Moses: Man of Law

Exodus 2:1
¹ Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman, ² and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. ³ But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket^[a] for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. ⁴ His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.


Although Moses would not fall in the direct lineage of Jesus, my focus in this post is to illustrate God's Law in the Old Testament.  For as much as Jesus represents Grace in the New Testament, so does Moses represent Law in the Old Testament. 


I want to spend some time discussing Leviticus 11-15.  There are a lot of 'dos' and 'do nots' in these chapters and if we look at these as a whole and not as individual verses I think we see God protecting His children, not just handing down rules.  As a parent, I can see this book as teachings from God to keep His children healthy by showing them what to avoid and how to stay 'clean'.  From a Lioness protecting her cubs in the jungle to a human mother protecting her small children, we spend our offspring's young lives showing them how to survive and thrive.  We show our children what foods are healthy and safe; which berries we can eat, why we need to drink water, why we need vegetables and protein.  We teach our children how to stay healthy; we teach them to wash their hands, to brush their teeth, to get enough rest.  Leviticus is God's little instruction manual for His children.  


I think that it is important to spend some time discussing this book of the Bible, because it shows God's love for us and his desire to watch His children thrive in this world He created.  In Leviticus Chapter 11, God gives explanation of clean and unclean food.  God knows the intention of every animal he made on Earth.  This chapter explains which animals are safe to be consumed by this generation and even further, what one must do if they have come into contact with the blood of an unclean animal.  In Leviticus Chapter 12 -15, God explains hygiene and the importance of cleanliness.  Cleanliness of one's body and of their clothes.  These two chapters are some of the first mentions of what could be a predecessor for medicine.  God does not speak of doctors in this book, but of priests.  


Leviticus 15
 ³¹ “‘You must keep the Israelites separate from things that make them unclean, so they will not die in their uncleanness for defiling my dwelling place,^[b] which is among them.’”


So even as we discuss Moses as the representation of Law, we are still able to see God's love and grace for His children.  


Please read through Leviticus and leave comments on your thoughts of this book  of laws.  

The 12 Tribes of Israel

Genesis 35

   Jacob had twelve sons:

 ²³ The sons of Leah:
   Reuben the firstborn of Jacob,
   Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun.

 ²⁴ The sons of Rachel:
   Joseph and Benjamin.

 ²⁵ The sons of Rachel’s servant Bilhah:
   Dan and Naphtali.

 ²⁶ The sons of Leah’s servant Zilpah:
   Gad and Asher.

The task of naming the 12 Tribes of Israel proves to be a difficult task because the 12 named tribes differs throughout the bible.  In Revelation 7:5-8 the tribes are listed as Judah, Reuben, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph and Benjamin.  This naming refers to the 144,000 witnesses that are called from the above tribes.  Perhaps Ephraim and Dan were not called upon as witness.  With all of that said, what are the twelve tribes of Israel? Every list in the Bible contains Simeon, Judah, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin. In addition to those nine tribes, there are Ephraim, Reuben, Joseph, Dan, and Levi. Most would view Ephraim, Dan, and Levi as the additional three to result in twelve tribes. 

Genesis 49:

  ⁸ “Judah,^[b] your brothers will praise you; 

   your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; 
   your father’s sons will bow down to you. 
⁹ You are a lion’s cub, Judah; 
   you return from the prey, my son. 
Like a lion he crouches and lies down, 
   like a lioness—who dares to rouse him? 
¹⁰ The scepter will not depart from Judah, 
   nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,^[c] 
until he to whom it belongs^[d] shall come 
   and the obedience of the nations shall be his. 
¹¹ He will tether his donkey to a vine, 
   his colt to the choicest branch; 
he will wash his garments in wine, 
   his robes in the blood of grapes. 
¹² His eyes will be darker than wine, 
   his teeth whiter than milk.^[e]

Notable information about the Tribe of Judah:

• The Tribe of Judah inhabits the area of Gaza (Joshua 15); Gaza is referred to as an integral part of the land of Israel
• Jesus was born of Mary with Joseph as his earthly father; Joseph was of the Tribe of Judah (Luke 3:23-34; Matthew 1:1-16)
• The Kingdom of Judah experiences much evil at the hands of wicked leaders, is this foreshadowing of the great deliverer, the Messiah?

