Numbers 3:10-12, Why were the Levites selected for the priesthood?
The LORD also said to Moses, “I have taken the Levites from among the Israelites in place of the first male offspring of every Israelite woman. The Levites are mine, for all the firstborn are mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set apart for myself every firstborn in Israel, whether man or animal. They are to be mine. I am the LORD.”
//To prove his power, one day God killed all the firstborn of Egypt. Every firstborn son died, except those among the Israelites, because they had sprinkled the blood of a lamb on their doorposts. But God didn’t merely spare Israel’s firstborn; he consecrated them to himself. The firstborn were to belong to God.
Later, God accepts the Levites in place of the firstborn … see today’s verse. Numbers 3:46 explains that, because there lived more firstborn sons in Israel than there were Levites, God collected “redemption money” of five shekels for each of the 273 extra firstborn, and gave the money to Aaron.
But why the switch? Why choose the tribe of Levi over the firstborn, and set them up as the priesthood? Perhaps because of their ability or willingness to slaughter animals for sacrifice?
So [Moses] stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the LORD, come to me.” And all the Levites rallied to him. Then he said to them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.'” The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died. –Exodus 32:26-28
So the Levites were chosen because of their faithfulness. The God who slaughtered all the firstborn of Egypt chooses for himself the tribe willing to slaughter three thousand more people.
Proverbs 21:19, A Crabby Wife
It is better to live alone in the desert than with a crabby, complaining wife.
//Do you suppose the Proverbs were written by men or by women? Here’s another clue:
A quarrelsome wife is as annoying as constant dripping on a rainy day. Stopping her complaints is like trying to stop the wind or trying to hold something with greased hands. –Psalm 27:15-16
Guys, you can take heart. Apparently, there will be no women in heaven. The following verse provides the proof:
When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. –Revelation 8:1
Book review: The Book of Lilith
by Robert G. Brown
★★★★★
I posted this tongue-in-cheek review more than a year ago on another site, but people continue to seem intrigued by Lilith, the first wife of Adam, so I thought I would risk the chance of someone taking me seriously, and let you all know about a fun book.
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This is the true Book of Lilith, recently discovered beneath Iraqi soil and dated to about 4,000 BC. It’s been painstakingly translated by Professor Brown, and an unnamed accomplice who prefers anonymity to unparalleled fame. (Do not confuse Brown’s publication of the Book of Lilith with the forgeries of more noted scholars).
If you’ve never heard of Lilith, you’re in for a treat. In Mesopotamian mythology, she is related to a class of demons, and in Jewish midrash, she’s the first wife of Adam, before Eve came along. Lilith herself penned the words of this book, and her story is both sensual and intelligent. Also a tad graphic, but you may not notice this; readers of ancient holy books become experienced in glossing over sex and violence.
Professor Brown is an avowed atheist, or so I imagine he once a-vowed, before a-writing this book. His atheism lends credibility to the truth of Lilith; if you are familiar with biblical criticism, you know the strength of the Criterion of Embarrassment. This basically proves the authenticity of the Lilith story, for here we have an atheist repeatedly acquiescing to discuss religious concepts such as God and Soul. (God, bless Her soul, seems to have chosen Professor Brown for this task; how could he refuse?)
Lilith is modern, hardly subservient, a libber before the term was coined, and rightfully so, for she is much more interesting than Adam–and knows it. Her job is to dispense souls to the world’s people, while Adam’s job is to make up all the rules. Needless to say, friction develops, and Adam and Lilith separate. Both head their own direction in what becomes a quest for enlightenment. Lilith’s writing style is also strikingly modern–witty and occasionally satirical toward the religious ideas she knew would evolve thousands of years later. Yes, luckily for 21st-century readers, Lilith possesses a preternatural knowledge of the future, and often expresses herself in idioms like “movies” and “skyscrapers,” concepts quite unfamiliar to ancient readers, but which make the text read more contemporary. (Curiously, Lilith seems to have no knowledge of events and inventions further in the future or scientific concepts beyond our current understanding, save one: an upcoming slaughter of billions in the name of God. Might the time have come?)
Like any holy book, Lilith’s theological wisdoms must be teased from its depths, and … well, let’s just say it’s a captivating book, whether the cover is open or closed. You might even come to see life’s purpose a little differently.
Genesis 1:16, The Sun to Govern the Day, Part II of II
God made two great lights–the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. (Genesis 1:16-18)
//Yesterday, I posed the question “How can there be day and night before there is a sun?” Several verses before the sun is made, God creates light and darkness, and separates them into day and night.
This question has puzzled readers for centuries, but it misreads the text. The sun and moon, the “lives in the sky,” are not there just to give light. Light existed before they did. Rather, God created the sun and moon with another purpose: To tend to the skies, keeping everything working the way God planned, much like the way God created a man to tend the land.
In other words, we cannot assume that the source of light is the sun and moon and stars. (What foolishness to think that! Light is everywhere!) Nor can we assume that day and night are defined by whether the sun is in the sky. Although the “great lights” do give off some of the light, their job, twice repeated in the creation story, is to govern.
