Today, I am reading and commenting on  Numbers 34-36.

I have a Youtube video of me reading the Scripture passage and my comments. Please check it out and let me know your thoughts.

Also, here is the link for my Patreon page

As you can see if you regularly read my blog, or listen to my video recording of it, I do not necessarily begin with the start of the passage.  I just take whatever part of the passage speaks to me that day (hopefully, and prayerfully, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit).  Today, I am going to start at the beginning with the borders of the land given to the Israelites west of the Jordan River.  First, I want to note that God defines what is within these borders as the land of Canaan, which He is giving to the Israelites.  Now, when I read this, I cannot make out where these borders are because I do not know where many of the placenames listed here actually are (or, more accurately, were).  However, it seems likely to me that up until at least the time of King Solomon, people would have known exactly where these borders were.  Further, I think that modern archeologists could also identify the location of most of these places.  This means that these borders provides evidence for this passage being composed at least close to when it claims to have been composed (I am not saying that this proof of this, just that it is evidence for it).

Next I want to talk about the cities of refuge.  First, by situating three east of the Jordan and three west of the Jordan, everyone was assured to be within a reasonable distance of a city of refuge.  Thus anyone who accidentally killed a man stood a reasonable chance of reaching a city of refuge before those seeking vengeance on them could catch them.  I like the way in which it lays out methods that you might strike someone and kill them that you cannot claim the death was an accident.  It also gives examples of things which one might do that might cause a death, for which accident is an acceptable excuse.  So, if you strike someone with an object which could reasonably be considered deadly, and that someone dies, you are a murderer, even if everyone agrees that you did not mean to kill them.  This shows us that we are to think about the possible consequences of our actions.  These laws also make it clear that intent does not need to be proven.  If you struck someone with what could be considered a deadly weapon (or even, deadly tool), intent does not matter.  Of course, these laws also contain provisions where if intent to harm can be proven, actual method does not matter.  Further, the laws also give consequences to those who take the life of another by accident.  Needing to make a living in a city of refuge away from your property, with no option to return to your property until the death of the high priest, is no small consequence.  God makes it clear here that human life is to be held sacred.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.