From Judah, Nahshon son of Amminadab. – Number 1:7

Today's Scripture Reading (January 11, 2025): Numbers 1

Sometimes, if we don't know much about a person, even one who is of cultural importance, but if the person is important enough, we tend to begin to make up stories about them. So, George Washington couldn't tell a lie; at least, that is the story we communicate about him. So, one day, the young boy chopped down a cherry tree. It was an action that angered his father so much that he demanded to know who did it. According to tradition, little Georgie responded to his father's demand; "I cannot tell a lie; I chopped down the tree." Is it true? Probably not; it is just a story. The reality is that we know very little about the pre-revolution George Washington. However, after his death on December 14, 1799, there was a great appetite for the stories of young George. And people did their best to fill the void, even if they had to make stuff up. But little George had grown up to be a very honest person, and the story highlights his honesty.

We know very little about Nahshon, the son of Amminadab. Yet, he seems like a very important leader in Israel and a tribal leader of Judah. And so, we have tales of him, some logical extensions of his life, and other more fanciful stories. One of the more imaginative tales argues that Nahshon began the Hebrew people's passage through the Red Sea. According to the story, the parting of the Red Sea was not as immediate as it might have seemed in the movies. As a result of a temporary delay after Moses commanded the water to part, Nahshon rushed into the cold waters in his premature attempt to cross the Red Sea. According to the tale, he was nose-deep in the waters of the Sea before the Sea finally parted. But Nahshon was a man of faith, so he kept on walking, knowing that, at some point, the water would part.

More likely assumptions include that Nahshon was a very noble man; we know that he was the Judean Leader, but some also think that maybe his sister, Elisheba, was the wife of Aaron, Moses's elder brother.

Nahshon also represented the half-way mark between Judah, the son of Jacob, and King David. Nahshon was considered a model prince and even called a King by those who served under him. 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Numbers 2