The Facts (Chapter number: Verse)
7:14 - "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel."
8:3-4 - "And I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. The the Lord said to me, Name him Maher-shalal-hash-baz [Translation: The spoil speeds, the prey hastens]; for before the child knows how to call 'My Father' or 'My mother,' the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be carried away by the king of Assyria."
9:17 - "That is why the Lord did not have pity on their young people, or compassion on their orphans and widows; for everyone was godless and an evildoer, and every mouth spoke folly. For all this his anger has not turned away; his hand is stretched out still."
My Comments
Wow, have I mentioned lately that God is a dick? Most people will at least agree that one should not punish children or kill children during times of war or whatever. And yet God here is totally okay with leaving the children and orphans and widows to their horrid fate. Because everyone was a wrongdoer? How the hell did a child do wrong against God? How the hell can God hold a child accountable for their (or their parents') actions? Most children do not fully understand the consequences of actions simply because their brains are not fully developed (studies on which I have always found horribly interesting), so why is God angry with them? I mean, it only says "young people" so I'm not sure where the age cut off is here. Not that it makes it any less heinous if he's sparing anyone younger than 3 or anyone younger than 12. It's a complete douchebag move.
For a God who is said to love so unconditionally he sure seems to be able to hold a grudge. Actually, I've seen more evidence of grudge holding than forgiveness so far. How messed up is that?
Also:
If no one has heard of Tim Minchin, here is an introduction to his awesomeness.
You're welcome. :)
Monday: Isaiah 10-12
Showing posts with label Prophets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Prophets. Show all posts
Friday, March 4, 2011
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
2 Chronicles 25-36
The Facts (Chapter number: Verse)
25:18 - King Jehoash of Israel sent work to King Amaziah of Judah, "A thornbush of Lebanon sent to a cedar on Lebanon, saying, 'Give your daughter to my son for a wife'; but a wild animal of Lebanon passed by and trampled down the thornbush."
26:3 - Uzziah's mother's name was Jecoliah of Jerusalem.
27:1 - Jotham's mother's name was Jerushah daughter of Zadok.
28:8 - The people of Israel took captive from Judah 200,000 of their kin, women, sons, and daughters; they also took much booty from them and brought the booty to Samaria.
28:10 - Odem, a prophet, chastises the Israelites for killing Judah with such rage, asking if they now plan to subjugate the people of Judah and Jerusalem, male and female, as their slaves? He then tells them to let the captives go since the wrath of the Lord is upon them.
29:1 - Hezekiah's mother's name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah.
29:9 - Judah's fathers have fallen by the sword and its sons and daughters and wives taken.
2 Chronicles 30 - No mention of any women.
31:18 - The priests were enrolled with all their little children, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, the whole multitude; for their were faithful in keeping themselves holy.
2 Chronicles 32 - No mention of any women.
2 Chronicles 33 - No mention of any women.
34:22-28 - The priest Hilkiah, Ahikem, Achbor, Saphan and Asiah went to the prophetess Huldah the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; she resided in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter, where they consulted her. She told the men that the Lord was indeed going to bring disaster onto this place as the king had read because the people had abandoned him and made offerings to other gods. The people had provoked God's anger so His wrath will not be quenched. But because the king of Judah, who sent the men, was penitent and his humbled himself before the Lord God will allow the king to be gathered to his ancestors and you shall go to your grave in peace and not see the disaster that God has planned for this place. So the men took this message to the king.
2 Chronicles 35 - No mention of any women.
36:17 - God brought up the king of the Chaldeans against Jerusalem. The king killed their youths with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or young woman, the aged or the feeble; God gave them all into the kings hand.
My Comments
The weird thornbush bit is a verbatim retelling of 2 Kings 12:14.
The prophet Huldah story is also a repeat from 2 Kings 22:14-20.
And for 2 Chronicles 36:17 I only have three words. What. A. Dick. Seriously, just because some people don't want to listen to you is not a good reason to slaughter them all. Especially not the children. Like small children know any better than to follow those who raise them. -_-
We're finally done with the Chronicles! Everyone do a dance of joy! :D We're finally going on to something new!
