#Israelites journey

[shirahchante]

See the Salvation of the Lord: Finding Hope in the Torah

Hi, I’m Shirah Chante, Relationship Artist, guiding you on this journey I call the Perfect Body Podcast. We’re diving deep into the Torah today, and I couldn’t be more excited to have you along. I’ve always believed in the power of the Bible, a force so powerful, it shapes the way I view the world, every single day. Connecting with God Through His Word When you open the Bible, you’re inviting…

[asinglesock]

I survived Holy Week! I managed to show up for my commitments and there weren't any horrible disasters even on the parts that were a little rough. It took a lot of time and I did get very tired, but it felt so much more meaningful than how I grew up celebrating Easter.

I really, really have begun to feel something sometimes in prayer. I felt it during the Good Friday service when we prayed silently. During the baptism part of the vigil, I felt drawn very strongly. I think, theologically at least, I'm getting closer to ready to be baptized. Socially, I think it will be very difficult for me to tell my familiy if I have a Trinitarian baptism (and of course the very nature of baptism is to be public). May God guide me and give me courage.

I took communion during the vigil! It's been years since I'd taken communion--the last time had been at college chapel pre-pandemic. I stopped taking communion at the UPCI congregation when I noticed I had significant differences of belief. It's been a matter of scrupulousity for me, since many open table communion churches are actually open to all who have been baptized, and I had a Jesus-only baptism. So even though the ELCA's position is more ambiguous than, say, the Episcopal church's, I've tried to err on the side of caution. But at the communion part of the vigil the officiant was very clear that there were no exceptions at all, so I took him at his word. I'm still not taking communion in regular services, but that was such a good experience (if awkward, as I was the cantor during communion and had to time things very carefully)

The gospel reading for Easter, John chapter 20, was the alternate text because the minister didn't want to read the shortest ending of Mark, where the women tell nobody what they'd seen because they're afraid. I love John 20 but I felt a little sad to not hear Mark. In my Resurrection class we talked about how the abrupt ending of Mark, which never resolves how the word about the resurrection got out, makes the reader (who's been in on the Messianic secret along with the narrator this whole time) an active participant, spreading the news they've just read. I find that so theologically rich.

I'm a Christian. I'm a Christian! I believe in and love Jesus! I read the Nicene creed today and I believed in what I was reading! I've spent years in doubt and alienation, in critical examination, in apathy, and in despair. I have experienced spiritual abuse and its resulting trauma. I've gone through times when I did not believe in God, and times when I thought the rot within Christianity went too deep for it to be salvaged. The faith I have now is very different from the way I once understood the world. (But I have faith! I have faith! I believe in God and I care that I believe in God!)

I feel so loved and surrounded and nourished. I couldn't have wished for better as I turn 24.

[ultrachoppedpenguinbouquet]

Miriam

[hersheybirdie84]

When dealing with carnal and wicked individuals always remember, they are only angry because the truth you speak contradicts the lies they live.

[divinestorytimechannel]

The Epic Journey of Moses: The Exodus and God's Miracles Explained

[lordgodjehovahsway]

Judges 18: Danites Seek Their Own Inheritance Through Covenant Of Moses

1 In those days Israel had no king.

And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking a place of their own where they might settle, because they had not yet come into an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. 

2 So the Danites sent five of their leading men from Zorah and Eshtaol to spy out the land and explore it. These men represented all the Danites. They told them, “Go, explore the land.”

So they entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah, where they spent the night. 

3 When they were near Micah’s house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite; so they turned in there and asked him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? Why are you here?”

4 He told them what Micah had done for him, and said, “He has hired me and I am his priest.”

5 Then they said to him, “Please inquire of God to learn whether our journey will be successful.”

6 The priest answered them, “Go in peace. Your journey has the Lord’s approval.”

7 So the five men left and came to Laish, where they saw that the people were living in safety, like the Sidonians, at peace and secure. And since their land lacked nothing, they were prosperous. Also, they lived a long way from the Sidonians and had no relationship with anyone else.

8 When they returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their fellow Danites asked them, “How did you find things?”

