We are now at the beginning of Hebrews chapter four. Of course the original writings had no chapters and verses, so the text continues on about the subject of "god's rest." The author claims that the original promise of entering god's rest, to the Jews who didn't disobey, still stands. He conveniently passes over the general knowledge that the original promise was not speaking of some spiritual paradise. Could it be because, at the time the book was written, the majority of Jews were displaced from Canaan and needed to reinvent a definition of god's rest, so that it could still be true?
The message of god's rest (for the faithful Jews) is practically defined as the gospel message in verse 4:2! Those Old Testament Jews from Egypt didn't get anything out of the message because they didn't have faith! The people the author is writing to believe the message, so they will get to enter god's rest. All this has been prearranged since the creation. Didn't it say in Genesis that god rested on the seventh day? Some people get to enter god's rest, but not those disobedient people of old. That's why god spoke through David and told the people not to harden their hearts if they heard his voice. I don't know. Is it a good idea to listen to disembodied voices? How would you know if they were telling the truth?
The author of Hebrews goes on to say Joshua didn't give them rest , because god spoke about "the rest" again later, presumably in the Psalm previously referred to in chapter three. However, Joshua 21:40 says, The lord gave them (the Israelites) "rest" on every side, just as he had sworn to their forefathers. we go to Joshua 22:4, we see that three tribes got the "rest" god promised. Further on, in Joshua 23:1, we see the Israelites given "rest" from their enemies. What was the originally promised rest? Rest from enemies! See Deuteronomy 12:8-9, 25:19. However, in 4:10, the author of Hebrews equates it with rest from life's labor, just as god rested after working on creation.
The readers of Hebrews are told to make every effort to enter the rest through obedience. Obedience to who or what? Well, the next sentence says "the word of god is living and active. Sharper than any two edged sword... It judges thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Is this "word of god" the scriptures of the Old Testament? Or is it what the believers "hear" god saying to them?
In verse 14, we are back to reading about Jesus as a great high priest who has been through the heavens. It is spelled out here: Jesus is the son of god. Not only that, he can sympathize with our weaknesses because he was tempted in every way we are, but without sin. That means we can approach his throne and receive mercy. This is an allusion to literal lawbreakers having to stand before a king and receive his judgement, as was common in those days.
We now move into Hebrews chapter five. There we read about how high priests are selected and appointed to represent the people (Jews) in matters related to god. They offer sacrifices for sins and deal "gently" with the ignorant an those going astray. I bet. The priest isn't perfect, that's why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins as well as those of the people (Jews). High priests are called by god, just like Aaron was, they don't take the honor upon themselves. Hah! Isn't that just what they do, since there are no gods actually calling people?
Jesus also didn't take the high priesthood on himself. Didn't god say to him, "You are my son, today I have become your father." Well, technically, it was written by author of Psalm 2:7, who was writing about god installing him as king. There is no reason to believe a god ever said it, or that Jesus was the one said god was speaking to. Also, how does being told you are god's son make you the great high priest? The author of Hebrews has that covered. In another place (Psalm 110:4), god said, "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek." That Psalm is labelled as a Psalm of David and reads like a promise from a god to a warrior king. What does it have to do with Jesus? Nothing, as far as I can see, except whatever the author of Hebrews finds in his imagination. A pinch of one Psalm and a dash of another makes a high priest named Jesus.
Showing posts with label Joshua. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Joshua. Show all posts
Friday, April 19, 2019
Tuesday, October 16, 2018
Heaven
I've already covered the topic of hell, so I thought we would do a survey of heaven in the bible. According to Bible Gateway, there are 622 times heaven/ heavens is used in the NIV, 691 in the KJV. It's important to note that it is probable that most of the instances are referring to the area above the earth, the atmosphere, or space. Sometimes that is indistinguishable from the residence of Yahweh.
Strong's concordance shows that through most of the old testament one single Hebrew word is translated into the English word heaven, most of the time. It is the word Shameh, which is defined as pertaining to the sky or the invisible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher "ether" where the celestial bodies (planets) revolve.
This same heaven is the one created by god in Genesis, the one that contains the stars. This is the same heaven that let loose the flood waters that carried the ark. This same heaven is the one that rained fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah. This is the same heaven from which god spoke to Abraham. This is the same heaven to which Jacob's dream ladder reached. This is the same heaven that holds the stars and the dew. It's all the same word. There is no differentiation between the sky/upper atmosphere and the realm of god in the whole book of Genesis.
In Exodus, god talks to Moses from heaven. He sends manna to the Israelites from heaven. In Deuteronomy, god lives in heaven (the sky) and on earth. He speaks from heaven. Smoke and fire goes up to heaven. Rain comes down from heaven, etc. It's all one and the same heaven.
In Joshua, the lord threw stones down from heaven and the sun stood still in heaven. In Samuel, the lord thunders from the same heaven.
More to come.
Strong's concordance shows that through most of the old testament one single Hebrew word is translated into the English word heaven, most of the time. It is the word Shameh, which is defined as pertaining to the sky or the invisible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher "ether" where the celestial bodies (planets) revolve.
This same heaven is the one created by god in Genesis, the one that contains the stars. This is the same heaven that let loose the flood waters that carried the ark. This same heaven is the one that rained fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah. This is the same heaven from which god spoke to Abraham. This is the same heaven to which Jacob's dream ladder reached. This is the same heaven that holds the stars and the dew. It's all the same word. There is no differentiation between the sky/upper atmosphere and the realm of god in the whole book of Genesis.
In Exodus, god talks to Moses from heaven. He sends manna to the Israelites from heaven. In Deuteronomy, god lives in heaven (the sky) and on earth. He speaks from heaven. Smoke and fire goes up to heaven. Rain comes down from heaven, etc. It's all one and the same heaven.
In Joshua, the lord threw stones down from heaven and the sun stood still in heaven. In Samuel, the lord thunders from the same heaven.
More to come.
Thursday, June 8, 2017
Jonah wrap up
After reading the book of Jonah, we see that there is no way to know who was the author of the book, where the information came from, exactly when it was originally written, and exactly when the events were supposed to have taken place. The king of Nineveh is not named. The book does not claim to be the words of a god. There are no angels or demons. There is no mention of a messiah.* There is no mention of a resurrection, or eternal life. There is no hell, but there is a mention of Sheol in 2:2, translated as "grave."
If the book was written before the destruction of Nineveh in 612BCE, what was the intended message? Perhaps the author was a proponent of tolerance and/or trying to show Yahweh to be equally concerned for all people. Perhaps he was trying to convince the Israelites it wasn't too late to to repent, in a round about way.
