July 30, 2009, 7:22 am by dc-agape.

Exodus 28:31-43

Here is the last of the bling that the priest were to where each and every time they entered the Temple.  This post covers robe, the turban, the sash, and the undergarments.  It seems like a lot compared to my other posts but the only truly interesting one is the robe.

The robes were to full length and made from blue yarn.  YHWH is kind enough to explain that they will need holes for the head and arms, but requires them to be made of one piece so they cannot rip.  Can you imagine how many of these had to be made for each high priest during their lifetime?  We know to begin with that only Aaron need this specific robe, but one of his sons would inherit the title of high priest.  Would the robe that Aaron wore fit his son?  Would the robe fit Aaron his entire life?  Did Aaron have more than one of these robes?  I ask because blue dye is not as expensive as purple, but it is still one of the most expensive.  Indigo bushes are used to harvest this dye.  No other source, in nature, is available. Not only is the dye expensive but the workmanship of the hem is also exquisite.  Alternating pomegranates and gold bells were to surround the hem.  Can you imagine the sound of those bells as Aaron went from station to station?  And he had to where whenever he was in the Temple. 

The tunics and the turban were to be made of pure linen as were the undergarments.  Not nearly as impressive as Aaron’s garments but still linen is not the cheapest material.  The last bit of bling that Aaron was to have was the “pin” for the turban.  Across his forehead was to be a gold plate attached to the turban.  No size is defined but it was to be engraved with a seal that said “Holy to the Lord”.  So it must have been large enough to be visibly read by on-lookers.

This was to be a “lasting ordinance” for the descendents of Aaron.  So which of Aaron’s descendants is carrying out this ordinance today?  What, you mean that no one is doing today?  But it was to be a lasting ordinance, doesn’t that mean forever?  So it is true that YHWH changes!

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July 29, 2009, 10:51 am by dc-agape.

Exodus 28:15-30

Here is where the real priestly bling comes into play.  The Breastplate is made entirely of gold and the full body length robe is made blue the yarn.  Now the robe may not sound like much yet, but you’ll just have to wait until I describe it to see how gaudy it really is.  The turban and the sash are nothing truly exciting but then there is the undergarments as well. 

The Breastplate was made of pure gold and was 9×9in (22cmx22cm) in size.  This was hung from the Ephod by the gold chains and attached to the waistband with the same gold chains.  Now before I describe the Breastplate any further, I want to let you know just how much it weighed.  Let us say that it was only 1mm thick (0.039in), it would still have a gold volume of 48.4cm³.  Gold has a density of 19.3 g/cm³; as a result it would weigh 934g, for those of you in the US that is nearly 2.2lbs!  And it was most likely thicker than that because it needed to be able to be tied to the Ephod and have the 12 precious stone inlayed.  You got it, 12 precious stones were spaced within this Breastplate.  These stones represented the 12 tribes and were in order: a ruby, a topaz, a beryl, a turquoise, a sapphire, an emerald, a jacinth, an agate, an amethyst, a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper.  These were also place in the birth order of the sons of Jacob Israel.  To top that off each stone was to be engraved with the name of the tribe that it represented.  It’s a dang good thing that the Israelites robbed the Egyptians as they left!  YHWH is certainly not holding back the costs when designing his very first Temple.

Now there is one interesting little tidbit here.  This is the first time the Thummin and the Urim are discussed.  These were auger lots to be thrown like dice to see what YHWH said.  The Thummin were a yes answer and the Urim were a no answer.  There must have been more than one set, because we are told in the Study Notes that one or the other had to “dominate”.  Or if only two “dice” were used it would be a 2 out of 3 or a 4 out of 5 situation.  This is not a complex method of auguring, but this is exactly how Aaron was to communicate with YHWH.  How do like that YHWH communicated the same way as all the other “Gods” by random chance of the dice!  If that is not proof that YHWH does not exist, what more do you need?

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July 28, 2009, 8:05 am by dc-agape.

Exodus 28:1-14

I am breaking this chapter into parts because the Breastpiece is quite complex, which I will devote my next post to it.  In this post is a description of the priestly garments and the bling that they wore.  I really do mean “bling”.  As I describe the Ephod, the Breastpiece, the Robes, the Tunics, the turban, and the sash you will understand.  The cloth will be spun from gold, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn with fine linen. 

