The Good Book Club: Week 12
Jubilees 45-50, Numbers 1-15: Back to wandering through the desert, only to find the Promised Land is full of giant nephilim
This Week
We are reading:
Jubilees 45-50
Numbers 1-15
Psalms 113, 116, 117, 118, 120, 121, 123
Summary
This week we are wrapping up Jubilees’ commentary on Genesis and Exodus and returning to desert wandering in Numbers.
I think it’s really interesting to read the books of the Bible that some traditions consider in the canon and others do not. Jubilees is one of those books — in the Ethiopian Orthodox Bible, but not in the Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, or Protestant Bibles.
One of the things we tend to do in modern Christian circles — especially in America, and most especially today in an era when new age Christian gnosticism seems to have permeated much of our culture — is we try to make really black and white demarcations between what Christianity is and what it isn’t. This is a really important exercise, but it tends to leave some people in a place where they have a lot more questions than answers. And these unanswered questions can actually lead people out of the faith.
Jubilees illustrates this really well. It’s not in the canon of the Christian tradition I most closely adhere to, I don’t treat every word as gospel — but I do think the text is historically and theologically important, and I do think there may be truths it contains that are not anywhere else in the Bible.
Is it necessary for salvation? No.
Is it interesting? Sure.
And most importantly — does it contradict the Bible or lead people astray? No, it doesn’t. (There are narrative differences but they aren’t salvific.)
On to Numbers!
Numbers is the story of the Israelites journeying through the desert on their way to the Promised Land. It also contains two census’, which helps to ground these events in actual history.
Will the Israelites follow Moses willingly? Will they do as God commands? Will they complain?
Let’s find out!
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Here is the daily breakdown from our annual plan:
Day 75 — Monday, 3/16 — Jubilees 45-47, Psalm 113
Day 76 — Tuesday, 3/17 — Jubilees 48-50, Psalm 116
Day 77 — Wednesday, 3/18 — Numbers 1-3, Psalm 117
Day 78 — Thursday, 3/19 — Numbers 4-6, Psalm 118
Day 79 — Friday, 3/20 — Numbers 7-9, Psalm 120
Day 80 — Saturday, 3/21 — Numbers 10-12, Psalm 121
Day 81 — Sunday, 3/22 — Numbers 13-15, Psalm 123
Day 75 — Monday, 3/16 — Jubilees 45-47, Psalm 113
Jacob learns that Joseph is alive and ruler in Egypt, God appears to Jacob and reassures him that going to Egypt is part of the divine plan, and Jacob travels to Egypt with his entire family.
Jacob reunites with Joseph after many years apart and the family settles in the land of Goshen, where they prosper and multiply.
Jacob blesses his twelve sons before he dies
Then we shift to the story of Moses as we move narratively into Exodus, and the angels explain to Moses how he fits into the story thus far. Turns out, Jacobs family has prospered and multiplied a little too much for the Pharaoh’s liking.
One interesting note in this section — Jacob gives sacred patriarchal writings to Levi to preserve and protect
Day 76 — Tuesday, 3/17 — Jubilees 48-50, Psalm 116
Jubilees 48 has a very interesting story about Mastema (Satan) testing Moses on his way back to Egypt. Is this an explanation of the weird circumcision story in Exodus?
The expanded Passover rules presented in Jubilees 49 are interesting
The Sabbath rules in Jubilees 50 are more extreme than presented in Leviticus and — given how extreme the plagues were — I am somewhat inclined to believe that the original rules were this extreme
Day 77 — Wednesday, 3/18 — Numbers 1-3, Psalm 117
Now we’re back in the books everyone agrees are canon: Numbers.
God orders Moses to take a census of the Israelites
God tells Moses how to organize the camps around the Tabernacle, with the Levites closest to it
Day 78 — Thursday, 3/19 — Numbers 4-6, Psalm 118
As God lays out the duties of the Levites, we have an interesting note here that only the Gershonites may transport holy objects because if the others touch them they will die
We are introduced to purity laws around isolation of the “unclean” — those with skin diseases, discharge, contact with a dead body, etc — to preserve health in the camp, and holiness in God’s dwelling
We are introduced to the concept of confession as a repentance for sin
In Numbers 5 we learn about a ritual curse administered by the preist for secretly philandering women, which I feel like should be administered to both sexes tbh
We also learn about the Nazirite vow to consecrate oneself to the Lord, which involves avoiding wine and beer, vinegar, and anything produced by the grapevine; not cutting your hair; and avoiding contact with dead bodies. Easy peasy.
Day 79 — Friday, 3/20 — Numbers 7-9, Psalm 120
The leaders of the twelve tribes bring dedication offerings for the Tabernacle
The Levites are formally dedicated to serve God as priests
The Israelites celebrate the second annual Passover
God leads the Israelites with a cloud over the Tabernacle that appears like fire at night. Whenever the cloud moves, they move. Kind of amazing and I would love to see this.
Day 80 — Saturday, 3/21 — Numbers 10-12, Psalm 121
God tells Moses to make two silver trumpets to signal gatherings, travel, and war
Israel finally leaves Mount Sinai and travels towards the Promised Land
The Israelites complain about food, even though they’re being lead by a CLOUD OF FIRE WHO PROVIDES THEIR DAILY BREAD. God sends quail as a response to their demand for meat — so much meat in fact that they will eat it for a month and have it coming out of their noses and will hate it. Oh, and He also sends a plague. Are you happy now?!
Miriam and Aaron question Moses’ authority and Miriam is struck with leprosy for it — which turns her hand white, a known effect of fungal conditions called tinea versicolor
Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the Earth.
— Moses, in Numbers 12:3
Day 81 — Sunday, 3/22 — Numbers 13-15, Psalm 123
Numbers 13 sees 12 Israelite spies sent out to scout the land of Canaan, the Promised Land, and well, well, well what do they find but GIANTS.
When the Israelites find out there are giants in Canaan, they panic and refuse to enter the Promised Land. God punishes them, saying they will wander in the wilderness for 40 years until the next generation
grows some ballsoutgrows the sins of their fathers and inhabits the Promised Land.
Are the Israelites insufferable? Yes.
Do I also understand how frustrating it must have been to be led out of slavery to a Promised Land where you have to fight off giants?
I mean yeah, I get it.