9 They answered, “Come on, let’s attack them! We have seen the land, and it is very good. Aren’t you going to do something? Don’t hesitate to go there and take it over. 

10 When you get there, you will find an unsuspecting people and a spacious land that God has put into your hands, a land that lacks nothing whatever.”

11 Then six hundred men of the Danites, armed for battle, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol. 

12 On their way they set up camp near Kiriath Jearim in Judah. This is why the place west of Kiriath Jearim is called Mahaneh Dan to this day. 

13 From there they went on to the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah’s house.

14 Then the five men who had spied out the land of Laish said to their fellow Danites, “Do you know that one of these houses has an ephod, some household gods and an image overlaid with silver? Now you know what to do.” 

15 So they turned in there and went to the house of the young Levite at Micah’s place and greeted him. 

16 The six hundred Danites, armed for battle, stood at the entrance of the gate. 

17 The five men who had spied out the land went inside and took the idol, the ephod and the household gods while the priest and the six hundred armed men stood at the entrance of the gate.

18 When the five men went into Micah’s house and took the idol, the ephod and the household gods, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”

19 They answered him, “Be quiet! Don’t say a word. Come with us, and be our father and priest. Isn’t it better that you serve a tribe and clan in Israel as priest rather than just one man’s household?” 

20 The priest was very pleased. He took the ephod, the household gods and the idol and went along with the people. 

21 Putting their little children, their livestock and their possessions in front of them, they turned away and left.

22 When they had gone some distance from Micah’s house, the men who lived near Micah were called together and overtook the Danites. 

23 As they shouted after them, the Danites turned and said to Micah, “What’s the matter with you that you called out your men to fight?”

24 He replied, “You took the gods I made, and my priest, and went away. What else do I have? How can you ask, ‘What’s the matter with you?’”

25 The Danites answered, “Don’t argue with us, or some of the men may get angry and attack you, and you and your family will lose your lives.” 

26 So the Danites went their way, and Micah, seeing that they were too strong for him, turned around and went back home.

27 Then they took what Micah had made, and his priest, and went on to Laish, against a people at peace and secure. They attacked them with the sword and burned down their city. 

28 There was no one to rescue them because they lived a long way from Sidon and had no relationship with anyone else. The city was in a valley near Beth Rehob.

The Danites rebuilt the city and settled there. 

29 They named it Dan after their ancestor Dan, who was born to Israel—though the city used to be called Laish. 

30 There the Danites set up for themselves the idol, and Jonathan son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the time of the captivity of the land. 

31 They continued to use the idol Micah had made, all the time the house of God was in Shiloh.

[athymelyreply]

A highly recommended read. Full text of article under cut

On October 7, I was not hiding with my child in the safe room. My house was not burnt to the ground, and my husband didn't blow me a last kiss before his killer fired a fatal bullet.

I was safely at home in London where I have lived for over 30 years when my elderly peace-activist parents, Oded and Yocheved Lifschitz, along with 77 others members of the community, were taken hostage, barefoot and in their pajamas from their homes in the kibbutz where I was born and raised.

Israel's hostages in Gaza: A matter of life and death

Israeli peace activists who lost loved ones in the Hamas massacre stand their ground

What we can learn from released Hamas hostage Yocheved Lifshitz

For the past 229 days, together with the families of the other of hostages taken captive which now number 128, we have taken part in the fight for the lives of our loved ones.

A photo of the writer, Sharone Lifschitz's parents, Yocheved and Oded Lifschitz, who were both kidnapped by Hamas to Gaza on October 7. To date, only Yocheved Lifschitz has returned. Credit: Amiram Oren

In Nir Oz, my family's kibbutz, one in four people (117 in total), were either executed or kidnapped. We are still piecing together the events of that brutal day that Hamas terrorists and some Gazan civilians, perpetrated medieval levels of cruelty, driven by hate and revenge, blinded by radical religious ideology and super-charged with amphetamines.

Last month, at the "Seder in the Streets" event in New York, activist Naomi Klein spoke as if none of that ever took place. Instead, addressing hundreds who gathered for a combination Passover Seder and protest of the war in Gaza, she spoke of what she termed the "False Idol of Zionism", comparing Jewish support of it to the Israelites "worshiping" the golden calf and recalling Moses' rage seeing the spectacle.