Father Abraham

"The Lord had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Genesis 12:1-3)

God promised Abraham in Genesis 15:4 that he would have an heir: "one who will come from your own body." Impatient, Sarah told Abraham to take her Egyptian handmaid Hagar and to produce a child by her. This took place "after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan" (Genesis 16:1-3)

Abraham's first son is born

"So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress became despised in her eyes" (Genesis 16:4). The relationship between Sarah and Hagar quickly deteriorated and Hagar fled.

But a divine message was given to Hagar, telling her to return. It also reassured her that her son would have many descendants—but descendants with traits that would be evident throughout their history: "I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count ... You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael ['God hears'], for the LORD has heard of your misery. He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers" (Genesis 16:10-12).

This description of Hagar's descendants proves significant because many of today's Arabs are Ishmaelites—descendants of this same Ishmael, whose father was Abraham. Muhammad, the founder and prophet of Islam, was descended from Kedar, one of the 12 sons of Ishmael (Ismail in Arabic). Today 22 nations in the Middle East and North Africa are Arabic nations, most of whose people are adherents of Islam. An additional 35 countries are members of the Islamic Conference, most of them with Islamic governments, but whose people are of different descent.

Even before Ishmael's descendants arrived in the area, the term arab was used to denote the peoples of the Arabian peninsula. With the spread of Islam, Arabs and the Arabic language today encompass a vast region.

The words spoken to Hagar are still of great significance today. Ishmael "will be a wild donkey of a man" is not considered an insult because the wild donkey was the aristocrat of the wild beasts of the desert, the preferred prey of hunters. These words are a reference to how Ishmael's descendants would emulate the lifestyle of the wild donkey, leading a free and noble existence in the desert.

"His hand will be against everyone, and everyone's hand against him" similarly refers to this independent lifestyle. Ishmael's descendants have always resisted foreign domination. "He will live in hostility towards all his brothers" is a reference to the hatred that has historically existed among the Arabs and between the Arabs and the other sons of Abraham.

Abraham's second son is born

Fourteen years after the birth of Ishmael, God blessed Abraham with another son, this time by his wife Sarah. He told them to name their son Isaac (meaning "laughter" for the incredulous reaction they had when told they would have a son at their advanced age as well as the joy that he would later bring to his parents, Genesis 17:17, 19; 18:10-15; 21:5-6). 

"So the child [Isaac] grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned. And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing. Therefore she said to Abraham, 'Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac'" (Genesis 21:8-10).

This displeased Abraham, who had grown to love Ishmael. "But God said to Abraham, '... Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called" (Genesis 21:12). God further reassured Abraham: "Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman [Ishmael], because he is your seed" (Genesis 21:13). "So God was with the lad; and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness ..." (Genesis 21:20).

After 14 years as an only child, it can be assumed that Isaac's birth changed Ishmael's relationship with his father, Abraham. Afterward, Ishmael felt envy and rivalry toward his half brother, feelings that tribally have survived through the centuries and could have an affect on the politics of the Middle East today.

The Twelve Tribes of Israel

Isaac later married Rebecca (Rivka), who bore him fraternal twin sons: Jacob (Ya'akov) and Esau. (Gen 25).

Esau had little regard for the spiritual heritage of his forefathers, and sold his birthright of spiritual leadership to Jacob for food. When Isaac was growing old, Rebecca tricked him into giving Jacob a blessing meant for Esau. Esau was angry about this, and about the birthright, so Jacob went to live with his uncle (Laban), where he met his beloved Rachel. Jacob was deceived into marrying Rachel's older sister, Leah, but later married Rachel as well, and Rachel and Leah's maidservants, Bilhah and Zilphah. Between these four women, Jacob fathered 12 sons and one daughter.  Jacob was given the name "Israel" (Yisrael), meaning "one who wrestled with God".  Jacob became the father of Israel and his sons the namesakes of the 12 tribes of Israel.  