If the book was written after the destruction of Nineveh, one can't help but wonder if it was satire. Perhaps it was showing the opposite, that Yahweh didn't actually care if a nation repented, he would destroy them if he wanted to. Or perhaps the author was showing that salvation from God's wrath is not necessarily permanent. Of course this is speculation.
Also, we need to remember that a revelation to one person is not a revelation to all. We didn't hear the voice Jonah heard. No one else in the story did either. There is an argument to be made that people who hear disembodied voices are not likely to be mentally stable. People who believe people who hear disembodied voices are probably gullible.
*In many Christian circles, Jonah is assumed to be a "type" of christ. There is nothing in the book of Jonah itself, when read as a stand alone story, to indicate that Jonah is supposed to prefigure or predict Jesus, or a messiah. To christian minds focussed on the relationship of the New Testament to the Old Testament, Moses, Joshua, and David, have all been types "prefiguring" Jesus. What they don't seem to realize is the more likely occurrance that the story of Jesus was written in such a way as to deliberately refer to these Heroes of the Old Testament.
Another way Jonah is a type of christ.
More typology of Jonah.
If the book was written before the destruction of Nineveh in 612BCE, what was the intended message? Perhaps the author was a proponent of tolerance and/or trying to show Yahweh to be equally concerned for all people. Perhaps he was trying to convince the Israelites it wasn't too late to to repent, in a round about way.
If the book was written after the destruction of Nineveh, one can't help but wonder if it was satire. Perhaps it was showing the opposite, that Yahweh didn't actually care if a nation repented, he would destroy them if he wanted to. Or perhaps the author was showing that salvation from God's wrath is not necessarily permanent. Of course this is speculation.
Also, we need to remember that a revelation to one person is not a revelation to all. We didn't hear the voice Jonah heard. No one else in the story did either. There is an argument to be made that people who hear disembodied voices are not likely to be mentally stable. People who believe people who hear disembodied voices are probably gullible.
*In many Christian circles, Jonah is assumed to be a "type" of christ. There is nothing in the book of Jonah itself, when read as a stand alone story, to indicate that Jonah is supposed to prefigure or predict Jesus, or a messiah. To christian minds focussed on the relationship of the New Testament to the Old Testament, Moses, Joshua, and David, have all been types "prefiguring" Jesus. What they don't seem to realize is the more likely occurrance that the story of Jesus was written in such a way as to deliberately refer to these Heroes of the Old Testament.
Another way Jonah is a type of christ.
More typology of Jonah.
Friday, May 6, 2016
Judges chapter 4
After reading chapter 4:
*The Israelites began to do Evil in the eyes of Yahweh again. Let's talk about this "evil." It's probably not what we would consider evil acts, like murder and stealing. They were probably just living ordinary every day Iron Age lives. More likely, they were just not following the many dozens of tedious rules and regulations laid down by Moses in the previous books, plus they were performing acts of worship to other less demanding gods. Also, they were showing signs of getting along with their neighbors by letting their children marry each other. However, throughout ancient history, trouble was usually attributed to the anger of a god or gods. In fact, that still happens today. So, when trouble happened, people would be more likely to look for ways to alleviate it, including trying to please a particular god by tightening up on their religious rituals and increasing blame to those who didn't comply.
*Yahweh again "sold" Israel into subjection, this time to Jabin, a king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. Funny thing, in Joshua 11, Jabin the king of Hazor was killed and Hazor was completely decimated. All its people were slaughtered and the city burnt down, which seems to agree with the archaeological record. My study bible has various speculative reasons for the anomaly, including saying it was probably a new Jabin and new Hazor. Wikipedia says some scholars believe these are two versions of the same destruction, one in Joshua, one in Judges. Now, however, we read that a king Jabin of Hazor has an army with 900 iron chariots! Remember, Yahweh had trouble defeating iron chariots. The text states that Jabin had oppressed the Israelites for twenty years and they cried out to Yahweh.
*Deborah, a prophetess, was leading Israel at this time. She told a man named Barak that Yahweh was commanding him to take an army of 10,000 to go fight Jabin's army, chariots and all. Yahweh would lure them to the Kishon River and deliver them into Barak's hands. Barak refused to go unless Deborah went too. Many people have said Barak was a coward to need a woman to go with him to fight. I say this is a smart man, testing Deborah to see if she really believes Yahweh will do what she says he will. After all, he didn't personally hear Yahweh. Deborah agrees to go, but says the honor of the battle's victory will go to a woman, as though that is a disgrace.
*Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, heard about Barak's army and gathered the 900 chariots and his men. Deborah gave the word and Barak's army descended from Mount Tabor and routed Sisera's army by the sword. I'm guessing chariots have trouble on hillsides. Every one in Sisera's army was slaughtered except Sisera, who ran away and hid in the tent of a Kenite woman named Jael. The Kenites, descendants of Moses's brother-in-law, had been friendly with King Jabin. Jael, invited Siisera into her tent, gave him a drink, and covered him up. He told her to deny his presence if anyone should ask. However, when he fell asleep, Jael took a tent peg and a hammer and drove the peg through his head into the ground. He died. Barak came by looking for Sisera and Jael showed him her handiwork. After that, the Israelites supposedly grew stronger until they destroyed
Jabin himself. Again.
After the battle, what did they do with the 900 iron chariots?
*The Israelites began to do Evil in the eyes of Yahweh again. Let's talk about this "evil." It's probably not what we would consider evil acts, like murder and stealing. They were probably just living ordinary every day Iron Age lives. More likely, they were just not following the many dozens of tedious rules and regulations laid down by Moses in the previous books, plus they were performing acts of worship to other less demanding gods. Also, they were showing signs of getting along with their neighbors by letting their children marry each other. However, throughout ancient history, trouble was usually attributed to the anger of a god or gods. In fact, that still happens today. So, when trouble happened, people would be more likely to look for ways to alleviate it, including trying to please a particular god by tightening up on their religious rituals and increasing blame to those who didn't comply.
*Yahweh again "sold" Israel into subjection, this time to Jabin, a king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. Funny thing, in Joshua 11, Jabin the king of Hazor was killed and Hazor was completely decimated. All its people were slaughtered and the city burnt down, which seems to agree with the archaeological record. My study bible has various speculative reasons for the anomaly, including saying it was probably a new Jabin and new Hazor. Wikipedia says some scholars believe these are two versions of the same destruction, one in Joshua, one in Judges. Now, however, we read that a king Jabin of Hazor has an army with 900 iron chariots! Remember, Yahweh had trouble defeating iron chariots. The text states that Jabin had oppressed the Israelites for twenty years and they cried out to Yahweh.
