The Sermon on the mount, part two

Continuing on with the beatitudes:

Matthew: Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Not in Luke

Matthew: Blessed are you when people insult you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew is being unusually direct here.)
Luke: Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the son of man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.

These two passages appear to have the same basic meaning: Don't let a little persecution stop you. In fact, you've got perks for being insulted and rejected. This is a horrible teaching. It makes christians believe that if their teachings are being rejected they are doing something right. This encourages them to say and do the most outrageous things in the name of god and jesus. This is exactly the reasoning of groups like the Westboro Baptists. It's also the reasoning of otherwise good people who needlessly risk their lives, and the lives of their children, trying to give christianity to people who don't want it. This is why christians won't stop meddling in the lives of other people. They know there will be push back, and in their minds that push back is a good thing. It means they get reward points toward heaven.

That is the end of the blessings in Matthew and Luke. However, Luke contains some woes or curses to balance out the blessings. Matthew does not.

Luke says, "Woe to you who are rich, for you have already recieved your comfort." Notice how this curse is the opposite of Luke's first blessing in 6:20. In fact, all the woes directly echo the blessings. Matthew has none of it. Again, I'm guessing Matthew wasn't keen on advocating giving up wealth and position. This passage is not read in many sermons today. Why do you think that is? I've heard many preachers say god is not actually against people being rich, he just wants them to use their wealth for good and not make it an idol. But that is not what this says, is it?

The next woe is, "Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry." There are going to be a lot of hungry Americans in the afterlife.

Then we have, "Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep." Really? Ha ha. Is Christian comedian Tim Hawkins doomed? Not only does he laugh, he makes thousand of people laugh almost daily. The guy's a menace. Stay away if you want a happy afterlife.

Next is "Woe to you when all men speak well of you. (???)  For that is how their fathers treated the false prophets." This is a set up to make people believe that true prophets are the ones that get treated badly. How many preachers/prophets do you know who are treated badly and have bad things said about them?  Those are the ones you should be listening to, if you believe this passage. Plus, you are in big trouble if most people like you. Maybe you should fix that.

The Sermon on the Mount, part one.

I'm not ready to plunge into a study of heaven and eternal rewards, so I thought we might look at the so called "sermon on the mount." This sermon of Jesus is found in Matthew 5:1-7:29 and Luke 6:12-6:48. Luke's version is significantly different than Matthew's, plus it is much shorter. I think a side by side comparison should be interesting. This sermon is not found in Mark or John. John should have been there. Why didn't he remember it?

First the setting: The author of Matthew tells us Jesus went up on an unnamed mountainside because of the crowds of people that had been following him around the  region. This mountainside could have been anywhere from Galilee to Jerusalem. Jesus sat down on the mountainside and began to teach his disciples. Then we get the extensive lesson in the supposed words of Jesus.

On the other hand, the author of  Luke tells us Jesus had gone up an unnamed mountainside to pray all night. The next morning, he gathered his disciples and chose the special twelve whom he also designated as apostles. Matthew neglects to mention this, and he was there, according to Luke, who wasn't there. Confused? After that, Jesus went down the mountain to a level place, where there were crowds of people who were all trying to touch him. Then he began to speak to his disciples.

 The first section of his speech is called the "beatitudes" in Matthew and called the "blessings and woes" in Luke. Those phrases are not part of the text, but the designations given by the people who formatted my bible.  Beatitude is just another word for blessing. Woes are curses. Let us begin.

Matthew: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Luke: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kindgom of god."
Luke's version appears to me more directly addressing the audience. Matthew's seems to imply that it is humility vs. the lack of worldly goods that gets you the kingdom of heaven. Perhaps Matthew wasn't keen on being poor for god.

Matthew: ""Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."
Luke does not have this phrase, but it does say, "Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh." Matthew is more abstract. Luke is more concrete.

Matthew: "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." Luke does not say that, but there is something similar in Psalm 37:11.

Matthew: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."
Luke: "Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied." That's quite a difference if you think about it, a spiritual desire vs. a physical need. Again, abstract vs. concrete.

Matthew: "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." (Even merciful athiests?)
Not found in Luke.

Matthew: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see god." Is anyone pure in heart according to god's standards?
Not found in Luke.

Matthew: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of god." What about the warmongers? What will happen to them, hmm?
Not found in Luke.

More to come.