Friday: Ezra 1-3
25:18 - King Jehoash of Israel sent work to King Amaziah of Judah, "A thornbush of Lebanon sent to a cedar on Lebanon, saying, 'Give your daughter to my son for a wife'; but a wild animal of Lebanon passed by and trampled down the thornbush."
26:3 - Uzziah's mother's name was Jecoliah of Jerusalem.
27:1 - Jotham's mother's name was Jerushah daughter of Zadok.
28:8 - The people of Israel took captive from Judah 200,000 of their kin, women, sons, and daughters; they also took much booty from them and brought the booty to Samaria.
28:10 - Odem, a prophet, chastises the Israelites for killing Judah with such rage, asking if they now plan to subjugate the people of Judah and Jerusalem, male and female, as their slaves? He then tells them to let the captives go since the wrath of the Lord is upon them.
29:1 - Hezekiah's mother's name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah.
29:9 - Judah's fathers have fallen by the sword and its sons and daughters and wives taken.
2 Chronicles 30 - No mention of any women.
31:18 - The priests were enrolled with all their little children, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, the whole multitude; for their were faithful in keeping themselves holy.
2 Chronicles 32 - No mention of any women.
2 Chronicles 33 - No mention of any women.
34:22-28 - The priest Hilkiah, Ahikem, Achbor, Saphan and Asiah went to the prophetess Huldah the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; she resided in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter, where they consulted her. She told the men that the Lord was indeed going to bring disaster onto this place as the king had read because the people had abandoned him and made offerings to other gods. The people had provoked God's anger so His wrath will not be quenched. But because the king of Judah, who sent the men, was penitent and his humbled himself before the Lord God will allow the king to be gathered to his ancestors and you shall go to your grave in peace and not see the disaster that God has planned for this place. So the men took this message to the king.
2 Chronicles 35 - No mention of any women.
36:17 - God brought up the king of the Chaldeans against Jerusalem. The king killed their youths with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or young woman, the aged or the feeble; God gave them all into the kings hand.
My Comments
The weird thornbush bit is a verbatim retelling of 2 Kings 12:14.
The prophet Huldah story is also a repeat from 2 Kings 22:14-20.
And for 2 Chronicles 36:17 I only have three words. What. A. Dick. Seriously, just because some people don't want to listen to you is not a good reason to slaughter them all. Especially not the children. Like small children know any better than to follow those who raise them. -_-
We're finally done with the Chronicles! Everyone do a dance of joy! :D We're finally going on to something new!
Friday: Ezra 1-3
Friday, October 1, 2010
2 Kings 21-25
The Facts (Chapter number: Verse)
21:1 - Manasseh's mother's name was Hephzibah.
21:19 - Amon's mother's name was Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz of Jothan.
22:1 - Josiah's mother's name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath.
22:14-20 - The priest Hilkiah, Ahikem, Achbor, Saphan and Asiah went to the prophetess Huldah the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; she resided in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter, where they consulted her. She told the men that the Lord was indeed going to bring disaster onto this place as the king had read because the people had abandoned him and made offerings to other gods. The people had provoked God's anger so His wrath will not be quenched. But because the king of Judah, who sent the men, was penitent and his humbled himself before the Lord God will allow the king to be gathered to his ancestors and you shall go to your grave in peace and not see the disaster that God has planned for this place. So the men took this message to the king.
23:7 - Josiah broke down the houses of the male temple prostitutes that were in the house of the Lord, where the women did weaving for Asherah.
23:10 - Josiah defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of Ben-hinnom, so that no one would make a son or a daughter pass through fire as an offering to Molech.
23:31 - Jehoahaz's mother's name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
23:36 - Jehoiakim's mother's name was Zebidah daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah.
24:9 - Jehoiachin's mother's name was Nehusha daughter of Elnathan of Jerisalem.
24:15 - The King of Babylon carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon: the king's mother, the king's wives, his officials, and the elite of the land, he took into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.
24:18 - Zedekiah's mother's name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
2 Kings 25 - No mention of any women.
My Comments
Awesome, one more female prophet to add to the list. Very cool. Nice to see that at least every once in a while God allows a woman to be in a position of some power.
