(Deut. 20.3-4)

The official will then attempt to weed out those who should not fight, asking questions of the gathered men: "Has anyone built a new house but not dedicated it? He should go back to his house, or he might die in the battle and another dedicate it." Anyone with unfinished business should return home to finish the business. It is not good to die in battle with things left to do. Similarly, men should return home who have planted a vineyard but not yet enjoyed its fruits, or have become engaged but are not yet married. Men who are afraid, the officials urge, should return home because "he might cause the heart of his comrades to melt like his own."

Heart metaphors are common throughout the bible. They may be hardened, as was Pharaoh's, or they may be softened or melted as they are here. A hardened heart does not seem to necessarily be a bad thing. Rather, a hard heart indicates assuredness and strength in one's convictions. The opposite of a melted heart is a hard one, so the Israelites will need a hardened heart in battle.

The biblical author then shifts topics.

When drawing near to fight a town, the Israelites should first offer it peace terms. Under these terms the foreign people will become slaves. If the foreign people do not accept these terms, the Israelites will conquer them, with the aid of YHWH Sabaoth. All the men shall be killed and the women, children, livestock, and spoil of the town taken as booty. This is portrayed as a gift from God, which it does seem to be.

The biblical author then amends the commandment. The peace treaty is to be offered only to towns that are "very far away" from the Israelites. The towns that the Lord is giving as an inheritance must be utterly annihilated: Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, Jebusites alike. This is so that the Israelites will not pick up any bad habits from them, like worshipping foreign gods. At least, that is the reason given. The annihilation of anything that breathes keeps the promised land holy, separate to God. There will be none there that worship other gods. The regulation may indicate that worship of other gods by foreigners was okay - they only had to become slaves. The promised land, however, was holy and not to be contaminated by improper practices.

One final regulation is given regarding warfare. The Israelites may not cut down fruit-bearing trees when besieging a town: "Are trees in the field human beings that they should come under siege from you?" (Deut. 20.19). This is not animism, but rather a rhetorical question that might speak to the importance of keeping food sources in the land. Perhaps it could even be considered applied environmentalism. In any case, the reasoning behind this regulation will become clear in 2 Kings.

Law Concerning Murder by Persons Unknown: Deuteronomy 21.1-9
This law describes a ceremony akin to the scapegoat ceremony, both of which use animals as vessels that are capable of bearing human guilt.

If a dead body is found in open country, and it is unknown who killed the victim, the elders are to measure to the nearest town. [Presumably it is then assumed that this town is "guilty" in a symbolic sense, since nothing can be proved.] The elders in that town will sacrifice a heifer that has never done work by breaking its neck down in a wadi with running water. The priests shall then pronounce blessings for the victim. The elders of the town nearest the body should wash their hands over the heifer and declare, "Our hands did not shed this blood, nor were we witnesses to it. Absolve, O Lord, your people Israel, whom you redeemed; do not let the guilt of innocent blood remain in the midst of your people Israel" (Deut. 21.8). This absolves them of blood guilt.

The ceremony serves as a wonderful metaphor cleansing the death from the people. The transitory water of the wadi draws the blood away from the heifer and the hands of the people, just as the ceremony itself draws the guilt away from the town and the people within it.

Female Captives: Deuteronomy 21.10-14
Instructions are given regarding war brides. A woman captured in war is to be brought into the capturing man's house, where she will undergo a month-long ritual of mourning for her father and mother. She will also remove all traces of her previous life: shave her head, pare her nails, discard her clothing. Once the previous life has been symbolically removed and a moth has passed, a man may take her as his wife. If the man is not pleased with her, he should not sell her as a slave, but rather let her go free, since he has "dishonored her." The word "dishonor" carries with it a sexual connotation, probably indicating sexual coercion. All's not fair in love and war.

Deuteronomy 18-19: The beginning of grab bag regulations

Deuteronomy 18: Privileges of Priests and Levites / Avoiding Pagan Practices / A New Prophet
Deuteronomy 19: Laws Concerning Cities of Refuge / Property Boundaries / Laws Concerning Witnesses

Laws continue. Today's reading is something of a grab bag of regulations, spoken by Moses to the congregation.

