Tag: Numbers
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Contradictions
It’s funny that the people complained to Moses that he had brought them to a place without seed, figs, vines, or pomegranates after they had rejected the land overflowing with all such good things. The story of Balaam could have been a cautionary tale for Joseph Smith. Both were engaged by men to go beyond…
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Feeling like Moses
I can relate to Moses here, both doing everything he could for his people only to have them say “give us more/better/different, it is not good enough for us” and also for Moses to complain “Lord, this burden is too great for me to bare. I didn’t ask to lead such a troop as this.…
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Of murder and war
It is important to note the injunction against allowing a murderer to pay a fine for his murder. The only acceptable payment was the blood of the murderer. Also, the murderer could only be killed by those who had the right if revenge for the murdered. Before now I never realized that after the people…
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Silence is assent
Notice that all a man (father or husband) had to do to agree to the promises of his wife or daughter was nothing. If he wanted to object he had to do so the same day he heard their promise. If he objected outside that timeframe then he was guilty for any unfulfilled promise.
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Gone astray
It seems incredible that even while the people were being led day by day by the Lord they would turn aide to the idols of the land where they journeyed. Perhaps some of them feared to upset the people – surely others just wanted to cut loose because they didn’t honestly believe in anything. The…
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Israel was not aggressive
Notice how multiple times Israel openly asked permission to cross the land, offering to pay if they drank water from the wells and it was only after the rollers of those land choose to come out in battle rather than allow them to cross the land that Israel was commanded to slay them and their…
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Why death as punishment?
Starting with the man gathering sticks in the sabbath it is natural today to wonder why he was put to death. Why not banished from among the people? I don’t think the Lord would make such a harsh example just for gathering since sticks. I suspect that his disobedience was blatant – an act of…
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Two faithful
If those sent to spy out the land only two reported that they could take the land. All twelve reported a fruitful land but only Caleb of Judah and Joshua of Ephraim had faith that the Lord would give them the land.
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The Levites for all the firstborn
The Lord has commanded that all the firstborn in Israel should be dedicated to Him then He took the Levites into his service in place of the firstborn. I wonder how it would have changed the people if the firstborn in every family did service for the Lord rather than having a separate tribe doing…
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If ye keep my commandments
The promises if the people would be obedient were generous. They would feel safer in the land and 5 men of Israel would chase down 100 enemies and 100 of the men of Israel would put 10000 to flight. On the other hand. The promise if they rejected the commandments was that they would for…