*The five kings from the beginning of the chapter ran away and hid in a cave at Mekkedah. Joshua ordered the mouth of the cave to be blocked and guarded while the kings' armies were being chased down. The Israelites destroyed almost every member of the Kings' armies, except for a few. Seemingly, no Israelites were harmed, and the whole army returned to the camp by the cave where the Kings were being held. Joshua ordered the Kings to be brought out of the cave. The army commanders were told to put their feet on the Kings' necks, presumably to hold them down while Joshua personally killed them. Then the bodies were hung on trees till evening, when they were taken down and thrown back into the cave. The cave was then blocked up with rocks. As a bonus, they also conquered the nearby city of Mekkedah, totally destroyed its inhabitants, and did the same thing to its King that they did to the previously mentioned Kings.
*Next, they conquered Libnah and left no survivors. Then came the cities of Lachish and Eglon, plus the King and the army of Gezer, no survivors. Then they utterly destroyed Hebron and its King, which is odd because its King was one of the five Kings that had been held in the cave, unless it had a new King in the meantime. The same was done to Debir. So, according to this account, Joshua and the Israelite army decimated the whole region from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza and from Goshen to Gibeon, in one campaign, with no Israelite losses. All because Yahweh fought on their side. If Yahweh was so powerful, why couldn't he have done the dirty work himself? Funny how murdering is forbidden in the Ten Commandments, but when God authorizes it, it becomes okay.
* The Israelites returned to the camp at Gilgal.
Thursday, March 31, 2016
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Joshua chapter 10, part 1
After reading chapter 10:
*Now that Ai has been destroyed and Gibeon has a peace treaty with the Israelites, other kings in the area were worried. Gibeon was an important acquisition. Five Kings joined forces and decided to attack the Gibeonites. The Gibeonites sent word to Joshua and begged for help. Joshua marched his whole army to the area, with the blessing of Yahweh. He took the armies of the five kings by surprise and they were defeated. As they were running away from the pursuing Israelites, Yahweh threw hailstones at them, so that more were killed by hail than by the sword. The five kingdoms were Jerusalem, Hebron, Lachish, Jarmuth, and Eglon.
*Next is a very interesting passage. On the day of this battle Joshua commanded the sun and the moon to stand still and they did! The sun supposedly stopped in the middle of the sky, which would make it about noon, and delayed going down a full day, presumably 24 hours. This had never happened before and hasn't since. That must mean Yahweh was fighting for Israel, unless it's a fairy tale. Verse 13 says this passage is written in the "Book of Jashar," an apparently lost work of the ancient Israelites.
*We all know that the sun doesn't travel around the earth in the sky. The earth rotates on its axis while it travels around the sun, only giving an appearance of the sun moving. If the earth stopped spinning, to make the sun appear to stand still, we would be in big trouble. Nothing would survive the cataclysmic results. The authors of my study bible seem to realize this story of the sun standing still is impossible, so they have proposed several possible natural explanations for the wording, except the posibility that it never happened.
*After this Joshua and his army returned to camp.
Edited
*Now that Ai has been destroyed and Gibeon has a peace treaty with the Israelites, other kings in the area were worried. Gibeon was an important acquisition. Five Kings joined forces and decided to attack the Gibeonites. The Gibeonites sent word to Joshua and begged for help. Joshua marched his whole army to the area, with the blessing of Yahweh. He took the armies of the five kings by surprise and they were defeated. As they were running away from the pursuing Israelites, Yahweh threw hailstones at them, so that more were killed by hail than by the sword. The five kingdoms were Jerusalem, Hebron, Lachish, Jarmuth, and Eglon.
*Next is a very interesting passage. On the day of this battle Joshua commanded the sun and the moon to stand still and they did! The sun supposedly stopped in the middle of the sky, which would make it about noon, and delayed going down a full day, presumably 24 hours. This had never happened before and hasn't since. That must mean Yahweh was fighting for Israel, unless it's a fairy tale. Verse 13 says this passage is written in the "Book of Jashar," an apparently lost work of the ancient Israelites.
*We all know that the sun doesn't travel around the earth in the sky. The earth rotates on its axis while it travels around the sun, only giving an appearance of the sun moving. If the earth stopped spinning, to make the sun appear to stand still, we would be in big trouble. Nothing would survive the cataclysmic results. The authors of my study bible seem to realize this story of the sun standing still is impossible, so they have proposed several possible natural explanations for the wording, except the posibility that it never happened.
*After this Joshua and his army returned to camp.
Edited
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Joshua chapter 9
After reading chapter 9:
*Since the Israelites had defeated two local cities, the Kings in other cities near the Jordan were worried. They formed a coalition against the Israelites. Who can blame them? An exception was the people of Gibeon. Some Gibeonites went to Joshua pretending to be poor people from a distant country, saying they had heard of the Israelites and Yahweh's deeds, and they wanted to make a peace treaty. The men of Israel believed the Gibeonites and made a treaty with them, ratifying it with an oath. However, they forgot to consult Yahweh first. Three days later, the fact that the Gibeonites were really a nearby tribe was revealed.
*The Israelites were miffed, but they had given their oath in Yahweh's name which made it binding. The leaders decided they had to let them live, but nothing was stopping them from making the Gibeonites do menial labor. Joshua summoned the Gibeonites and told them they were now under a curse because of their deception. The Gibeonites believed it and grovelled. Their lives were spared, and "to this day" they are wood cutters and water carriers for the Israelites.
*Since the Israelites had defeated two local cities, the Kings in other cities near the Jordan were worried. They formed a coalition against the Israelites. Who can blame them? An exception was the people of Gibeon. Some Gibeonites went to Joshua pretending to be poor people from a distant country, saying they had heard of the Israelites and Yahweh's deeds, and they wanted to make a peace treaty. The men of Israel believed the Gibeonites and made a treaty with them, ratifying it with an oath. However, they forgot to consult Yahweh first. Three days later, the fact that the Gibeonites were really a nearby tribe was revealed.
*The Israelites were miffed, but they had given their oath in Yahweh's name which made it binding. The leaders decided they had to let them live, but nothing was stopping them from making the Gibeonites do menial labor. Joshua summoned the Gibeonites and told them they were now under a curse because of their deception. The Gibeonites believed it and grovelled. Their lives were spared, and "to this day" they are wood cutters and water carriers for the Israelites.
Saturday, March 26, 2016
What happened on Saturday?
Yesterday was Good Friday, when Jesus was supposedly crucified. Tomorrow is Resurrection Sunday, when Jesus supposedly rose from the dead. But what about Saturday? It was the only complete 24 hour day of the supposed 3 days Jesus spent in the grave. What was going on? Well, we aren't really told much of anything about that day in the scriptures.
If the disciples were obedient to the law of Moses, they were not doing anything that could be classified as work. They were spending their day in forced idleness. However, according to Matthew 27 the day after the crucifixion is when the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate and requested that the tomb be sealed and guarded. Were the chief priests and Pharisees breaking the Sabbath? Jesus had eaten the passover meal on the first day of the passover week with his disciples in Matthew 26.The day of the crucifixion was technically still the Passover, since days were measured from twilight to twilight. It also had been preparation day, as the day before the Sabbath, Saturday, was called. The sequence of holy days can get confusing as they sometimes overlap, but that is the only way to get Matthew's account to make any sense, if it is assumed to be correct. That first day of the Passover week should have been a non work day as well, according to Leviticus 23. The Pharisees and chief priests should have been holding sacred assembly, instead of trying to get Jesus crucified. It is all very confusing.