I do wonder how some churches/denominations defend their claims that women are not allowed to be leaders in a church or, sometimes, even allowed to teach or hold authority over boys/men. Especially when you do have women leaders in the Bible. Even women who are prophets, which would imply that God himself chose them to lead in some respect. There was Miriam who praised God after the Israelites were saved from Egypt, then Deborah who served as a judge over Israel, and now Huldah who passes along the word of God to the king. All three of there women (with maybe the exception of Miriam) held great power over men and were sought to learn what God's wishes were or what God's plans were. So how do some churches reconcile this with their current beliefs that women cannot hold positions of power? Do they pretend these women don't exist? Do they downplay their roles in the Bible, regarding them more like a telephone for God than a person who held power and sway over men? Granted, there is MUCH more evidence that women are supposed to be submissive and listen to men to tell them what to do and how to act, so I can't say I blame the churches for believing that women need to be dominated instead of that women can hold positions of great importance and power. Maybe these few women who are prophets for God is the reason some denominations are more woman friendly than others.
Either way, for once the God of the old testament actually looks progressive compared to some churches/denominations, which should honestly make some of these churches think twice about their rules and doctrines.
Monday: 1 Chronicles 1-2
21:1 - Manasseh's mother's name was Hephzibah.
21:19 - Amon's mother's name was Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz of Jothan.
22:1 - Josiah's mother's name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath.
22:14-20 - The priest Hilkiah, Ahikem, Achbor, Saphan and Asiah went to the prophetess Huldah the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; she resided in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter, where they consulted her. She told the men that the Lord was indeed going to bring disaster onto this place as the king had read because the people had abandoned him and made offerings to other gods. The people had provoked God's anger so His wrath will not be quenched. But because the king of Judah, who sent the men, was penitent and his humbled himself before the Lord God will allow the king to be gathered to his ancestors and you shall go to your grave in peace and not see the disaster that God has planned for this place. So the men took this message to the king.
23:7 - Josiah broke down the houses of the male temple prostitutes that were in the house of the Lord, where the women did weaving for Asherah.
23:10 - Josiah defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of Ben-hinnom, so that no one would make a son or a daughter pass through fire as an offering to Molech.
23:31 - Jehoahaz's mother's name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
23:36 - Jehoiakim's mother's name was Zebidah daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah.
24:9 - Jehoiachin's mother's name was Nehusha daughter of Elnathan of Jerisalem.
24:15 - The King of Babylon carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon: the king's mother, the king's wives, his officials, and the elite of the land, he took into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.
24:18 - Zedekiah's mother's name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
2 Kings 25 - No mention of any women.
My Comments
Awesome, one more female prophet to add to the list. Very cool. Nice to see that at least every once in a while God allows a woman to be in a position of some power.
I do wonder how some churches/denominations defend their claims that women are not allowed to be leaders in a church or, sometimes, even allowed to teach or hold authority over boys/men. Especially when you do have women leaders in the Bible. Even women who are prophets, which would imply that God himself chose them to lead in some respect. There was Miriam who praised God after the Israelites were saved from Egypt, then Deborah who served as a judge over Israel, and now Huldah who passes along the word of God to the king. All three of there women (with maybe the exception of Miriam) held great power over men and were sought to learn what God's wishes were or what God's plans were. So how do some churches reconcile this with their current beliefs that women cannot hold positions of power? Do they pretend these women don't exist? Do they downplay their roles in the Bible, regarding them more like a telephone for God than a person who held power and sway over men? Granted, there is MUCH more evidence that women are supposed to be submissive and listen to men to tell them what to do and how to act, so I can't say I blame the churches for believing that women need to be dominated instead of that women can hold positions of great importance and power. Maybe these few women who are prophets for God is the reason some denominations are more woman friendly than others.
Either way, for once the God of the old testament actually looks progressive compared to some churches/denominations, which should honestly make some of these churches think twice about their rules and doctrines.
Monday: 1 Chronicles 1-2
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Judges 1-5
The Facts (Chapter number: Verse)
1:12-15 - Caleb said "Whoever attacks Kiriath-sepher and takes it, I will give him my daughter Achsah as wife." And Othniel son of Kanez, Caleb's younger brother, took it, and he gave him his daughter Achsah as wife. When she came to him she urged him to ask her father for a field. As she dismounted from her donkey Caleb asked her what she wished. She said, "Give me a present since you have set me in the land of the Negeb, give me also Gulloth-mayim." So Caleb gave her upper and lower Gulloth.