Klein's interpretation seems to miss the point: Moses, unlike Klein, did not disengage. He did not give up on his people when they worshipped a false idol. Instead, without compromising his integrity and beliefs, he guided them through the desert for forty more years in their journey to become a nation. Klein, at this dangerous moment in history, is failing to lead her listeners to take responsibility, to engage and work towards a shared future in the region for Jews and Palestinians, one built on the preciousness of life on both sides and an understanding of the original intention of Zionism: the necessity for a safe home for the Jewish people.

"Seder in the Street" was also protesting the heartbreaking and ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and settler violence in the West Bank. Many in Israel, like my parents, would agree. Yet their plight and that of the other hostages – most of them civilians, from a baby boy of one year to a man of 86 - are not mentioned at Seder in the Streets or other gatherings of far-left pro-Palestinian Jewish activists.

My father, Oded Lifschitz, who is 83, and his friends who are also hostages, all in their late 70s and 80s, have worked for peace for decades. My mother, Yocheved Lifschitz, was thankfully released after 17 days of captivity.

Yocheved Lifschitz after being released from 17 days in Hamas captivity, in Tel Aviv, Israel in late October. Credit: Tomer Appelbaum

How much more effective these protests could be if activists abroad could act as a bridge between the pro-Palestinian movement and progressives fighting for peace in Israel?

Hamas, a terrorist organization which has been systematically stripping freedom, women's rights and democracy from the Gaza strip since 2006 are also strangely left out of the discussion. In fact, I see more criticism of the Hamas attack and crimes from moderate Palestinian voices than from prominent Jewish voices of the pro-Palestinian movement in the United States and Europe.

Klein is instead content in disengaging from Israel based on a distorted idea of Zionism and in so doing offers no solidarity with the moderate, progressive Jews living in Israel and for whom rejecting Zionism is irrelevant at this moment. Whether we like our government's policies or hate them as many do, Israel is home. Just as Canada is Klein's home, whether or not she likes the policies of the Canadian government or condones its mistreatment of its Indigenous population.

I consider myself pro-Palestinian. My family has always fought for a shared future for our two peoples, understanding this key point: our fates are interlinked. My parents have advocated for peace and equality for and with the Palestinians since the 1960s. We have united as a family to protest policies of the current Israeli government we find abhorrent. I wish for the Palestinians what I want for my own people: to live without bloodshed, in their own democratic state, as part of a negotiated two-state solution.

The facts are indisputable to Zionists and non-Zionists alike: There are about 7 million Jews and 7 million Palestinians living in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza. Jewish Israelis cannot be expected to reject the idea that they can and should have the right to live safely in Israel. Without Israel, where would they go?

Everyone who cares about what's best for the region must strengthen those who are working for a peaceful future. As my father always says, "You make peace with your enemies."

A Palestinian family rides on the back of a donkey-drawn carriage next to damaged buildings in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, in April.Credit: AFP

Thanks to international efforts to formulate a plan for the "day after" the war in Gaza, we are potentially closer to a long-term political agreement to lift us out of conflict than ever before. To help facilitate it, American and European progressives must distinguish between religious fanatics on both sides and those working toward a path of justice and peace for everyone in the region.

We must differentiate the liberal American pro-Palestinian activists from those who justify Hamas atrocities as acts of resistance. The dominant current narrative of the American far left, including the Jews among them, unwittingly aligns with Iran, and with antidemocratic and illiberal forces.

Instead of fostering hate and promoting disengagement from Israel, progressives abroad should help those in the region regain a sense that another future is possible and advocate for a negotiated political agreement that would create a state of Palestine established alongside the state of Israel. It won't be perfect, but it will be a good start.

The work of advocating for a different, sustainable future, must start with a call for the immediate release of hostages as part of a long-term agreement, backed by America and its allies, including moderate Arab states, that has the potential to transform the lives of Palestinians and Israelis by rescuing them from this ongoing tragedy. To fail to do so is to fail not just the hostages and their families, but to throw all the people of the region further into the abyss and undo the inspiring work of moderate forces within Israeli and Palestinian society.