Mark has the same timeline as Matthew: 1. The day the Passover lamb is killed and disciples look for a place to eat the Passover. 2. Twilight Passover meal/ betrayal/crucifixion/burial/ day before sabbath 3. Sabbath. 4. Empty tomb Sunday. Mark says nothing at all about the sabbath sealing and guarding of the tomb.
Luke also has the same timeline. He also neglects to mention the sabbath sealing and guarding of the tomb. However, he makes sure to mention that the women who had been with Jesus spent the sabbath resting according to the commandment. Here Joseph of Aramathea wraps Jesus's body but the women prepared the spices.
John has a very different story. Before the Passover, there is a meal with the disciples where Jesus washes their feet. This is work and would not have been done on the first day of the Passover week. Then comes a lot of talk, the betrayal, arrest, the bringing before Pilate, and the crucifixion. In chapter 18 verse 28, it is made clear that the Passover meal has not happened yet, because it says the Jews were anxious to avoid ceremonial uncleanness so they could eat the Passover. Chapter 19 verse 20 says that was the day of preparation for the sabbath. The Passover apparently fell on the sabbath (Saturday) in this account. Here Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus wrap and prepare the body with spices ( no mention of the women) and place it in a tomb, because the sabbath was coming. But this act would have made them ceremonially unclean and unable to eat the Passover/sabbath meal. John says nothing about the sabbath day itself.
Needless to say, in spite of the fact that John's version appears to have a different timeline, christians have come up with many ways to reconcile the accounts, including copying errors, confusion with the number of days in the Passover week, what day of the week the Passover started on, etc. However, some scholars feel that John's timeline is a deliberate attempt to create the image of Jesus as the (Passover) lamb of god which takes away the sins of the world, as mention in John 1. The other gospels do not use that phraseology. Instead they have Jesus giving his body, and his disciples symbolically eating it, at the Passover meal aka Last Supper. John does not.
There are many extrabiblical teachings and traditions about that Saturday's events, not usually in protestant circles though. I never heard a word about it for the forty years I was a christian.
Thursday, March 24, 2016
Joshua chapter 8
After reading chapter 8:
*Now that the disobedient Achan is dead, Yahweh tells Joshua to take the whole army, approx. 600,000 men, (they only took 3,000 the last time) and destroy Ai. However, this time, Yahweh will generously let them take the plunder and livestock for themselves. What was different about this city that God let them break his prerranged rule of total destruction of life forms and saving the gold for the God?
*30,000 men were sent to hide behind the city to ambush it. Joshua and his men would attack from the front, then appear turn to tail and run, luring the fighting men away from the city in a chase. When that happens, the men in hiding are to rise up, take over the city, and then set it on fire. Things happened pretty much according to plan. The men of Ai were lured away from the city in pursuit of the Israelite army, supposedly leaving no fighting men left inside. At a signal from Joshua, the ambush began. The men of Ai saw they were trapped and the Israelite army turned back on them. There were no survivors of the Ai army except the king, who was brought to Joshua. Twelve thousand men and women of Ai were slaughtered that day. The plunder was taken, the city burned, and the king was hung on a tree then buried under a pile of rocks at the city gate.
*So, Ai was made a permanent heap of ruins, not because of anything they had done, but because they happened to be in the way of the Israelite's path to exclusive ownership of the land of Canaan.
*After that, Joshua built an altar to Yahweh on Mount Ebal as prescribed in the law of Moses. Then he carved the law of Moses on stones. The people stood half on Mount Ebal, half on Moubnt Gerizim and recited the blessings and curses as Moses had told them to do back in Deuteronomy 11. After that, Joshua read the entire book of the law of Moses to the assembled people.
*My study bible says there is a worrisome problem with this sequence of events. The Israelites would have had to conquer more people groups to be able to assemble peacefully between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerazim. The excuse made for this problem is that the narrator of the story wasn't being particularly chronological.
*Now that the disobedient Achan is dead, Yahweh tells Joshua to take the whole army, approx. 600,000 men, (they only took 3,000 the last time) and destroy Ai. However, this time, Yahweh will generously let them take the plunder and livestock for themselves. What was different about this city that God let them break his prerranged rule of total destruction of life forms and saving the gold for the God?
*30,000 men were sent to hide behind the city to ambush it. Joshua and his men would attack from the front, then appear turn to tail and run, luring the fighting men away from the city in a chase. When that happens, the men in hiding are to rise up, take over the city, and then set it on fire. Things happened pretty much according to plan. The men of Ai were lured away from the city in pursuit of the Israelite army, supposedly leaving no fighting men left inside. At a signal from Joshua, the ambush began. The men of Ai saw they were trapped and the Israelite army turned back on them. There were no survivors of the Ai army except the king, who was brought to Joshua. Twelve thousand men and women of Ai were slaughtered that day. The plunder was taken, the city burned, and the king was hung on a tree then buried under a pile of rocks at the city gate.
*So, Ai was made a permanent heap of ruins, not because of anything they had done, but because they happened to be in the way of the Israelite's path to exclusive ownership of the land of Canaan.
*After that, Joshua built an altar to Yahweh on Mount Ebal as prescribed in the law of Moses. Then he carved the law of Moses on stones. The people stood half on Mount Ebal, half on Moubnt Gerizim and recited the blessings and curses as Moses had told them to do back in Deuteronomy 11. After that, Joshua read the entire book of the law of Moses to the assembled people.
*My study bible says there is a worrisome problem with this sequence of events. The Israelites would have had to conquer more people groups to be able to assemble peacefully between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerazim. The excuse made for this problem is that the narrator of the story wasn't being particularly chronological.
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Joshua chapter 7
After reading chapter 7:
*Here we have an interesting and instructive side story, meant to show that when Yahweh says he wants all the valuable objects for himself, he means it. They are called "devoted things" because they were to be devoted to Yahweh's treasury, of which the priests were in charge. After the storming of Jericho, there was a pile of plunder, which contained gold, silver, and a beautiful Babylonian robe. One wonders what a robe was doing in the plunder, it wasn't made of valuable metals and Yahweh couldn't wear it. One also wonders how a travelling nomadic herdsman is up on Babylonian fashion. Apparently, Achan, from the tribe of Judah, coveted that robe, along with some gold and silver. So, he took them and hid them under the ground in his tent. This was a big no-no. In the last chapter the people had been told trouble and destruction would come to them if they took any of the devoted things for themselves.
*Meanwhile, another battle was at hand. Joshua sent some men to spy out the lay of the land at a place called Ai, which according to archaeological evidence, may not have even been occupied at the time. When the spies came back, they were supremely confident and said there was no need to send everyone, the place had very few men. So, only 3,000 men went to take Ai. Wonder of wonders, Ai fought back and thirty six Israelites were killed. The Israelites hearts "melted like water" after this event. Awww. Joshua and the elders of Israel were devastated. They tore their clothes, fell on the ground, and sprinkled dust on their heads. That was to prove how upset they were. Then Joshua complained to Yahweh and told him Yahweh's reputation among the Canaanites would suffer because of this and the Israelites would be wiped out.
*Yahweh told Joshua to stand up then informed him that there was a thief and a liar among the Israelites. That was why they lost the battle with Ai. Joshua was to tell the people that they would not be able to stand against their enemies unless they removed the devoted objects from the camp. The perpetrator and all his possessions were to be burned. The next morning each tribe was called forth and examined. Joshua managed to separate out Achan. Joshua called Achan "my son" and told him not to hide what he had done. Joshua knew what the punishment was going to be, Achan didn't. Achan confessed; the objects were found and spread out before the lord. Achan, his children, his livestock, and the loot, were taken to the valley of Achor. There, all the living beings that belonged to Achan were stoned and then burned. Afterward, a bunch of rocks was piled on the site, which "remains to this day." In reality no one is certain where the site would have been.