Judges 2 - No mention of any women.
3:5-6 - So the Isrealites lived among the Hittites, Canaanites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusties. They took their daughters as wives for themselves and their own daughters they gave to their sons, and they worshiped their Gods.
4:4-22 - At this time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel. The Iraelites came to her for judgment. She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali. She said to Barak, "The Lord commands you to go take position at Mount Tabor, bringing ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali and Zebulun. I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jaban's army, to meet you by the Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops and I will give him into your hands." Barak said, "If you will go with me, I will go. If you will not then I will not go." Deborah said, "I will surely go with you, nonetheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the Lord will sell the life of Sisera into the hands of a woman." So Deborah went with Barak into Kedesh.
Sisera heard about Barak and he called out his chariots and troops. Deboah said to Barak, "Up! For this is the Day on which the Lord has given Siserainto your hands! The Lord is indeed going out before you." Barak and his tropps went down to meet Sisera and the Lord threw Sisera's army into a panic. Sisera fled from the battle on foot while the rest of his troops were killed.
Sisera fled to the tent of Jael wife of Heber the Kenite, for there was peace between King Jabin of Hazor and the clan of Heber the Kenite. Jael came out to meet Sisera and told him to turn aside and have no fear. So he came into her tent and she covered him with a rug. Sisera asked her for some water to drink and she brought him milk. Sisera asked Jael to stand at the entrance of the tent, and if anyone came by to ask if he was there for her to tell them no. But Jael instead took a tent peg and a hammer and, while he was sleeping, slowly crept up and drove the peg into his temple until it hit the ground. When Barak came in pursuit of Sisera Jael came outside her tent and said to him, "Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking." So Barak went into her tent and found Sisera dead.
Judges 5 - Deborah and Barak sing of the events that had unfolded. The sing praises to the Lord. They praises Deborah as a mother of Israel who helped the people prosper. They sing of the people coming to Deborah. They sing of the battles Israel fought against foreign lands. They sing of the blessed woman Jael who drove a tent peg through Sisera's temple and delivered him to Barak. They sing of Sisera's mother who awaits her sons return and wonder why he is gone so long.
The land then had rest for forty years.
My Comments
Is Judges 1:12-15 supposed to be an addition to Joshua 15:16-19 or is it a retelling? Because it does not sound like an addition to the story, and if it is a retelling then it odd because in Joshua she got the upper and lower springs, not Gulloth. And why retell it again? Is this really that important that we need to mention it twice? And if it is that important then why do the two contradict on the present she is given? Just weird.
And I'm sorry, it's just weird that God basically punishes his people for NOT slaughtering everyone. The Israelites decided the conquered people were better used as slaves and workers instead of being corpses. Which is debatable if that is in fact better than being killed but that's not really the issue here. I just find it strange that God punishes his people because he is disappointed he didn't get the slaughter he demanded. God's just so bloodthirsty it's kind of creepy.
The excessive use of pronouns has been bothering me for a while. But this is so evident in Judges 3:6. So many "their"s I'm not sure who's giving whose daughter to whom and whose gods are being worshiped by whom and it's just a mess. This is not the first time that pronouns have made a passage super vague and basically unreadable, but this is the first time I'll bring it up. I won't mention every case I come upon (I could dedicate a whole other blog to that) but I may start mentioning ones that really pop out at me or are in the passages that deal with women, since I'll be writing about those passages anyways.
I do have to admit, I am suddenly enjoying the women stories. This is a much needed reprieve from women being constantly raped or being sexual tricksters. The women are suddenly more active, having a bigger role in God's plan. Sadly, I do not think these women are talked about near enough. I don't even remember really hearing about Deborah the judge when I went to church all those many years, and I only vaguely remember hearing about Jael delivering Sisera to the Israelites. And this is totally badass, so why don't we hear their stories more? Why aren't they being used as female role models in Sunday school to show how God did call upon women in the Old Testament to fulfill prophecy and even lead his people in very important roles? Perhaps it is because the stories are kind of violent. Jael's duty to God was to drive a spike through a man's head, not really suited for Sunday school coloring books.