In this, our darkest hour, we ask ourselves, who is our enemy? My enemy is the blind hate that seeks to erase the humanity of the other side. All of us who are horrified by what is unfolding in Gaza should work toward empowering the people of the region to move away from our common enemy. That's not Zionism, but rather the religious fanaticism we have within both our societies – Israeli and Palestinian – that threatens to engulf us all.

Sometimes, I want to shout at the news on TV, to remind people that their indulgent engagement in hatred of one side is so futile, so self-congratulatory. We can do better.

As we bleed and grieve, and in the case of families like my own – hang suspended between hope and despair for the fate of our loved ones, we must seek points of human connection between Jews and Palestinians, we must fight, not against one another, but for a practical solution that dismantles the status quo so that we can all survive – and live in freedom and security.

Sharone Lifschitz is a London-based filmmaker and academic originally from Kibbutz Nir Oz, whose parents were taken hostage on October 7. On Twitter: @Lifschitz_sha

[eretzyisrael]

“Sukkot is the festival of insecurity. It is the candid acknowledgment that there is no life without risk, yet we can face the future without fear when we know we are not alone. God is with us, in the rain that brings blessings to the earth, in the love that brought the universe and us into being and in the resilience of spirit that allowed a small and vulnerable people to outlive the greatest empires the world has ever known.

Sukkot reminds us that God’s glory was present in the small, portable Tabernacle that Moses and the Israelites built in the desert even more emphatically than in Solomon’s Temple with all its grandeur. A temple can be destroyed. But a sukkah, broken, can be rebuilt tomorrow. Security is not something we can achieve physically but it is something we can acquire mentally, psychologically, spiritually. All it needs is the courage and willingness to sit under the shadow of God’s sheltering wings.

For the sukkah, that quintessential symbol of vulnerability, turns out to be the embodiment of faith, the faith of a people who forty centuries ago set out on a risk-laden journey across a wilderness of space and time, with no more protection than the sheltering existence of the Divine presence.

To know that life is full of risk and yet to affirm it, to sense the full insecurity of the human situation and yet to rejoice: this, for me, is the essence of faith and the heart of Sukkot. Judaism is no comforting illusion that all is well in this dark world. It is instead the courage to celebrate in the midst of uncertainty, and to rejoice even in the transitory shelter of the Sukkah, the Jewish symbol of home.”

Source: Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z”l

Humans of Judaism

[flo-zoinks]

If you want to could you please explain some more of the religious symbolism in rdr1?

Of course!

The first ever mission in rdr is called 'Exodus in America', which opens with John going to Armadillio for the first time and starting his journey. Exodus Is I believe the second book in the old testament, and directly means like "the road out". Immediately the game opening with a biblical reference to perhaps the start of Johns journey. In addition, the book of exodus's main story is of the Israelites being freed from slavery by the Egyptians, which some could argue is referring to John trying to free his family from the Pinkertons jail, and return his 'people' to Beecher's Hope.

Whilst I'm talking about Mission names, notably the last one, which is "The Last Enemy Must Be Destroyed". This is an immediate reference to the book of Corinths, in which that enemy is death. I love so much how it shows the enemy as John, representing his death, but could also be Ross, representing him as the death brought upon others. Thinking of the amount of Death brought by john to innocents and not-so-innocents, and the popular belief of the public in favour of Ross's actions, its more likely the first.

Another one regarding to Ross would be two of his missions

- And You Will Know The Truth

- And The Truth Will Set You Free

Those two missions together make up the bible verse John 8:32, too. In these two missions, in the first John finds out about Dutch's location, and in the second Dutch is dead and he gets to see his family again. This could be referencing Dutch as the 'truth', perhaps as the final piece for him to be 'free', as said before with his family. This especially counts if you consider how the passage refers to them having faith, and the faith being the truth. Dutch's character consists around relying on faith for his power, and trying to make people see the 'truth' he holds, seemingly believing he is enlightened or some sort.