*Why did Yahweh require the children and livestock to be stoned and burned (tortured) for what one man had done? What happened to the valuable objects?
*Here we have an interesting and instructive side story, meant to show that when Yahweh says he wants all the valuable objects for himself, he means it. They are called "devoted things" because they were to be devoted to Yahweh's treasury, of which the priests were in charge. After the storming of Jericho, there was a pile of plunder, which contained gold, silver, and a beautiful Babylonian robe. One wonders what a robe was doing in the plunder, it wasn't made of valuable metals and Yahweh couldn't wear it. One also wonders how a travelling nomadic herdsman is up on Babylonian fashion. Apparently, Achan, from the tribe of Judah, coveted that robe, along with some gold and silver. So, he took them and hid them under the ground in his tent. This was a big no-no. In the last chapter the people had been told trouble and destruction would come to them if they took any of the devoted things for themselves.
*Meanwhile, another battle was at hand. Joshua sent some men to spy out the lay of the land at a place called Ai, which according to archaeological evidence, may not have even been occupied at the time. When the spies came back, they were supremely confident and said there was no need to send everyone, the place had very few men. So, only 3,000 men went to take Ai. Wonder of wonders, Ai fought back and thirty six Israelites were killed. The Israelites hearts "melted like water" after this event. Awww. Joshua and the elders of Israel were devastated. They tore their clothes, fell on the ground, and sprinkled dust on their heads. That was to prove how upset they were. Then Joshua complained to Yahweh and told him Yahweh's reputation among the Canaanites would suffer because of this and the Israelites would be wiped out.
*Yahweh told Joshua to stand up then informed him that there was a thief and a liar among the Israelites. That was why they lost the battle with Ai. Joshua was to tell the people that they would not be able to stand against their enemies unless they removed the devoted objects from the camp. The perpetrator and all his possessions were to be burned. The next morning each tribe was called forth and examined. Joshua managed to separate out Achan. Joshua called Achan "my son" and told him not to hide what he had done. Joshua knew what the punishment was going to be, Achan didn't. Achan confessed; the objects were found and spread out before the lord. Achan, his children, his livestock, and the loot, were taken to the valley of Achor. There, all the living beings that belonged to Achan were stoned and then burned. Afterward, a bunch of rocks was piled on the site, which "remains to this day." In reality no one is certain where the site would have been.
*Why did Yahweh require the children and livestock to be stoned and burned (tortured) for what one man had done? What happened to the valuable objects?
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Joshua chapter 6
After reading chapter 6:
*Jericho was tightly shut up, "No one went in, no one came out." Great story line. Yahweh told Joshua that the conquest of Jericho was a sure thing, with his help. Since we haven't done that yet, let's read about Jericho here. In spite of multiple periods of civilization, Jericho does not appear to have been inhabited at our supposed time of the Biblical story, about 1297 B.C.E. This presents a problem doesn't it? Keep in mind, there is also a history of earthquakes in the area.
*Now we have the famous tale: Yahweh told Joshua to tell the armed men of Israel (approx. 600,000) to march around the city once a day for six days, with seven priests blowing ram's horn trumpets in front of the ark of the covenant. On the seventh day, they were to march around the city seven times, while the priests blew the trumpets. Then the priests would blow one long blast and all the people were to shout as loud as they could. Consequently, the walls of Jericho would fall down and the armed forces could enter the city.
*The instructions of Joshua, uh, Yahweh, were followed, each day for six days. On the seventh day, they got up bright and early and marched around the city seven times. After the seventh time, the priests blew the trumpets and Joshua commanded the people to shout, reminding them that Rahab and her family were to be spared. Plus, the Israelites were not to touch any objects used in the worship of the city's gods, or they would bring about their own destruction. Besides, all the valuable objects made of metals belonged to the priests, I mean Yahweh. They must go into Yahweh's treasury. Though what he wants with them is anybody's guess.
*When the people shouted, the walls collapsed. The men charged in and destroyed every living thing: all the people, including women and children, and the animals. Joshua told the two spies from chapter 2 to get Rahab and her family to safety. They were put in a place outside the camp of the Israelites. The city was burned to the ground. The precious metal objects were saved for Yahweh. Rahab and her family live with the Israelites " to this day." Last of all, Joshua put a curse on the city of Jericho and any one who might try to rebuild it. (The study bible says the curse was fulfilled in the days of King AhabAhab, which probably means that this book was written after that.) Any way, the city of Jericho has continued to exist in many forms down through the ages, and still exists today.
For more interesting information, read: The Battle of Jericho. There we see that the historicity of the Jericho story is non- existant.
*Jericho was tightly shut up, "No one went in, no one came out." Great story line. Yahweh told Joshua that the conquest of Jericho was a sure thing, with his help. Since we haven't done that yet, let's read about Jericho here. In spite of multiple periods of civilization, Jericho does not appear to have been inhabited at our supposed time of the Biblical story, about 1297 B.C.E. This presents a problem doesn't it? Keep in mind, there is also a history of earthquakes in the area.
*Now we have the famous tale: Yahweh told Joshua to tell the armed men of Israel (approx. 600,000) to march around the city once a day for six days, with seven priests blowing ram's horn trumpets in front of the ark of the covenant. On the seventh day, they were to march around the city seven times, while the priests blew the trumpets. Then the priests would blow one long blast and all the people were to shout as loud as they could. Consequently, the walls of Jericho would fall down and the armed forces could enter the city.
*The instructions of Joshua, uh, Yahweh, were followed, each day for six days. On the seventh day, they got up bright and early and marched around the city seven times. After the seventh time, the priests blew the trumpets and Joshua commanded the people to shout, reminding them that Rahab and her family were to be spared. Plus, the Israelites were not to touch any objects used in the worship of the city's gods, or they would bring about their own destruction. Besides, all the valuable objects made of metals belonged to the priests, I mean Yahweh. They must go into Yahweh's treasury. Though what he wants with them is anybody's guess.
*When the people shouted, the walls collapsed. The men charged in and destroyed every living thing: all the people, including women and children, and the animals. Joshua told the two spies from chapter 2 to get Rahab and her family to safety. They were put in a place outside the camp of the Israelites. The city was burned to the ground. The precious metal objects were saved for Yahweh. Rahab and her family live with the Israelites " to this day." Last of all, Joshua put a curse on the city of Jericho and any one who might try to rebuild it. (The study bible says the curse was fulfilled in the days of King AhabAhab, which probably means that this book was written after that.) Any way, the city of Jericho has continued to exist in many forms down through the ages, and still exists today.
For more interesting information, read: The Battle of Jericho. There we see that the historicity of the Jericho story is non- existant.
Saturday, March 19, 2016
Joshua chapter 5
After reading chapter 5:
*After the Amorite and Canaanite kings heard about the crossing of the Jordan, they were afraid of the Israelites. At this time Yahweh ordered Joshua to circumcise all the men in the camp. Apparently, none of them had been circumcised during the forty years wandering in the desert. The author of Joshua has not forgotten that the fathers of the current Israelite soldiers, who apparently had been circumcised, were all dead. They had been the ones who were told they would not enter the promised land because of disobedience. So, Joshua circumcised about 600,000 men, more if the boys were included. With handmade flint knives, no less. This was done at Gibeath Haaraloth, which means "Hill of Foreskins." Yahweh said this event "rolled away" the reproach of Egypt, whatever that means. God doesn't like foreskins? The men remained in the camp until they had healed. I feel sorry for the women who had to endure that day. This would have been the perfect time for their enemies to attack them.
