"Going"
LIFE'S SPECIAL ISSUE ON MOSES (PART 4)
The special issue of Life published on March 2, 2018 is titled: Moses: How His Teachings Shaped the World. So why is so little said about how his teachings shaped the world? The Ten Commandments are posted on page 64, yet the editors of the book do not even wish to credit them to him, let alone discuss how they affected the world or especially the United States. The reader might have expected comments about the Sabbath day or honoring parents, but, no, not a word is mentioned. Also absent is any reference to murder, adultery, stealing, bearing false witness, or coveting. The editors observe the Passover on all of these.
Instead, they say that God gives an "exhaustive list of rules" on other matters (which apparently do not interest them) (67). They may not agree with the death penalty and offer a subtle protest against the killing of female sorcerers. Actually, the death penalty was prescribed for about 30 offenses, including gathering sticks (working) on the Sabbath day (Num. 15:32-36).
One wonders if there were multiple editors of this book (kind of like J-E-D-P). In one paragraph they rightly describe the ephod the high priest wore and suggest that the Urim and Thummim "were probably stones used to receive revelations from God" (69). This is a reasonable assertion based on evidence, but in the next paragraph they revert to their previous tactics of calling the use of the Urim and Thummim "one of the Bible's many contradictions" (69). What? How can that be?
The alleged contradiction is that the Bible condemns the use of magic and divination "and yet he calls for fortune telling tools in the tabernacle" (69). This is not a fair estimate of God or the tools He chose to use. One would scarcely think that it must be pointed out to the folks at Life that fortune-telling is imprecise because it is based on guesswork—on the part of the fortune teller. Human beings do not know the future or have access to any secret information (natural or supernatural). The only reason they sometimes appear to be correct is that they know how to read people (not tarot cards). They usually provide a message they think people want to hear.
The Urim and the Thummim were means that God sometimes used to answer questions put to Him by His children. What contradiction is there between finding out the truth and consulting with liars? Life only asserts; they cannot prove that there is a contradiction here. In fact, fortune-telling types of things were forbidden because they depended on fraudulent trickery rather than Almighty God (Deut. 18:10-12). It is truly amazing that so many "educated" people have no power of discernment whatsoever. One of Life's "scholars" claims that "the Bible is soaked with magic" (69). Really? When God acts supernaturally, he calls that magic? He has been educated beyond his ability.
Before leaving this infamous page, two more things should be called to attention. The same scholar who wrote that last brilliant insight (not!) also calls ritual magic soul-stirring. Really? He really should have tried to explain himself because such words foment puzzlement. How can something unauthorized by God and therefore fake be characterized as soul-stirring? What are people observing in these magicians that causes them to say, "Oh, I know it's all phony, but I've got goosebumps"?
God's laws, in contrast to those soul-stirring magicians, are termed as "sometimes brittle legalism" (69). Well, there is a reason the Pentateuch is referred to as The Law. It describes legalities. Exactly what is "brittle" is not specified. What God gave to His people was for their good (Deut. 10:12-13). Furthermore, it was a matter of trust on their part that God knows what He is doing. Does the staff at Life trust Him?
Then we see further disregard for the Scriptures that were inspired by the Holy Spirit when the writers say that the Urim situation is one of the "Bible's many contradictions" (69). Contradictions to whom? Those who cannot discern their right hand from their left? Are the other "contradictions" as murky as this one? Some have said in times past that the Bible says, "Thou shalt not kill," but it says to kill violators of the Law. They thought they had found such great proof of their theory. The word in Exodus 20:13, however, is the word for "murder," and modern translations so render it. God does not define as murder putting one to death who has been tried and rendered a just conviction. No one is saying Life made such an argument—just that their so-called "contradictions" are like that.
The same "scholar" who has probably shared more with us than he can afford fails not to impugn the relationship between Deity and human leader. He refers to God and Moses as "an old couple in a bad marriage" (70). Apparently, he does not grasp that at times God is testing Moses.
Moses' Horns
On page 66 is pictured Michelangelo's marble statue of Moses—with two horns coming out of the top of his head. The error came because of mistranslation in Exodus 34:30. When Moses came down from the mount, his face was "shining." That rendering is correct; the Hebrew word means "sending forth rays." When Jerome translated his Vulgate (the Latin version of the Bible), he used a word that made it "horned face." The Hebrew word does mean "horned" also—but only when used of animals. Thus, for centuries, down to the time of Michelangelo, those who read the Latin understood it to mean that Moses had sprouted horns on his way down from the mount. At least, the book, in relating this fact, served a worthwhile purpose.
The Journey to Canaan
In the brief paragraph about the book of Leviticus, the authors express surprise that the "defilement of molds" is spoken of. The purpose for the tests given in Leviticus 13-14 is for health purposes—both in their living quarters and in their garments (Lev. 13:59; et al.) One ought to marvel about how much God cared about His people.