Privileges of Priests and Levites: Deuteronomy 18.1-8
The priests receive no inheritance of land because they are dedicated to the service of the Lord. As such, they receive special privileges, such as the right to eat a portion of any sacrificed animal, consisting of the shoulder, the jowls, and the stomach. Priests also receive the first fruits of grain, wine, oil, and fleece of the sheep (presumably so that they may make clothing).

As they have no home, a Levite is allowed to wander to a town the Lord designates for him, where he will minister like his fellow Levites in the town.

Avoiding Pagan Practices: Deuteronomy 18.9-14
The Lord has said that he will cast out the peoples of Canaan because they act wickedly. Why then should the Israelites pick up their practices? The Israelites are therefore prohibited from practicing divination, augury, and sorcery, child sacrifice, casting spells, and consulting the dead. Thereby the Israelites will remain completely faithful to God.

A New Prophet: Deuteronomy 18.15-22
At some point a new prophet, like Moses, will arise to deliver the words of the Lord to the people. This person is to be trusted unless he either speaks the words of another god or speaks commands contrary to the Lord's commandments. In this case, the person is to die in a manner unspecified. Whether it is the congregation's or God's duty to execute this justice is likewise unstated.

Laws Concerning Cities of Refuge: Deuteronomy 19.1-13
Numbers speaks of designating six cities of refuge where one who accidently kills another may flee. In Deuteronomy six cities will be established as well, but they will be created in two phases of three cities each.

Three equidistant cities are to be established to which an accidental killer may flee. The example of two people chopping down a tree is given: if one is chopping a tree and the ax head flies off the handle and strikes the other so that he dies, the accidental killer is allowed to flee to one of the cities of refuge because the killing was not intentional.

An additional command is to set up three more cities when the Lord enlarges the territory of the israelites.

If an intentional murder is committed, and the murderer flees to a city of refuge, the elders of that killer's city will send for the culprit to be handed over so that he may be put to death. No pity is to be shown in purging the guilt of innocent blood from Israel.

Property Boundaries: Deuteronomy 19.14
Land boundaries that go back generations are not to be changed.

Laws Concerning Witnesses: Deuteronomy 19.15-21
As stated yesterday, for a crime, two or more witnesses are needed in order for a charge to be sustained. If a witness makes a false claim, a thorough inquiry will be made. If the witness turns out to be a false witness (that is, he is lying) he is to receive the punishment that was wished upon the alleged criminal. No pity is to be shown when exacting justice:

Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
(Deut. 19.21)

Deuteronomy 16-17: Festivals and Government

Deuteronomy 16: The Passover Reviewed / The Festival of Weeks Reviewed / The Festival of Booths Reviewed / Municipal Judges and Officers
Deuteronomy 17: Forbidden Forms of Worship / Legal Decisions by Priests and Judges / Limitations of Royal Authority

Festival Day! Also, Governance Day! Miscellaneous rules and regulations are given regarding the celebration of festivals and the governance of the Israelites.

The Passover Reviewed: Deuteronomy 16.1-8
The passover commemorates the Israelites' departure from Egypt, during which time there was not enough time to bake leavened bread, so it was left unleavened. The holiday is meant to invoke the story by requiring the Israelites eat unleavened bread for seven days. On the first day, the Israelites are to make an animal sacrifice in the place of worship that God designates, and eat it there with their families. This is to be done "in the evening at sunset, the time of day when you departed from Egypt" (Deut. 16.6). Previous to this statement, the time of day that the Israelites departed is unclear. This addition fleshes out the passover story while giving an etiological reason for the practice.

The Festival of Weeks Reviewed: Deuteronomy 16.9-12
The festival of weeks is to be observed by everyone in Israel at the place of centralized worship the Lord designates. It consists of a freewill offering to the Lord in proportion to the blessing received from the Lord - a way of saying "thank you" in proportion for the help given. The date of the festival is seven weeks beginning from the time of the harvest [a summer festival].