Now you understand how there was day and night before there was a sun. Do not imagine that the sun creates the light for us. Rather, the sun keeps watch over the light, and turns in for the night when the light goes away.
Genesis 1:1-3, The Sun to Govern the Day, part I of II
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.
//Readers of the first chapter in our Bible have long noted that the six days of creation seem to repeat:
Day one, when the earth and sky are first created, God makes light and separates it from darkness.
Day two, God divides the waters below (the seas) from the waters above (water above the sky, waiting to fall as rain).
Day three, God creates land.
So the fundamentals are complete. Now God fills in the details with life (imagine the lights in the sky as alive, for so they were understood by many):
Day four, God makes life in the sky: the sun, moon, and stars.
Day five, God makes life in the water.
Day six, God makes life on land.
What’s most confusing is this business of dividing light from darkness. On the very first day, the “Spirit of God” is hovering over the waters, and he decides to create light. This, before there are sun and moon and stars! God separates the light from the dark and names them:
God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning–the first day.
So God makes day and night, before the sun ever exists. How can this be? More tomorrow…
Book review: Love Wins
by Rob Bell
★★★★★
This is Bell’s controversial masterpiece about “heaven, hell, and the fate of every person who ever lived.” Love, says this internationally influential pastor, wins in the end … and nobody has to go to hell.
God wants all people to be saved. Will God get what He wants?
Of Bell’s works, I’ve read only this and Velvet Elvis, though I have three more in my review stack. I’ll be spreading them out over the next few months. I confess that too much Bell, with his colloquial rah-rah style, might push me off the deep end, but in Love Wins, the message overcomes the style and earns five stars. I also feel the book is very well organized, leading inexorably to a logical conclusion.
That said, this book does not probe any deep theological arguments. It’s far too short for that. It’s a common-sense approach to a troubling question: Can God be both loving and vengeful?
Actually, Bell’s book is chock full of questions! It makes you think about your perception of Jesus, of God, and of His eternal plan. Bell says, “Often times when I meet atheists and we talk about the god they don’t believe in, we quickly discover that I don’t believe in that god either.” When we hear that a certain person has rejected Christ, we should probably first ask, “Which Christ?” The antiscience, antigay one standing out on the sidewalk with his bullhorn, telling people that they’re going to burn forever? Or the one who invites everyone to share in his heaven?
Which invites another question. Which heaven? The one far away, a dream of eternal bliss, or the one Jesus constantly spoke of, here, now, on this earth? Bell’s “heaven” is very “earthy,” rightly recognizing that Jesus spoke not of a place but of an age … an age where God dwells with his people, on this earth. Bell is not denying an afterlife, he simply is putting the focus where Jesus did: the now.
But what about hell? Well, there’s plenty of hell on earth now, too. Surprisingly, not everyone prefers heaven. Love wins, and we get whatever we want. But over and over and over, God speaks of restoration … helping those who have slipped into hell back on their feet and back into heaven.
That’s God’s agenda. So here we are at a final question: Does this magnificent, mighty, marvelous God fail in the end?
2 Samuel 6:20, David Dances Naked
When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!”
//King David was bringing the Ark of the Covenant home to Jerusalem when the oxen stumbled, and a fellow named Uzzah reached out to steady the Ark. Immediately, God smote him, and David grew angry. And probably a bit nervous. He left the Ark with another fellow named Obed-Edom, and went home without it.
Presumably, Obed was smart enough not to touch the thing, so instead, the Ark’s mere presence brought him blessing. When David heard that Obed prospered because of the Ark, David went back after it.
They loaded it up and took six steps, enough for David to prove that God wasn’t in a smiting mood anymore, so David rejoiced and sacrificed a bull and a fat calf. Wearing a linen ephod (which is like an apron, with no back), he “danced before the Lord with all his might.” He was still leaping and dancing when they arrived with the Ark in Jerusalem.
This shameful happy-dance nauseated Michal, Saul’s daughter, who was watching out a window. When she confronted King David, he shrugged it off, insisting that the slave girls continued to hold him in high honor.
So which side did God take? The happy naked dancer or the prude? The Bible says Michal was stricken with barrenness, and never had a child until the day she died.
The Bible never does say why, though. I suppose we’re supposed to understand God took David’s side and cursed her womb, but her barrenness probably had more to do with her prudishness…which can tend to have an effect on whether one bears children!
Ecclesiastes 1:18, Ignorance Is Bliss
For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.
//Here’s a troubling topic. Is learning contrary to Godliness? Let me give you a couple more verses:
Your wisdom and knowledge mislead you (Isaiah 47:10)
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. (1 Corinthians 3:19)
Maybe it’s time to shut The Dubious Disciple down, and encourage everyone to frolic in ignorance? Or maybe there’s another side to the coin.
The advantage of knowledge is this: that wisdom preserves the life of its possessor. (Ecclesiastes 7:12)
Ah, so knowledge isn’t all bad! Knowledge is good, but one must rightfully divide true knowledge from false knowledge:
Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge (1 Timothy 6:20)
OK, I’ll continue operating The Dubious Disciple until it becomes clear what is true and what is false. Hang in there, this may take awhile.