*Deborah, a prophetess, was leading Israel at this time. She told a man named Barak that Yahweh was commanding him to take an army of 10,000 to go fight Jabin's army, chariots and all. Yahweh would lure them to the Kishon River and deliver them into Barak's hands. Barak refused to go unless Deborah went too. Many people have said Barak was a coward to need a woman to go with him to fight. I say this is a smart man, testing Deborah to see if she really believes Yahweh will do what she says he will. After all, he didn't personally hear Yahweh. Deborah agrees to go, but says the honor of the battle's victory will go to a woman, as though that is a disgrace.
*Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, heard about Barak's army and gathered the 900 chariots and his men. Deborah gave the word and Barak's army descended from Mount Tabor and routed Sisera's army by the sword. I'm guessing chariots have trouble on hillsides. Every one in Sisera's army was slaughtered except Sisera, who ran away and hid in the tent of a Kenite woman named Jael. The Kenites, descendants of Moses's brother-in-law, had been friendly with King Jabin. Jael, invited Siisera into her tent, gave him a drink, and covered him up. He told her to deny his presence if anyone should ask. However, when he fell asleep, Jael took a tent peg and a hammer and drove the peg through his head into the ground. He died. Barak came by looking for Sisera and Jael showed him her handiwork. After that, the Israelites supposedly grew stronger until they destroyed
Jabin himself. Again.
After the battle, what did they do with the 900 iron chariots?
Friday, April 22, 2016
Judges chapter 1
After reading chapter 1:
*After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked Yahweh which tribe should continue the fighting. Yahweh chose the tribe of Judah. Who was Yahweh speaking through now? We are not told, but presumably it was the current high priest, Phineas. The men of Judah invited the Simeonites to accompany them. Together they killed ten thousand men. They captured the king of Bezek and cut off his thumbs and big toes. The king viewed this as a kind of divine Karma, because he had done the same thing to 70 other kings.
*Next, they attacked Jerusalem, slaughtered its inhabitants, and burned the city to the ground. Then we are told they attacked Canaanites living in Hebron and Debir, which had already been totally conquered in Joshua chapter 10! We are also retold the story of Caleb's daughter marrying Othniel, the conqueror of Debir. We are also retold the story of her asking for land with springs of water from Joshua chapter 15. Only this time it all happens after the death of Joshua, not before!
*The Judahites and Simeonites, with the help of Yahweh, went on conquering Canaanites and took Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron. (History says these Canaanite cities were actually conquered by the Philistines or the sea people.) They also took possession of the hill country, which appears redundant because Joshua is said to have done the same thing in Joshua chapter 11. Again, we are told they could not conquer the people of the plains because they had iron chariots. Foiled again, Yahweh!
*Caleb was given Hebron and drove three sons of Anak from it.The sons of Anak, or Anakim, are interesting fellows. They are considered to be Giants. Also, Numbers 13 says they are descendants of the Nephilim, introduced in Genesis 6. The big question is how did they survive the flood?
*The Benjaminites could not drive out the Jebusites. Manasseh could not drive out four tribes that were determined to live in that land. Ephraim could not completely drive out Canaanites living in Gezer. Zebulon could not drive out Canaanites living in Kitron nor Nahalol. Asher could not drive out 7 tribes of Canaanites living in "his" land, so he just had to live with them. Naphtali could not drive out two tribes. The Amorites confined the tribe of Dan to the hill country and wouldn't let them come down into the plain. Sounds like Yahweh's powers either waned or experienced limitations. It is quite clear that the Israelites did not completely control the land of Cannan, no matter how you look at it. Nevertheless, this chapter insists that the Israelite tribes grew stronger and eventually subjected these pesky leftover Canaanites to forced labor. Yeah, right.
*After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked Yahweh which tribe should continue the fighting. Yahweh chose the tribe of Judah. Who was Yahweh speaking through now? We are not told, but presumably it was the current high priest, Phineas. The men of Judah invited the Simeonites to accompany them. Together they killed ten thousand men. They captured the king of Bezek and cut off his thumbs and big toes. The king viewed this as a kind of divine Karma, because he had done the same thing to 70 other kings.
*Next, they attacked Jerusalem, slaughtered its inhabitants, and burned the city to the ground. Then we are told they attacked Canaanites living in Hebron and Debir, which had already been totally conquered in Joshua chapter 10! We are also retold the story of Caleb's daughter marrying Othniel, the conqueror of Debir. We are also retold the story of her asking for land with springs of water from Joshua chapter 15. Only this time it all happens after the death of Joshua, not before!
*The Judahites and Simeonites, with the help of Yahweh, went on conquering Canaanites and took Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron. (History says these Canaanite cities were actually conquered by the Philistines or the sea people.) They also took possession of the hill country, which appears redundant because Joshua is said to have done the same thing in Joshua chapter 11. Again, we are told they could not conquer the people of the plains because they had iron chariots. Foiled again, Yahweh!
*Caleb was given Hebron and drove three sons of Anak from it.The sons of Anak, or Anakim, are interesting fellows. They are considered to be Giants. Also, Numbers 13 says they are descendants of the Nephilim, introduced in Genesis 6. The big question is how did they survive the flood?
*The Benjaminites could not drive out the Jebusites. Manasseh could not drive out four tribes that were determined to live in that land. Ephraim could not completely drive out Canaanites living in Gezer. Zebulon could not drive out Canaanites living in Kitron nor Nahalol. Asher could not drive out 7 tribes of Canaanites living in "his" land, so he just had to live with them. Naphtali could not drive out two tribes. The Amorites confined the tribe of Dan to the hill country and wouldn't let them come down into the plain. Sounds like Yahweh's powers either waned or experienced limitations. It is quite clear that the Israelites did not completely control the land of Cannan, no matter how you look at it. Nevertheless, this chapter insists that the Israelite tribes grew stronger and eventually subjected these pesky leftover Canaanites to forced labor. Yeah, right.
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Joshua chapter 24 part 2, plus wrap up.
*We have come to the end of the book of Joshua. Joshua sent the people away, each to his own inheritance. Then he dies. He was 110 years old. That would make this somewhere around the year 1267 B.C.E. (I've been counting back from Bishop Ussher's date of 4,004 B.C.E. as the supposed date of the beginning.) Joshua was buried at his inherited land. The Israelites served Yahweh during the lifetime of Joshua. Joseph's bones, which had been brought from Egypt and presumably carried around this whole time, were buried at Shechem on a piece of land that Jacob had supposedly once bought. Though how they could know that after over 400 years in captivity is a mystery. Think of all the ways of record keeping we have today, and it is still very difficult to know much about our ancestors of 100 years ago, let alone over 400. The high priest Eleazor, son of Aaron, died and was replaced by his son Phinehas.