*A few days later, on the 14th day of the first month, the Israelites celebrated passover. Back in Exodus chapter 12 we see that circumcision was a requirement for all males eating the passover. I guess the Israelites did not celebrate Passover while wandering in the desert. The day after Passover, they ate unleavened bread and roasted grain, products of that land. From that time on, the manna ceased. I wonder where they got the unleavened bread and grain, enough to feed over a million people every day. It doesn't just appear on the ground. Grain has to be grown, harvested, threshed, stored, ground into flour, etc. It would have to have been purchased or stolen, by the women. The men were out of commission.
*Sometime after this, Joshua has an encounter with the commander of Yahweh's army, (God has an army?) near Jericho. He appeared in front of Joshua holding a sword, looking very much like man, because Joshua said,"friend or foe?" The Angel (?) said, " neither." Then he told Joshua to take off his sandals because he was standing on holy ground. We can't have shoes touching holy ground, can we? This, of course, is reminiscent of Moses's encounter with the burning bush. Notice that neither Joshua nor Moses had witnesses to these events, so we have to take their word for it. Or the word of the people telling the stories, who got their info who-knows-how-many-times removed from the supposed events.
*After the Amorite and Canaanite kings heard about the crossing of the Jordan, they were afraid of the Israelites. At this time Yahweh ordered Joshua to circumcise all the men in the camp. Apparently, none of them had been circumcised during the forty years wandering in the desert. The author of Joshua has not forgotten that the fathers of the current Israelite soldiers, who apparently had been circumcised, were all dead. They had been the ones who were told they would not enter the promised land because of disobedience. So, Joshua circumcised about 600,000 men, more if the boys were included. With handmade flint knives, no less. This was done at Gibeath Haaraloth, which means "Hill of Foreskins." Yahweh said this event "rolled away" the reproach of Egypt, whatever that means. God doesn't like foreskins? The men remained in the camp until they had healed. I feel sorry for the women who had to endure that day. This would have been the perfect time for their enemies to attack them.
*A few days later, on the 14th day of the first month, the Israelites celebrated passover. Back in Exodus chapter 12 we see that circumcision was a requirement for all males eating the passover. I guess the Israelites did not celebrate Passover while wandering in the desert. The day after Passover, they ate unleavened bread and roasted grain, products of that land. From that time on, the manna ceased. I wonder where they got the unleavened bread and grain, enough to feed over a million people every day. It doesn't just appear on the ground. Grain has to be grown, harvested, threshed, stored, ground into flour, etc. It would have to have been purchased or stolen, by the women. The men were out of commission.
*Sometime after this, Joshua has an encounter with the commander of Yahweh's army, (God has an army?) near Jericho. He appeared in front of Joshua holding a sword, looking very much like man, because Joshua said,"friend or foe?" The Angel (?) said, " neither." Then he told Joshua to take off his sandals because he was standing on holy ground. We can't have shoes touching holy ground, can we? This, of course, is reminiscent of Moses's encounter with the burning bush. Notice that neither Joshua nor Moses had witnesses to these events, so we have to take their word for it. Or the word of the people telling the stories, who got their info who-knows-how-many-times removed from the supposed events.
Friday, March 18, 2016
Joshua chapter 4
After reading chapter 4:
*The whole nation of Israel has finished crossing the Jordan and they are again told to pick twelve men, one from each tribe. This time they are told why. The men are commanded to go back to the middle of the river, where the priests are still standing with the ark, and each pick up a large stone. They are to bring the stones back to their camp. The stones are to be a memorial of the river crossing. Joshua took the stones and set them up. Supposedly, they were still there at the writing of this book, which would have been hundreds of years later.
*The priests stayed in the middle of the river till all the Israelites were out. Then they took the ark to the other side while everyone was watching. As an aside we are told that 40,000 armed men of the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half tribe of Mannasseh had also crossed. Plus, Yahweh exalted Joshua and he became just as revered to the Israelites as Moses had been. Do you remember that Moses had been downright hated at times? The author of Joshua doesn't seem to remember.
*Again, we are told that the priests came out of the river with the ark. There are so many redundancies in scriptures, many in odd places, that it is becoming easy to understand why many scholars think that they were composed by multiple authors and kind of smooshed together. Anyway, as soon as the priests set their feet on dry ground (Wait. We had been told that the river bed was dry ground while the priests had the ark there. ) the waters of the Jordan returned to their place, at flood stage as before. Except now, the floods should have raged out of control after being held up for long enough to let hundreds of thousands of people pass. Apparently this was a peaceful flood.
* On the tenth day of the first month (the day the passover lamb was to be selected, Exodus 12:3) the people went up from the Jordan. They had to go up because the Jordan is in a Rift Valley. They camped at Gilgal on the east side of Jericho. The Wikipedia article on Gilgal is very interesting. Essentially, it is not clear where this may have been. Again we are told Joshua set up the twelve stones, but now it appears they were set up at Gilgal. Again, the Israelites are told what the stones mean: Yahweh did to the Jordan what he did to the Red Sea. According to the Gilgal article, this story may be the author's attempt to explain a Neolithic stone circle.
*The whole nation of Israel has finished crossing the Jordan and they are again told to pick twelve men, one from each tribe. This time they are told why. The men are commanded to go back to the middle of the river, where the priests are still standing with the ark, and each pick up a large stone. They are to bring the stones back to their camp. The stones are to be a memorial of the river crossing. Joshua took the stones and set them up. Supposedly, they were still there at the writing of this book, which would have been hundreds of years later.
*The priests stayed in the middle of the river till all the Israelites were out. Then they took the ark to the other side while everyone was watching. As an aside we are told that 40,000 armed men of the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half tribe of Mannasseh had also crossed. Plus, Yahweh exalted Joshua and he became just as revered to the Israelites as Moses had been. Do you remember that Moses had been downright hated at times? The author of Joshua doesn't seem to remember.
*Again, we are told that the priests came out of the river with the ark. There are so many redundancies in scriptures, many in odd places, that it is becoming easy to understand why many scholars think that they were composed by multiple authors and kind of smooshed together. Anyway, as soon as the priests set their feet on dry ground (Wait. We had been told that the river bed was dry ground while the priests had the ark there. ) the waters of the Jordan returned to their place, at flood stage as before. Except now, the floods should have raged out of control after being held up for long enough to let hundreds of thousands of people pass. Apparently this was a peaceful flood.
* On the tenth day of the first month (the day the passover lamb was to be selected, Exodus 12:3) the people went up from the Jordan. They had to go up because the Jordan is in a Rift Valley. They camped at Gilgal on the east side of Jericho. The Wikipedia article on Gilgal is very interesting. Essentially, it is not clear where this may have been. Again we are told Joshua set up the twelve stones, but now it appears they were set up at Gilgal. Again, the Israelites are told what the stones mean: Yahweh did to the Jordan what he did to the Red Sea. According to the Gilgal article, this story may be the author's attempt to explain a Neolithic stone circle.
Thursday, March 17, 2016
Joshua chapter 3
After reading chapter 3:
*The morning after the spies reported to Joshua, the Israelites that were going to cross the Jordon moved to camp by the Jordan river. Remember, we are talking about at least a million people. After they had been camped for three days, Joshua walked among the people giving them instructions. When they saw the priests carrying the ark of the covenant they were to follow in a proscribed order, probably that given back in Numbers chapter 2. However, they were to stay 2,000 cubits back from the ark, which is about half a mile! Think about it. How easy is it to see people half a mile away? Can you see what they are carrying or doing, hear what they are saying? It would partly depend on the terrain and the vegetation, wouldn't it? You can read about the geography surrounding the Jordan River here and here. As far as I can determine, the Jordon River itself is currently a little over half a mile wide at its widest point and could have been up to a mile wide in antiquity. The river is in a depression in the Jordon Rift Valley.
