The book of Joshua sounds a bit like the story of “How the West Was Won.” There are epic battles between the Tribes of Israel and her enemies. Following the time of war, Joshua, the leader who succeeded Moses, apportioned regions of the country to each of the twelve tribes.  

     The thirteenth chapter of Numbers records one of the few stories in this Old Testament book. The tale is told that Moses sent twelve spies into the land God had promised Israel. Indeed, the land was as God had told them‒‒a land flowing with “milk and honey.” The spies even brought back with them samplings of grapes, pomegranates, and figs.

However, ten of the spies gave a less than hopeful report. This pack of ten told Moses that the people who occupied the land were too numerous and strong to be evicted by the small Israelite army. Amongst other things, the ten spies said, “We saw there the Nephilim…” (Numbers 13:33, CEB). The Nephilim were a folkloric group of giants (see Genesis 6:1-4).

     I admit that reading through the book of Leviticus is a bit like walking through a time that long since has passed. Many of the 613 laws identified appear to no longer apply for living in the twenty-first century. For example, the prohibition to eat a steak cooked any less than medium well seems a bit too circumspect (Leviticus 17:10), let alone that the person who defies this law is to be cut off from the rest of society. On the other hand, treating and loving an immigrant who lives within the borders of one’s land as a citizen is a matter that is quite pertinent to life today (Leviticus 19:34).