I am not sure I have a full understanding of chapter 35 and 36 of Numbers: explain both those chapters to me.  Thank you.

Sincerely,
Outnumbered

Dear Outnumbered,

Numbers 35 deals with the distribution of land to the Levites.  When Israel conquered the land of Canaan, the tribe of Levi (also known as the Levites) was not given large chunks of land like the other tribes.  Instead, they were given cities scattered throughout the other tribes.  Numbers 35 outlines exactly where those cities would be and how the land surrounding those cities was to be surveyed.  Numbers 35 also deals with the cities of refuge (Num 35:10-11).  Cities of refuge were places where someone could flee to for safety if they had accidently killed someone.

Numbers 36 addresses a separate issue concerning distribution of land – inheritance.  Typically, land was passed down through a family from father to son, but in some instances, if a man had only daughters, special exceptions needed to be made, so the land could remain in the family.  Numbers 36 outlines specifically how inheritances should be dealt with in such cases.

I don't get it... if Jesus was a Jew, why isn't Judaism the correct religion?  Did I miss something?

Sincerely,
Confused Christian

Dear Confused Christian,

Jesus was born a Jew (Matt 1:17), lived under the Jewish law (Lk 2:41-42), and even taught His fellow Jews to obey the Old Testament law (Matt 23:1-3).  Judaism was the right religion, until Jesus died on the cross and replaced Judaism with Christianity.  The Old Testament, the law the Jews followed, was a tutor to lead people to Christ, but after Jesus came, mankind was supposed to follow Him instead (Gal 3:24-25).  The Jewish law said that someday there would come a Messiah who would save them from their sins – Jesus was that Messiah (Jhn 1:45).  The Jewish law taught mankind that they needed a Savior, and that they should prepare for His coming.  Jesus came providing the grace and truth that wasn’t possible under Jewish law (Jhn 1:17).  Jesus’ death made a permanent sacrifice for sins that none of the Old Testament animal sacrifices ever could (Heb 10:1-4).

What kind of food is holy to eat?

Sincerely,
Looking For Lunch

Dear Looking For Lunch,

Under the New Covenant, all food is clean.  God sent Peter a vision of unclean beasts and told Peter to “kill and eat” (Acts 10:13).  Peter told God that he would never eat anything unclean (Acts 10:14), and God informed Peter that He had cleansed all meat (Acts 10:15).  Jesus also specifically said that all food is clean in the New Testament (Mk 7:19).

Later on, the apostle Paul reiterates this idea and says that all meat is clean unless it offends your conscience (Rom 14:20).  So, feel free to eat pork, rattlesnake (if you dare), and clams without fear of sin.

How old was Moses when he died?

Sincerely,
Age Limit

Dear Age Limit,

Moses was one hundred and twenty years old at his death (Deu 34:7).  You can read the entire account of his death and burial in Deuteronomy 34.

Why did God allow Noah to curse Canaan because Ham accidentally saw Noah naked?

Sincerely,
That Doesn’t Seem Fair

Dear That Doesn’t Seem Fair,

Noah cursed the descendants of Ham (specifically the descendants of Ham’s son, Canaan) after Ham treated his father in a very dishonorable way by joking about his father’s nakedness instead of preserving Noah’s dignity (Gen 9:22).  The problem wasn’t only that Ham saw his father naked, but he didn’t honor his father by treating him with respect.

Noah cursed Ham’s descendants for the same reason that parents will tell their children, “I hope you have children just like you!”  Ham’s sin had to do with the interaction between family and descendants.  Canaan would be a servant to his brethren because his father, Ham, was unwilling to show a servant’s heart to his family (Gen 9:25).  Since Ham didn’t care for his family’s reputation, his descendants would have a low reputation.  Since these things did come to pass, it shows that God agreed with Noah’s opinion.  Canaan’s children would be blessed to learn the lesson of service… a lesson Ham had never learned.