*Joshua promises that Yahweh will do amazing things. Then he tells the priests to take the ark, go to the river and stand in the water. After that, he tells the Israelites they will know God is with them when they are able to drive the previous inhabitants out of the land. Then they are told to choose twelve men, one from each tribe, but we are not told why. As soon as the priests with the ark will set foot in the water, the flow will cease and the water will pile up in a heap.
*The priests and the people did what Joshua said. Supposedly, the river was at flood stage, but as soon as the priest's feet touched the water, it stopped flowing and piled up in a heap "a great distance away" near Zarethan, which was apparently about 30 miles away from the crossing near Jericho. All those people then crossed over on dry ground while the priests with the ark stood firmly in the middle of dry river bed. So how did the all the people cross and maintain the required half mile distance from the ark? How did the river bed dry so quickly? However they did it, we are told everyone got across safely. By that time the heap of flood waters near Zarethan must have reached incredible hieghts. I wonder if anyone in that vicinity noticed?
*Can you see the resemblance of this story to the crossing of the Red Sea back in Exodus 14? This time, however, they are not being chased, they are on the attack. The two crossings are like bookends to the time in the desert.
*The morning after the spies reported to Joshua, the Israelites that were going to cross the Jordon moved to camp by the Jordan river. Remember, we are talking about at least a million people. After they had been camped for three days, Joshua walked among the people giving them instructions. When they saw the priests carrying the ark of the covenant they were to follow in a proscribed order, probably that given back in Numbers chapter 2. However, they were to stay 2,000 cubits back from the ark, which is about half a mile! Think about it. How easy is it to see people half a mile away? Can you see what they are carrying or doing, hear what they are saying? It would partly depend on the terrain and the vegetation, wouldn't it? You can read about the geography surrounding the Jordan River here and here. As far as I can determine, the Jordon River itself is currently a little over half a mile wide at its widest point and could have been up to a mile wide in antiquity. The river is in a depression in the Jordon Rift Valley.
*Joshua promises that Yahweh will do amazing things. Then he tells the priests to take the ark, go to the river and stand in the water. After that, he tells the Israelites they will know God is with them when they are able to drive the previous inhabitants out of the land. Then they are told to choose twelve men, one from each tribe, but we are not told why. As soon as the priests with the ark will set foot in the water, the flow will cease and the water will pile up in a heap.
*The priests and the people did what Joshua said. Supposedly, the river was at flood stage, but as soon as the priest's feet touched the water, it stopped flowing and piled up in a heap "a great distance away" near Zarethan, which was apparently about 30 miles away from the crossing near Jericho. All those people then crossed over on dry ground while the priests with the ark stood firmly in the middle of dry river bed. So how did the all the people cross and maintain the required half mile distance from the ark? How did the river bed dry so quickly? However they did it, we are told everyone got across safely. By that time the heap of flood waters near Zarethan must have reached incredible hieghts. I wonder if anyone in that vicinity noticed?
*Can you see the resemblance of this story to the crossing of the Red Sea back in Exodus 14? This time, however, they are not being chased, they are on the attack. The two crossings are like bookends to the time in the desert.
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Joshua chapter 2
After reading chapter 2:
*Here we have the famous story of Rahab. Joshua secretly spent two spies to Jericho to look over the land, presumably in preparation to attack. The spies lodged in the house of a woman named Rahab, who was a prostitute or an innkeeper, depending on your source. Of course she could have been both. The king of Jericho found out about the spies and sent some men to Rahab's house to tell her to send them out. She lied and said they had left and she didn't know which way they went, but she had really hidden them on the roof under some stalks of flax. So the men went on a wild goose chase after the spies and got shut out of the city because it was after dusk, when the gates were shut.
*Before the spies went to sleep, Rahab went up to the roof to tell them that the people of Jericho had heard the stories about Yahweh, the Israelites, and their conquests. The people of Jericho were afraid. They believed that Yahweh was the almighty God over heaven and earth. Rahab asked the spies to swear to be kind to her and her family and spare them from death, because she was kind to them. The spies promised to spare their lives after the conquest of Jericho. This is in spite of the fact that back in Deuteronomy 20 the Israelites were told not to spare anything that had the breath of life when they conquered the land that they were going to live in.
*Rahab then let the spies go out her window on a red cord, because her house was part of the city wall. The spies were to hide for three days until their pursuers had come back without them. The men told Rahab that they would keep their promise if she and her family would stay in the house during the battle and if a red cord was hung in her window as a sign to the Israelites. She was also bound to secrecy. So, they left and she tied the red cord to the window. The men hid for three days, then went back to Joshua and told him everything that had happened.
*My study bible says the Scarlett cord was a symbolic equivalent to blood on the doorpost at passover. Death would not visit her house if it was there.
*Here we have the famous story of Rahab. Joshua secretly spent two spies to Jericho to look over the land, presumably in preparation to attack. The spies lodged in the house of a woman named Rahab, who was a prostitute or an innkeeper, depending on your source. Of course she could have been both. The king of Jericho found out about the spies and sent some men to Rahab's house to tell her to send them out. She lied and said they had left and she didn't know which way they went, but she had really hidden them on the roof under some stalks of flax. So the men went on a wild goose chase after the spies and got shut out of the city because it was after dusk, when the gates were shut.
*Before the spies went to sleep, Rahab went up to the roof to tell them that the people of Jericho had heard the stories about Yahweh, the Israelites, and their conquests. The people of Jericho were afraid. They believed that Yahweh was the almighty God over heaven and earth. Rahab asked the spies to swear to be kind to her and her family and spare them from death, because she was kind to them. The spies promised to spare their lives after the conquest of Jericho. This is in spite of the fact that back in Deuteronomy 20 the Israelites were told not to spare anything that had the breath of life when they conquered the land that they were going to live in.
*Rahab then let the spies go out her window on a red cord, because her house was part of the city wall. The spies were to hide for three days until their pursuers had come back without them. The men told Rahab that they would keep their promise if she and her family would stay in the house during the battle and if a red cord was hung in her window as a sign to the Israelites. She was also bound to secrecy. So, they left and she tied the red cord to the window. The men hid for three days, then went back to Joshua and told him everything that had happened.
*My study bible says the Scarlett cord was a symbolic equivalent to blood on the doorpost at passover. Death would not visit her house if it was there.
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Joshua chapter 1
After reading chapter 1:
*Moses has died. Now Yahweh talks to Joshua and no one else. He tells Joshua to get ready to cross the Jordan with the Israelites so that they can take over the promised land from the people who live there. Yahweh will be with them and no one will be able to stand against them. They are to be strong, courageous and obedient to "this book of the law." Is Joshua a book of the law? How can they be obedient to it before it is written, because it surely wasn't written until after all the events in it had already happened.
*Joshua tells the officers to tell the people to get ready to cross the Jordan in three days. The wives, children and livestock of the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half tribe of Mannasseh get to stay behind, because land on that side of the Jordon was given to them as their inheritance. The men of those tribes must go with the other Israelites and help them fight to tak possession of the land of Canaan. Then they can go back to their own land.
*The people agreed to do whatever Joshua commanded and declared that whoever disobeyed Joshua should be put to death.
*Moses has died. Now Yahweh talks to Joshua and no one else. He tells Joshua to get ready to cross the Jordan with the Israelites so that they can take over the promised land from the people who live there. Yahweh will be with them and no one will be able to stand against them. They are to be strong, courageous and obedient to "this book of the law." Is Joshua a book of the law? How can they be obedient to it before it is written, because it surely wasn't written until after all the events in it had already happened.
*Joshua tells the officers to tell the people to get ready to cross the Jordan in three days. The wives, children and livestock of the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half tribe of Mannasseh get to stay behind, because land on that side of the Jordon was given to them as their inheritance. The men of those tribes must go with the other Israelites and help them fight to tak possession of the land of Canaan. Then they can go back to their own land.