Galatians chapter 3 part 4

*Now we finish the chapter, starting at verse 26. The Jews have been released from the prison of the law, what about everyone else? Now, Paul says, every single person who has faith in christ is a child of god. Everyone who has been baptized has clothed themselves with christ. "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female." Paul is saying that distinctions of ethnicity, social status, and gender don't matter. "If you belong to christ, you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise."

*There Is a question  I have now that may be answered in the rest of Galatians. We'll see.

What are christians heirs of, exactly? What is this promise, this inheritance? So far, we have not had an explanation of this in Galatians. Look back to god's promises to Abraham in Genesis 12, 15, 17. They are: Abraham will have many descendants, his descendants will be given the land of Canaan, and El/yahweh would be his god. That's basically it in a nutshell. There is never any mention of any christ figure, any punishment for sin with redemption, or any eternal life package.  Christians obviously didn't inherit the land of Canaan. But they did inherit Yahweh as their god. Yahweh used to be a one nation god, but now he is not. Is that what Paul means?

In Genesis 12:2-3 god says to Abraham, "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." Is that the promise Paul is referring to? Is he saying christians will be a blessing to the world and that whoever blesses them will be blessed, and whoever curses them will be cursed?

*Also, about "Abraham's seed." Paul claimed the word seed meant one person- christ. Now he is using the word seed to mean all the people who believe in the christ. Paul is playing fast and loose with his definitions, isn't he? We can't fault him too much. The whole Bible plays with words right and left, using puns, innuendoes, metaphors and similes, and alternate meanings. Paul is just following in the path of those that have gone before. It wouldn't matter,  if the Bible was just literature. But, if we are supposed to take it as a guide to reality, we should be able to pin down exactly what is meant.

*It's interesting that this passage clearly supports baptism as essential to being "clothed with christ." That is one of the fundamental teachings of the church I belonged to. It is one teaching of theirs that I would say follows what the bible actually teaches. Too bad, I don't believe the bible has any real authority to tell anybody anything.

*I still don't get why the gentiles need faith in Jesus to become god's children. Why can't they go the direct route like Abraham and just have faith in god. It would be less complicated. Still, that would not make it more true.

Galatians chapter 3 part 2

*After the last post, I began to think: If Gentiles were not under the law of Moses, and they were not required to be, then the law's curse never applied to them. Since Jesus became cursed to remove the curse from the law. why did Gentiles even need him? In Galatians chapter 3:14, Paul basically says Christ redeemed the Jews so that the blessing of the spirit that was given to Abraham, because of his faith, could also be given to the Gentiles, if they have faith in that christ. The writer of Galatians seems to be saying Christianity is a movement by god to open up membersip in his fan club and make it all inclusive. However, to be a member, you need to understand that the Jews (descendants of Abraham) had exclusive membership first, through God's promise to Abraham, then through the laws of Moses.  The Jew's terms of membership through the law have been voided by this Jesus guy. The new membership rules require an understanding that the old membership rules are defunct, and a belief that  Jesus made them defunct. Faith in him is the new requirement for anyone who wants to recieve "the promise of the spirit." Whatever that is.

*Another question that constantly arises in my mind is: What was the exact historical moment when this belief in Jesus as the redeemer of the curse of the law was required in order to be part of Yahweh's entourage? That's pretty hard to pin down. What happens to all those billions of people, before and after that historic moment who were completely clueless about Yahweh and/or his requirements?

* Moving on to verse 15 and following: Here Paul does some verbal gymnastics to explain how this faith in Jesus requirement works. Contracts are binding, human ones and god ones. El/Yahweh made a contract with Abraham. The contract contained promises to Abraham and his "seed." In spite of linguistic conventions and common usage that denotes "seed" as a collective singular meaning all descendants, Paul says, "Look, seed is singular, not plural. Therefore it is actually talking about a single descendant. That single descendant was one person, christ." Hooray for logic! Thanks, Paul, for clearing that up. We (literally) would not have known that, if not for you.

*Next, Paul says, "430 years after Abraham, Yahweh made another contract, the law. The previous contract and its promise was still valid though. The inheritance (?) didn't depend on the law contract, but on the one that came before it, the Abrahamic contract. " What on earth was the purpose of the law then? "I'm glad you asked," says Paul. "Let me 'splain. The law was added because of transgressions (If there was no law, what was being transgressed?) until the Seed (capitalized now) to whom the promise had referred (says you) had come."

To be continued.

Most of the dialog in quotes here is my paraphrasing.