The Ephod would be made of gold and use the yarn and linen to hold the shoulder pieces together.  It was basically a shoulder piece with a waistband.  Not quite a shirt or tunic for its purpose was to display the bling.  The actual bling that was designed into the Ephod was two onyx stones large enough to hold six names engraved on each stone.  I would guess that they were on the same side of the stone so that all twelve tribes were visible.  These stones would be set in gold filigree.  One thing that should be noted about onyx is that it is not natural to the African continent!  So even though it is a semi-precious stone, in Ancient Mesopotamia it would have been very valuable.  The shoulder pieces would be tied together with the yarn and linen.  But the waist band would actually be linked to the shoulder by the Breastplate.

This is only half of the bling that the priests will where.  In my next post it will truly amaze you at how much bling they really did where.

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July 27, 2009, 7:48 am by dc-agape.

Exodus 27

This describes three of the parts to the worship of YHWH required by the Israelites for a “lasting ordinance for generations to come (Exodus 27:21)”.  This would mean that YHWH would have to change for this to change.  Since this has changed it means that YHWH also has changed.  As I continue to prove that YHWH has changed, when clearly he is supposed to never change, YHWH is a creation of man…not man a creation of YHWH!

The Alter of Burnt Offering has now changed from an un-worked stone pedestal to an acacia wood box overlaid with bronze.  Oddly this new alter is three cubits high (52.8in or 134.1cm) yet the entire tent is only 5 cubits high (88in or 223.5cm).  The reason for the bronze overlay is obvious; this is where a fire will be built to burn the flesh of an animal and create a “pleasing aroma” to YHWH.  I can almost guarantee that they never burnt the offering; burning flesh does not make a pleasing aroma to the people near it!  The fire was to be in the middle of the Alter 1.5 cubits (26.4in or 67cm) off the ground.  For a modern day equivalent: my couch is 26 in tall.  Since I am 5’8” (104.7cm) tall, even I would have to bend over to work on the surface.  In today’s world 36in is a much more common and comfortable height for cooking.  But what is even more odd is the overhead distance for the flaming alter: 5 cubits – 1.5 cubits = 3.5 cubits (61.6in or 156.4cm).  I wonder how many times they burnt down the tent due to this very short distance!  In fact, burning fat and breads on this alter would cause embers to spark and other flaming debris to float anywhere in the tent.  I would bet they quickly learned to have extra water available to put out the unwanted flames. 

The court yard would have two layers the inner curtain layer was described in chapter 26 (verses 1-6) – 280 cubits of purple cloth.  The curtain for the outer layer was described also in chapter 26 (verse 7-14) – 330 cubits of goat hair.  BTW, the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place are only described once the description of the frames are introduced (verse 15-37).  We also know from those verses that the inner curtain was 4 cubits high where as the outer curtain was 5 cubits high.  We know from this chapter that the supports for the entire tent was space every 5 cubits – modern building codes (here in the US) require supports every 16 inches.  I certainly hope this tent was never used during high winds!  Or I wonder if the Israelites found out that YHWH was an idiot and added extra supports to keep the tent from becoming a sail boat.

The last item described here is the oil that would be used to keep the lamps burning over night.  They did not have to burn during the day, but at twilight they were to be lit and put out in the morning.  I guess YHWH was afraid of the dark! 

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July 26, 2009, 10:15 am by dc-agape.

Exodus 26

This entire chapter is devoted to the Tabernacle or tent that the worship of YHWH occurred in.  Using the NIV study Bible’s notes this “tent” was 150ft (27.7m) long by 75ft wide (13.8m).  It was also 4 cubit high (the study Bible does not convert this) but that relates to 70 inches (1.1m).  To relate that to something in modern size, my apartment is 96 inches (14.8m) tall.  I am nearly 70 inches tall (actually 1.05m), so even I would feel cramped in this tent.  Again, we see that the Israel people were much shorter than modern humans. 

Two sets of “curtains” were to be made.  One of goat hair curtains was to act as the outside tent covering and a second one, made of expensive dark blue/violet yarn to cover just the Most Holy Place (where the Ark was).  BTW, this color yarn was the most expensive made in that era.  To produce even 1.5 grams of the dye required to make the inner curtain it required 12,000 shellfish from the genius Murex.  Now this is YHWH using his own creation to glorify himself!  You realize that the inner curtain was 410 ft (75.8m) long by 70in (1.1m) for an area of 265 sq yards (83.4m²).  ½ oz per pound of cloth is recommended to create a dyed cloth.  Using an average of 13 ends per inch and this would be 410×13 = 5330 strands of purple dyed yarn to make the inner tent with a length of 70 in each.  This would then be 373,000 linear inches of yarn.  Using the fact that every 560 yard is 1 pound this would be about 10,000 lbs of cloth.  This would be about 4.5 million grams of yarn that needed to be dyed.  The number of shellfish required to dye this much yarn would then be 54 billion shell fish.  YHWH is holding back no expense! 

