Once we dispense with all the rules, the bible is actually quite entertaining—that is, the story of humankind struggling against an insane, megalomaniacal, childish reasonably powerful being is. Humankind’s indomitable (Jewish) spirit in the face of such overwhelming force is something to behold. How weak is the mind that chooses the side of God over the side of the humans?
Old Testament
Book Four: Numbers
Israel in the Wilderness of Sinai (cont’d)
Chapter 9: More of the collection of miscellaneous materials
The Journey from Sinai to Edom
Chapter 9 (cont’d): God’s Cloud leads the flock
Chapter 10: Preparation and departure from Sinai
Chapter 11: Rebellion in the Wilderness!
Chapter 12: A challenge to Moses’ authority
I had never heard this story before, about how they followed the cloud through the desert. When it came time for the community to move, God landed a cloud on the Tent. As long as the cloud was over the tent, they stayed. When the cloud moved off, they moved off after it. That was kind of cool; God really led them though the wilderness. However, hilariously, just a few verses later, in 10.29, Moses begs Hobab to come with them because he knows where to camp. Moses wants the human who is familiar with the desert to help them go the right way, so Moses can then go into the tent so God can tell them the right way. A little bit suspicious, huh?!
Starting in chapter 11, real conflict! Two problems are intertwined in this passage. First, the people of Israel once again (justifiably) are dissatisfied with God’s provisions. I think they’re right, and this has nothing to do with faith. As they argue, literally what is the point of following a god who just makes them starve out in the desert? Back in Egypt they had fish and cucumbers and water-melons. God reminds me a little of Kim Jong Il. He is providing them, instead of fish and cucumbers, with manna from heaven. So miraculous. Listen to what manna is—this is the actual biblical description: “The manna looked like coriander seed, the color of gum resin. The people went about collecting it, ground it up in hand-mills or pounded it in mortars, then boiled it in the pot and made it into cakes. It tasted like butter-cakes. When dew fell on the camp at night, the manna fell with it.” (Num.11.7–9.) That’s what the Israelites left Egypt for!
Second was a religious problem of prophets. People were claiming to get messages from God in their sleep. Well, only the Aaronite priests should be getting such messages, through Moses, right? Moses did something interesting but risky. He said why would he care about prophets? He doesn’t want to be the leader of the Israelites anyway—if God wants to talk through prophets, so be it. The interesting thing of course is that this story is really Moses debating what’s the best way to handle other people claiming to talk to God. And yet he says sure it’s fine! But they either are or they are not, right? The whole story doesn’t make sense.
It’s also interesting that the prophets are “in ecstasy,” which I take to mean something like Quakers quaking, or Pentecostals speaking in tongues. So what are we to take from this? If the prophets are receiving revelation, then Moses would have nothing to say about it anyway, and in that case it is interesting that they are in ecstasy because of it, something that’s never happened before. But if they’re not, then what does it mean for Moses to say “I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would confer his spirit on them all!” (Num.11.29.) I don’t know, it’s odd. The fact of the quaking seems to make them legitimate; there’s no discussion here whether they are really prophets or not.
God does another of his awesome insane crimes. He promises the complainers all the meat they can eat. Then he provides it, in the form of quails, ten to a person at least. Then just as they put the meat to their lips, he kills all of them! So they named the place Kibroth-hattaavah, or the Graves of Greed.
So, Aaron’s sister is Miriam. I don’t remember if I mentioned her; she was recognized as a prophetess in Exodus. She and Aaron go to Moses to complain that he’s not the only one that can talk to God; they should be recognized too. God gets mad at them and says that they are mere prophets, God speaks to Moses directly. Then he gives Miriam a skin disease, turning her skin as white as snow (an odd metaphor for the middle east in 3000 BC!). Moses begs God not to do it, and God says, okay, only for seven days.
I’m really happy to see that God has that old magic still in him. After Exodus and Leviticus, I was worried there may never be another interesting story in the whole bible.
—bibletoenail
Some notes/quotes:
“The Israelites themselves wept once again and cried, ‘Will no one give us meat? Think of it! In Egypt we had fish for the asking, cucumbers and water-melons, leeks and onions and garlic. Now our throats are parched; there is nothing wherever we look except this manna.’ (The manna looked like coriander seed, the color of gum resin. The people went about collecting it, ground it up in hand-mills or pounded it in mortars, then boiled it in the pot and made it into cakes. It tasted like butter-cakes. When dew fell on the camp at night, the manna fell with it.” THAT is the “manna from heaven.” Yum! —Num.11.4–9
“Moses said to the Lord, ‘Why hast thou brought trouble on thy servant? How have I displeased the Lord that I am burdened with the care of this whole people? Am I their mother? Have I brought them into the world, and am I called upon to carry them in my bosom, like a nurse with her babies, to the land promised by thee on oath to their fathers? Where am I to find meat to give them all? They pester me with their wailing and their “Give us meat to eat.” This whole people is a burden too heavy for me; I cannot carry it alone. If that is thy purpose form me, then kill me outright. But if I have won thy favor let me suffer this trouble at thy hands no longer.’” —Num.11.11–15
Interesting, prophets are a threat to the religion, so at this point the religion legitimizes prophets to say they are acting with the religion’s (God’s) approval.
God plays an amazing dirty trick on the complainers.
“The Lord will give you meat and you shall eat it. Not for one day only, nor for two days, nor five, nor ten, nor twenty, but for a whole month you shall eat it until it comes out at your nostrils and makes you sick.” —Num.11.18–20
"They fell into prophetic ecstasy, for the first and only time." —Num.11.25
“Are you jealous on my account? I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would confer his spirit on them all!” —Num.11.29
“That place is called Kibroth-hattavaavah [the Graves of Greed] because there they buried the people who had been greedy for meat.” —Num.11.34
“Moses was in fact a man of great humility, the most humble man on earth.” —Num.12.3
“With him I speak face to face, openly and not in riddles.” —Num.12.8
“Let her not be like something still-born, whose flesh is half eaten away when it comes from the womb.” —Num.12.12
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
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