The Festival of Booths Reviewed: Deuteronomy 16.13-17
The autumn festival of booths is a seven-day festival at the end of the harvest season. It will be celebrated by everyone in Israel at the place of centralized worship the Lord designates.

Throughout all these festivals, the males are to appear before the Lord and make an offering:

"They shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed; all shall give as they are able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God that he has given you."
(Deut. 16.16-17)

Sounds a little like Karl Marx, no?

Municipal Judges and Officers: Deuteronomy 16.18-20
The Israelites are to appoint judges and officials to keep a just society. Fairness is a very important component of Israelite life:

You must not distort justice; you must not show partiality; and you must not accept bribes, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of those who are in the right. Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue, so that you may live and occupy the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
(Deut. 16.19-20)

Forbidden Forms of Worship: Deuteronomy 16.21-17.7
The Israelites are forbidden from practices that resemble pagan worship: planting trees as sacred poles, erecting stone pillars, sacrificing to the Lord impure (or unholy; not-separate) animals (those deemed "defective").

In addition, anyone that subverts worship of the Lord is to be stoned to death if there are two or more witnesses. This law promotes justice by attempting to prevent unwarranted accusations.

Legal Decisions by Priests and Judges: Deuteronomy 17.8-13
Any case that is too difficult to decide by a judge or official within a town is to be brought to the levitical priests and a judge at the place God has designated for worship. The verdict shall stand and the punishment should be carried out. Anyone who disobeys the word of the priest or judge shall die. Word shall be spread of the decision in order to prevent future crimes.

Limitations of Royal Authority: Deuteronomy 17.14-20
Here the book of Deuteronomy gets a bit prophetic. Moses, who has been speaking on behalf of God, tells the congregation that eventually the Israelites will want a king. This is true. The king must be an Israelite. However, he may not abuse his power or sell people to Egypt (in order to buy more things, here "horses") and thereby abuse his power. Israel is never again to return to Egypt. He must not marry many women or else he will lose faith in God. He must not acquire great riches. He is to know the law - in fact, it is to be written out before him when he takes the throne. He is to keep this law with him at all times so that he will fear the Lord and not exalt himself above the Lord.

How is this prophetic? Well, it predicts a king, which in fact the Israelites will plead for. It also predicts a specific king: King Solomon, who pretty much disobeyed all the commandments listed here. But prophecy in the bible is a funny thing because it is generally written after what is predicted has come to pass and set in a time before the event. Therefore King Solomon's reign is "predicted" in a text that is written after his reign but set in a time before it.

Deuteronomy 14-15: Laws

Deuteronomy 14: Clean and Unclean Foods / Regulations Concerning Tithes
Deuteronomy 15: Laws Concerning the Sabbatical Year / The Firstborn of the Livestock

The end of Leviticus does not mean the end of law giving. In fact, the Israelites have many new laws to consider as they enter the promised land. Some of these are completely new, and others are reiterations of previous commandments. The laws here provide a basis for the orthopraxy of Israelite religion. Daily life is structured to exhibit God's influence over the congregation. God is everywhere, and proper practice (orthoprax) of his commands creates a bond between YHWH and his people that is in fulfillment of their covenant.

Clean and Unclean Foods: Deuteronomy 14.3-21
Yesterday we learned that the Israelites may now eat non-sacrificial meat whenever they wish, provided they drain the blood from it first. Today's reading expands on the eating of animals, reiterating the laws found in Leviticus 11.

Land Animals
The Israelites may eat land animals that have cloven hoofs and chew cud.
Animals that may be eaten include: ox, sheep, goat, deer, gazelle, roebuck, wild goat, ibex, antelope, mountain-sheep.

Inedible land animals either do not have cleft hooves or chew cud. These specifically include: camel, rock badger, and hare (cud* but no hooves), pig (divided hooves but no cud). In addition, the carcasses of these animals must not be touched.

*[hares and badgers are not ruminant animals, but must appear to be because of the motion they make while chewing.]

Fish
Any sea or stream creature with fins and scales may be eaten.