Should I do more soon? I really enjoyed this but wont want this post to be like a bajillion bits longer. Some other points summarised could be:

- the beatitude on John's grave

- one of the first conversations, in which a a young girl is questioning to a Preacher how love and hate seemingly overlap.

- Sister Cauldren, who tells John it's easy to help, and shares her belief to Marston that a little can go a long way, that it's not that hard to help in terms of the Lord

- highly debated, but some could argue the strange man as a personified form of death. Follows similar patters to the biblical devil, as appearing in living form without a name and trying to make a man second-guess himself

- anyone have any more? ❤

[walkswithmyfather]

“Though all of us have promises over our lives, and a 'promised-land' to possess, we may find ourselves stuck in a wilderness for a period of time. But just like how God watched over the Israelites during those 40 years in the wilderness, God watches over us too when we feel like nothing is happening. And He not only watches over us, but also He provides for us too, showing us His miracles and wonders in desert places.

Today, remember this: your wilderness can be the place where you see God's wonders.”

“...He has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything.” —Deuteronomy 2: 7 (NIV)

From: “The Spiritual Encourager” (FB)

[galadrieljones]

Veilguard spoilers ahead!

After seeing images of Solas when he was young, with his full head of hair, I wonder if there will be Samson parallels. Samson was blessed by God with enormous power. When the Angel of the Lord came to Samson's mother to tell her that she was pregnant, he gave her specific rules, as Samson would be born a Nazirite, aka: a person with a special loyalty and connection to God. Most importantly, she was never to cut his hair. He was going to be the one to deliver the Israelites from the hand of the Philistines.

Samson had supernatural strength and power, though he was a man. There are stories of Samson vanquishing a lion, and one where he brandished the jaw bone of a donkey, which he used to slay 1,000 men. Samson was famously betrayed by the prostitute Delilah. He had a playful nature, and his interactions with Delilah communicate a "tricky" and arrogant sensibility. But one night, she seduced him into revealing his power source to her: his hair. Having been compromised by the Philistines, she had her servants remove it as he slept.

While he was nearly sacrificed to Dagon, Samson's hair began to miraculously grow again, as he was so eternally blessed, and he died bringing down the temple upon both himself and his captors. Samson was a judge for the Israelites, one of the last ones in the Book of Judges, and this basically means that he was a major military leader in a time of war and crisis. While we don't know exactly what Solas did yet, back in the days of Elvhenan, there is the suggestion that he was essentially brought into "being" by Mythal, because she needed him to lead. These Samson examples do remind me of Solas, especially because Mythal was the Goddess of Justice, and because Solas, in creating the Veil, did seem to do so as an act of "judgment." Fen'Harel was also the spiritual and military leader of a rebellion.

The story of Samson and the lion is especially interesting. It chronicles the time he slayed a lion with his bare hands in a vineyard, a testament to enormous, supernatural strength. When he came back upon the lion at a later time, it had been colonized by bees, who were making honey. This informed a bizarre riddle, which he coined on his wedding day: "Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet." Bees do play a role in Inquisition. There is something about bees and Sera, and her strange connection to Solas and the Veil. People used to wonder if Sera had some sort of ancient power inside her, without her knowledge, particularly that of Andruil, the huntress. While I have no theories about that, it's clear that she does have some sort of connection to Solas, even if it's just thematic, to show that all elves are sort of gifted in this way, and all elves are connected to Solas.

In Inquisition, Sera has a War Table mission that revolves around getting special "grenades" which are essentially jars of bees. The mission comes with a little poem:

Know what ruins a party? Bees. I know a man who teaches how to jar them safe but angry. Stingy, no good for honey, but great for throwing! He’s somewhere south.

The "bee" thing is totally random. There's no obvious connotations related to Sera that would suggest a connection to bees. So where did they get that? Of course it could just be for silliness, as Sera is a silly character, but it could also be meaningful. It could be both.