Book review: God Is Red
by Liao Yiwu
★★★★★
Wow! Powerful stuff, here.
Liao is not a Christian, he’s a Chinese rebel. That is, he’s a critic of the Chinese regime, for which he has been imprisoned and his works have been banned. Says Liao, “I will continue to write and document the sufferings of people living at the bottom rung of society, even though the Communist Party is not pleased with my writing. I have the responsibility to help the world understand the true spirit of China, which will outlast the current totalitarian government.”
So, in this book, he takes on the topic of how Christianity flourished under the Communist banner. Martyrdom, underground house churches, religious persecutions … these are the sorts of topics you’ll find in this series of 18 essays. Many deal with the period of Chairman Mao and the Cultural Revolution.
This is not really a political book, nor is it evangelical. It is a reporters-eye view of Christianity where it doesn’t fit in. In learning about his topic, Liao attends a Eucharist celebration, interviews church leaders, visits the sites of persecution, and lets real people tell their stories. Warning: These stories are as disturbing as they are inspiring. Christianity under Red China looks like the first couple centuries under the Roman Empire all over again.
Was it worth it for those who endured? I’ll let you decide after you read the final interview with its entirely different flavor, of a new young 2010 convert to Christianity. A dry surprise awaits you.
Mark 2:26, Mark Names the Wrong High Priest
How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him?
I often find myself discussing apparent contradictions in the Bible with others who see no contradiction at all. I have one friend who simply buries his head and says he has “faith” that there are no contradictions, and I have another friend who thoroughly enjoys working through apparent contradictions as if they are puzzles put there to be solved. In truth, I’m against neither approach, believing that religion should be whatever works best for us, yet both approaches do puzzle me. Both seem to begin with the assumption that the Bible, in order to be the Word of God, must be inerrant.
Let’s take today’s verse as an example. Mark’s Gospel says that Abiathar was the high priest during this incident of David eating the showbread in the Temple. Mark is even quoting Jesus with these words. But if you read the account in 1 Samuel, it isn’t Abiathar, it’s Ahimelech:
Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee? –1 Samuel 21:1
It turns out that with a little wordplay, the contradiction can go away. Mark doesn’t say Ahimelech wasn’t also a high priest; maybe there were two? All Mark says is that this incident occurred during the time Abiathar was high priest. So could there have been two high priests? Technically, no, but if you read Luke 3:2, it gives the opinion that there can be multiple high priests at the same time. Luke was referring to Caiaphas and Ananias, the latter of which was no longer the high priest but once served in that capacity, and Luke called them both high priests. Is this a good enough explanation to solve the Abiathar/Ahimelech conundrum?
Common sense says no. There’s simply no reason at all for Mark to mention Abiathar when the priest that matters in the story is Ahimelech. But, technically, it’s possible that there is no contradiction … there are ways to twist the words around until the Bible remains inerrant.
Which is the proper approach? It boils down to what you must believe, in order to remain a Christian.
Fantasy Football, Anyone?
Put on the whole uniform of the Team, that ye may be able to stand against the blitz of oncoming linebackers. Don the hip pads of truth, the shoulder pads of righteousness, the cleats of preparation. Don’t forget the facemask of faith and the helmet of salvation. Then clutch the pigskin with much Spirit, for that is what the Play Book of your Coach in Heaven demands.The River of Life
Twice before Lee Harmon has written about Christian topics, once on the gospel of John and once on the book of Revelation. But the question people keep asking him is this: As a liberal Christian, why do you care so much about the Bible? Others wonder whether he is truly a Christian at all.
The Way It Happened
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| Revelation: A love story gone awry. | The Gospel: A love story set aright. |
What really happened 2,000 years ago? How did a persecuted minority of end-time believers known as Christians, with their dreams of Armageddon and a conquering Messiah named Jesus, evolve into the largest religion in the world? Author Lee Harmon explores the period in which the New Testament was written in his books about John's Gospel and Revelation.
(Bloggers: you may be eligible for a free review copy! Just contact us.)
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Lee Harmon interviewed on The God Show about the History Channel's miniseries The Bible and Lee's latest book, John's Gospel: The Way It Happened.
About Lee
Hello! I'm an author, historical Jesus scholar, book reviewer, and liberal Christian, which means I appreciate and attempt to exercise the humanitarian teachings of Jesus without getting hung up on any particular supernatural or religious beliefs.
The Bible is a magnificent book that has inspired and spiritually fed generations for thousands of years, and each new century seems to bring a deeper understanding of life’s purpose. This is true of not only Christianity; through the years, our age-old religions are slowly transforming from superstitious rituals into humanitarian philosophies. In short, we are growing up, and I am thrilled to be riding the wave.
I avidly read all thought-provoking religion titles. New authors: I'd love to read and review your book!
Contact me here.
About Leslie
Hi! While Lee writes the articles and reviews the books, I edit, organize, and maintain the blog. The views expressed here are Lee's but I'm his biggest supporter! :-)
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