GOD ORDERED the Israelites to take revenge on the people of Midian. This is hard to understand, since Moses was married to a Midianite woman—until you consider the context of the spiritual war being waged around the Israelites.
Continue readingFiled under Bible Study, Old Testament
THE NUMBER of bulls sacrificed during the annual Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) is unparalleled in any other feast given to Moses by God.
This week, we discuss the religious calendar the Israelites were to follow when they entered the promised land, and why the sacrifice of 70 bulls over the seven days of Sukkot was so significant. It wasn’t about slaughtering a lot of beef; it was a message directed specifically at the gods of the pagan nations—the fallen angels who had rebelled against God’s authority.
Here’s a link to the fascinating paper by Dr. Noga Ayali-Darshan that Derek mentioned during the study, “The Seventy Bulls Sacrificed at Sukkot in Light of a Ritual Text from Emar.”
Continue readingFiled under Bible Study, Old Testament
OUR STUDY of the Old Testament now moves to the time of the creation of the monarchy in Israel. We discuss the birth of Samuel, the wickedness of the sons of Eli, the loss of the Ark of the Covenant in battle (because the Israelites treated it like a magic talisman and not as the literal seat of Yahweh), and the resulting humiliation of Dagon and punishment on the Philistines.
Filed under Bible Study, Old Testament