*The people agreed to do whatever Joshua commanded and declared that whoever disobeyed Joshua should be put to death.
Sunday, March 13, 2016
Introduction to Joshua
Please read the entire Wikipedia article on the book of Joshua. Notice that the author/s are unknown, even though it is traditionally attributed to Joshua himself. The date of writing is unknown and most likely occurred hundreds of years after the supposed events. The historical evidence for the events is slim to none.
The Wikipedia article on Joshua the man gives more information about the earliest historical evidences of the Israelites as a people group, which are dated to almost a hundred years after the beginning of the book of Joshua. This article also mentions the christian teaching, based on Hebrews 4:8-10 that Jesus led people to a better rest than Joshua. In fact, the names Jesus and Joshua are one and the same, interchangeable. The King James version actually translated the name word to Jesus instead of Joshua in the Hebrews passage. Other versions say Joshua. In reality it is the same name that is translated Jesus in much of the New Testament. This and other reasons has led many bible scholars throughout the ages to say that Joshua is a "type" of Jesus.
Read the article on typology for a full explanation of this doctrine as a theory of history and the way events in the Old Testament are related to those in the New Testament, especially where Jesus is concerned. Basically, types are supposedly a kind of God- created deliberate foreshadowing of future events by past events.
The Wikipedia article on Joshua the man gives more information about the earliest historical evidences of the Israelites as a people group, which are dated to almost a hundred years after the beginning of the book of Joshua. This article also mentions the christian teaching, based on Hebrews 4:8-10 that Jesus led people to a better rest than Joshua. In fact, the names Jesus and Joshua are one and the same, interchangeable. The King James version actually translated the name word to Jesus instead of Joshua in the Hebrews passage. Other versions say Joshua. In reality it is the same name that is translated Jesus in much of the New Testament. This and other reasons has led many bible scholars throughout the ages to say that Joshua is a "type" of Jesus.
Read the article on typology for a full explanation of this doctrine as a theory of history and the way events in the Old Testament are related to those in the New Testament, especially where Jesus is concerned. Basically, types are supposedly a kind of God- created deliberate foreshadowing of future events by past events.
Saturday, March 12, 2016
Deuteronomy wrap up
*Now that we are finished with Deuteronomy, we can see that it is very unlikely that the book was written by Moses, unless he wrote about himself in the third person, telling how wonderful he was. It seems to have been written by a person or persons, far in the future of Moses, who knew that the Israelites had prophets and that they were conquered and taken into captivity. This makes its authorship either during the captivity or after their return to the promised land. We are also not told that the book is the word of God.
*Deuteronomy is extremely redundant with very little new material. There is a repetion of many laws, traditions, and admonitions. There is a constant harping on the need for complete obedience, or else dire consequences would ensue. Most of the new material is an expansion on old themes and an addition of details to material found in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers.
*We find no references to Angels, demons, and Satan. There is no mention of a personal savior or messiah. Heaven is mentioned as the place Yahweh lives in the clouds. We find a hint of hell in one passage about sheol, but it is not said to be a place of eternal torture or a spiritual punishment. It is underground. All rewards and punishments appear to be earthly and physical.
*In this book, Yahweh is a jealous, angry, and strict God, expecting absolute obedience. He continues to communicate solely with Moses, often from the pillar of smoke over the tabernacle tent. He seems to forget that he killed off most of the original adult Israelites who left Egypt forty years ago during the exodus. His commandments and covenants with Israel are said to be eternal and everlasting, which could present a dilemma to christians.
*The book ends with the death of Moses and the institution of Joshua as the new leader. If we assume Bishop Ussher's date of creation at 4004 BCE, and do the math using the numbers gleaned from the Old Testament so far, and without adjustments based on New Testament input, it should now be around the year 1297 BCE. Just for the record, I realize this probably isn't going to work out later, but let's just go with it.
On to Joshua, which promises to be more interesting, and more bloody.
Edited.
*Deuteronomy is extremely redundant with very little new material. There is a repetion of many laws, traditions, and admonitions. There is a constant harping on the need for complete obedience, or else dire consequences would ensue. Most of the new material is an expansion on old themes and an addition of details to material found in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers.
*We find no references to Angels, demons, and Satan. There is no mention of a personal savior or messiah. Heaven is mentioned as the place Yahweh lives in the clouds. We find a hint of hell in one passage about sheol, but it is not said to be a place of eternal torture or a spiritual punishment. It is underground. All rewards and punishments appear to be earthly and physical.
*In this book, Yahweh is a jealous, angry, and strict God, expecting absolute obedience. He continues to communicate solely with Moses, often from the pillar of smoke over the tabernacle tent. He seems to forget that he killed off most of the original adult Israelites who left Egypt forty years ago during the exodus. His commandments and covenants with Israel are said to be eternal and everlasting, which could present a dilemma to christians.
*The book ends with the death of Moses and the institution of Joshua as the new leader. If we assume Bishop Ussher's date of creation at 4004 BCE, and do the math using the numbers gleaned from the Old Testament so far, and without adjustments based on New Testament input, it should now be around the year 1297 BCE. Just for the record, I realize this probably isn't going to work out later, but let's just go with it.
On to Joshua, which promises to be more interesting, and more bloody.
Edited.
Friday, March 11, 2016
Deuteronomy 34
After reading chapter 34:
*So, Moses climbs Mount Nebo and there Yahweh shows him all the promised land across the Jordan that he will never set foot on, all the way to the western sea (the Mediterranean). That's quite a distance. At 120 years old, Moses has bionic eyes.
*Moses then died and was buried in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but "to this day no one knows where his grave is." "To this day" means that at the time this was written Moses had been dead long enough for the Israelites to have forgotten where the grave was. This would also happen if there never was a Moses and consequently no grave to find. This passage does not say Moses's death actually took place on the mountain. It just says he died in Moab. However, his death occurring on the mountain itself is very strongly rooted in tradition. Tra-di-tionnnnn!
*We are told that Moses was strong and clear sighted when he died. Then why did he die? Clearly it was not of natural causes. So, was it suicide, foul play, or did God just snuff out his life? After his death, the Israelites mourned Moses for a month then Joshua became the new leader, because Moses had laid his hands on him and had given him the spirit of wisdom. Whoa, shades of the apostles: passing the gift of the spirit by the laying on of hands.
*Deuteronomy ends by saying that since Moses there never has been a prophet as great and powerful as he was. This means that the book of Deuteronomy was written long after Moses lived and died, even after there had been other prophets in Israel.
We are finally done with Deuteronomy!!!
*So, Moses climbs Mount Nebo and there Yahweh shows him all the promised land across the Jordan that he will never set foot on, all the way to the western sea (the Mediterranean). That's quite a distance. At 120 years old, Moses has bionic eyes.
*Moses then died and was buried in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but "to this day no one knows where his grave is." "To this day" means that at the time this was written Moses had been dead long enough for the Israelites to have forgotten where the grave was. This would also happen if there never was a Moses and consequently no grave to find. This passage does not say Moses's death actually took place on the mountain. It just says he died in Moab. However, his death occurring on the mountain itself is very strongly rooted in tradition. Tra-di-tionnnnn!
*We are told that Moses was strong and clear sighted when he died. Then why did he die? Clearly it was not of natural causes. So, was it suicide, foul play, or did God just snuff out his life? After his death, the Israelites mourned Moses for a month then Joshua became the new leader, because Moses had laid his hands on him and had given him the spirit of wisdom. Whoa, shades of the apostles: passing the gift of the spirit by the laying on of hands.
