OT – Numbers 19:1-20:29
Fascinating text today. Of course, I didn’t understand much but once I had read my Stone Chumash and then reread the text, I think I am beginning to see.
The Red cow, according to Rashi, is the mother cleaning up after her son, the Golden Calf. She is red because that is the color of sin, hyssop cleanses (it also is an antiseptic), the red thread is made from a worm representing the sin and repentance, the use of cedar as the wood shows the height of sin and the depth you must go to receive atonement. The cow was originally burnt outside of the camp while the Children of Israel were wandering and then outside the city of Jerusalem when the temple was built. As an aside, remember where Jesus was crucified and who claimed his body. Outside of the city and a very high ranking Jew(s). Think how incredibly unclean they would have been but were willing to take on that task for Jesus.
Although it doesn’t come out and say it, 38 years pass between chapters 19 and 20. We know this because ‘the whole assembly’ (the ones who were going to enter the Promised Land) arrived. Having spent 2 years up to the time of the Red Cow, 38 years will have passed and all the elders would have died.
Here is part of the Midrash that I could not find source of in our Biblical text. Miriam was the source of the water for the whole wandering of the Children of Israel. Here is a fascinating Midrashian text about her life and purpose. Thus, when she died, the water well that had followed the Children miraculously dried up, forcing Moses to ‘speak’ to the rock. Of course, he spoke really sharply i.e. he hit it twice thus causing his own demise.
At one of the interfaith dinners that I went to this winter, one of the rabbis was talking about WHY they have all the Midrash and the commentaries. He said the early rabbis used Midrash, the myths and legends, as sermon illustrations. The commentaries, he said, were another story. He said the rabbis would get together and argue for hours over one brief line of text. Sometimes, 1000 years would separate one arguer from another.
The commentary that I am using, the Stone Chumash, primarily follows Rashi, one of the wisest of the rabbis from the early 11th century CE. There are few others who appear in my commentary like Ramban, or Or Hisch. My rabbi friend from interfaith says that my Stone is like ‘commentary lite’. I don’t care. I have learned more and dug deeper into these words as a result of this commentary and I highly recommend one for you.
Just as a reminder, the people of Edom were Esau’s descendants. Guess who they did not want to pass through their land? Right, Jacob’s descendants. Even here, the ancient enmity as a result of bad parenting on the part of Isaac and Rebecca is still causing problems.

NT – Luke!!!!! 1:1-25
I love this YouTube of comedian Steve Harvey
“How would you introduce Jesus”.


Click here to take you to the main page of Bible in a Year if the YouTube does not appear in your email version.

Luke is the first of two, some say three volumes. The second volume is The Acts of the Apostles. Because Acts ends rather abruptly with Paul sailing off to Rome, it has been speculated that Luke intended to write a 3rd volume but it has either been lost or he died before he completed it.
Many people say that Luke was a physician and certainly, there are lots of details in Luke that are absent from Matthew and especially Mr. Spare, Mark. Whoever the author was, he was probably a Jew due to his extensive knowledge of Jewish history and law. However, who he is speaking to is probably a good mix of Gentiles and Jews. He is concerned with the Messiahship of Jesus, like Matthew, but not overly so with proving via the Prophets. He explains and examines Jewish customs in the way that Matthew simply assumed his readers knew and understood. The story telling and the parables that are elaborate and detailed point to an audience that was familiar with Greek stories, myths, and plays. And also with an audience that already had a rudimentary knowledge of Christianity but he wants to ‘know the certainty’.
Of all the gospels, Luke is my favorite. I love his treatment of women, I love the stories and I love the parables. I am looking forward to these days of study.

Peace and Grace to you all.