Birds

[Hoopoe (Upupa Epops). Image Courtesy William Kreijkes]

As far as birds are concerned, only the unclean ones are listed. Others, presumably, may be eaten. Take note, penguins are not on the list of abhorrent birds. The list of birds to be avoided are the same as those found in Leviticus, but in a slightly different order. Abominations are specifically listed as: eagle, vulture, osprey, buzzard, kite, raven, ostrich, nighthawk, sea gull, hawk, little owl, great owl, water hen, desert owl (or pelican), carrion vulture, cormorant, stork, heron, hoopoe, bat.

Insects
In contrast to Leviticus, all winged insects are unclean.

Miscellaneous Regulations
Do not eat anything that dies on its own. Israelites may give or sell this meat to resident aliens, but abstention from consumption of this food makes Israel holy.

Also, Israelites may not boil a kid in its mother's milk.

Regulations Concerning Tithes: Deuteronomy 14.22-29
The Israelites are to set aside a tithe of their produce, as well as wine, oil, and the firstlings of their livestock. They are to feast on it in the place of centralized worship that the Lord designates. If this place is too far, these things may be converted to money to be spent on food and drink for the feast at the place of centralized worship.

Of course, the Levites should not be neglected. Therefore, every three years the tithe should be collected in the town and the Levites, resident aliens, orphans, and widows are allowed to eat their fill.

Laws Concerning the Sabbatical Year: Deuteronomy 15.1-18
Debts between members of the community should be remitted every seven years. However, those of foreigners will remain intact.

The author then has Moses say that this law really will not be a problem because the Lord's blessing will ensure no one will be in need. The Israelites will lend to other nations but not borrow, rule over others but not be ruled by others.

The Israelites should help anyone in the community that is in need. In transactions, the seventh year of remission is not to be considered in rendering a decision whether to give or not. Since someone somewhere will always be in need, the Israelites are to always be willing to lend a helping hand.

This is a remarkable message of compassion, which former nun/present scholar Karen Armstrong argues is a commonality for all religions. I personally do not believe this to be true. However, it is remarkable that this appeal for compassion appears in what amounts to be a founding document for a group of people. Compassion is a core principle of Israelite society. It is not just a suggestion here that a law that must be obeyed as any other.

Of course, times were different back then. The next section concerns slave ownership. but even here there is compassion. A slave to work for six years and be set free on the seventh. He or she shall be sent out with bountiful provisions from his or her master. This practice explicitly parallels the Israelite slave narrative, in which the Israelites are redeemed by God [not mentioned is the fact that they left carrying a good deal of the Egyptians' possessions]. If a slave does not wish to leave because he or she loves the household, the owner shall pierce the slave's earlobe with an awl and the slave shall remain with the family forever.

The Firstborn of the Livestock: Deuteronomy 15.19-23
The firstborn males of the herd are consecrated to the Lord; they are not to do work or to be sheared. They are to be eaten in the place of designated worship. Blind or lame firstborn males should not be consecrated and should be eaten in the town. These are not appropriate for sacrifice to the Lord.

Deuteronomy 12-13: Don't be pagan

Deuteronomy 12: Pagan Shrines to Be Destroyed / A Prescribed Place of Worship
Deuteronomy 13: Warning Against Idolatry
Deuteronomy 14: Pagan Practices Forbidden

Today's reading focuses on paganism, specifically in keeping the Israelites from falling to pagan practices. The Israelites are a holy people, a separate people from the pagans that they are to cast out from the promised land with the help of God. Abstention from pagan practices differentiate the Israelites from the pagans, and prove to YHWH their obedience.

The reading today has a variant of envelope structure.

On Envelope Structure
The important part of the message sits between two smaller pieces of text that differentiate it. If it helps, think of it as a pastrami sandwich from a New York deli - the kind of sandwich with a pound of meat between two thin slices of bread. The meat is what's important - it's a pastrami sandwich, after all. But the bread on either side provides something you can hold on to, giving any sandwich its essential sandwichness.

I hereby dub this structure Pastrami Sandwich Structure. Look for it in a bible near you.