From Noah to Abraham

Noah, the son of Lamech, had three sons.  

Shem (Semites):  The Semitic people are given spiritual responsibility under God to meet the spiritual needs of mankind.  From the Semitic people we have three religious groups;  Christianity, Judaism and Mohammedanism (Islam).  

Ham (Hamites):  The Hamitic are given the technical ability.  These people have an amazing ability to adapt to the world in which they live.   The early civilization of Egyptians, Aztecs, Mayans, Babylonians and Sumerians were Hamitic.  

 Japheth (Japhethites):  The Japhetic people are given intellectual enlargement and have the widest distribution, geographically of the three families.   The family of Japheth is more modernly known as  the Aryans.  This group, in early history, split into two groups.  One group settled in Europe and the other group in India.   You may find it interesting to know that Europeans and Indians, historically, trace their ancestry to Japheth.  

Shem's lineage (The Semites) is the most narrow of the three sons of Noah.  It is thought that this is because of the personal relationship between this family and God.  God shows this narrowing further in Genesis 11:10-26 with one man, Abraham.  The lineage of Abraham from this point on is one of the most important links in understanding the Bible.  From Abraham we will see the birth of two nations from Isaac and Ishmael.  

I will begin next week with the lineage of Abraham through Sarah and Hagar.  Read Genesis Chapters 15-16, 21 and 24.  

(Below is a reference for the study I completed this week) 

Genesis 10

The Table of Nations

 ¹ This is the account of Shem, Ham and Japheth, Noah’s sons, who themselves had sons after the flood.

   The Japhethites

 ² The sons^[a] of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshek and Tiras.
  

 ³ The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath and Togarmah.
  

 ⁴ The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittites and the Rodanites.^[b] 5 (From these the maritime peoples spread out into their territories by their clans within their nations, each with its own language.)
  

   The Hamites

 ⁶ The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put and Canaan.
  

 ⁷ The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah and Sabteka.
  

   The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan.
 

 ⁸ Cush was the father^[c] of Nimrod, who became a mighty warrior on the earth. ⁹ He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; that is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the LORD.” ¹⁰ The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Uruk, Akkad and Kalneh, in^[d] Shinar.^[e] 11 From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir,^[f] Calah ¹² and Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah—which is the great city.

 ¹³ Egypt was the father of  the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites, ¹⁴Pathrusites, Kasluhites (from whom the Philistines came) and Caphtorites.

 ¹⁵ Canaan was the father of Sidon his firstborn,^[g] and of the Hittites, ¹⁶Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, ¹⁷ Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, ¹⁸ Arvadites, Zemarites and Hamathites.
  

   Later the Canaanite clans scattered ¹⁹ and the borders of Canaan reached from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboyim, as far as Lasha.

 ²⁰ These are the sons of Ham by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations.

   The Semites

 ²¹ Sons were also born to Shem, whose older brother was^[h] Japheth; Shem was the ancestor of all the sons of Eber.

 ²² The sons of Shem:  Elam, Ashur, Arphaxad, Lud and Aram.
  

 ²³ The sons of Aram:   Uz, Hul, Gether and Meshek.^[i]
 

 ²⁴ Arphaxad was the father of^[j] Shelah,  and Shelah the father of Eber.
 

 ²⁵ Two sons were born to Eber:  One was named Peleg,^[k] because in his time the earth was divided; his brother was named Joktan.
 

 ²⁶ Joktan was the father of  Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, ²⁷ Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, ²⁸ Obal, Abimael, Sheba, ²⁹ Ophir, Havilah and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan.
  

 ³⁰ The region where they lived stretched from Mesha toward Sephar, in the eastern hill country.

 ³¹ These are the sons of Shem by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations.