The roof was made of sea cow hides and had to cover the entire area: 11,250 sq ft (372.6m²).  Can you guess how many sea cows had to be slaughtered to get that much hide?  Each sea cow could possible 9 ft long and have a circumference of 6 ft for a total are of less than 45 ft.  As a result, YHWH required the hides of at least 250 of these animals.  I won’t even bother with the goat hair yarn required to make the outer tent.  Suffice it to say that at least in this case the yarn could be gathered off a living animal by sheering. 

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July 25, 2009, 8:38 am by dc-agape.

Exodus 25:23-40

This is a continuation of the non-stone-worked artifact that would be in the Temple to YHWH that did not have stairs.  Directions for how to make both a table and a lamp stand are described.  The table’s dimensions are 35 inches (89.4cm) long x 17.6 inches (44.7cm) wide x 26.4 inches (67cm) tall.  To but that in perspective, the desk I am using to type this post is 30in (76cm) high and the countertops in my kitchen are 35in (90cm) high.  Even my nightstand by my bed is 2 inches (3.14cm) taller than this table.  Does this not tell us something about the height of these people?  It would seem to be they were on average 2-4 inches shorter than me, and I am only 5’8” (104.7cm) tall.  More interestingly the place settings on the table are made of pure gold.  These include: plates, dishes, pitchers, and bowls.  Can you imagine the amount of gold required to make these?  And they would need to make back-ups; one set would not be enough.  The wood for this table would be acacia layered in gold.  Its value would not be nearly as much as the Ark, but it would still be in the 4 figure range (US dollars).  This table would also have rings for the gold layered acacia wood poles used for carrying it.

Another interesting thing about this Table was its purpose.  Other than to be used to hold the place settings, the bread of the Presence was to be placed on it.  This is not the manna that did not rot for that was inside the Ark.  The bread of the Presence would have to be replaced as it would grow moldy.  Did they replace every day or every week?  It certainly reminds me of Christmas.  Children all over the world place something for Santa Claus the night before Christmas, and this seem to be the same concept.  Of course, children grow out of this stage, where as the Israelites repeated this ceremony every day for centuries.  I wonder how they got out of obeying this one.  Or did YHWH change his mind?

The Lamp Stand is more intricate.  It would have 6 branches with 3 cup-like flowers on each branch.  Here is the first math error in the Word of God.  Then there are to be 4 buds at the base of the branches.  How do you get four cup shaped buds to evenly distribute between six branches, when each bud is at the base of two branches?  YHWH may have created geometry and math, but he sure does stink at the actual calculations. 

YHWH’s math gets even more bizarre when he orders that seven lamps be made for the lamp stand that holds 6 lamps.  But he does not end there the wick cutters are to be made of pure gold.  Now either our idea of “pure” gold and YHWH idea are different or something is fishy about this commandment.  Pure gold does not hold an edge!  It is a soft malleable metal that would never be able to cut a wick.  So not only is YHWH’s math horrible, he certainly is not a chemist or geologist!  You would think that he would know what pure gold means.  YHWH ends this description of the lamp stand by directing that it be made of a full talent of pure gold.  A talent weighs is 66.1 lbs (30kg).  At the price of $940 US this would amount to 964 troy ounces worth nearly 1 million US dollars.  YHWH was certainly not sparing anything on his own worship.  And we still have to discuss the cost of the Tabernacle, the Alter, the Courtyard, the Oil, the Priestly Garments, the Ephod, the Breastpiece and a number of other odds and ends that YHWH required for the Israelites to worship him.  However did manage before rescuing the Israelites?

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July 25, 2009, 8:33 am by dc-agape.

Genesis Chapter 29:1-30

Jacob makes it to Paddan Aram, where Laban, his uncle, lives.  He meets some people tending sheep near a well and asks about his uncle.  For some reason he orders them to water the sheep and take them back to pasture.  Why he feels the need to tell other people how to manage their property is beyond me. 

All that conversation is completely forgotten as soon as Rachel, Jacob’s first cousin, arrives with her father’s sheep.  Jacob then has to show off to Rachel by moving the heavy stone that covers the well all by himself.  I wonder if this is a prophecy about the stone being rolled away from Jesus’ tomb.  The study note in the NIV claims that moving this stone on the well is an impressive feat for one man.  Especially for Jacob, remember he is the weaker son:

^{Gen 25:27} The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was a quiet man, staying among the tents.