*Deuteronomy ends by saying that since Moses there never has been a prophet as great and powerful as he was. This means that the book of Deuteronomy was written long after Moses lived and died, even after there had been other prophets in Israel.
We are finally done with Deuteronomy!!!
Thursday, March 10, 2016
Deuteronomy 33
After reading chapter 33:
*This chapter is also written in poetic style. It is Moses's blessing on the Israelites, in contrast with the last chapter which could be classified as a cursing. He touches on the history of the Israelites and the exodus, and each of the Israelite tribes is blessed.
* There is a special commendation for the Levites, who care more for serving Yahweh and being safeguards of the covenant than they care for their own blood relatives. This seems to be an oblique reference to the events of Exodus 32:25-29 when the Levites coldbloodedly slaughtered 3,000 people indiscriminately, without regard to relationship. Verse 11 of today's chapter has a curse for those who rise up against the Levites. This is significant because the Levites already have tremendous power as the purveyors of knowledge about the laws and the covenant, the authorized users of the Urim and Thummim (tools for divining the will of Yahweh), the performers of ritual and sacrifice, the caretakers of the religious paraphernalia, and the final authority when it comes to religious "cleanness." Israel is a theocracy, and as in all theocracies, the priests are in control. Which means they are also the ones saying which texts are official scripture, probably that which was originally written by them.
*In marked contrast to the last chapter, the Israelites are told that God is their refuge and help. He will drive out their enemies and cause them to live in peace, comfort, and security. They will trample on the gods of their enemies and show them Yahweh is boss.
Edited.
*This chapter is also written in poetic style. It is Moses's blessing on the Israelites, in contrast with the last chapter which could be classified as a cursing. He touches on the history of the Israelites and the exodus, and each of the Israelite tribes is blessed.
* There is a special commendation for the Levites, who care more for serving Yahweh and being safeguards of the covenant than they care for their own blood relatives. This seems to be an oblique reference to the events of Exodus 32:25-29 when the Levites coldbloodedly slaughtered 3,000 people indiscriminately, without regard to relationship. Verse 11 of today's chapter has a curse for those who rise up against the Levites. This is significant because the Levites already have tremendous power as the purveyors of knowledge about the laws and the covenant, the authorized users of the Urim and Thummim (tools for divining the will of Yahweh), the performers of ritual and sacrifice, the caretakers of the religious paraphernalia, and the final authority when it comes to religious "cleanness." Israel is a theocracy, and as in all theocracies, the priests are in control. Which means they are also the ones saying which texts are official scripture, probably that which was originally written by them.
*In marked contrast to the last chapter, the Israelites are told that God is their refuge and help. He will drive out their enemies and cause them to live in peace, comfort, and security. They will trample on the gods of their enemies and show them Yahweh is boss.
Edited.
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Deuteronomy 32
After reading chapter 32:
*This chapter is the song that Moses supposedly taught the Israelites. It is written in poetic form and speaks as though said in the future. The main themes: Yahweh is great. Yahweh is good. He gave each Israelite tribe its inheritance and divided up the promised land for them. He took very good care of them but they abandoned him and made him jealous because of their worship of foreign gods. As a consequence, Yahweh rejected them. He was so angry that he sent calamities on them.
*In verse 22 we have a first hint of the doctrine of hell. "A fire has been kindled by my wrath, one that burns to the realm of death below." (NIV) The King James says "unto the lowest hell." Other versions say the depths of Sheol, which is the original Hebrew word in this passage. Still others translate it as the lowest pit or the netherworld.
*Verse 27 seems odd because Yahweh is speaking yet he says, "I would scatter them and blot out their memory, but I dreaded the taunt of the enemy, lest the adversary misunderstand and say, 'Our hand has triumphed; Yahweh has not done all this.'" In other words God would have completely annihilated the Israelites, but he didn't want others to get the credit for what was actually his punishment of the Israelites and say that he had no power. He goes on to say the enemies are obviously without discernment. They should have known it wouldn't have been so easy to conquer so many people if their God hadn't given them up. Yahweh is worried about his reputation.
*Verses 35 and 41 declare Yahweh's right to bloodthirsty vengeance against his enemies. Who are his enemies? Those nations that conquered his servants, the Israelites. (Wait a minute, I thought he was through with them because of their unfaithfulness and disobedience. Apparently not.) They are still his land and his people after all. Verse 39 declares,"See now that I myself am He! There is no God besides me. I put to death and I bring life, I have wounded and I will heal." This reminds me of what others have said about the human relationship to God: You are sinful, wicked, and horrible. You make God so angry that you deserve to die. But God loves you.
*On that very same day that Moses taught the Israelites his song, Yahweh told him to go up on Mount Nebo, across the Jordan from the promised land. There he was to die looking at the the land and knowing he would never enter it because he did not uphold Yahweh's holiness among the Israelites back in Numbers 20. God held a grudge for forty years.
Edited.
*This chapter is the song that Moses supposedly taught the Israelites. It is written in poetic form and speaks as though said in the future. The main themes: Yahweh is great. Yahweh is good. He gave each Israelite tribe its inheritance and divided up the promised land for them. He took very good care of them but they abandoned him and made him jealous because of their worship of foreign gods. As a consequence, Yahweh rejected them. He was so angry that he sent calamities on them.
*In verse 22 we have a first hint of the doctrine of hell. "A fire has been kindled by my wrath, one that burns to the realm of death below." (NIV) The King James says "unto the lowest hell." Other versions say the depths of Sheol, which is the original Hebrew word in this passage. Still others translate it as the lowest pit or the netherworld.
*Verse 27 seems odd because Yahweh is speaking yet he says, "I would scatter them and blot out their memory, but I dreaded the taunt of the enemy, lest the adversary misunderstand and say, 'Our hand has triumphed; Yahweh has not done all this.'" In other words God would have completely annihilated the Israelites, but he didn't want others to get the credit for what was actually his punishment of the Israelites and say that he had no power. He goes on to say the enemies are obviously without discernment. They should have known it wouldn't have been so easy to conquer so many people if their God hadn't given them up. Yahweh is worried about his reputation.
*Verses 35 and 41 declare Yahweh's right to bloodthirsty vengeance against his enemies. Who are his enemies? Those nations that conquered his servants, the Israelites. (Wait a minute, I thought he was through with them because of their unfaithfulness and disobedience. Apparently not.) They are still his land and his people after all. Verse 39 declares,"See now that I myself am He! There is no God besides me. I put to death and I bring life, I have wounded and I will heal." This reminds me of what others have said about the human relationship to God: You are sinful, wicked, and horrible. You make God so angry that you deserve to die. But God loves you.
*On that very same day that Moses taught the Israelites his song, Yahweh told him to go up on Mount Nebo, across the Jordan from the promised land. There he was to die looking at the the land and knowing he would never enter it because he did not uphold Yahweh's holiness among the Israelites back in Numbers 20. God held a grudge for forty years.
Edited.
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Deuteronomy 31
After reading chapter 31:
*Moses says that he is now 120 years old and Yahweh told him he would not cross the Jordan. Yahweh will cross over the Jordon along with Joshua. Wait a minute, why does Yahweh need to cross the Jordan? Isn't Yahweh an omnipresent god, ruling over the entire earth? Apparently Moses and the authors of Deuteronomy didn't know that. So, the Israelite's God would deliver the people and the land into the hands of the Israelites and it would be their inheritance. They are not to be afraid, yet.
*Moses wrote down the laws and gave them to the Levite priests,to be read at the end of every seven years, during the feast of tabernacles. Everyone, men, women, and children, must hear and learn the law and learn to fear Yahweh as long as they live in the promised land.