Wrap Up
*In this book, we are not told it is the word of God, or that it was written by Joshua. We find no mention of heaven, hell, satan, Angels, demons, etc., except for the hornet and we are not told what that is. The only obviously supernatural event is the crossing of the Jordan in chapter 3. It clearly mirrors the crossing of the Red Sea. There is no mention of a messiah. There are only earthly blessings and cursings that pertain to the lives and conduct of the Israelites, not their thoughts.
*Joshua has become the new conduit for Yahweh's commands and instructions after Moses's death. . He alone hears the words of Yahweh. The people are expected to believe and obey. Obedience is stressed over and over. Consequences of disobedience are usually death.
* Yahweh is a jealous God, vengeance is his, he will repay. He pelts hailstones at his enemies while they run away. He changed his mind about the no plunder rule. He orders the deaths of multitudes of men, women and children, so that the Israelites can have the land that he supposedly promised one of their ancestors over 400 years ago. He orders the torture of horses. His power to help eliminate the remaing tribes living in the promised land seems limited after the initial slaughter. He is currently living in Shiloh.
*The Israelites have conquered the land and taken posession, just like Yahweh promised. Sort of. The land was allotted to each of the Israelite tribe by casting lots. However, there is still plenty of clean up to do. Some pesky tribes refuse to be conquered so they are made to do menial tasks for the Israelites. Make sense of that.
*Finally, there is little to no historical evidence of any of the events in this book. It is probably historical fiction, used by the Israelites to explain and justify their presence in the land. It also was probably used to retroactively "foresee" the eventual conquering and exile of their people. This is attributed to disobedience, of course.
*This wraps up the story of the origins of "the people" of the land of Israel. It establishes their group identity. It is interesting to note that most ancient tribes had origin stories and a large percentage of them called them selves "the people" of some sort. Just take a look at some names of Native American tribes and their meanings. Look at the Preamble of the constitution of the United States, "we the people." It is natural for people to group themselves with those who are like them in culture and background and think of everyone else as "other." It makes us feel more comfortable, but it artificially separates and divides people from each other. This is one of the causes of war and genocide throughout history.
Edited
Wrap Up
*In this book, we are not told it is the word of God, or that it was written by Joshua. We find no mention of heaven, hell, satan, Angels, demons, etc., except for the hornet and we are not told what that is. The only obviously supernatural event is the crossing of the Jordan in chapter 3. It clearly mirrors the crossing of the Red Sea. There is no mention of a messiah. There are only earthly blessings and cursings that pertain to the lives and conduct of the Israelites, not their thoughts.
*Joshua has become the new conduit for Yahweh's commands and instructions after Moses's death. . He alone hears the words of Yahweh. The people are expected to believe and obey. Obedience is stressed over and over. Consequences of disobedience are usually death.
* Yahweh is a jealous God, vengeance is his, he will repay. He pelts hailstones at his enemies while they run away. He changed his mind about the no plunder rule. He orders the deaths of multitudes of men, women and children, so that the Israelites can have the land that he supposedly promised one of their ancestors over 400 years ago. He orders the torture of horses. His power to help eliminate the remaing tribes living in the promised land seems limited after the initial slaughter. He is currently living in Shiloh.
*The Israelites have conquered the land and taken posession, just like Yahweh promised. Sort of. The land was allotted to each of the Israelite tribe by casting lots. However, there is still plenty of clean up to do. Some pesky tribes refuse to be conquered so they are made to do menial tasks for the Israelites. Make sense of that.
*Finally, there is little to no historical evidence of any of the events in this book. It is probably historical fiction, used by the Israelites to explain and justify their presence in the land. It also was probably used to retroactively "foresee" the eventual conquering and exile of their people. This is attributed to disobedience, of course.
*This wraps up the story of the origins of "the people" of the land of Israel. It establishes their group identity. It is interesting to note that most ancient tribes had origin stories and a large percentage of them called them selves "the people" of some sort. Just take a look at some names of Native American tribes and their meanings. Look at the Preamble of the constitution of the United States, "we the people." It is natural for people to group themselves with those who are like them in culture and background and think of everyone else as "other." It makes us feel more comfortable, but it artificially separates and divides people from each other. This is one of the causes of war and genocide throughout history.
Edited
Monday, April 18, 2016
Joshua chapter 24 Part 1
After reading chapter 24:
* Then Joshua assembled all the tribes at Shechem. Is this literal or figurative? Did ALL the Israelites really leave their new homes and journey to Shechem? Who minded the land when they were gone? I just keep thinking of the logistics of all these supposed gatherings of over 2 million nomads. Can you imagine the mess (in more ways than one) they left behind when they went back home? It would take years for an area to recover from something like that. Also, is this a separate assembly from the one in chapter 23?
*Now Joshua again talks to all the tribal elders on behalf of Yahweh. He basically gives them an ancestral history starting with Abraham, then Isaac and Jacob, through to Moses and Aaron. He tells them that they saw with their own eyes what happened to the armies of Pharoah in the Red Sea. However, every one of the people he is talking to was younger than 20, or not born yet, during the exodus. I would venture a guess that only about half the people present could have been alive at the time of the exodus. All the adults from the exodus perished during the 40 year sojourn in the desert.
*Next, the Israelites are reminded of the battles on the east side of the Jordan, the crossing of the Jordan, and the battles with the nations on the west side of the Jordan. Yahweh claims that they didn't do it on their own with swords and bows, but that he sent his "hornet" ahead of them to drive the people out, whatever that means. He tells them that he is the one that gave them the land and good things that they are now enjoying, even though they did not work for them. Did you ever notice that Yahweh never hands out pats on the back? Except for favored individuals, and not always then, everyone is undeserving, no matter what they have done. It's the same story we are told today: "Whatever you have accomplished is only because God allowed you to accomplish it, without him you would be nothing. So be grateful."
*Now Joshua gives his famous ultimatum. They are to throw away the gods that their ancestors had worshipped in Egypt and worship Yahweh. (Wait a minute. Hadn't they already done that? Maybe not.)If they didn't want to worship Yahweh, they should choose that day who they will serve, the gods of Abraham's ancestors or the gods of the people of the land they were living in. (Did they really have a choice?)As for Joshua and his family, they would serve Yahweh. The people declared Yahweh was their God. Joshua declared them unable to serve Yahweh and doomed to destruction. The people protested that they were sincere. Joshua said okay, but get rid of all those other gods post haste. Apparently this monotheism stuff wasn't necessarily as popular with the Israelites as we might think. There was another covenant with laws drawn up and recorded in the book of the law. How many covenants does that make so far? Then Joshua set up a large stone under the oak near the holy place of Yahweh. (Apparently large trees were still associated with holy places, just as in Abraham's day.) The stone was to be a witness against the people if they went back on their promise to be true to Yahweh.