Of course now that I say that I so want a Bible coloring book depicting all the bloodier scenes in the Bible. Like one about men and women being forced by God to cannibalize their own children and fetuses. Egyptians stumbling around with open oozing sores all over them. The Israelites slaughtering nation after nation. Jael staking Sisera. Oh the possibilities. :)
But yeah, Deborah and Jael both kick ass. They show that women can be called upon by God to take on higher responsibilities. That women can be something more than a baby maker or a prostitute. They can be active in their lives and their following of God's will, not just pieces to be moved around in a man's story. And this is much better than what Miriam ever got. Miriam was a prophetess too, but her story was never told. We'll never really know what she did or what she accomplished in her role as prophetess. Deborah and Jael managed to get into the tale and have their stories stand out. Maybe it's because Deborah was a judge, a big wig, while Miriam was overshadowed by the big prophet of the day Moses. Maybe if Moses hadn't had such a focus on him we could have gotten more of Miriam's story. We will never know, but at least some of the big female players in the Bible are getting well deserved face time.
Maybe this will continue to be a theme. Now that we're out of the more law heavy and boring books of the Bible hopefully it'll just be story time from here on out. I'll keep my fingers crossed but I still won't hold my breath. Yeah we've gotten 3 very strong female characters fairly close to each other, but the Bible has A LOT of bullshit to make up for. I sincerely hope it at least continues to try to make up for it.
Tomorrow: Judges 6-9
1:12-15 - Caleb said "Whoever attacks Kiriath-sepher and takes it, I will give him my daughter Achsah as wife." And Othniel son of Kanez, Caleb's younger brother, took it, and he gave him his daughter Achsah as wife. When she came to him she urged him to ask her father for a field. As she dismounted from her donkey Caleb asked her what she wished. She said, "Give me a present since you have set me in the land of the Negeb, give me also Gulloth-mayim." So Caleb gave her upper and lower Gulloth.
Judges 2 - No mention of any women.
3:5-6 - So the Isrealites lived among the Hittites, Canaanites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusties. They took their daughters as wives for themselves and their own daughters they gave to their sons, and they worshiped their Gods.
4:4-22 - At this time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel. The Iraelites came to her for judgment. She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali. She said to Barak, "The Lord commands you to go take position at Mount Tabor, bringing ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali and Zebulun. I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jaban's army, to meet you by the Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops and I will give him into your hands." Barak said, "If you will go with me, I will go. If you will not then I will not go." Deborah said, "I will surely go with you, nonetheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the Lord will sell the life of Sisera into the hands of a woman." So Deborah went with Barak into Kedesh.
Sisera heard about Barak and he called out his chariots and troops. Deboah said to Barak, "Up! For this is the Day on which the Lord has given Siserainto your hands! The Lord is indeed going out before you." Barak and his tropps went down to meet Sisera and the Lord threw Sisera's army into a panic. Sisera fled from the battle on foot while the rest of his troops were killed.
Sisera fled to the tent of Jael wife of Heber the Kenite, for there was peace between King Jabin of Hazor and the clan of Heber the Kenite. Jael came out to meet Sisera and told him to turn aside and have no fear. So he came into her tent and she covered him with a rug. Sisera asked her for some water to drink and she brought him milk. Sisera asked Jael to stand at the entrance of the tent, and if anyone came by to ask if he was there for her to tell them no. But Jael instead took a tent peg and a hammer and, while he was sleeping, slowly crept up and drove the peg into his temple until it hit the ground. When Barak came in pursuit of Sisera Jael came outside her tent and said to him, "Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking." So Barak went into her tent and found Sisera dead.
Judges 5 - Deborah and Barak sing of the events that had unfolded. The sing praises to the Lord. They praises Deborah as a mother of Israel who helped the people prosper. They sing of the people coming to Deborah. They sing of the battles Israel fought against foreign lands. They sing of the blessed woman Jael who drove a tent peg through Sisera's temple and delivered him to Barak. They sing of Sisera's mother who awaits her sons return and wonder why he is gone so long.
The land then had rest for forty years.
My Comments
Is Judges 1:12-15 supposed to be an addition to Joshua 15:16-19 or is it a retelling? Because it does not sound like an addition to the story, and if it is a retelling then it odd because in Joshua she got the upper and lower springs, not Gulloth. And why retell it again? Is this really that important that we need to mention it twice? And if it is that important then why do the two contradict on the present she is given? Just weird.
