Few things which disturb me in the Bible

Conversation avec Dieu

Logically I should do this operation chronologically.
However I will enter them as I find them or remember them and later will place them in the right order

The very last book of the Bible, Divray Hayamim 2 tells us on Chap 7 of the sacrifices Solomon had to do for the inauguration of the temple he just built.

Verse 5 speaks of 22.000 "bakar" (bulls and cows) and 120.000 "tson" (sheep and goats)
First let us try to imagine the space it takes to hold these 142.000 animals.
Then picture the slaughtering operation of this quantity.
How long did it take to perform ité
Granted they are to be eaten by the Cohanim and Levyim only, that is an awful amount of food that cannot be kept for long.
Then think of where the carcasses will be buried, granted that it will be burnt as an offering

I will stop here and keep thinking. Let us start with GENESIS

Most everybody will say that the fruit that Adam and Eve ate was the apple.

I say it was the FIG

Chap 3 v 7 tells us that "the eyes of both opened up they knew they were naked, they knitted fig leaves to make themselves belts.

A fig leaf is much larger than an apple leaf to knit a belt, meaning that they opened their eyes while still under the tree holding the fruit they took. So it had to be the fig tree

One of the issues I always wanted to write about is THE UNLOVED BROTHERS

  • I am thinking of CAIN vs ABEL
  • of ISHMAEL vs ISAAC
  • of ESAU vs JACOB

In the case of Cain, it all started with the sacrifice he made to God. Chap 4 v 3-4
It says Abel was a sheppard while Cain worked the land.
So no wonder that Cain brought the fruit of the land while Abel brought the elders of his herd

God was pleased with the gift of Abel but not so with that of Cain.
,Cain got upset. When they were both in the field, Cain stood up on Abel his brother and killed him.
Plain and simple
Why did he kill him? Because his brother's present was accepted and not his?

Genesis Chapter 6 raises few questions.

Verse 2: And the sons of the God saw that the girls of man were good, so they took themselves wives of all they chose.

Who are these sons of God?
Chap 32 v 29 tells us about the fight Jacob had with the angel, called Elohim in the text.
At the end Jacob calls that place Peniel (the face of God) for I saw Eelohim face to face.
First I want to say that it is wrong for God said: "for no man will see me and survive", meaning had he really seen God he would not survive. So it was not God he saw, may be an angel he called Elohim who before blessing him told him KI SARITA…as a prince, in this quarrel you have the power over God and men.
However, looks at Exodus Cap 33 vs 11, it does say God spoke to Moses PANIM EL PANIM ( face to face) like a man speaks to his friend. The question becomes: Did Moses see Godù If so how come he is still alive?

Back to my first point, was it then the sons of these angels who came to earth to take themselves wives?


Verse 3: God decides that the days of man should be 120 years.
Yet, we know that after Adam, all his descendants until Noah, lived more than 120 years.Ye

It is the case of the 10 generations that separated Adam from Noah.

We have Shet, Enoch, Yehokan, Mahalalel, Yared, Hanokh, Metushelah, Lemekh, Noah

Moses was the one to whom 120 years applied.

Why bring up now 120 years?

Here again if you ask anyone to tell you how many animals of each did Noah take with him on the Ark, the answer will be two.

I say 2 of each unclean animal but 7 of each pure animal. Chap 7 v 2
The reason for 7 is that when the ark rests, Noah in Chap 8 v 19 builds an hostel and makes sacrifices of the pure animals. If there were only two, there won't be any left of that kind. Chap 8 v 19 confirms it

The second time a hostel is built is by Abram Chap 12 v 9
It is the next verse, 20 that gives me hard time to comprehend.

It says: And God smelled the smell of the sacrifice and He told his heart I will not insult the earth anymore for man, because the penchant of the heart of man is bad since his childhood.

This leads me to believe that God loves the smell of burnt offerings. That His sense of smell is very well developed. Throughout the full bible every time an offering is made to God, we get the same reaction. He just loves it and rewards the giver

This is a subject that disturbs me and I wish to develop it further to find out what is behind this love of the smell.

Chap 12 v 16- When there was famine in the land, Abram decides to move south to Egypt. When the ministers of Pharaoh saw Sarai (curiously in Hebrew the ministers and Sarai are written with the same letters), she was so beautiful that they brought her to the King.. The verse 16 says that it benefited Abram because of her for they gave him cattle and sheep donkeys, male and female slaves, mules and camels.

Let us remember that he had lied when he said she was his sister for he feared for his life had he told them she was his wife. God made sure Pharaoh did not touch her, but the fact remains that Abraham got out with riches. Shall I think that he took advantage of the situation?

Chap 14 vs 14: Abram hears that his brother is prisoner, he takes his people and travels too DAN, when Dan is not born yet. He will be one of the sons of Jacob

Same Chapter v 18, we see the first time the word COHEN before Aharon came to be.

