So the Israelites have been in the wilderness for a year! How time flies. I guess this would have felt quite a triumph. To have survived away fro home (even though home in Egypt was pretty grim). To have won some battles, got through some scrapes, had their wobbles and worries, and still be there...pretty good going. They deserve a celebration.
Requirements for animals to be sacrificed
Leviticus 22:17-33
Death penalties: blasphemy
Leviticus 24:10-16, 23
Murder
Leviticus 24:17-22
Camp laws explained
Numbers 5:1-10
Law of jealous husband
Numbers 5:11-31
Vow of Nazirites
Numbers 6:1-21
The priestly blessing
Numbers 6:22-27
God reminds Israel to keep Passover
Numbers 9:1-4
Passover held in Sinai
Numbers 9:5-14
I love Aaron’s blessing in Numbers 6. May the Lord’s face shine upon us all as we read his word this year, and give us peace.
But ....
Numbers 5. Now I’ve read something that I simply can’t agree with. The test for an unfaithful wife is to make her drink something designed to make her abort a pregnancy. If she drinks and is unharmed, then she was innocent and her husband was a jealous fool. If she was guilty of adultery, then she’ll lose her baby and be disgraced. I find this unacceptable for several reasons: it’s only the woman who has to undergo this test, not the man; it is condoning abortion, something I struggle to accept, and the whole test reminds me of the medieval tests for witchcraft. (Put her on a ducking stool: if she drowns she was innocent, if she survives she’s a witch so burn her).
I want to explain this away, not accept it, and take a pair of scissors and cut it out of the Bible.
There, I’ve said it.
As a “Bible believing Christian,” I’ve just reached the point where I don’t believe a bit of the Bible. This could be quite a landmark.
Hi Nick
ReplyDeleteGlad to see you have been struggling with the same problem I have over the last two weeks. Perhaps due to ignorance or lazyness I had never read the Old Testament as I have now. I perhaps naively believed that the Old testament had a clear line of right and wrong and i shared its common values. How wrong was I! I have been appalled by some of the things i have read, and it has made me question my moral standing, as I used to say that Bible was the instruction for a honest and good life. Frankly now I am embarresed by parts of it and my moral compass is now spinning around!
I am lost at the moment as to the LORD'S will as i cannot live a life based on the things the Old Testament directs. See, I can rant too!
James
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ReplyDeleteHang in there, James. http://asbojesus.wordpress.com/2011/02/17/992/
ReplyDeleteNick,
ReplyDeleteI have been surprised at a lot of things that are in the bible. It amazes me the number of christians that have not actually read the bible. I do know that even though there are a lot of things that are surprising it may be like a good book where there are things along the way that are surprising and unexpected but the end is worth it all.
That's a very peaceful and optimistic thing to say - thanks! I think I agree with you.
ReplyDeleteWhat's significant for me is that there are many people who say that every bit of the Bible is inspired and infallible.
In the past I might have counted myself as one of them. I'm realising now that it's all rather more complicated.