However, today's post is not quite pastrami sandwich. In fact, it is more like a Club Sandwich, with three slices of "bread" that hold the good stuff inside.

In a logical progression, the first invokes the ancestral covenant, the second invokes the children of the current generation, and the third invokes the Israelites as a collective group. Let me show you.

It opens like this:

These are the statutes and ordinances that you must diligently observe in the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given you to occupy all the days that you live on the earth.
(Deut. 12.1)

Continues like this:

Be careful to obey all these words that I command you today, so that it may go well with you and with your children after you forever, because you will be doing what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God.
(Deut. 12.28)

And closes like this:

You are the children of the Lord your God. You must not lacerate yourselves or shave your forelocks for the dead. For you are a people holy to the Lord you God; it is you the Lord has chosen out of all the peoples on earth to be his people, his treasured possession.
(Deut. 14.1-2)

Pagan Shrines to Be Destroyed: Deuteronomy 12.1-12
Israelite worship is to be vastly different than pagan worship, and therefore the Israelites are to completely demolish any place where the pagans would worship their gods. This destruction revolves around a theme of names. The Israelites are to "Break down their altars, smash their pillars, burn their sacred poles with fire, and hew down the idols of their gods, and thus blot out their name from their places" (Deut. 12.3). A name is a symbol of power, so once the names of the pagan gods are blotted out they are powerless. In turn, the Lord's name is to appear as the new power in the area. The place God chooses will be "a dwelling for his name" (Deut. 12.11).

The catch is that the Lord's name and the place of worship is to be in one place only. Prior to this commandment worship of YHWH as well as the pagan gods could take place virtually anywhere. Jacob was particularly proficient in establishing altars to the Lord. Henceforth worship (as well as the sacrifices, tithes, burnt offerings, donations, and gifts of firsts) will be centralized in one place to be designated by God. This commandments logically coincides with the end of the wandering in the desert. It would not make much sense to give this commandment, say, in Exodus, where the Israelites were moving around a great deal.

A Prescribed Place of Worship: Deuteronomy 12.13-28
Again the biblical author cautions the congregation that sacrifices are to be centralized. However, the regulations regarding eating meat are relaxed. [Having settled down, the] Israelites may eat meat any time they want, whether or not they are in a state of ritual purity. The only stipulation is that the blood must be completely drained from the animal; under no circumstance are the Israelites to eat blood. Now the Israelites may eat meat whenever they wish, as long as they follow the correct practice for obtaining and eating it.

Tithes, firstlings, and sacrifices, however, must be presented to the Lord at the place of centralized worship. These are to be eaten in a great company with sons and daughters, male and female slaves, and the Levites of the tribe.

Proper eating procedure ensures the proper relationship between Israel and the Lord. The concern for proper practice is known as orthopraxy, meaning (fittingly) "proper practice." The religion of the Israelites as well as Judaism today is one of adherence to a set of rules - orthopraxy. Orthodoxy, on the other hand, means "proper belief" and is based on doctrinal belief. Though God is very concerned that his people follow him, it is not their doctrinal belief that he seeks - that seems somewhat anachronistic - belief was not as important back then as it is in today's society. Rather, the Israelites express their dedication to God through their actions - proper practice - orthopraxy.

Warning Against Idolatry: Deuteronomy 12.29-13.18
The author, writing Moses' speech, warns against imitating the nations that they are about to drive out. The Israelites are not even to wonder how the pagans' gods were worshiped. But this is apparently for a good reason: pagans have done everything that is abhorrent to the Lord in the name of religion. They have even burned their sons and daughters. [As opposed to the Lord, who only uses this to test allegiance.]

Prophets will appear among the Israelites, but if they advocate following other gods they should not be heeded and in fact should be killed. This is a test from the Lord to see if his people love him indeed.

Pagan gods are not the gods of the ancestors and therefore not the God of Israel. Even family members that advocate following these gods should be stoned to death. If an entire town is found to be following other gods, they shall be blotted out entirely, along with their children and livestock. The spoil shall be set in the public square and burned along with the rest of the city. The town should never be rebuilt. This entire town is unholy, and no one should take anything from it.