*Wait. Isn't the holy place of Yahweh now in Shiloh? Isn't that now supposed to be the only holy place of Yahweh? That's why the three eastern tribes were chewed out back in chapter 22. However, the beginning of this story say the Israelites were assembled in Shechem. In fact, that is where Abraham himself once built an altar to Yahweh near a great tree, back in Genesis chapter 12. That is also where Yahweh reiterated his covenant with Abraham. The descendants of Abraham appear to have come full circle. The authors just couldn't resist such a great literary device.
* Then Joshua assembled all the tribes at Shechem. Is this literal or figurative? Did ALL the Israelites really leave their new homes and journey to Shechem? Who minded the land when they were gone? I just keep thinking of the logistics of all these supposed gatherings of over 2 million nomads. Can you imagine the mess (in more ways than one) they left behind when they went back home? It would take years for an area to recover from something like that. Also, is this a separate assembly from the one in chapter 23?
*Now Joshua again talks to all the tribal elders on behalf of Yahweh. He basically gives them an ancestral history starting with Abraham, then Isaac and Jacob, through to Moses and Aaron. He tells them that they saw with their own eyes what happened to the armies of Pharoah in the Red Sea. However, every one of the people he is talking to was younger than 20, or not born yet, during the exodus. I would venture a guess that only about half the people present could have been alive at the time of the exodus. All the adults from the exodus perished during the 40 year sojourn in the desert.
*Next, the Israelites are reminded of the battles on the east side of the Jordan, the crossing of the Jordan, and the battles with the nations on the west side of the Jordan. Yahweh claims that they didn't do it on their own with swords and bows, but that he sent his "hornet" ahead of them to drive the people out, whatever that means. He tells them that he is the one that gave them the land and good things that they are now enjoying, even though they did not work for them. Did you ever notice that Yahweh never hands out pats on the back? Except for favored individuals, and not always then, everyone is undeserving, no matter what they have done. It's the same story we are told today: "Whatever you have accomplished is only because God allowed you to accomplish it, without him you would be nothing. So be grateful."
*Now Joshua gives his famous ultimatum. They are to throw away the gods that their ancestors had worshipped in Egypt and worship Yahweh. (Wait a minute. Hadn't they already done that? Maybe not.)If they didn't want to worship Yahweh, they should choose that day who they will serve, the gods of Abraham's ancestors or the gods of the people of the land they were living in. (Did they really have a choice?)As for Joshua and his family, they would serve Yahweh. The people declared Yahweh was their God. Joshua declared them unable to serve Yahweh and doomed to destruction. The people protested that they were sincere. Joshua said okay, but get rid of all those other gods post haste. Apparently this monotheism stuff wasn't necessarily as popular with the Israelites as we might think. There was another covenant with laws drawn up and recorded in the book of the law. How many covenants does that make so far? Then Joshua set up a large stone under the oak near the holy place of Yahweh. (Apparently large trees were still associated with holy places, just as in Abraham's day.) The stone was to be a witness against the people if they went back on their promise to be true to Yahweh.
*Wait. Isn't the holy place of Yahweh now in Shiloh? Isn't that now supposed to be the only holy place of Yahweh? That's why the three eastern tribes were chewed out back in chapter 22. However, the beginning of this story say the Israelites were assembled in Shechem. In fact, that is where Abraham himself once built an altar to Yahweh near a great tree, back in Genesis chapter 12. That is also where Yahweh reiterated his covenant with Abraham. The descendants of Abraham appear to have come full circle. The authors just couldn't resist such a great literary device.
Saturday, April 16, 2016
Joshua chapter 23
After reading chapter 23:
*Joshua is now an old man. The Israelites rested from wars. He gathers the leaders of the tribes to give them a pep talk. He tells them to remember how the land was allotted to each tribe. Then he tells them that with Yahweh's help they will conquer the remaining nations that still live in the land that was promised to the Israelites. Again they were told to remain obedient to the law of Moses, to not fraternize with the natives, and to not worship other gods. Dire consequences will ensue if they disobey. He tells them that all of Yahweh's promises have been fulfilled, but again, they better be careful to obey if they want to stay in the land. In spite of talk of fulfilled promises, it appears that the Israelites still do not have complete control over the promised land, only portions of it, if the story is to be believed.
*Joshua is now an old man. The Israelites rested from wars. He gathers the leaders of the tribes to give them a pep talk. He tells them to remember how the land was allotted to each tribe. Then he tells them that with Yahweh's help they will conquer the remaining nations that still live in the land that was promised to the Israelites. Again they were told to remain obedient to the law of Moses, to not fraternize with the natives, and to not worship other gods. Dire consequences will ensue if they disobey. He tells them that all of Yahweh's promises have been fulfilled, but again, they better be careful to obey if they want to stay in the land. In spite of talk of fulfilled promises, it appears that the Israelites still do not have complete control over the promised land, only portions of it, if the story is to be believed.
Thursday, April 14, 2016
Joshua chapter 22
After reading chapter 22:
*So, now that the conquest of Canaan is over, kind of, Joshua told the Reubenites, Gadites, and Manassehites, who had land on the east side of the Jordan, that they could go home. These were all the men of fighting age. One wonders who had been maintaining the land for the approximately 5 years of their absence, women and children? They were sent back with Joshua's blessing and a load of plunder: livestock, silver, gold, bronze, iron, and clothing (from the bodies of the slain?). Funny thing about the plunder....after Achan's plunder blunder and his execution, the prohibition against plunder was mysteriously ignored or rescinded without any ill effects.
*The three tribes travelled back east with all their stuff. When they got to the Jordan River, they built a large altar. When the rest of the Israelites heard about this altar they were infuriated and gathered at Shiloh to go to war with the three tribes. The priest Phineas and ten tribal leaders went to the three tribes and accused them of breaking faith with Yahweh and attempting some other kind of worship. They informed the three tribes that if this was the case, they would incur the wrath of the entire community of Israelites. There was to be only one altar to Yahweh and that location had already been determined. It was at Shiloh. Then they were reminded of what had happened to Achan. How ironic.
*The three tribes did some awesome back peddling. Oh, no, we weren't planing on actually using this altar. It's just a witness, a reminder to the west side of the river that we on the east side have a share in Yahweh. This is so that in the future the west side cannot try to tell the east that they don't also belong to Yahweh. We wouldn't rebel. No siree, not us. So, Phineas announced Yahweh must be with them and they had escaped his wrath. The priest and the elders returned to Canaan to report to the Israelites, who rejoiced at the news. The altar was named "A Witness that Yahweh is God."
