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fordecree7 · 2 months ago

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BIBLE TIME

DEUTERONOMY 1

The Command to Leave Horeb

1 These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab. 2 It is eleven days' journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh-barnea. 3 In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses spoke to the people of Israel according to all that the Lord had given him in commandment to them, 4 after he had defeated Sihon the king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth and in Edrei. 5 Beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses undertook to explain this law, saying, 6 “The Lord our God said to us in Horeb, ‘You have stayed long enough at this mountain. 7 Turn and take your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all their neighbors in the Arabah, in the hill country and in the lowland and in the Negeb and by the seacoast, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates. 8 See, I have set the land before you. Go in and take possession of the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them and to their offspring after them.’

Leaders Appointed

9 “At that time I said to you, ‘I am not able to bear you by myself. 10 The Lord your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are today as numerous as the stars of heaven. 11 May the Lord, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times as many as you are and bless you, as he has promised you! 12 How can I bear by myself the weight and burden of you and your strife? 13 Choose for your tribes wise, understanding, and experienced men, and I will appoint them as your heads.’ 14 And you answered me, ‘The thing that you have spoken is good for us to do.’ 15 So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and experienced men, and set them as heads over you, commanders of thousands, commanders of hundreds, commanders of fifties, commanders of tens, and officers, throughout your tribes. 16 And I charged your judges at that time, ‘Hear the cases between your brothers, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the alien who is with him. 17 You shall not be partial in judgment. You shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not be intimidated by anyone, for the judgment is God's. And the case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’ 18 And I commanded you at that time all the things that you should do.

Israel's Refusal to Enter the Land

19 “Then we set out from Horeb and went through all that great and terrifying wilderness that you saw, on the way to the hill country of the Amorites, as the Lord our God commanded us. And we came to Kadesh-barnea. 20 And I said to you, ‘You have come to the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving us. 21 See, the Lord your God has set the land before you. Go up, take possession, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has told you. Do not fear or be dismayed.’ 22 Then all of you came near me and said, ‘Let us send men before us, that they may explore the land for us and bring us word again of the way by which we must go up and the cities into which we shall come.’ 23 The thing seemed good to me, and I took twelve men from you, one man from each tribe. 24 And they turned and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshcol and spied it out. 25 And they took in their hands some of the fruit of the land and brought it down to us, and brought us word again and said, ‘It is a good land that the Lord our God is giving us.’

26 “Yet you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the Lord your God. 27 And you murmured in your tents and said, ‘Because the Lord hated us he has brought us out of the land of Egypt, to give us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. 28 Where are we going up? Our brothers have made our hearts melt, saying, “The people are greater and taller than we. The cities are great and fortified up to heaven. And besides, we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.”’ 29 Then I said to you, ‘Do not be in dread or afraid of them. 30 The Lord your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes, 31 and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place.’ 32 Yet in spite of this word you did not believe the Lord your God, 33 who went before you in the way to seek you out a place to pitch your tents, in fire by night and in the cloud by day, to show you by what way you should go.

The Penalty for Israel's Rebellion

34 “And the Lord heard your words and was angered, and he swore, 35 ‘Not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good land that I swore to give to your fathers, 36 except Caleb the son of Jephunneh. He shall see it, and to him and to his children I will give the land on which he has trodden, because he has wholly followed the Lord!’ 37 Even with me the Lord was angry on your account and said, ‘You also shall not go in there. 38 Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it. 39 And as for your little ones, who you said would become a prey, and your children, who today have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go in there. And to them I will give it, and they shall possess it. 40 But as for you, turn, and journey into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea.’

41 “Then you answered me, ‘We have sinned against the Lord. We ourselves will go up and fight, just as the Lord our God commanded us.’ And every one of you fastened on his weapons of war and thought it easy to go up into the hill country. 42 And the Lord said to me, ‘Say to them, Do not go up or fight, for I am not in your midst, lest you be defeated before your enemies.’ 43 So I spoke to you, and you would not listen; but you rebelled against the command of the Lord and presumptuously went up into the hill country. 44 Then the Amorites who lived in that hill country came out against you and chased you as bees do and beat you down in Seir as far as Hormah. 45 And you returned and wept before the Lord, but the Lord did not listen to your voice or give ear to you. 46 So you remained at Kadesh many days, the days that you remained there.

Bible Time- Deuteronomy 1 Diane Beauford

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walkwithgod07 · 3 months ago

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1 These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel on this side Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red sea, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahab.

2 (There are eleven days' journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadeshbarnea.)

