When Jesus walked the earth, God's word was central to life. It was the everyday conversation of the community. They were brought together by the text, and they even agreed on a text of the week. This same ancient rythmn is available to us today! Join us in reading and commenting on what is know as the "Parashah." Imagine a community whose unity is rooted in the very word of God!
This is one of the scariest passages in the Bible for me. The "I will open the earth and suck you in" god. And it's always especially disturbing that the children and wives had to go "down to shoel" as well. I read a commentary by Richard Friedman that helped a little with this concept of guilt by association..it's also seen in Joshua chapter 7 when Achan keeps all the plunder that was "devoted to destruction." Friedman makes the claim that we often can feel guilt in regards to circumstances that aren't morally our fault. For example, children of abuse generally feel guilt later on in life. Or, Friedman tells a story of when a child unknowingly ripped up a Torah scroll and soon thereafter when seeing it's affects felt guilty. He says "we often feel guilt about thos things in which we hold in awe"
Secondly, look at this: 12 Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab. But they said, "We will not come! 13 Isn't it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the desert? And now you also want to lord it over us? 14 Moreover, you haven't brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you gouge out the eyes of [b] these men? No, we will not come!"
They are calling EGYPT the land of milk and honey!!!This is doubly awful because God is the one who came up with that phrase initially...Friedman draws the comparison to skilled politicians who twist original meanings of words and phrases. he says that the phrase "guage out their eyes" referes to "decieving them." Again, the group is charging Moses with deception when in fact it is they themselves decieiving! Funniest line in this commentary: "since in modern times we don't have earthquakes to inform us on political issues, we must excercise close discernment." hilarious...
1 comment:
This is one of the scariest passages in the Bible for me. The "I will open the earth and suck you in" god. And it's always especially disturbing that the children and wives had to go "down to shoel" as well. I read a commentary by Richard Friedman that helped a little with this concept of guilt by association..it's also seen in Joshua chapter 7 when Achan keeps all the plunder that was "devoted to destruction."
Friedman makes the claim that we often can feel guilt in regards to circumstances that aren't morally our fault. For example, children of abuse generally feel guilt later on in life. Or, Friedman tells a story of when a child unknowingly ripped up a Torah scroll and soon thereafter when seeing it's affects felt guilty. He says "we often feel guilt about thos things in which we hold in awe"
Secondly, look at this:
12 Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab. But they said, "We will not come! 13 Isn't it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the desert? And now you also want to lord it over us? 14 Moreover, you haven't brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you gouge out the eyes of [b] these men? No, we will not come!"
They are calling EGYPT the land of milk and honey!!!This is doubly awful because God is the one who came up with that phrase initially...Friedman draws the comparison to skilled politicians who twist original meanings of words and phrases. he says that the phrase "guage out their eyes" referes to "decieving them." Again, the group is charging Moses with deception when in fact it is they themselves decieiving!
Funniest line in this commentary: "since in modern times we don't have earthquakes to inform us on political issues, we must excercise close discernment."
hilarious...
Post a Comment