If you curse your parents, you must be put to death

Exodus 21:17 Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

Do you think this is a bit extreme?

Happy is the one who....

Psalms 137:8-9 O daughter of Babylon, who are to be destroyed,
Happy is the one who repays you as you have served us!
Happy is the one who takes and dashes
Your little ones against the rock!

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

Some of my favorite verses in the Bible are:

Happy are those who are gentle and humble.
Happy are those who are hungry and thirsty for justice.
Happy are those who are merciful.
Happy are those whose hearts are pure.
Happy are those who work for peace.

These verses are distinctively different than our reading for today.

Stone the rebellious son to death!

Deuteronomy 21:18-21 If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and who, when they have chastened him, will not heed them, then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city, to the gate of his city. And they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones; so you shall put away the evil from among you, and all Israel shall hear and fear.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

I wonder how many of us would be alive today if our parents obeyed this verse.

God instructs Abraham to sacrifice his son as a burnt offering

Genesis 22:1-3 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied.

Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."

Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

Countless sermons have been preached on this story demonstrating Abraham's "faith" in God. However, think about the reality of this story and its implications. I've read stories about parents killing their children because they claim God told them to do so. It would have been nice to say "God would NEVER say such a thing" but this story negates that.

God will cause you to eat the flesh of your sons and daughters

Leviticus 26:27-39 ” ‘If in spite of this you still do not listen to me but continue to be hostile toward me, then in my anger I will be hostile toward you, and I myself will punish you for your sins seven times over. You will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters. I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars and pile your dead bodies on the lifeless forms of your idols, and I will abhor you. I will turn your cities into ruins and lay waste your sanctuaries, and I will take no delight in the pleasing aroma of your offerings. I will lay waste the land, so that your enemies who live there will be appalled. I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out my sword and pursue you. Your land will be laid waste, and your cities will lie in ruins. Then the land will enjoy its sabbath years all the time that it lies desolate and you are in the country of your enemies; then the land will rest and enjoy its sabbaths. All the time that it lies desolate, the land will have the rest it did not have during the sabbaths you lived in it.

” ‘As for those of you who are left, I will make their hearts so fearful in the lands of their enemies that the sound of a windblown leaf will put them to flight. They will run as though fleeing from the sword, and they will fall, even though no one is pursuing them. They will stumble over one another as though fleeing from the sword, even though no one is pursuing them. So you will not be able to stand before your enemies. You will perish among the nations; the land of your enemies will devour you. Those of you who are left will waste away in the lands of their enemies because of their sins; also because of their fathers’ sins they will waste away.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

This is the third and final installment on Leviticus 26 where God lists out judgments for those who “fail to carry out all [his] commands.” (Here’s a list of some of God’s commands). “

Here are the previous installments:

1. 3/2 - God will bring sudden terror and diseases on you
   (7 judgments)
   
2. 3/4 - God will send wild animals to kill your children
   (9 judgments)

In other words, so far we have 16 judgments.

Let’s pick up with these verses:

1. You will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters.
2. God will destroy your high places
3. God will cut down your incense altars
4. God will pile your dead bodies on the lifeless forms of your idols
5. God will abhor you.
6. God will turn your cities into ruins and lay waste your sanctuaries
7. God will take no delight in the pleasing aroma of your offerings
8. God will lay waste the land, so that your enemies who live there will be appalled.
9. God will scatter you among the nations and will draw out my sword and pursue you.
10. Your land will be laid waste, and your cities will lie in ruins.

Then comes my favorite line: ” ‘As for those of you who are left…”

Here’s the final list:

1. God will make their hearts so fearful in the lands of their enemies that the sound of a windblown leaf will put them to flight.
2. They will run as though fleeing from the sword, and they will fall, even though no one is pursuing them.
3. They will stumble over one another as though fleeing from the sword, even though no one is pursuing them. So you will not be able to stand before your enemies.
4. You will perish among the nations
5. The land of your enemies will devour you.
6. Those of you who are left will waste away in the lands of their enemies because of their sins; also because of their fathers’ sins they will waste away.

In total there are 32 of these. I should mention that there are a few blessings for those who obey.

God will send wild animals to kill your children

Leviticus 26:18-26 ” ‘If after all this you will not listen to me, I will punish you for your sins seven times over. I will break down your stubborn pride and make the sky above you like iron and the ground beneath you like bronze. Your strength will be spent in vain, because your soil will not yield its crops, nor will the trees of the land yield their fruit.

” ‘If you remain hostile toward me and refuse to listen to me, I will multiply your afflictions seven times over, as your sins deserve. I will send wild animals against you, and they will rob you of your children, destroy your cattle and make you so few in number that your roads will be deserted.

” ‘If in spite of these things you do not accept my correction but continue to be hostile toward me, I myself will be hostile toward you and will afflict you for your sins seven times over. And I will bring the sword upon you to avenge the breaking of the covenant. When you withdraw into your cities, I will send a plague among you, and you will be given into enemy hands. When I cut off your supply of bread, ten women will be able to bake your bread in one oven, and they will dole out the bread by weight. You will eat, but you will not be satisfied.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

This reading is the second installment of a previous reading “God will bring sudden terror and diseases on you.”

God continues to list out judgments for not obeying his commands including:

1. Your soil will not yield its crop nor your trees yield its fruits
2. He will multiply affliction seven times over
3. God will send wild animals to kill your children, cattle, and to make you few in number
4. God himself will be hostile towards you and afflict you
5. God will bring the sword against you
6. God will send a plague against you
7. God will give you into your enemies hand
8. God will cut off your supply of bread
9. You will eat and not be satisfied.

more to come….

If you sell your daughter as a slave....

Exodus 21:7-11 And if a man sells his daughter to be a female slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do. If she does not please the master who has selected her for himself, he must let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, because he has broken faith with her. If he selects her for his son, he must grant her the rights of a daughter. If he marries another woman, he must not deprive the first one of her food, clothing and marital rights. If he does not provide her with these three things, she is to go free, without any payment of money.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

If you're this young lady, here's your fate:

1) You are sold by your father as a slave
2) If you do not please your master, you must be redeemed
3) You cannot be sold to foreigners
4) If you're selected to marry your master's son, you become a daughter
5) If your husband then marries another you cannot be deprived of your marital rights
6) However, if you are deprived of these, you must go free

Two opportunies for freedom. Not bad.

Child Abandonment?

Genesis 17:14 And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

Wouldn't this be the parent's issue for not having the child circumcised? Why is the child going to be abandoned and cut off from his family?

Youth mauled by bears for calling the prophet of God "baldhead"

2 Kings 2:23-24 Then [Elisha] went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up the road, some youths came from the city and mocked him, and said to him, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!” So he turned around and looked at them, and pronounced a curse on them in the name of the LORD. And two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

In case you thought that cursing others was wrong, please note that the prophet cursed the kids "in the name of the Lord" which resulted in the mauling by the bears. Interesting power to have and I would not be too keen on using it.