*Some thoughts that always come to mind when I read these stories:
1. The action happens in a few paragraphs that take minutes to read. In actuality events like these would have taken weeks if not months. That is taking into account the distances individuals had to have travelled on foot or slow footed animals. There is no indication the Israelites were horsemen. In fact they hamstrung the enemies' horses.
2. Plus, supposedly the Israelites had taken over the land. How can they be spread over the land and yet gathered in one place at Shiloh? Do you realize how long it would take to muster all the Israelite troops if they were spread out the length and breadth of Canaan?
3. When they conquered one area, how did they keep it free and clear of "enemies" when they had to go fight elsewhere?
4. How quickly this became an "us and them" situation once the three tribes separated from the rest of the Israelites.
*So, now that the conquest of Canaan is over, kind of, Joshua told the Reubenites, Gadites, and Manassehites, who had land on the east side of the Jordan, that they could go home. These were all the men of fighting age. One wonders who had been maintaining the land for the approximately 5 years of their absence, women and children? They were sent back with Joshua's blessing and a load of plunder: livestock, silver, gold, bronze, iron, and clothing (from the bodies of the slain?). Funny thing about the plunder....after Achan's plunder blunder and his execution, the prohibition against plunder was mysteriously ignored or rescinded without any ill effects.
*The three tribes travelled back east with all their stuff. When they got to the Jordan River, they built a large altar. When the rest of the Israelites heard about this altar they were infuriated and gathered at Shiloh to go to war with the three tribes. The priest Phineas and ten tribal leaders went to the three tribes and accused them of breaking faith with Yahweh and attempting some other kind of worship. They informed the three tribes that if this was the case, they would incur the wrath of the entire community of Israelites. There was to be only one altar to Yahweh and that location had already been determined. It was at Shiloh. Then they were reminded of what had happened to Achan. How ironic.
*The three tribes did some awesome back peddling. Oh, no, we weren't planing on actually using this altar. It's just a witness, a reminder to the west side of the river that we on the east side have a share in Yahweh. This is so that in the future the west side cannot try to tell the east that they don't also belong to Yahweh. We wouldn't rebel. No siree, not us. So, Phineas announced Yahweh must be with them and they had escaped his wrath. The priest and the elders returned to Canaan to report to the Israelites, who rejoiced at the news. The altar was named "A Witness that Yahweh is God."
*Some thoughts that always come to mind when I read these stories:
1. The action happens in a few paragraphs that take minutes to read. In actuality events like these would have taken weeks if not months. That is taking into account the distances individuals had to have travelled on foot or slow footed animals. There is no indication the Israelites were horsemen. In fact they hamstrung the enemies' horses.
2. Plus, supposedly the Israelites had taken over the land. How can they be spread over the land and yet gathered in one place at Shiloh? Do you realize how long it would take to muster all the Israelite troops if they were spread out the length and breadth of Canaan?
3. When they conquered one area, how did they keep it free and clear of "enemies" when they had to go fight elsewhere?
4. How quickly this became an "us and them" situation once the three tribes separated from the rest of the Israelites.
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Joshua chapter 20 and 21
After reading chapter 20:
*Here we are told which cities are assigned to be cities of refuge for those who kill by accident, as described back in Numbers 35. The person who is responsible for avenging the death cannot harm a person who has fled to one one of these cities. The designated cities were: Kadesh in the land of Naphtali, Shechem in the land of Ephraim, Hebron in the land of Judah, Bezer in the land of Reuben, Ramoth in the land of Gad, and Golan in the land of Manasseh.
After reading chapter 21:
*Now the tribe of Levites come to Joshua and ask for their allotted towns with pastureland, prime real estate, as promised by Moses. Yahweh, through Joshua, gave the Kohathite levites who were descended from Aaron 13 towns in the lands of Judah, Bejamin, and Simeon. The rest of the Kohathite Levites were given 10 towns in the lands of Ephraim, Dan, and Manasseh. The Gershon Levites were given 13 towns in the lands of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Manasseh. The Merari Levites were given 12 towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun. So, all twelve non-Levite tribes had Levites living among them to keep an eye on things and make sure they, um Yahweh, was obeyed.
*The second half of the chapter seems to repeat the first half but with more detail. The Levites were apparently given the cities of refuge as part of their allotments. This could be very convenient. Imagine the opportunities for exploitation of the law and of those who were seeking refuge.
*Last we are told that Yahweh gave the Israelites rest and not one of their enemies withstood them. This is an odd statement, considering it was admitted in previous chapters that they could not control certain parts of the land. However, it is an opportunity to claim that all of Yahweh's promises have been fulfilled, if you overlook a few pesky details.
*Here we are told which cities are assigned to be cities of refuge for those who kill by accident, as described back in Numbers 35. The person who is responsible for avenging the death cannot harm a person who has fled to one one of these cities. The designated cities were: Kadesh in the land of Naphtali, Shechem in the land of Ephraim, Hebron in the land of Judah, Bezer in the land of Reuben, Ramoth in the land of Gad, and Golan in the land of Manasseh.
After reading chapter 21:
*Now the tribe of Levites come to Joshua and ask for their allotted towns with pastureland, prime real estate, as promised by Moses. Yahweh, through Joshua, gave the Kohathite levites who were descended from Aaron 13 towns in the lands of Judah, Bejamin, and Simeon. The rest of the Kohathite Levites were given 10 towns in the lands of Ephraim, Dan, and Manasseh. The Gershon Levites were given 13 towns in the lands of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Manasseh. The Merari Levites were given 12 towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun. So, all twelve non-Levite tribes had Levites living among them to keep an eye on things and make sure they, um Yahweh, was obeyed.
*The second half of the chapter seems to repeat the first half but with more detail. The Levites were apparently given the cities of refuge as part of their allotments. This could be very convenient. Imagine the opportunities for exploitation of the law and of those who were seeking refuge.
*Last we are told that Yahweh gave the Israelites rest and not one of their enemies withstood them. This is an odd statement, considering it was admitted in previous chapters that they could not control certain parts of the land. However, it is an opportunity to claim that all of Yahweh's promises have been fulfilled, if you overlook a few pesky details.
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Joshua chapter 19
After reading chapter 19:
*Here we have more distribution of land by tribe. First the tribe of Simeon, which was given a portion of Judah's land, 17 towns and villages, because Judah had more land than they needed. Next, the tribe of Zebulun was given twelve towns and villages. The tribe of Issachar was given 16 towns and villages. The tribe of Asher was given 22 towns and villages. The tribe of Naphtali was given 19 towns and villages.
*The tribe of Dan was given was given a territory but had trouble taking posession. (Yahweh must have been taking a break.) So they attacked the city of Leshem, killed all the inhabitants and settled there, renaming the city Dan. The second largest tribe, according to Numbers, recieved one of the smallest portions of land.