Although the origin of the Nephilim is cited, it is not well-explained. Without naming Genesis 6:4, they allude to it as the origin of a race of giants that came from "the sons of God" and the "daughters of humans" (75). First, the best translation is "daughters of men." Second, the sons of God in the passage refers to the godly seed line that had descended from Seth. The daughters of men means those descended from the other children of Adam and Eve who had not called on the name of the Lord. When those from the good and evil seed lines blended, the world became evil (Gen. 6:5, 11). Third, the ungodly perished in the Flood; so unless one of Noah's sons married a giant woman, the recessive genes had remained in human beings where they surfaced again after the Flood.
Life also challenges the Israelites wandering in the wilderness 40 years because they found a "scholar" who says that the Bible implies they spent 38 of those years in Kadesh-Barnea. One wonders where that implication is. Numbers begins by saying that God authorized a census on the first day of the second month of the second year after they came out of Egypt. After the census was taken both of Israel and the Levites and after the tabernacle had been dedicated, they were ready to travel. Then the pillar of cloud was taken up on the 20th day of the second month of the second year, and Israel departed Sinai (Num. 10:11).
They rebelled at various places. One place was called Taberah (Num. 11:1-3); another was called Kibroth-Hattaavah, where many were buried (Num. 11:34), and then they moved on to Hazeroth (v. 35), where even Miriam challenged Moses' authority but soon repented (Num. 12:1-15). Israel then camped in the Wilderness of Paran (v. 16). Perhaps on the outskirts of the Wilderness of Paran lay Kadesh-Barnea. It was here that God sent out the twelve men to spy out the Promised Land (Num. 32:8; Deut. 1:19; 9:23). When ten of the spies brought up an evil report, which nearly resulted in Moses and Aaron, along with Joshua and Caleb, being stoned, God determined that all who left Egypt would die in the wilderness.
Numbers 33 contains a list of the places Israel encamped. Numbers 33:1-8 takes them to the crossing of the Red Sea. By verse 11 they are camped in the Wilderness of Sin. After they left Mount Sinai, Numbers 33 lists twenty more stops until they reached Kadesh (not the same as Kadesh-Barnea) (verses 16-36). Then they move to Mount Hor, where Aaron died (verses 33:37-39). After eight more stops, they camped in the plains of Moab (verses 41-49).
Although Israel spent some time at Kadesh-Barnea (when they sent out the spies), they had so many other encampments that to think they spent 38 years in one place is silly. Why would anyone say that? The answer to that question might be found in Deuteronomy 2:14:
And the time we took from Kadesh Barnea until we crossed over the Valley of the Zered was thirty-eight years, until all the generation of the men of war was consumed from the midst of the camp, just as the Lord had sworn to them.
In light of the fact that there were 30 successive encampments, it ought to be clear even to a "scholar" that Israel did not remain in Kadesh-Barnea for 38 years. Moses is not implying that Israel stayed that long. All he is saying is that from the time Israel rejected the land until the time God saw fit to give it to them was 38 years. In context, this is not a difficult idea to grasp.
Nehushtan
Once again Life tries to disparage the Biblical account by pointing out that the bronze serpent (eventually called Nehushtan) "later stood in the courtyard of the Temple of Jerusalem—despite the Lord's injunction against graven idols. (Another Biblical contradiction.)" (76). How strange that anyone would mistake honesty and fairness on the part of the Biblical record for God approving of idols. This is simply bad reporting with misleading information—about like most mainstream media outlets today.
First, Life does not explain the matter nor refer to any Scriptures on the subject. God instructed Moses to make the bronze serpent so that when an Israelite sinned, he could look upon it, and the bite of the serpent he had received would be healed (Num. 21:4-9). We do not hear about it again until Hezekiah destroyed it in 2 Kings 18:4, where we find out that the people had been burning incense to it.
Second, the king preceding Hezekiah was the wicked Ahaz, who put a replica altar from another nation in the house of the Lord. No contradiction exists because God neither authorized it nor approved of it. God never approved of idolatry in any form, and to imply that He did and that the Bible contradicts itself is as dishonest as it is deceitful.
One of the oft-quoted Bible "scholars" in this Life book (now there's a misnomer) implies that God did not treat Moses fairly. (He probably won't like the way God treats him, either.) He claims that Moses was denied entering into the Promised Land because of "a very trivial act of disobedience" (79). Really? Can he actually think that he is more just than God is? What arrogance! Perhaps Mr. Kirsch ought to read Job 38-41 and see if he can answer any better than Job did. Moses gave the impression that he and Aaron were the ones working a miracle instead of God. He momentarily let his faith in God waiver. Only God knows what punishment for sin is fair. Life's story of Moses is not Biblically friendly.