And I'm sorry, it's just weird that God basically punishes his people for NOT slaughtering everyone. The Israelites decided the conquered people were better used as slaves and workers instead of being corpses. Which is debatable if that is in fact better than being killed but that's not really the issue here. I just find it strange that God punishes his people because he is disappointed he didn't get the slaughter he demanded. God's just so bloodthirsty it's kind of creepy.
The excessive use of pronouns has been bothering me for a while. But this is so evident in Judges 3:6. So many "their"s I'm not sure who's giving whose daughter to whom and whose gods are being worshiped by whom and it's just a mess. This is not the first time that pronouns have made a passage super vague and basically unreadable, but this is the first time I'll bring it up. I won't mention every case I come upon (I could dedicate a whole other blog to that) but I may start mentioning ones that really pop out at me or are in the passages that deal with women, since I'll be writing about those passages anyways.
I do have to admit, I am suddenly enjoying the women stories. This is a much needed reprieve from women being constantly raped or being sexual tricksters. The women are suddenly more active, having a bigger role in God's plan. Sadly, I do not think these women are talked about near enough. I don't even remember really hearing about Deborah the judge when I went to church all those many years, and I only vaguely remember hearing about Jael delivering Sisera to the Israelites. And this is totally badass, so why don't we hear their stories more? Why aren't they being used as female role models in Sunday school to show how God did call upon women in the Old Testament to fulfill prophecy and even lead his people in very important roles? Perhaps it is because the stories are kind of violent. Jael's duty to God was to drive a spike through a man's head, not really suited for Sunday school coloring books.
Of course now that I say that I so want a Bible coloring book depicting all the bloodier scenes in the Bible. Like one about men and women being forced by God to cannibalize their own children and fetuses. Egyptians stumbling around with open oozing sores all over them. The Israelites slaughtering nation after nation. Jael staking Sisera. Oh the possibilities. :)
But yeah, Deborah and Jael both kick ass. They show that women can be called upon by God to take on higher responsibilities. That women can be something more than a baby maker or a prostitute. They can be active in their lives and their following of God's will, not just pieces to be moved around in a man's story. And this is much better than what Miriam ever got. Miriam was a prophetess too, but her story was never told. We'll never really know what she did or what she accomplished in her role as prophetess. Deborah and Jael managed to get into the tale and have their stories stand out. Maybe it's because Deborah was a judge, a big wig, while Miriam was overshadowed by the big prophet of the day Moses. Maybe if Moses hadn't had such a focus on him we could have gotten more of Miriam's story. We will never know, but at least some of the big female players in the Bible are getting well deserved face time.
Maybe this will continue to be a theme. Now that we're out of the more law heavy and boring books of the Bible hopefully it'll just be story time from here on out. I'll keep my fingers crossed but I still won't hold my breath. Yeah we've gotten 3 very strong female characters fairly close to each other, but the Bible has A LOT of bullshit to make up for. I sincerely hope it at least continues to try to make up for it.
Tomorrow: Judges 6-9
Monday, May 10, 2010
Exodus 10-15
The Facts (Chapter number: Verse)
10:9 - Moses says that he and his people will go worship with their young and their old, their sons and daughters, their herds and flocks, because they have the Lord's festival to celebrate.
11:2 - God tells Moses to tell the people that all the men are to go to their neighbors and all the women are to go to their neighbors and ask for objects of silver and gold.
11:5 - God says every first born in the land of Egypt shall die, from the Pharaoh's son who sits on his throne to the firstborn of the female slave behind the land mill.
Exodus 12 - No mention of any women.
Exodus 13 - No mention of any women.
Exodus 14 - No mention of any women.
15:20-21 - The prophet, Miriam, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine and all the women danced after her with tambourine's. And Miriam sang to them, "Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider he has thrown into the sea."
My Comments
The Bible continues to punish the slaves for the actions of the masters. I guess the Bible wouldn't want to seem wishy washy on the subject of making slaves suffer on account of their masters.
And apparently God doesn't want any firstborn FEMALE children/animals. Because, you know, why would we redeem females or act like they were worth anything. They are completely useless to God. You know, except for actually MAKING the children possible and giving birth to them and whatnot. But whatever, completely worthless.