Malchi Tsedek,( was he the king of Salem or a complete king?) is called Cohen(priest) to El Elion, almighty God
The same with Jethro, called Cohen Midyan

Chap 15 v8, when Abram complains that he has no posterity, that Eliezer, his servant will inherit him. God corrects him and tells him, he will not inherit you but what comes out of your loins will inherit. Abram insists and asks: How will I know if I will inherité

For having doubted the word of God by asking for a proof, Abram gets punished: 'For a stranger will be your descendant in a land that is not theirs, they will make them work and starve them 400 years.

 

Quiet a punishment for asking a question.

Another punishment is to be found, when on Chap 21 v 9, Sarai sees the son of Hagar METSAHEK(playing). It does not say with Isaac, but we guess it for Sarai immediately tells Abraham to chase this slave and her son.

So we wonder the meaning of that "playing"

Later on Chap 26 v 8, Avimelekh sees from his window Isaac METSAHEK with Rebecca his wife. So the king tells him:Thus she is your wife and you said she is your sister etc etc…

The same word used a second time helps us understand that Ishmael was playing with Isaac, the way we play with a woman, thus Sarai being upset.

EXODUS
Chap 6 v 8 - I will bring you to the land "on which I raised my hand" The same wording is used on Ezekiel chap 20 v 28 which leads me to think that he had the book of Exodus on hand when writing his own text. Did he really?
Because, i think That book was written Few years later

Chap 17 v 6-'..and you shall hit the rock and water will come out…'There seems to be a confusion as to the way for Moses to communicate with the rock to get water.

However in Numbers Chap 20 v 8 '…and you shall speak to the stone…'

Furthermore, because Moses hit the rock rather than talk to it, he was punished by not entering the Promised Land.

I would tell God to make up his mind. Shall speak or hité You told me to do both. And now that I did one of them you do not like it. Moreover, one time it is Moses and one time it is Aharon who uses the staff. So I take it each one had one.

As for the strengthening of the Pharaoh heart to not let them go the first nine times, that is another story. All is on purpose. The curious aspect is that God tells Moses Chap 10 v 1

"Go to Pharaoh for I have weighted his heart and the heart of his entourage so that I can perform all my miracles in his midst". What I say here is that Moses is going, knowing his mission is predestined to fail.

I counted 7 times VAYHAZEK (And he strengthened) and it is after the 7th that the first born plague takes place. (The first time Chap 7 v 13 and the last Chap 10 v 27)

There is a passage that tells us when and what to eat. I found it in two areas with a slight difference. Chap 16 v 8 and 12. The people of Israel are hungry. God heard their complaints and is about to provide them with the Manna. Both verses mention to ea t meat in the evening and bread in the morning. It seems to me that these are the only times to eat. And only these two types of food.
In Kings 1, Chap 17 v 6, it says "And they will bring him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening". The same time frame and the same type of food, though here you get both at both times. Why the difference?
What is interesting is that EX Chap 16 v 35 mentions that the people of Israel ate the Manna 40 years until the approached the border of Canaan. This passage must have been written later as it informs us that the Manna lasted 40 years. We are in the poresent and it talks about the future.

I do find a contradiction in Chap 17 v 14 and 15. On one hand God suggests to erase the memory of Amalek from under heavens, and then it warns us that we will be at war with Amalek from generation to generation. My point is that if I want to erase him why bring him up. I am sad to say that each time we bring up the fact that we are erasing Amalek, we are talking about him, thus not forgetting him as we should if we erase.

Chap 19 v 4 brings about a beautiful image." And I will take you on the wings of eagles".

This same expression has been used by Jews from Yemen that the state of Israel brought home in the 1950's. They have never seen an airplane, let alone ride in one of them so when Israel repatriated them, they felt the prophecy, the words God used in Exodus, happening to them.

As for the 10 Commandments. We find them in two areas with a little difference when it comes to Shabbat. Ex Chap 20 v 8 says "Remember the day of the Shabbat to honor it" while in Deuteronomy Chap 5 v 12, it says" Keep the day of the Shabbat to honor it".

As for the 10th commandment, Ex says "You shall not envy the house of your neighbor". Then same for his wife, slave, bull, donkey and all he has. While Deut. Says "You shall not envy the wife of your neighbor. Then same for his house, field, slave, bull, donkey and all he has.

So they were repeated twice, in two different contexts with few additions, as if to say, well, I may have forgotten few points that I wish now to bring up

I take it that when time came for the translation of the bible people may have wondered which term to when and how.

All I can say is that in the case of the Shabbat we have to keep and remember as for the envy, it is good for the house and the wife of your neighbor. Why not say "Do not envy all that belong to your neighbor"

 

 


 

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