The Oldest Trick In The Book, Literally...

Day Twenty One: Numbers 1:1 - 5:31

I have decided to continue with Numbers and not skip ahead to the New Testament yet. I am going to try to read it from cover to cover.

So far, I am enjoying Numbers much more than I did Leviticus. Not that Leviticus was bad, but it was extremely hard for someone like me (having the attention span of a gnat) to follow along with it. Numbers, in the first portion alone had already become an ongoing storyline.

Here We Go...

Two For One
(Recap)
Although Joseph was only one of twelve brothers who formed the tribes if Israel, His father Israel, originally named Jacob, had adopted Josephs two sons, Ephriam and Manasseh as his own. (I am not sure, but I want to say it was somewhere around Genesis 48:5-6? Maybe?)
Thus Joseph got a double share of the family inheritance, meaning there are really thirteen tribes of Israel.

I am not sure why exactly, but the tribe of Levi was always treated separately. They were not counted as Israelites, even though they were Israelites. I understand that they had a special role in worship. The Census (from what I gathered, please let me know otherwise!), was mainly to prepare a roster for military purposes. The Tribe of Levi was excluded from the Census. So...I guess, As care tackers of Gods tabernacle, The Levites for ineligible for the draft...? Please help me out.

The Arrangement Of Tribal Camps

The Israelites did not walk or wonder around like an undisciplined mob of people. Each tribe had an assigned place to set up camp. At the center of their camp was the tent of meeting (The Tabernacle). I believe God wanted that to be a visual reminder of what should be the center of their lives, every time they pitched their tents.

The Test For Unfaithfulness

This, for some reason, was my favorite part. There was an old trick used to test for unfaithful wives. When a man had become jealous, or suspected his wife of cheating. He would take her to the priest. The priest would tell her, in a nutshell. That he was going to give her a drink of water. If she was Innocent and had not dishonored her husband. The water would do nothing. She would be fine. However, if she had cheated or been unfaithful. The water would make her ill, her abdomen would swell, and her thighs would waste away. Of course, upon hearing this, The women would confess.

Its funny to me how our government often uses these types of tricks against criminals today. A lot of times of Police Investigation shows they will use tricks to win confessions, and they always think they are smart. Its funny how the writers probably don't even realize that tricks and tests have been used since the beginning of time. :)

Loving Numbers,

Kale