Anyway, the comparison is not perfect, but it's interesting. I don't necessarily think there is a definitive reason Solas lost his hair, and it may just be a thing where they handwave it somehow, but the question is there, and they definitely could use it to characterize his journey. When he lost his hair, was that a part of how he lost his power? Like was he betrayed in some way? Or did he have to make a bargain? Did he lose his hair as he slept in Uthenara? If he did, then why aren't Abelas and the other Sentinels at the Well of Sorrows also bald? Maybe this is just me overanalyzing lol but I find it interesting

[alwaysrememberjesus]

Desert Places

The Lord . . . has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness. — Deuteronomy 2:7

When I was a young believer, I thought “mountaintop” experiences were where I would meet Jesus. But those highs rarely lasted or led to growth. Author Lina AbuJamra says it’s in the desert places where we meet God and grow. In her Bible study Through the Desert, she writes, “God’s aim is to use the desert places in our lives to make us stronger.” She continues, “God’s goodness is meant to be received in the midst of your pain, not proven by the absence of pain.”

It’s in the hard places of sorrow, loss, and pain that God helps us to grow in our faith and become closer to Him. As Lina learned, “The desert is not an oversight in God’s plan but an integral part of [our] growth process.”

God led many Old Testament patriarchs to the desert. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all had wilderness experiences. It was in the desert that God prepared Moses’ heart and called him to lead His people out of slavery (Exodus 3:1-2, 9-10). And it was in the desert that God “watched over [the Israelites’] journey” for forty years with His help and guidance (Deuteronomy 2:7).

God was with Moses and the Israelites each step of their way through the desert, and He’s with you and me in ours. In the desert, we learn to rely on God. There He meets us—and there we grow.

Valuable lessons can come from some of the strangest places. For ancient Israel, one of those places was the uninhabited zone known as the wilderness (Deuteronomy 2:1-7). The value that comes from trekking through such unwelcomed territory is described in chapter 8: “Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart . . . . He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna . . . to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (vv. 2-3).

True safety isn’t determined by our location (lions’ den, fiery furnace, valley of the shadow of death, passing through fire or water). It comes with trust in the One who goes with us regardless of where we are.

[artandthebible]

Moses and Aaron Guide the Israelites Out of Egypt

Artist: Domenico Pedrini (Italian, 1728–1800)

Date: 18th century

Medium: Oil paint on canvas

Biblical Narrative

In the Bible, Moses and Aaron led the Israelites out of Egypt as described in the Book of Exodus (Exodus 3: 1-7, Exodus 3:12). Moses was the leader, and Aaron was his brother and spokesman.

God calls Moses: God told Moses to tell the Egyptian king to let the Israelites go.

Moses and Aaron speak to Pharaoh: Moses and Aaron told Pharaoh that God wanted the Israelites to leave Egypt so they could worship him in the wilderness.

Moses and Aaron perform miracles: Moses and Aaron performed miracles to convince Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. For example, Moses struck the Nile with his staff, turning the water to blood.

The Israelites leave Egypt: The Israelites left Egypt and began their journey to the Promised Land.

The Israelites cross the Red Sea: God parted the Red Sea so the Israelites could cross on dry ground. The Egyptian army that was pursuing the Israelites drowned when the sea returned.

[glass-strawberries]

The Valley by The Oh Hellos: A Biblical Song Analysis

*Full analysis under the cut*

By @glass-strawberries and @glass--grapes

Author's note: we grew up Christian and we love whimsical music so hearing all these references from our childhood hit pretty well. We wanted to analyze it and share all the references because The Oh Hellos are honestly some of the best lyricists we’ve seen. 

This analysis does contain references to Genius Lyrics where we didn’t know what the lyrics were referring to. We didn’t copy them, but we added additional information.

The Valley 

Background/song summary: The Valley is the first track in The Oh Hellos Through the Deep, Dark Valley. Though the album is coined as a concept album, the concept itself is very loose. The album was made in respect to love, journeys, and righting past wrongs. 

This song is about the struggle and confusion of being born into wickedness or sin, as all humans are following the fall of humanity (the original sin). The speaker seeks a leader to the light. 

Lyric Analysis:

We were born in the valley Of the dead and the wicked

A reference to the Valley of Canaan, the ancient land that is now known as Israel/ Palestine. 