He immediately kisses Rachel after impressing her, and tells how he is her first cousin.  Rachel runs to tell her father about Jacob, and Laban comes to meet Jacob.  He ends the meeting agreeing that Jacob is truly his own flesh and blood.

Within a month, Jacob is madly in love with Rachel, his uncle’s younger daughter.  Laban strikes a deal with Jacob that if Jacob works for Laban for seven years he can marry Rachel.  Laban agrees and the seven years passes quickly.

Jacob then asks for Rachel’s hand in marriage.  Laban throws a feast, but at the last minute switches Rachel with her older, uglier sister.  Somehow Jacob does not recognize this until after he has had sex with Leah, the older sister.  Either he is so horny he can’t even think, or it is so dark after the feast that he can’t see, maybe he is so drunk that he can’t remember.  Whatever the reason he is now married to his first cousin Leah, instead of Rachel! 

To say the least Jacob is not happy.  He immediately confronts Laban about the breach in his seven year contract.  Laban claims that it is custom for the oldest child to marry first.  He then promises to give Rachel to Jacob in one week, if Jacob works another 7 years.  So now Jacob has married two of his first cousins.  You would think that YHWH would know of the risks that sexual intercourse between first cousins include, and stop this from happening.

So in this section of chapter 29, we see YHWH excepting hubris, lust, and polygamy from his favored individual.  Since humans ate from the tree of knowledge, you would think that YHWH favored would avoid acts like showing off by moving massive stone covers.  But you would really think that they would avoid lusting after their cousins for seven years.  Polygamy, on the other hand, must be what YHWH expects marriage to be.  Abraham was a polygamist, and now so is Jacob.  So why are we a monogamist society if YHWH approves polygamy?  It would seem that we are breaking YHWH’s commandment to “multiply and prosper” by only marrying one spouse. 

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July 24, 2009, 10:47 am by dc-agape.

Exodus 25:1-22

The first two things that YHWH wants Moses to create for the worship of him are the Tabernacle and the Ark.  Now previously, YHWH had told Moses that the only alter acceptable was made from un-worked stone and had no steps (Exodus 20:24-26).  Yet now YHWH wants things made from: gold, silver, bronze, fine linen, colorful yarn, goat hair, ram skins, sea cows, acacia wood, olive oil, spices, onyx stones and other gems.  Now some of these items are not too difficult to get, but others are not what slaves would possess.  We have to assume that during the process of looting Egypt they got all the necessary items. 

Even with looting the entire Egyptian people the Ark alone is a grand item, made of very expensive parts.  The Ark is 44 inches (111 cm) long by 26.5 inches (67 cm) wide and tall.  And all of this is made out of acacia wood.  We are talking about nearly 5000 square inches (34 sq ft or 3.1 sq meters) of wood.  At $4.69/sq ft this would be a value, today, of $159.64.  but this does not include the dowels used to carry the Ark, which were also made of acacia wood.  Since we do not know the length or the diameter of these rods their value cannot be computed.  The catch come with the fact that both the inside and outside was to be covered in pure gold.  Notice this is not low caret gold even 16 ct gold is not acceptable.  Gold today is worth $940 US/oz.  The density of pure gold is 19.3 g/cm³.  It does take some conversions and using the fact that overlays are usually very thin: one oz can be spread 100 sq ft. We can say that jus to cover the ark they used one oz ($940 US).  But that was not all the poles, of unknown size, were also to be covered in gold.  To be generous, we can say that the initial one ounce was used here as well.  But here comes the kicker: the cover was to be made of pure gold.  Its dimensions were identical to the actual Ark, but unfortunately the thickness was not given! What we do know is that the cover would have to be strong enough to not sag and too support two cherubim.  The sizes of the cherubim are also not defined.  But even if we say that the cover was ¼ inches thick (.385 cm), the amount of gold required would be 2800 cm³.   First off, this would be 54,000 grams of gold: 1904.8 oz.  Now we are talking about a value of $1.8 million US.  Even without the workmanship costs this bugger was worth nearly 2 million dollars!  But what is more is the weight of the Ark.  Acacia wood (Acacia nilotica) density is over 0.9 g/cm³.  Again we can use the ¼ inch thickness: the volume of wood used in the Ark would be .775 m³ or 775,000 cm³.  The weight of the wood alone would be nearly 700 kg.  Adding the cover and the box together the Ark weighed about 720 kg (1,584 lbs.).  How would you like to lug this monster around from place to place!

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