Galatians chapter 3 part 1

After a few detours, we are back in Galatians at chapter 3:

*Here Paul is berating the Galatians. He says they recieved the "spirit" by believing about the crucifiction of Jesus as it was portrayed when they heard it, probably from Paul, who never encountered the living Jesus, except through visions. They recieved the spirit and witnessed miracles not because they observed the law, but because they believed. Here, and in most of christianity, belief is the supreme virtue, even above any moral acts.

*Abraham is given as the epitome of righteousness obtained through belief, and anyone who believes is a metaphorical child of Abraham. Paul says everyone who relies on observing the law is under a curse because it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law." (Deut 26:27, Jer. 11:3) Well, Paul, technically that means you and your gentile friends are cursed. To counter that, Paul also quotes Habbakuk 2:4 which  according to Paul says "the righteous will live by faith." Looking back at that verse in Habbakuk, I find a footnote that says this passage could also say "the righteous will live by Faithfulness." Faith and Faithfulness are two different things. The first cognitive the second active, comparable to the difference between belief and ongoing obedience. One word that could send Paul's argument down the drain. Abraham didn't have to worry about the curse under the law because it didn't exist yet.

*Next Paul says Christ redeemed us from the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written, "cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." (Deut. 21:23) Well it seems to me that being crucified is not the same as being hung. I guess it doesn't matter because it's still on a piece of wood. What about all the other innocent people who were hung or crucified, were they cursed for our sake? How does that work? We are cursed by not following the law properly,  then we are not cursed because Jesus was cursed for us, then we are cursed for trying to follow the law anyway? I think Paul is trying to say that Jesus's crucifixion nullified the law and its curse, essentially rolling back  to before there was a law, when Faith was the supreme virtue. But then he wants to claim that curse still holds if you don't believe in Jesus crucified.

*Abraham, if he existed, didn't believe in Jesus, he believed in El/Yahweh. Can a person just believe in that and be free from the curse of the law? It seems that Paul says you have to actually believe there was a redeemer of the curse for the nullification of the curse to work. It's like your mind flicks an invisible curse switch. Otherwise, you're toast.

Job chapter 3

Afer reading chapter 3:

*Now the text shifts from prose to poetry for the next 40 chapters, with occasional lines interjected to tell us when there is a change in speakers. We start with Job talking. He is cursing the day of his birth. The NIV text says "and the night it was said, 'A boy is born.'" On further examination, the literal translation says "A boy is concieved." Job is cursing the night his parents got together to produce him.  Job cursing his birth is in contrast to his children who had frequently celebrated their birthdays with feasting. The curse includes a desire for the day of his birth to perish, to turn to darkness, and to be Overwhelmed by a cloud of blackness. Job wants the night of his conception to be excluded from the calendar, and to be lonely and barren. The day of his birth is to be cursed by other people, and to not see the light of day, because it did not keep him from being born and from seeing trouble.

*Then Job wails, asking why didn't he die at birth. In that case, he would be asleep and at rest with others who had died, including kings and counsellors, who also were once rich.  Here we see a glimpse of the cultural attitude toward death. In death is peace and equality, no one is toiling, no one is poor or rich. They all have the same fate. Verse sixteen has Job asking why he hadn't been stillborn, which seems repetitious. Upon looking at the interlinear text, a better word would have been miscarried, or born before it was time. Again, he would now be at rest: with the weary, the  wicked, the prisoners, and the slaves. Again there is an emphasis of freedom and equality in death. No eternal torment for anyone.

*Lastly, Job wonders why those who are miserable and long for death  are instead given light and life. They search for death like someone hunting for buried treasure and are elated when they finally get to the grave. Job says he has sighs instead of food and his groans pour out like water. He has been afraid something like this would happen; his fears have been realized. He hasn't had peace and quiet, just turmoil.

*In verse 8, we are introduced to the word Leviathan for the first time. All we are told so far is that it is something (a creature?) that is roused by those who curse days. Also, I get the idea the the metaphorical language in the Hebrew is much more interesting and expressive than the English version in the NIV. In fact, it seems that the King James Version is a much better English translation of Job, in a sense. It captures more of the meaning and poetry. I think I may read the KJV and the NIV simultaneously for the book of Job.

Judges chapter 9 part 2

* Abimelech governed Israel for three years but he was not well liked by the citizens of Shechem. Yahweh is said to have caused animosity between them on purpose as a punishment for the slaughter of Gideon's 70 other sons. The men of Shechem terrorized anyone who passed through their land. The people of Shechem began to put their confidence in a newcomer by the name of Gaal.