*Lastly, the Israelites gave Joshua the town he asked for, Timnath Serah, in the territory of Ephraim. (Joshua was an Ephraimite.) This was done by Yahweh's command, and Yahweh conveniently spoke through Joshua. So, Joshua basically said,"God told me to tell you that I get this land." And all this was sanctioned by the high priest, who of course would not object, considering the benefits of his job.
I encourage you to read all the articles on the various tribes and towns. They contain some interesting bits of information and folklore.
*Here we have more distribution of land by tribe. First the tribe of Simeon, which was given a portion of Judah's land, 17 towns and villages, because Judah had more land than they needed. Next, the tribe of Zebulun was given twelve towns and villages. The tribe of Issachar was given 16 towns and villages. The tribe of Asher was given 22 towns and villages. The tribe of Naphtali was given 19 towns and villages.
*The tribe of Dan was given was given a territory but had trouble taking posession. (Yahweh must have been taking a break.) So they attacked the city of Leshem, killed all the inhabitants and settled there, renaming the city Dan. The second largest tribe, according to Numbers, recieved one of the smallest portions of land.
*Lastly, the Israelites gave Joshua the town he asked for, Timnath Serah, in the territory of Ephraim. (Joshua was an Ephraimite.) This was done by Yahweh's command, and Yahweh conveniently spoke through Joshua. So, Joshua basically said,"God told me to tell you that I get this land." And all this was sanctioned by the high priest, who of course would not object, considering the benefits of his job.
I encourage you to read all the articles on the various tribes and towns. They contain some interesting bits of information and folklore.
Saturday, April 9, 2016
Joshua chapter 18
After reading chapter 18:
*The whole assembly of the Israelites, all 2 million of them (?), gathered at Shiloh where the tabernacle was set up. There Joshua assigned three men from each tribe that didn't have land yet to survey the land that hadn't been distributed yet and divide it into seven parts. After that, Joshua would cast lots in the presence of Yahweh to determine which tribe got which piece of land. Why couldn't Yahweh just tell him? Joshua appears to have given the tribes these instructions twice. The men did the survey and wrote the information down in a scroll. One wonders where they got the scroll from. It had to have been made of papyrus at the time. Apparently some of those nomadic tribesmen were educated in the art of writing while wandering in the desert. What language did they write in?
*Then Joshua cast lots to decide the distribution of the land. The rest of the chapter tells us about the land allotted to the tribe of Benjamin. It lay between the land of the tribes of Joseph and Judah. They got a total of 26 towns with their villages.
*The whole assembly of the Israelites, all 2 million of them (?), gathered at Shiloh where the tabernacle was set up. There Joshua assigned three men from each tribe that didn't have land yet to survey the land that hadn't been distributed yet and divide it into seven parts. After that, Joshua would cast lots in the presence of Yahweh to determine which tribe got which piece of land. Why couldn't Yahweh just tell him? Joshua appears to have given the tribes these instructions twice. The men did the survey and wrote the information down in a scroll. One wonders where they got the scroll from. It had to have been made of papyrus at the time. Apparently some of those nomadic tribesmen were educated in the art of writing while wandering in the desert. What language did they write in?
*Then Joshua cast lots to decide the distribution of the land. The rest of the chapter tells us about the land allotted to the tribe of Benjamin. It lay between the land of the tribes of Joseph and Judah. They got a total of 26 towns with their villages.
Friday, April 8, 2016
Joshua chapter 17
After reading chapter 17:
*Here we are told what part of the land was allotted to the rest of the tribe of Manasseh and the tribe of Ephraim, the descendents of Joseph. In the Wikipedia articles, you can see a map of the distribution of tribal territory. Remember, half of the Manassehites recieved land east of the Jordan. This was called the land of Gilead What makes it a little confusing is that the land of Gilead is named after a descendant of Manasseh. We are also reminded of the story of the daughters who were promised an inheritance back in Numbers chapters 27 and 36. The land allotted to Ephraim lies partially within the boundaries of Manasseh.
*We are also told that the Manassehites were unable to drive all the Canaanites out of their allotted land, instead they subjected them to forced labor. This is becoming a familiar refrain. What happened to Yahweh's strength and might? What happened to the order to anihilate all the Cannanites? If you can enslave people, why can't you destroy them? Something fishy is going on here. Could it be that the authors of Joshua needed an explanation for why there were Canaanites living in the land when the book was written? Also, remember way back in Genesis chapter 9 when the descendents of Canaan were cursed and told they would become slaves of the descendents of Shem? Justification! All this happened because Ham saw his father Noah naked and drunk, imagine that.
*In the second half of the chapter, the Ephraimites and Manassehites complain that their share of land is too small because they are very numerous. Joshua allows them a bit more. Then they complain because the Canaanites in that land have iron chariots. Aha! Yahweh is no match for iron chariots. Joshua admits those Canaanites are strong, but says,"you can drive them out." Will the Canaanites with the iron chariots be driven out? Stay tuned for continuing episodes...
*Here we are told what part of the land was allotted to the rest of the tribe of Manasseh and the tribe of Ephraim, the descendents of Joseph. In the Wikipedia articles, you can see a map of the distribution of tribal territory. Remember, half of the Manassehites recieved land east of the Jordan. This was called the land of Gilead What makes it a little confusing is that the land of Gilead is named after a descendant of Manasseh. We are also reminded of the story of the daughters who were promised an inheritance back in Numbers chapters 27 and 36. The land allotted to Ephraim lies partially within the boundaries of Manasseh.
*We are also told that the Manassehites were unable to drive all the Canaanites out of their allotted land, instead they subjected them to forced labor. This is becoming a familiar refrain. What happened to Yahweh's strength and might? What happened to the order to anihilate all the Cannanites? If you can enslave people, why can't you destroy them? Something fishy is going on here. Could it be that the authors of Joshua needed an explanation for why there were Canaanites living in the land when the book was written? Also, remember way back in Genesis chapter 9 when the descendents of Canaan were cursed and told they would become slaves of the descendents of Shem? Justification! All this happened because Ham saw his father Noah naked and drunk, imagine that.
*In the second half of the chapter, the Ephraimites and Manassehites complain that their share of land is too small because they are very numerous. Joshua allows them a bit more. Then they complain because the Canaanites in that land have iron chariots. Aha! Yahweh is no match for iron chariots. Joshua admits those Canaanites are strong, but says,"you can drive them out." Will the Canaanites with the iron chariots be driven out? Stay tuned for continuing episodes...