 ³² These are the clans of Noah’s sons, according to their lines of descent, within their nations. From these the nations spread out over the earth after the flood.

Genesis 11

From Shem to Abram

 ¹⁰ This is the account of Shem’s family line.

   Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father^[d] of Arphaxad. ¹¹ And after he became the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other sons and daughters.

 ¹² When Arphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father of Shelah. ¹³And after he became the father of Shelah, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.^[e]

 ¹⁴ When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber. ¹⁵ And after he became the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.

 ¹⁶ When Eber had lived 34 years, he became the father of Peleg. ¹⁷ And after he became the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters.

 ¹⁸ When Peleg had lived 30 years, he became the father of Reu. ¹⁹ And after he became the father of Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters.

 ²⁰ When Reu had lived 32 years, he became the father of Serug. ²¹ And after he became the father of Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters.

 ²² When Serug had lived 30 years, he became the father of Nahor. ²³ And after he became the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters.

 ²⁴ When Nahor had lived 29 years, he became the father of Terah. ²⁵ And after he became the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.

 ²⁶ After Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.

Abram’s Family

 ²⁷ This is the account of Terah’s family line.

   Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. ²⁸ While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth. ²⁹ Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milkah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milkah and Iskah. ³⁰ Now Sarai was childless because she was not able to conceive.

 ³¹ Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there.

 ³² Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Harran.

-Suzan

01-01-11

On December 22, 2010 I got an idea to start a blog as I study the lineage of Jesus from Abraham.  The more I thought about it the more intrigued I became, so I decided that January 1, 2011 would be day one.  My goal is to complete a weekly blog entry for one year.  The first few posts may seem elementary to a lot of you, but stick it out, it will get better.

To begin we must first understand a bit of history and the lineage from Adam and Eve. Jesus' lineage is traceable back to Adam through the line of Seth.  I have spent the last 2 hours studying Genesis and have discovered in chapters 4 and 5 there are similarities in the line of Seth and the line of Cain that can be confusing. Genesis 5, however,  is very explicit of the lineage from Seth.

Genesis Chapter 5:
3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth. 4 After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 5Altogether, Adam lived a total of 930 years, and then he died.

6 When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father of Enosh. 7 After he became the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters. 8Altogether, Seth lived a total of 912 years, and then he died.

9 When Enosh had lived 90 years, he became the father of Kenan. 10 After he became the father of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and daughters. 11 Altogether, Enosh lived a total of 905 years, and then he died.

12 When Kenan had lived 70 years, he became the father of Mahalalel. 13 After he became the father of Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years and had other sons and daughters. 14 Altogether, Kenan lived a total of 910 years, and then he died.

15 When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he became the father of Jared. 16 After he became the father of Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years and had other sons and daughters. 17 Altogether, Mahalalel lived a total of 895 years, and then he died.

18 When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch. 19 After he became the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 20 Altogether, Jared lived a total of 962 years, and then he died.

21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters.23 Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. 24Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.

25 When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech. 26 After he became the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters. 27 Altogether, Methuselah lived a total of 969 years, and then he died.

28 When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son. 29 He named him Noah[c] and said, “He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the LORD has cursed.” 30 After Noah was born, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters. 31Altogether, Lamech lived a total of 777 years, and then he died.

When Lamech was born, Adam was 874 yrs old and his son Seth was 744 yrs old.

From Genesis chapter 4 and Genesis chapter 5 we find that there are two Lamechs.  One is the 6th generation from Adam and Eve and from the line of Cain after his exile from Eden into the land of Nod.  The 2nd Lamech is the 8th generation from Adam and Eve from the line of Seth.  Lamech, of the line of Seth,  and the father of Noah lived until 5 years prior to the great flood.  Although Lamech, of the line of Seth, was not alive during the flood he surely saw the ark being built by his son in preparation.

For today, I will leave you with small self study of Genesis chapters 4 and 5.  I look forward to any posts from my readers.

- Suzan