The meaning of burnt offerings

 Welcome to the Daily Bible Chapter. My name is James Leroy Wilson and I invite you to join me as I attempt to read the Bible with fresh eyes, as if I don't know anything about it, and without consulting experts on what it "really" means.. Let's see where this takes us! 

Deuteronomy 33

I'm reading Young's Literal Translation (YLT) and the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Moses blesses the original twelve tribes named after the sons of Jacob, including Joseph and Levi. By the time of Moses, however, Joseph's sons Ephraim and Manasseh become two of the tribes that will hold land. Levi is the "13th" tribe of priests that won't hold land but will keep the nation unified.

I suspect that the brothers represent signs of the Zodiac and the personality aspects metaphorically associated with the twelve different sun signs. But even if I'm correct about that, I don't know which brother represents which sign, or if the blessings of Moses give hints.

I would like to discuss the reference to "burnt offerings" (verse 10). The idea of "burnt offerings" goes back to the story of Cain and Abel back in Genesis. And what are the most valuable animals to be sacrificed under the law of Moses?

Cattle, sheep, and goats. And something occurred to me in the last few days. In the Zodiac, cattle are associated with Taurus, sheep with Aries, and goats with Capricorn. When thoroughly domesticated, these animals are addicted to stability. When wild, however, the bull is uncontrollable, the ram is combative (associated with war) and the goat can wander off anywhere, even to mountaintops..

I suspect that the burnt offerings of these animals are a metaphorical call on each of us to both cure our addiction to stability (where we'll eventually get slaughtered), yet also to tame our wild instincts. We must let go of our animal nature and live from the perspective of our highest self, who is the LORD God.

James Leroy Wilson writes Daily Miracles, The Daily Bible Chapter, JL Cells, and The MVP Chase. Thanks for your subscriptions and support!

(Photo credit: TyshkunVictor)