Deuteronomy 3

I'm a little confused. It is written that Og the king of Bashan was defeated and no survivors were left. Men, women and children are all struck down. Then it is written that Og was the only remnant of the Rephaites left and they describe his bed/bedstead/couch. The Hebrew word is 'eres (eh'-res) from an unused root meaning perhaps to arch; a couch (with a canopy): bed (-stead), couch. This info was from Strong's Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary. The NIV I have as a note that simply says "or a sarcophagus". So was Og killed and the bed they are describing is his grave? I can't imagine a description of the bed he slept in being included in this manner if he had survived.

Moses commissions Joshua to follow the Lord's commands and encourages him to trust that the Lord would fight the battles with and for him.

Moses also pleads with the Lord to be allowed to cross the Jordan and enter the Promised Land. He is not allowed and blames the Israelittes rather than taking responsibility for his own temper ... "because of you the Lord was angry with me ...". Whew I'm certainly glad I never shift blame to others when I lose my temper. ("Why are you making me crazy? is something I frequently think and sometimes say to my girls and husband.)

Response to: Just for fun-patterns-Abraham Cave, Hebron

First off, this is EXACTLY why I set this blog up. I needed a place to put down my own thoughts about God's Word and hopefully get feedback from others who may or may not have a different point of view.

Wow! There was so much here I can't even comment, except that I just did. I'm just going to absorb this information and then read it a couple more times. Maybe I will have something more insightful to say at a later date.

From one nut to another ... I too pray that I can be an almond. Lord help us to be the first "to arouse and awake from the sleep of winter".

My thoughts on "winter" are from Song of Solomon 2:11 (NASB) "For behold, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone." In this case (according to Strong's) winter is from an unused root meaning to hide; winter - as the dark season.

Wesley's Notes express my feelings on winter perfectly: "Spiritual troubles arising from a deep sense of the guilt of sin, the wrath of God, the curse of the law; all which made them afraid to come unto God."

I am no longer afraid to come to God but I still have a deep sense of sin and worthlessness from the one who wants to separate me from Jesus. May I just say, "Watch out Lucifer, here come the almond blossoms!"

Deuteronomy 2

It's interesting to me to think that America was not the first place a group of people came in and ran off the previous inhabitants. In actuality this has been happening since there were tribes of people.

I think I just identify with what happened here since it was my ancestors who came over then defeated and or intermarried with my other ancestors who were already here. My great-grandpa Hjalmer Mork married my great-grandma Eliza Moses. Eliza's father was Charlie Moses to the white man but the name he was first given was T'aaw Yaat.

What was my point? Maybe I didn't have one.

Verses 14 &15: How hard is life when you have to live 38 years with God's hand against you? I guess this should teach all of us that we should NOT do the direct opposite of what God directs us to do. I just became even more motivated to read through the entire Bible. I really don't want to live for any length of time with God's hand against me!

Verse 30: Is there something I simply don't understand? Well, obviously there is or that question would not come up. What I don't understand are the passages like this one that tell us God made someone stubborn so that they would be defeated and/or have terrible things happen to them.

God was very specific in His instructions to Moses regarding who they would fight and conquer and who they were to leave alone (Esau's and Lot's descendants). It is nice to read that the Israelites followed His specific instructions this time around and things went well for them.

Deuteronomy 1

Moses reviews with the Israelites how God brought them to the Promised Land and they would not go in to take possession because they were afraid. Moses reminds the Israelites that the generation past (his generation) would not enter the Promised Land except Caleb and Joshua.

When the Israelites refused to fight for possession of the land God gave them, God was angered. So then the Israelites decided to go fight for their land. The Lord told Moses and Moses told the Israelites; Don't go fight. The Lord will not be with you and you will not win. After they heard this ... off they went to fight and were soundly beaten.

Let's try to remember to follow God's timing rather than our own.

Numbers 36

I'm not really sure what to say about this last chapter of Numbers.

The final verse ... is it referring to everything that came before in Numbers or just to this final chapter?

Hmmm ... since it was not originally written in chapter form it must be the whole book of Numbers that it is referring to.

Love answering my own questions as I think about them. ;)

Numbers 35

My previous question from Numbers 32 nicely answered. The Levites will be spread out amongst all the tribes including those on the east side of the Jordan.

Rules for consequences when someone has been killed:

• Murderers are to be put to death by the avenger of blood. (I'm thinking the avenger of blood is next of kin or someone close to the one who was killed.)
• A murder has occurred if death results from a hostile act intended to do harm.
• Murderers are to be put to death but only if there are two or more witnesses. If there is only one witness they will not be put to death.
• If a death is caused accidentally the penalty is stiff but they will not be put to death.
• Those guilty of manslaughter must stay in a city of refuge until the high priest dies. Only then can he return safely to his own property. If he leaves the city of refuge before this time the avenger of blood can kill him without guilt.

God tells the Israelites not to pollute the land with bloodshed because "I, the LORD, dwell among the Israelites."

Numbers 34

It would appear that God did not mind that the Reubenites, Gadites and the half tribe of Manasseh chose to stay on the east side of the Jordan. When the Lord told Moses who should be involved in assigning land He did not include anyone from the tribes of Reuben or Gad.