The end of the exodus from Egypt felt almost like an M. Night Shyamalan ending. Because, what a twist, there had been a prophet there the whole time during this story that wasn't Moses and this prophet managed to not get mentioned ONCE. And it was a woman. I mean, I thought prophets were important people. But nope, seems the prophet Miriam, Aaron's sister, was there the whole time being a prophet and we had no idea. Glad they deemed it fit to mention her in a good two verses after everything was all handled by the men folk. So what made her a prophet? What did she do? Can you just call yourself a prophet and you suddenly are one? And why is she named as Aaron's sister when she must have been Moses' sister as well? And why was Miriam a prophet but not Aaron? Aaron was Moses' right hand man throughout this whole ordeal, and yet he's apparently not a prophet. So why was Miriam special? Was it because she was the sister who watched Moses on the Nile and brought him back to his mother? But how can we know that for sure when the sister wasn't even named. If she's an important prophet you'd think they would have named her during the Moses in the reeds story, so maybe that sister was a different sister entirely. And if she was prophet material, seriously, why do we only hear about her in those very last two verses. It's just weird to leave her out of the whole story and then suddenly plop her in, like we knew about her the whole time. Doesn't work, Bible.
Seems we've really stepped into the parts of the Bible that seriously lack women characters or even a mention of a woman. But, you know, it totally makes sense when women are so inferior to men that God doesn't count them as the first born. Ever. Even if they ARE the first born, God wants nothing to do with it. So yeah, when this is the case it makes sense that women are very absent and the prophet Miriam gets a two verse cameo.
Tomorrow: Exodus 16-21
10:9 - Moses says that he and his people will go worship with their young and their old, their sons and daughters, their herds and flocks, because they have the Lord's festival to celebrate.
11:2 - God tells Moses to tell the people that all the men are to go to their neighbors and all the women are to go to their neighbors and ask for objects of silver and gold.
11:5 - God says every first born in the land of Egypt shall die, from the Pharaoh's son who sits on his throne to the firstborn of the female slave behind the land mill.
Exodus 12 - No mention of any women.
Exodus 13 - No mention of any women.
Exodus 14 - No mention of any women.
15:20-21 - The prophet, Miriam, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine and all the women danced after her with tambourine's. And Miriam sang to them, "Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider he has thrown into the sea."
My Comments
The Bible continues to punish the slaves for the actions of the masters. I guess the Bible wouldn't want to seem wishy washy on the subject of making slaves suffer on account of their masters.
And apparently God doesn't want any firstborn FEMALE children/animals. Because, you know, why would we redeem females or act like they were worth anything. They are completely useless to God. You know, except for actually MAKING the children possible and giving birth to them and whatnot. But whatever, completely worthless.
The end of the exodus from Egypt felt almost like an M. Night Shyamalan ending. Because, what a twist, there had been a prophet there the whole time during this story that wasn't Moses and this prophet managed to not get mentioned ONCE. And it was a woman. I mean, I thought prophets were important people. But nope, seems the prophet Miriam, Aaron's sister, was there the whole time being a prophet and we had no idea. Glad they deemed it fit to mention her in a good two verses after everything was all handled by the men folk. So what made her a prophet? What did she do? Can you just call yourself a prophet and you suddenly are one? And why is she named as Aaron's sister when she must have been Moses' sister as well? And why was Miriam a prophet but not Aaron? Aaron was Moses' right hand man throughout this whole ordeal, and yet he's apparently not a prophet. So why was Miriam special? Was it because she was the sister who watched Moses on the Nile and brought him back to his mother? But how can we know that for sure when the sister wasn't even named. If she's an important prophet you'd think they would have named her during the Moses in the reeds story, so maybe that sister was a different sister entirely. And if she was prophet material, seriously, why do we only hear about her in those very last two verses. It's just weird to leave her out of the whole story and then suddenly plop her in, like we knew about her the whole time. Doesn't work, Bible.
Seems we've really stepped into the parts of the Bible that seriously lack women characters or even a mention of a woman. But, you know, it totally makes sense when women are so inferior to men that God doesn't count them as the first born. Ever. Even if they ARE the first born, God wants nothing to do with it. So yeah, when this is the case it makes sense that women are very absent and the prophet Miriam gets a two verse cameo.
Tomorrow: Exodus 16-21
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