Monday, April 4, 2016
Joshua chapter 15 and 16
After reading chapter 15:
*Here we are told which portion of the land was alloted to the tribe of Judah. Caleb got a portion of Judah's land in Hebron. Caleb's daughter was married to Caleb's nephew Othniel as a reward for Othniel's capture of Debir, whose destruction we've already read about in chapter 10 verses 38-39. Caleb's daughter asked for springs of water and was granted them. All together, the tribe of Judah supposedly acquired at least 113 towns and villages. We are also told that Judah could not dislodge the Jebusites who continued to live among them up to the time of the writing of this passage. Those Jebusites must have been mighty strong to be able to resists Yahweh's plans of total annhiliation. In spite of that, there seems to be some doubt that they ever existed.
After reading chapter 16:
*Here we are told the boundaries of the land allotted to the tribe of Ephraim. Apparently, the Ephraimites could not dislodge the Canaanites living in Gezer, but they forced the people of Gezer to do manual labor. This seems like a silly statement. They can't get rid of them but they can enslave them? Even stranger, we were told back in chapter 10 verse 33, that the entire army and the King of Gezer had been wiped out by the Israelites.
*Here we are told which portion of the land was alloted to the tribe of Judah. Caleb got a portion of Judah's land in Hebron. Caleb's daughter was married to Caleb's nephew Othniel as a reward for Othniel's capture of Debir, whose destruction we've already read about in chapter 10 verses 38-39. Caleb's daughter asked for springs of water and was granted them. All together, the tribe of Judah supposedly acquired at least 113 towns and villages. We are also told that Judah could not dislodge the Jebusites who continued to live among them up to the time of the writing of this passage. Those Jebusites must have been mighty strong to be able to resists Yahweh's plans of total annhiliation. In spite of that, there seems to be some doubt that they ever existed.
After reading chapter 16:
*Here we are told the boundaries of the land allotted to the tribe of Ephraim. Apparently, the Ephraimites could not dislodge the Canaanites living in Gezer, but they forced the people of Gezer to do manual labor. This seems like a silly statement. They can't get rid of them but they can enslave them? Even stranger, we were told back in chapter 10 verse 33, that the entire army and the King of Gezer had been wiped out by the Israelites.
Saturday, April 2, 2016
Joshua chapters 13 and 14
After reading chapter 13:
*Some time went by. Joshua grew old. Then Yahweh said they weren't done acquiring land yet. He was going to give the Israelites the land of Lebanon too. Then we have a detailed description of the land areas that were to be divided among the tribes of the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh. Their land was east of the Jordon. There is also a reminder that the Levites didn't get a specific area to settle in.
After reading chapter 14:
*Now we come to the beginning of the division of Canaan. Caleb, who was still living, came to Joshua with a claim to land that Moses had promised him back in Numbers 14:24. Then Caleb said Yahweh kept him alive 45 years after making that promise. Which would mean we are currently at about five years after the death of Moses, making it approx. 1292 B.C.E, according to my reckoning. Caleb is now 85, Joshua would be a similar age. Caleb claims to be just as vigorous as ever and ready to fight. So, Joshua gave Hebron to Caleb.
Again, we are told the land had rest from war.
*Some time went by. Joshua grew old. Then Yahweh said they weren't done acquiring land yet. He was going to give the Israelites the land of Lebanon too. Then we have a detailed description of the land areas that were to be divided among the tribes of the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh. Their land was east of the Jordon. There is also a reminder that the Levites didn't get a specific area to settle in.
After reading chapter 14:
*Now we come to the beginning of the division of Canaan. Caleb, who was still living, came to Joshua with a claim to land that Moses had promised him back in Numbers 14:24. Then Caleb said Yahweh kept him alive 45 years after making that promise. Which would mean we are currently at about five years after the death of Moses, making it approx. 1292 B.C.E, according to my reckoning. Caleb is now 85, Joshua would be a similar age. Caleb claims to be just as vigorous as ever and ready to fight. So, Joshua gave Hebron to Caleb.
Again, we are told the land had rest from war.
Friday, April 1, 2016
Joshua chapters 11 and 12
After reading chapter 11:
*The fighting is not done. Other Kings and armies came to fight the Israelites and joined forces. They had a massive number of troops, plus chariots and horses. Yahweh told Joshua not to worry. The Israelites would slay the armies, hamstring the horses, and burn the chariots. (Aside: what purpose is served by torturing horses? Why don't they just kill them outright?) So, the Israelites went to battle and supposedly did what Yahweh said they would do.
*Joshua turned back and also decimated the city of Hazor and its King, which had been the head of the coalition of armies. In fact he totally destroyed the inhabitants of all the royal cities, but the only one burnt was Hazor. They also carried off plunder, because now it seems to be okay to do that, in spite of the previous command to never plunder, which is why Achan was killed in chapter 7.
*Joshua took the entire land and did battle for a long time. Everyone in "Israelite territory" was destroyed except for the people of Gibeon. According to verse 20, Yahweh was responsible for hardening the hearts of the various tribes so they would go to war and the Israelites could "exterminate them without mercy." It had nothing to do with them protecting or defending their personal property from a hostile takeover. And all this happened because Yahweh had promised the land would be an inheritance to Israel. After these things were accomplished, the land had rest from war.
After reading chapter 12:
*This chapter is a list of the Kings that were conquered by Moses, Joshua, and the Israelites. There were 31 in all.
*The fighting is not done. Other Kings and armies came to fight the Israelites and joined forces. They had a massive number of troops, plus chariots and horses. Yahweh told Joshua not to worry. The Israelites would slay the armies, hamstring the horses, and burn the chariots. (Aside: what purpose is served by torturing horses? Why don't they just kill them outright?) So, the Israelites went to battle and supposedly did what Yahweh said they would do.
*Joshua turned back and also decimated the city of Hazor and its King, which had been the head of the coalition of armies. In fact he totally destroyed the inhabitants of all the royal cities, but the only one burnt was Hazor. They also carried off plunder, because now it seems to be okay to do that, in spite of the previous command to never plunder, which is why Achan was killed in chapter 7.
*Joshua took the entire land and did battle for a long time. Everyone in "Israelite territory" was destroyed except for the people of Gibeon. According to verse 20, Yahweh was responsible for hardening the hearts of the various tribes so they would go to war and the Israelites could "exterminate them without mercy." It had nothing to do with them protecting or defending their personal property from a hostile takeover. And all this happened because Yahweh had promised the land would be an inheritance to Israel. After these things were accomplished, the land had rest from war.
After reading chapter 12:
*This chapter is a list of the Kings that were conquered by Moses, Joshua, and the Israelites. There were 31 in all.
Thursday, March 31, 2016
Joshua chapter 10, part 2
*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.
*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.
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.
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.
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