From This Week’s Torah Portion:
“When YHWH your Elohim does cut off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, guard yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire about their mighty ones, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their mighty ones? And let me do so too. Do not do so to YHWH your Elohim, for every abomination which YHWH hates they have done to their mighty ones, for they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their mighty ones. All the words I am commanding you, guard to do it – do not add to it nor take away from it.”

Father make Your thoughts our thoughts and Your ways our ways. Teach us to Love what You love and the hate what You hate. Align the rhythm of our hearts to Yours, so we can walk with #joy in all Your Wonderfull ways. Guide us to the Waters of Your Salvation by Your Mighty Righthand and keep us in the Light of Your Word. May You protect us and sanctify us in Your Name.

Reminder: First Fruits Ministries Bible Study is coming up tonight, July 30, 2024 at 7:40 p.m. Guests are invited to join us in person at 60 Bailey Ave. in Manchester, NH, in the basement meeting room, or join online: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81206801000. This meeting will not be recorded.

In Biblical culture, one son inherits a double-portion, but all other legitimate sons inherit equally, even if they have different mothers.

Jephthah was unusual in that he was an illegitimate son, but adopted into his father's house with full rights. Hence the conflict between him and his half brothers in Judges 11.

When she came to him, she urged him to ask her father for a field. And she got off her donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Give me a blessing. Since you have given me the land of the Negeb, give me also springs of water.” And he gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.
Joshua 15:18-19

More extensive negotiations between Caleb and Othniel are hinted at in v18, but skipped over. It begins with Achsah urging her new husband to ask her father for land and ends with the land already having been given.

Clearly Caleb cared about his daughter very much. She asked for an additional blessing from her father so that she could take full advantage of what he had already given her, and he gave her twice as much as she asked.

And Caleb said, “Whoever strikes Kiriath-sepher and captures it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter as wife.” And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, captured it. And he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife.
Joshua 15:16-17 

All of Scripture assumes the right of a father to choose his daughter's husband, although choosing against her wishes would almost always be most unwise. It seems likely to me that Caleb, Achsah, and Othniel probably negotiated all of this privately before it was announced so that he would be positioned to take advantage of the offer before anyone else.

Tiling is hard… Glad this is done. It would be rough to do this all the time for a living.

I've done 2 hours of work and already feel exhausted. 🫠

Encamp outside the camp seven days. Whoever of you has killed any person and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves and your captives on the third day and on the seventh day.
Numbers 31:19

Taking a life in just war is tragic and spiritually defiling, but it is not sinful.