That our father's father found And where we laid him down

Moses led the Israelites to the land of Canaan as they were fleeing Egyptian captivity. Before Moses could get there, he essentially pissed off God and was banished from entering the promised land. He dies in Moab and God buries him there(Deuteronomy 34). 

We were born in the shadow Of the crimes of our fathers

 After the fall of humanity, every human ever born is born with sin. The “fathers” in this sense is everyone who came before them(Romans 3:23-24). The speaker struggles with discrimination and labels placed on them from their fathers. 

Blood was our inheritance No, we did not ask for this Will you lead me?

Canaanites were considered wicked, and were killed in a genocide against them. The speaker resents the sin that they have inherited, having been credited to this crime against the Canaanites. They once again yearn for a leader.

We were young when we heard you call Our names in the silence Like a fire in the dark

The speaker did not know God until they started to hope for a leader or divine intervention. God says that He will reveal Himself to those who truly seek him(1 John 3:2). The Bible states that when God calls out to you, He will call you by name and you will know immediately that it was Him that was speaking (Isaiah 43:1).

Like a sword upon our hearts We came down to the water And we begged for forgiveness

Water baptism is a symbolic representation of death in the flesh and being brought back to life in a new “body” that will “live” forever. The purpose of baptism is defined differently in different branches of Christianity and even among churches, but the two popular ones are: 

To proclaim your faith publicly(either way, you are saved as long as you have faith)

To become a true christian and be saved(you will not be saved unless you are baptized)

The singer chose to repent for their sins. Shadows lurking close behind We were fleeing for our lives Will you lead me?

Psalm 23:3- He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

1/24

[nerdygaymormon]

Numbers 9:1-14 - Second Passover

The Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt and were commanded to celebrate their exodus every year as a way to remember what the Lord had done for them. In English this remembrance is called Passover. 

The Passover required the sacrifice of a lamb or wild goat at the temple, which would then be eaten that night along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. People who were not allowed to make a sacrifice at the temple were not allowed to eat the sacrificed lamb or goat.

A group of men were in distress because they couldn't participate in Passover for being unclean from touching a corpse. People die and their body needs to be taken care of, but touching a corpse makes someone ritually impure. They went to Moses & Aaron and asked what they're to do since they can't offer a sacrifice on the day required by the Lord.

Moses takes their plight to the Lord and God responds to their pain and need for inclusion by establishing a second chance to partake in Passover a month later for anyone who touched a corpse or couldn't make the lengthy journey to the temple at that time. This is known as Second Passover. 

Anyone who was able to celebrate Passover on the traditional day were to do so and not exploit this new rule, which shows that making something more accessible doesn't impact the majority, they can carry on and shouldn't feel threatened or devalued because others get to be included. 

In this story, people refused to accept their fate and fought for their inclusion. I don't think that these men were being oppositional. They were saying, “What we have right now is not enough. Why should we be left out?” They knew the Lord well enough to know they deserved more.

Another lesson is that God is a gracious God, not wanting anyone to be left out or excluded. Over and over we learn that God's way is radical inclusion.

This story shows the benefit of having a living prophet who could be asked for a solution. The revelation given in answer to the predicament blesses the whole community and blesses the future generations as it benefits anyone who finds that they couldn't participate in traditional Passover.

Rabbinic writings in the Mishnah strove to make the Second Passover as inclusive as possible. Any kind of ritual impurity, not just having contact with a corpse, is a valid reason to observe Second Passover. Those who have to make a lengthy journey to the temple and couldn't do so in time for Passover were allowed to participate in Second Passover, and the Mishnah argues for a broad interpretation, basically anywhere outside the Temple qualifies as a lengthy journey. It's a reminder to look again at the requirements and interpret them to be as inclusive as possible. 

Second Passover long ago lost its significance ever since the Jewish temple was destroyed because it means no sacrifices are offered or eaten, therefore no one is excluded from participating. However, in 2009 several Jewish groups began recognizing Second Passover as a holiday of second chances and inclusion, such as for those released from prison, recovering from addiction, or having mental health issues. In 2016, this expanded and many see Second Passover as a holiday for LGBTQ acceptance and inclusion. The LGBTQ community organizes events at schools, homes, and seminaries where a religious member of the LGBTQ community will speak and share their experiences so that the larger Jewish community can better understand their unique challenges and needs. 

