Almost finished with Leviticus
More laws in Leviticus
Chapter 18 goes into all of these laws about sexual relations. Do not have sex with your mother's sister. Do not dishonor your father's brother by approaching his wife to have sexual relations; she is your aunt. Do not have sexual relations with an animal. Anyway, there are about 18 of them. Then it gives the reason for going into all these laws: The people in the land of Canaan do these things. God tells them that the people are defiled and that the land is defiled and that the land will vomit them out. I guess it just dawned on me that most of these rules did not occur in a vacuum, that they were laws made to keep the Israelites from becoming like the tribes of people around them. Well, besides the fact that it isn't a good idea to for someone to have sex with their father's daughter, and so forth.
Contrast that to the people God wants Israel to be: Israel is not to reap to the very edges of the field, but leave gleanings of their harvest for the poor and the widow. Also, in the year of Jubilee everyone is to return to his own property. Basically, the year of Jubilee is a big wealth redistribution program. Special care is given to those who become poor. God instructs the people not to lend money at interest or sell food at a profit. This gives more biblical credence to U2's Bono for his work on third world debt relief. Such programs do have a biblical basis.
One other note. The Ten Plagues corresponded to 10 Egyptian Gods. Egyptians worshipped snakes and other animals so when Moses' staff turns into a snake then eats the snakes of the other magicians, the message is clear, "I am God, Yahweh." Anyway, the Nile river turning to blood was linked to the god Hapi, The frogs were linked to the god Heqt. The cows that died during the livestock plague were linked to the gods Hathor, Apis, and Mnevis. (I got this out of the 90 day Bible participants guide.) So maybe that is why God demands the sacrifice of Bulls, goats, sheep and rams--to keep the people from worshipping the animals.
Chapter 18 goes into all of these laws about sexual relations. Do not have sex with your mother's sister. Do not dishonor your father's brother by approaching his wife to have sexual relations; she is your aunt. Do not have sexual relations with an animal. Anyway, there are about 18 of them. Then it gives the reason for going into all these laws: The people in the land of Canaan do these things. God tells them that the people are defiled and that the land is defiled and that the land will vomit them out. I guess it just dawned on me that most of these rules did not occur in a vacuum, that they were laws made to keep the Israelites from becoming like the tribes of people around them. Well, besides the fact that it isn't a good idea to for someone to have sex with their father's daughter, and so forth.
Contrast that to the people God wants Israel to be: Israel is not to reap to the very edges of the field, but leave gleanings of their harvest for the poor and the widow. Also, in the year of Jubilee everyone is to return to his own property. Basically, the year of Jubilee is a big wealth redistribution program. Special care is given to those who become poor. God instructs the people not to lend money at interest or sell food at a profit. This gives more biblical credence to U2's Bono for his work on third world debt relief. Such programs do have a biblical basis.
One other note. The Ten Plagues corresponded to 10 Egyptian Gods. Egyptians worshipped snakes and other animals so when Moses' staff turns into a snake then eats the snakes of the other magicians, the message is clear, "I am God, Yahweh." Anyway, the Nile river turning to blood was linked to the god Hapi, The frogs were linked to the god Heqt. The cows that died during the livestock plague were linked to the gods Hathor, Apis, and Mnevis. (I got this out of the 90 day Bible participants guide.) So maybe that is why God demands the sacrifice of Bulls, goats, sheep and rams--to keep the people from worshipping the animals.
posted by Leslie at 8:03 AM
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