And they fell on their faces (FOF)

When I was writing about God's last killing (His 21st, for those keeping score), I noticed that people were often falling on their faces (especially when they saw the glory of the Lord). So it got me thinking. This seems to be something that people in the Bible often do. But how often?

Well, I found 33 FOF events in the Bible. But my favorite is this one, from the Book of Ezekiel.

And I saw ... the appearance of his loins....
This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD.
And when I saw it, I fell upon my face.... Ezekiel 1:27-28

Well, if I saw God's loins, I'd probably fall on my face too.

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Here is a response to this post from The Pathway Machine.

What to do with the C Street Republicans (1 Corinthians 5:1-5)

It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles [Democrats]...
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ...
deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved... 1 Corinthians 5:1-5

It almost sounds like Paul was talking about the C Street Republicans [Sen. John Ensign (R-NV), Gov. Mark Sanford (R-SC), and former Rep. Chip Pickering (R-MS)]. (Of course he wasn't really. He was talking about a believer that had sex with his father's wife. But close enough.)

Still, the passage isn't entirely clear to me.

Let's say we try to apply Paul's instructions to the C Street adulterers. How would be go about it?

• How do we deliver them to Satan in the name of Jesus? I'm not even sure where Satan lives these days. And even if we can find him, how can we be sure that it's really him?

• After Satan gets them how will he destroy their flesh? Will he burn them to death like God often does? Or will he bury them alive or give them a disease that causes their bowels to fall out?

• And when Satan destroys their flesh, how will that cause their spirits to be saved? If Satan causes their spirits to be saved, does that mean that Satan is their savior?

It's a bit confusing to me. But I think it's worth a try.

14,700 killed for complaining about God's killings

In case you haven't been following along, here's what has happened so far in Numbers 16.

• Korah and his companions question Moses' leadership, saying "Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?" (vv. 1-3)
• Moses falls on his face. (v.4)
• The glory of the Lord appears to the congregation.(v.19)
• God tells Moses to get out of the way because he's going to kill everyone. (vv.20-21)
• Moses and Aaron fall on their faces. (v.22)
• Korah, his companions, and their families are buried alive. (vv.27-33)
• God burns to death 250 men for burning incense. (v.35)

So, as you might expect, the people who had witnessed all this were pretty freaked out by now.

But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the LORD. (v.41)

Then "the glory of the Lord" appeared and God tells Moses he's going to kill everyone (again).

Behold ... the glory of the LORD appeared.
...
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment. (v.42-45a)

I think you can guess by now what Moses and Aaron did next.

They fell upon their faces. (v.45b)

Then Moses told Aaron to burn some incense to try to stop God from killing everyone. But God's plague had already started.

And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun. (v.46)

But the incense burning worked, sort of, anyway. (Sometimes God will stop killing if you burn incense; sometimes he'll burn you to death instead. He works in mysterious ways.) But not before 14,700 had died in the plague.

Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah. (v.49)

So in this chapter, God threatened to kill everyone twice, but settled for killing 14,962 instead in three separate killing events (a dozen or so buried alive, 250 burned to death, and 14,700 killed in a plague).

But don't complain about it or he'll kill you, too.

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God's next killing: The massacre of the Aradites

Mr. Deity and the Book

They don't even like to talk about the bad things they said you did in that book. They're embarrassed by it, too.

Have you noticed how few responses there are lately from believers to the God's Killings posts? I wonder if that's because they're embarrassed by it, too.

(If a Christian blog or website would like to respond to the God's Killings posts, I'll link to them from Dwindling in Unbelief and the Skeptic's Annotated Bible.)

250 burned alive for burning incense

In his last killing, God showed whose side he's on by opening up the ground and burying alive the leaders that opposed Moses (along with their families). And it made quite an impression on everyone.

All Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them: for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also. Numbers 16.34

But they were safe, at least for the moment, because God had his mind on other victims.

Remember Moses' original plan for dealing with Korah's rebellion? He told him and his associates to burn incense before the Lord and let God choose who is holy.

This do; Take you censers, Korah, and all his company; And put fire therein, and put incense in them before the LORD to morrow: and it shall be that the man whom the LORD doth choose, he shall be holy. 16.6-7

But then God came up with the burying alive thing and the censer-swinging, prayer contest was put on hold.
In the meantime, 250 of Korah's followers did as Moses asked and burned some incense. So God burned them all alive to teach them a lesson or something. (If you do what he says he'll burn you to death?)

There came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense. 16.35

At least I don't have to guess the number of victims this time.

God's next killing: 14,700 killed for complaining about God's killings