Some have used the idea of Second Passover to argue for marriage equality. Just like with the traditional Passover, because of extenuating circumstances not everyone is able to get married in the traditional way, but the Second Passover suggests those who are unable to meet the requirements of the traditional Passover have a path to participate. They will still be held to the same standards, the same level of commitment and respect within their relationships. Being different doesn't mean a different standard, it means finding ways to be included equally.

[lordgodjehovahsway]

Numbers 33: The Stages In The Journey Of The Israelites

1 Here are the stages in the journey of the Israelites when they came out of Egypt by divisions under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. 

2 At the Lord’s command Moses recorded the stages in their journey. This is their journey by stages:

3 The Israelites set out from Rameses on the fifteenth day of the first month, the day after the Passover. They marched out defiantly in full view of all the Egyptians, 

4 who were burying all their firstborn, whom the Lord had struck down among them; for the Lord had brought judgment on their gods.

5 The Israelites left Rameses and camped at Sukkoth.

6 They left Sukkoth and camped at Etham, on the edge of the desert.

7 They left Etham, turned back to Pi Hahiroth, to the east of Baal Zephon, and camped near Migdol.

8 They left Pi Hahiroth and passed through the sea into the desert, and when they had traveled for three days in the Desert of Etham, they camped at Marah.

9 They left Marah and went to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there.

10 They left Elim and camped by the Red Sea.

11 They left the Red Sea and camped in the Desert of Sin.

12 They left the Desert of Sin and camped at Dophkah.

13 They left Dophkah and camped at Alush.

14 They left Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.

15 They left Rephidim and camped in the Desert of Sinai.

16 They left the Desert of Sinai and camped at Kibroth Hattaavah.

17 They left Kibroth Hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth.

18 They left Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah.

19 They left Rithmah and camped at Rimmon Perez.

20 They left Rimmon Perez and camped at Libnah.

21 They left Libnah and camped at Rissah.

22 They left Rissah and camped at Kehelathah.

23 They left Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher.

24 They left Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah.

25 They left Haradah and camped at Makheloth.

26 They left Makheloth and camped at Tahath.

27 They left Tahath and camped at Terah.

28 They left Terah and camped at Mithkah.

29 They left Mithkah and camped at Hashmonah.

30 They left Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth.

31 They left Moseroth and camped at Bene Jaakan.

32 They left Bene Jaakan and camped at Hor Haggidgad.

33 They left Hor Haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah.

34 They left Jotbathah and camped at Abronah.

35 They left Abronah and camped at Ezion Geber.

36 They left Ezion Geber and camped at Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin.

37 They left Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, on the border of Edom. 

38 At the Lord’s command Aaron the priest went up Mount Hor, where he died on the first day of the fifth month of the fortieth year after the Israelites came out of Egypt. 

39 Aaron was a hundred and twenty-three years old when he died on Mount Hor.

40 The Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev of Canaan, heard that the Israelites were coming.

41 They left Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah.

42 They left Zalmonah and camped at Punon.

43 They left Punon and camped at Oboth.

44 They left Oboth and camped at Iye Abarim, on the border of Moab.

45 They left Iye Abarim and camped at Dibon Gad.

46 They left Dibon Gad and camped at Almon Diblathaim.

47 They left Almon Diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim, near Nebo.

48 They left the mountains of Abarim and camped on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho. 

49 There on the plains of Moab they camped along the Jordan from Beth Jeshimoth to Abel Shittim.

50 On the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho the Lord said to Moses, 

51 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you cross the Jordan into Canaan, 

52 drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you. Destroy all their carved images and their cast idols, and demolish all their high places. 

53 Take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess. 

54 Distribute the land by lot, according to your clans. To a larger group give a larger inheritance, and to a smaller group a smaller one. Whatever falls to them by lot will be theirs. Distribute it according to your ancestral tribes.

55 “‘But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live.

 56 And then I will do to you what I plan to do to them.’”