This is a view of the city gate at Beersheba. It dates to about 8 BCE or during the time of Elija. It would be so great to be able to walk the paths the Bible writers walked.
I began my bibical journey in the middle of December. I've worked it out so that I read a few verses each week. I'm quite a bit ahead of my schedule though. I got through Genesis and on to Exodus and felt right at home with the old myths I had grown up with. Funny, as children we don't question a talking snake or a flood which we are told covered the whole earth. As adults we are a little less forgiving, and begin looking for logical explanations. Perhaps it was a metaphor for conscience, or the flood covered the known world. Be that as it may, I didn't begin to get bogged down until I reached Leviticus. Then I spent more time mulling over words and what they were intended to mean than I did on the reading. Sometimes I wonder if God became impatient with the practical jokers amidst the Children of Israel. For instance, In Leviticus 19:14: Do not put a curse on those who have no hearing, or put a cause of falling in the way of the blind, but keep the fear of your God before you: I am the Lord. Can you picture someone saying, "Look, here comes blind, old Abou. Quick, give me that branch to throw down in his path. This is going to be great." Then in Lev. 19:28: You may not make cuts in your flesh in respect for the dead, or have marks printed on your bodies: This sounds s like a mandate against piercings and tattoos. I'm guessing the Big Guy (BG from now on) wouldn't have approved of eyeshadow or lip gloss. I'm kind of glad He doesn't mention acrylic nails. Then there are times when BG seems to be way over the top. In Lev 20:9 :Every man cursing his father or his mother is certainly to be put to death. Now, really, who hasn't been cussed by their obnoxious teenager at one time or another? At the time, death probably seemed like a viable punishment. But in the cold light of day, we still love the little darlings and don't honestly wish them ill. I think the problem is that God created Adam and Eve as full formed adults. He never was spit up all over by an infant, nor had to change an especially ripe dirty diaper, or suffer the unbearable and inescapable angst of pubescence. No wonder He was so hard on them. He hadn't experienced the growing pains gradually beating Him into the dust. In fact BG sounds suspiciously like many of my unmarried friends who offer endless advice on marriage and children. I'm guessing God is single.