Pagan Practices Forbidden: Deuteronomy 14.1-2
See above in the sandwich structure portion for these mere two verses!

Deuteronomy 11: The Last Command for Obedience

Deuteronomy 11: Rewards for Obedience

I am beginning to grow tired of this whole "keep the charge of the Lord thing," having blogged on it every day for the past week. The problem might be that the chunks I am analyzing are too small. However, the repetitiveness is intentional. The biblical author wants his reader to understand exactly what is going on, so he writes on and one about it for 11 chapters (a necessary anachronism: chapters are a much later addition). The biblical author is highly effective at conveying his message. All that writing ensures that the reader understands the dialectical tensions. We have read again and again how the Israelites disobeyed the Lord and the Lord was about to kill them and the Lord will kill them if they do not obey the Lord. That's what this is all about: getting the audience to understand that all that matters is obedience to God. Without this, the Israelites will never survive.

Rewards for Obedience: Deuteronomy 11
Moses continues his speech to the Israelites:

The Israelites are to love the Lord and keep his charge, as well as pass down their love of the Lord and obedience to his commandments to their children. The Israelites are to remember their escape from Egypt, how God delivered them and crashed the Red Sea on the Egyptian army. They are to remember their time in the wilderness, particularly how the the Lord caused the Earth to swallow up Dathan and Abiram for their disobedience, along with all their possessions.

Remembering this - in addition to all the Lord's commandments - will give the Israelites the strength to occupy the land promised to their ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey.

Here appears some new information - some useful knowledge concerning the promised land the Israelites will soon enter:
The promised land is not like the irrigated land of Egypt. Rather it is a land of hills and valleys. The Israelites will depend on rain to grow crops. [Unlike in Egypt, where the Nile allows for the fixed watering method of irrigation.] The Lord will bring rain only if the people follow all his commands. No obedience, no fruit for the people and grass for the livestock.

The Lord continuously looks after this land, so not only is he able to control the climate, but he is also able to determine when the people loose faith in him.

To combat belief atrophy, God's commands should be kept in the heart and soul, bout to the hand and forehead, taught to children, discussed at home and away in the morning and evening. They should be written on doorposts of houses and on gates, so that the ancient covenantal promise of land and progeny may be fulfilled.

Again Moses states that observance of the Lord's commandments will cause the Lord to drive out the other nations of the land. The Israelites will be feared by all in the area. The Israelites will drive out great nations to occupy an area that extends from the wilderness to the Lebanon and form the Euphrates to the Mediterranean sea. [This just so happens to be about the dimensions of Israel during the Davidic monarchy. Not that it was necessarily written then, just that the synchronized proportions give us an understanding of when the biblical author might have written and what references he used.]

Moses then sets a blessing and a curse before the people, which concludes this section of Dueteronomy. The Israelites will be blessed if they adhere to the Lord's commandments. They will be cursed if they do not. The Israelites are to remember the blessing and the curse by writing them down. The blessing shall appear on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal.

This is the second example in this chapter of the literal writing of God's commandments. The biblical author was very concerned with establishing a written record of God's commandments. The most famous of these is the two stone tablets comprising the ten commandments. But the Israelites are also to keep the commandments and blessings in their minds and written on their entryways. The word of God, in a religious sense, is to completely engulf Israelite society. The Lord is literally never to be far from a person. God establishes many precautions to ensure that his chosen people follow him.

And yet for some reason they don't.

And that is the biblical story.

Deuteronomy 9-10:

Deuteronomy 9: The Consequences of Rebelling Against God
Deuteronomy 10: The Second Pair of Tablets / The Essence of the Law

In yesterday's reading we covered Moses' warning (from God) that God will destroy the Israelites if they do not follow God. According to the biblical author, the most dire way of disobeying God is to worship other gods or make idols that represent them. YHWH is the only God of Israel. In fact, YHWH is the only God. YHWH could have chosen other people to support, but he chose the Israelites because of a covenant made with their ancestors long ago. Therefore a failure to follow God's commandments can result in dire consequences. Today we will explore those consequences.