*At a festival celebrating the grape harvest, Gaal, probably in an alcoholic haze, declared that he would get rid of Abimelech and serve an ancestor of the city's founder if he were them. Zebul, the governor of the city, and Abimelech's deputy, reported this to Abimelech. He advised that Abimelech's men should conduct a surprise attack on Gaal in the morning. When Gaal went out to the city gate in the morning he saw people coming from different directions in attack. Zebul mocked him and said, "Where is your big talk now."

*Gaal led men of Shechem against Abimelech's army. Gaal was defeated and driven out of the city. The next day Abimelech ambushed men of Shechem who came out to work in the fields. Abimelech's men killed all the people of Shechem, destroyed the city and sprinkled salt over it.

*Apparently there were still some of Shechem's people left in a religious stronghold of their temple on mount Zalmon. Abimelech and his men cut branches, laid them against the walls of the stronghold and set fire to it, burning all the people inside alive. About a thousand died. Next, Abimelech captured the city of Thebez. All the people of the city fled and locked themselves into a strong tower . Abimelech stormed the tower and was going to set it on fire. However, a woman in the tower dropped a millstone down on his head and broke his skull. Abimelech begged his servant to kill him with his sword so that no one could say he had been killed by a woman. It was done as he asked. The Israelites were without a leader, so they went home.

*This was supposed to prove that Yahweh had paid back Abimelech and the Shechemites for their slaughter of Gideon's sons, plus the curse of Jotham had come true.

*I still want to know what happened to the supposed city of refuge and the Levites who were supposed to be living in Shechem. Also, why did Abimelech attack Thebez? Wikipedia says it is because they were revolting against Abimelech, along with Shechem. But the Bible doesn't actually say that. This serves as a reminder that Wikipedia can be wrong. If you have questions about the validity of an article that I link, or anything I post,  please do some personal research. Wikipedia is merely a convenience for general info.

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.

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.

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.

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.)

Deuteronomy 28

After reading chapter 28:

*First we have a reiteration of the necessity for obedience, then a list of blessings and cursings. If the Israelites obey Yahweh, they will recieve blessings in the form of abundant wealth, food, children, and defeat of enemies. They will become the top dogs in the land and the benefactors of other nations.

*If they do not obey, they will be cursed in every way, including lack of wealth, food, and children. They will contract many different  diseases and health problems. There will be drought and famine. The Israelite's enemies will defeat them. They will go mad, be unsuccessful in every endeavor, and end up oppressed and robbed. Their brides to be will be violated before they can marry them. They will labor and build in vain. They will be ridiculed and become the lowest of the low.

*The cursings go on for some length and are very poetically detailed. At one point there is a quite gory description of the Israelite's descent into the depths of cannabalism. Not only cannabalism, but selfishly refusing to share the flesh of their children. How sorry can you get.

*Then, after all these horrendous cursings, the Israelites will be scattered among the nations and worship other gods. They will have sunk so low that they will be sent back to Egypt on ships and no one will even want to buy them as slaves. That's low.

*There you have it, the carrot and the stick, heaven and hell on earth, not in any invisible realms.

Deuteronomy chapter 26 and 27

After reading chapter 26:

*After they conquer the people who lived in the promised land first, and take over their property, and set up a place to worship Yahweh, the Israelites have to perform a ceremony of giving first fruits, to show Yahweh how grateful they are. The third year, they have to give the tithe to the Levites, foreigners, widows , and orphans. It is repeat info, but this time they are given specific phrases to declare.

*The chapter ends with yet another exhortation to obedience and more rhetoric about the Israelites being special snowflakes.

Chapter 27:

*Here we find a lot of redundant and superfluous phraseology telling the Israelites that after they enter the promised land they are to go up on Mount Ebal (fascinating info on Wikipedia) set up some stones, cover them with plaster, and write the words of the law on them. Then they are to build an altar of uncut stone, and have a big BBQ party (Sacrifice and feast.) After that, they are to divide up into specific tribes. Some tribes will stand on Mount Ebal to pronounce curses, the rest will stand on Mount Gerazim to pronounce blessings, as mentioned in previous scriptures. Now, however, the exact words for the cursings are given. After each curse, the people are to say, Amen!" The curses contain an odd collection of rules regarding conduct.