*Then Yahweh told Moses his death was imminent. So, Joshua was commissioned at the tabernacle to be the replacement leader. Yahweh appeared over the tent as the pillar of cloud and told Moses it wouldn't be long before the people broke the covenant. Then Yahweh would be angry and the consequences would be bad. (Why was he angry if he already knew this would happen? Of what benefit are emotions in an eternal deity? How does he feel anger without a brain, body, cortisol, and adrenaline?) Moses wrote a song about the coming events of their destruction and taught it to the Israelites. The song appears in the next chapter.
*Again, we are told Moses wrote down the law and gave it to the Levites. They were to put the book of the law beside the Ark of the covenant where it would be a witness against the Israelites because they are so rebellious and provoking. The elders and officials were to be assembled so Moses could tell them how they would deserve what they had coming to them when they broke the covenant. Heaven and earth would also be witnesses. After all two or more witnesses are required in a legal proceeding. Before the Israelites even got to the promised land they were heaped with the guilt of their descendants.
*Moses says that he is now 120 years old and Yahweh told him he would not cross the Jordan. Yahweh will cross over the Jordon along with Joshua. Wait a minute, why does Yahweh need to cross the Jordan? Isn't Yahweh an omnipresent god, ruling over the entire earth? Apparently Moses and the authors of Deuteronomy didn't know that. So, the Israelite's God would deliver the people and the land into the hands of the Israelites and it would be their inheritance. They are not to be afraid, yet.
*Moses wrote down the laws and gave them to the Levite priests,to be read at the end of every seven years, during the feast of tabernacles. Everyone, men, women, and children, must hear and learn the law and learn to fear Yahweh as long as they live in the promised land.
*Then Yahweh told Moses his death was imminent. So, Joshua was commissioned at the tabernacle to be the replacement leader. Yahweh appeared over the tent as the pillar of cloud and told Moses it wouldn't be long before the people broke the covenant. Then Yahweh would be angry and the consequences would be bad. (Why was he angry if he already knew this would happen? Of what benefit are emotions in an eternal deity? How does he feel anger without a brain, body, cortisol, and adrenaline?) Moses wrote a song about the coming events of their destruction and taught it to the Israelites. The song appears in the next chapter.
*Again, we are told Moses wrote down the law and gave it to the Levites. They were to put the book of the law beside the Ark of the covenant where it would be a witness against the Israelites because they are so rebellious and provoking. The elders and officials were to be assembled so Moses could tell them how they would deserve what they had coming to them when they broke the covenant. Heaven and earth would also be witnesses. After all two or more witnesses are required in a legal proceeding. Before the Israelites even got to the promised land they were heaped with the guilt of their descendants.
Saturday, March 5, 2016
Deuteronomy 30
After reading chapter 30:
*Verses 1-10 are supposedly prophetic. After all the blessings and cursings take place and the Israelites have been dispersed throughout the nations, they will have a change of heart and return to pure Yahweh worship. Then God will bring them back to the promised land and they will take possession of it again. (This prophecy will be very convenient as justification for future Israelite activities.) When they love God with all their hearts, he will deflect the curses onto their enemies, but only if they are obedient.
*In verses 11-20 the Israelites are basically told the laws are not rocket science. They are not out of the reach of mortals. They should have no trouble obeying. After all, the word is in their mouth and heart, whatever that means. Obedience is commanded for the umpteenth time. Blessings and cursings are emphasized again. The Israelites are encouraged to choose the blessings of obedience or life and prosperity, instead of the cursings of death and destruction.
*Verses 1-10 are supposedly prophetic. After all the blessings and cursings take place and the Israelites have been dispersed throughout the nations, they will have a change of heart and return to pure Yahweh worship. Then God will bring them back to the promised land and they will take possession of it again. (This prophecy will be very convenient as justification for future Israelite activities.) When they love God with all their hearts, he will deflect the curses onto their enemies, but only if they are obedient.
*In verses 11-20 the Israelites are basically told the laws are not rocket science. They are not out of the reach of mortals. They should have no trouble obeying. After all, the word is in their mouth and heart, whatever that means. Obedience is commanded for the umpteenth time. Blessings and cursings are emphasized again. The Israelites are encouraged to choose the blessings of obedience or life and prosperity, instead of the cursings of death and destruction.
Friday, March 4, 2016
Deuteronomy 29
After reading chapter 29:
* Moses calls all the Israelite people together on behalf of Yahweh to make a covenant with them in Moab. It is in addition to the one made in Horeb after they left Egypt. First he tells them that with their own eyes they saw the events of the exodus from Egypt, even though this was not true. All those who were adults when the Israelites left Egypt were now dead. (Numbers 14:26-35, 26:64-65)The Israelites had wandered in the desert for Forty years but their clothes and sandals miraculously did not wear out. Supposedly, they had also eaten no bread and had drunk no fermented drink during that whole time, even though the laws given in Exodus and Leviticus include bread and drink sacrifices. Next he tells how the Israelites conquered land on the east side of the Jordan and gave it to the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half tribe of Mannasseh, as their part in the Israelite "inheritance."
*Moses then tells the Israelites that all the people standing there that day, including the women, children, servants, and foreigners are entering into a covenant with Yahweh. (Apparently consent didn't matter.) This is an extension of the covenant Yahweh made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. There must not be a hint of the worship of other gods. Also, just because they recieve a blessing from being present at this covenant ceremony, they shouldn't assume that they can't be thoroughly cursed some day, if they insist on doing things their own way. And what a mighty cursing it will be. When people ask,"Why is Yahweh so angry?" The answer will be,"Because these people abandoned the covenant." Verse 28 is interesting: In furious anger and in great wrath Yahweh uprooted them from their land and thrust them into another land, as it is now. As it is now? The study bible says that is just what the people would say in the future, IF the curses actually happened. It just as easily could mean that the authors wrote the book of Deuteronomy while in exile, which would have been hundreds of years after the events recorded therein.
*Then comes a statement that secret things belong to Yahweh, but revealed things belong to the Israelites and their descendants forever. (Or until someone claims that a new covenant has come.)
* Moses calls all the Israelite people together on behalf of Yahweh to make a covenant with them in Moab. It is in addition to the one made in Horeb after they left Egypt. First he tells them that with their own eyes they saw the events of the exodus from Egypt, even though this was not true. All those who were adults when the Israelites left Egypt were now dead. (Numbers 14:26-35, 26:64-65)The Israelites had wandered in the desert for Forty years but their clothes and sandals miraculously did not wear out. Supposedly, they had also eaten no bread and had drunk no fermented drink during that whole time, even though the laws given in Exodus and Leviticus include bread and drink sacrifices. Next he tells how the Israelites conquered land on the east side of the Jordan and gave it to the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half tribe of Mannasseh, as their part in the Israelite "inheritance."
*Moses then tells the Israelites that all the people standing there that day, including the women, children, servants, and foreigners are entering into a covenant with Yahweh. (Apparently consent didn't matter.) This is an extension of the covenant Yahweh made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. There must not be a hint of the worship of other gods. Also, just because they recieve a blessing from being present at this covenant ceremony, they shouldn't assume that they can't be thoroughly cursed some day, if they insist on doing things their own way. And what a mighty cursing it will be. When people ask,"Why is Yahweh so angry?" The answer will be,"Because these people abandoned the covenant." Verse 28 is interesting: In furious anger and in great wrath Yahweh uprooted them from their land and thrust them into another land, as it is now. As it is now? The study bible says that is just what the people would say in the future, IF the curses actually happened. It just as easily could mean that the authors wrote the book of Deuteronomy while in exile, which would have been hundreds of years after the events recorded therein.
*Then comes a statement that secret things belong to Yahweh, but revealed things belong to the Israelites and their descendants forever. (Or until someone claims that a new covenant has come.)
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