The Consequences of Rebelling Against God: Deuteronomy 9
Moses continues his speech to the congregation of Israel:

"Hear, O Israel! You are about to cross the Jordan today, to go in and dispossess nations larger and mightier than you, great cities fortified to the heavens, a strong and tall people..."
(Deut. 9.1-2)

Moses then warns them not to get cocky, because it is the Lord that will cross over before the Israelites and subdue and defeat the foreign people. Moses warns that it would be wrong for the Israelites to assume that they enter the promised land because they are righteous. In fact, the promised land is not given to them on their merit, but rather due to the wickedness of the inhabitants. And the land is granted in fulfillment of a promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. To sum up, the two reasons the Israelites are allowed to enter the promised land are:

1. The current inhabitants are wicked.
2. YHWH made a covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the patriarchs.

It seems that from the author's point of view, Israel is given the promised land as a gift. It is something they were promised, though not as something they necessarily deserved. It is an inheritance, almost, from their dead parents who complained in the desert, as well as Abraham and Isaac, who had few progeny of their own and died (as did Jacob) without seeing the promised land.

The Israelites, after all, are a "stubborn people" (Deut 9.6). Moses recounts the places they have provoked the Lord: Horeb, Taberah, Massah, Kibroth-hattaavah, Kadesh-barnea. Each time the Lord must plead with the Lord to not destroy his people.

The Horeb account of the golden calf is described in detail: Moses remains on the mountain forty days and forty nights without food or water, and receives two stone tablets from God on which is written the covenant. The Lord then tells Moses to go to the Israelites, who have built a golden statue of a calf. Then the Lord changes his mind, deciding instead to blot them out (as he has done before). Moses rushes down the mountain, which is ablaze with God's fury. Moses sees the calf and smashes the tablets. Then he bargains with the Lord for forty days and forty nights to spare the lives of Aaron and the Israelites. Moses then burns the calf, crushes it into powder, and throws the dust into a stream.

At Kadesh-barnea Moses pleads with the Lord to remember the covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, rather than focusing on the wickedness of the people. This seems to be the tact God takes regarding the Israelites and their "promised land."

The Second Pair of Tablets: Deuteronomy 10.1-11
Moses recounts how the Lord commanded him to create a second set of tablets on which God would again write the ten commandments. Moses is also to make an ark of acacia wood to hold them. Moses again spends forty days and forty nights on the mountain.

The Essence of the Law: Deuteronomy 10.12-22
Because there is so much going on in this passage, here is an analysis, breaking down this section into verse chunks:

So now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? Only to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord your God and his decrees that I am commanding you today, for your own well-being.

Translation: Follow me and everything will be okay.

Although heaven and the heaven of heavens belong to the Lord your God, the earth with all that is in it, yet the Lord set his heart in love on your ancestors alone and chose you, their descendants after them, out of all the peoples, as it is today.

It is the ancestors that made this covenant possible. Without them, God would have little reason to usher this ragtag group of people who frequently doubt him into the promised land.

Circumcise, then, the foreskin of your heart, and do not be stubborn any longer.

What an interesting metaphor! Just as the Israelites circumcise their sons in a physical reminder that the Israelites are different and special to God, the Israelites must also make a change in their hearts in order to be considered different and special in the eyes of God.

For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who is not partial and takes no bribe, who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and who loves the strangers, providing them food and clothing. You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

The Israelites are not explicitly commanded to not take bribes or execute justice for the orphan and widow. The biblical author is extremely laconic, but is also as specific as possible. The stranger metaphor is a common one employed by the author to describe Israel's deliverance from Egypt. However, the metaphors of widows or orphans are uncommon, if they appear at all. Only the duty to the stranger, which makes use of the metaphor, crosses the divine/human threshold.

You shall fear the Lord your God; him alone you shall worship; to him you shall hold fast, and by his name you shall swear. He is your praise; he is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome things that your own eyes have seen. Your ancestors went down to Egypt seventy persons; and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars in heaven.

The promise of progeny has been fulfilled. Now it's time to get going on the "land" part. Thank your ancestors and obey God.