- Women's rights: Women were pretty much treated like property in Old Testament times, so I loved the fact that God granted women the right to inherit sections of the Promised Land, even though their father was dead (Numbers 27).
- Balaam was not a good guy: The Israelites exacted revenge on Midian for the whole Baal/orgy event we read about in yesterday's reading. Phinehas (the same priest who speared the Israelite who flaunted the Midianite woman and defiantly took her into his tent in front of everyone) was the priest of the 12,000-strong army which marched on Midian and killed every man, including Balaam (this blows my theory in yesterday's post that Balaam was a godly man because he blessed Israel instead of cursing them. In fact, Numbers 31:13-18 reports that the Baal orgy at Peor was under Balaam's direction, and the women were seducing the people of Israel away from God).
- Why so much killing? Numbers 32 explains that God is cleaning his enemies out of the land via the Israelites. As they advanced into the Promised Land, they were to destroy the idols, level the worship mounds, and divide up the land for the Israelite clans.
- Sermon on the plains of Moab: Deuteronomy is a sermon by Moses to review God's plan for Israel. Can't wait to read more!
Elena's verse of the day: "The Lord has taken care of us the whole time....in the desert, just as you might carry one of your children" (Deuteronomy 1:31).
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