3 And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the Lord had given him in commandment unto them;

4 After he had slain Sihon the king of the Amorites, which dwelt in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, which dwelt at Astaroth in Edrei:

5 On this side Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to declare this law, saying,

6 The Lord our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount:

7 Turn you, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the south, and by the sea side, to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon, unto the great river, the river Euphrates.

8 Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them.

9 And I spake unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone:

10 The Lord your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude.

11 (The Lord God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you, as he hath promised you!)

12 How can I myself alone bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife?

13 Take you wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you.

14 And ye answered me, and said, The thing which thou hast spoken is good for us to do.

15 So I took the chief of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, and captains over fifties, and captains over tens, and officers among your tribes.

16 And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him.

17 Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God's: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it.

18 And I commanded you at that time all the things which ye should do.

19 And when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness, which ye saw by the way of the mountain of the Amorites, as the Lord our God commanded us; and we came to Kadeshbarnea.

20 And I said unto you, Ye are come unto the mountain of the Amorites, which the Lord our God doth give unto us.

21 Behold, the Lord thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged.

22 And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come.

23 And the saying pleased me well: and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe:

24 And they turned and went up into the mountain, and came unto the valley of Eshcol, and searched it out.

25 And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us word again, and said, It is a good land which the Lord our God doth give us.

26 Notwithstanding ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the Lord your God:

27 And ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because the Lord hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.

28 Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.

29 Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.

30 The Lord your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;

31 And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the Lord thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.

32 Yet in this thing ye did not believe the Lord your God,

33 Who went in the way before you, to search you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to shew you by what way ye should go, and in a cloud by day.

34 And the Lord heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and sware, saying,

35 Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers.

36 Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath wholly followed the Lord.

37 Also the Lord was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou also shalt not go in thither.

38 But Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: encourage him: for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.

39 Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it.

40 But as for you, turn you, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.

41 Then ye answered and said unto me, We have sinned against the Lord, we will go up and fight, according to all that the Lord our God commanded us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready to go up into the hill.

42 And the Lord said unto me, Say unto them. Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies.

43 So I spake unto you; and ye would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the Lord, and went presumptuously up into the hill.

44 And the Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and destroyed you in Seir, even unto Hormah.

45 And ye returned and wept before the Lord; but the Lord would not hearken to your voice, nor give ear unto you.

46 So ye abode in Kadesh many days, according unto the days that ye abode there.

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thegospelofstjohn · 7 months ago

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"The Wish." From the Gospel of Saint John, 8: 31-33.

The discussion of who is the Self and what is not the Self is invoked to substantiate how to contend with an unseen God and very real human problems. God's Hand seems so absent and ours are so deadly and dangerous and careless. Why doesn't God do something? Why don't men change their ways and act responsibly?

This argument always pares down to free will. Are we free to sin or not? The answer should not suprise you. Jesus says you are free to be Sons of Abraham, but you are not free to stray from the Covenant with God.

Dispute Over Whose Children Jesus’ Opponents Are

31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”

Once again the Gospel establishes Jesus was not rejected by the Jews and does not need to be accepted. We need to be acceptable unto God, He does not need to do anything to become acceptable to us. That is utter bullshit peddled by knuckledragging chimpanzees that should no longer be allowed to live here and multiply.

v. 31-32: To the Jews who believed Jesus said the truth will set you free. Do not sin, do not slander or act stupidly, do not infract upon mankind, grow like a cultivated plant in Eden and God will be pleased.

The Number is 14086, א‎םףו‎, amephu, "within His mouth."

This section refers to the Devarim which means "words." Within the Devarim God says it is time to straighten out your act:

The Command to Leave Horeb "The Glowing Heat."

1 These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel in the wilderness east of the Jordan—that is, in the Arabah "criss crossing"—opposite Suph "reeds, border markers", between Paran "the glowing ornament" and Tophel "to whitewash", Laban "white", Hazeroth "villages" and Dizahab "abundant in gold". 2 (It takes eleven days to go from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea "to be holy" by the Mount Seir "the hairy guys, the bucks' road.)

3 In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses proclaimed to the Israelites all that the Lord had commanded him concerning them.

4 This was after he had defeated Sihon "uproot" king of the Amorites "the talkers", who reigned in Heshbon "intelligence", and at Edrei "mighty" had defeated Og "baked" king of Bashan "fruitful" , who reigned in Ashtaroth "union of the law."

5 East of the Jordan in the territory of Moab "the past" , Moses began to expound this law, saying:

6 The Lord our God said to us at Horeb, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain.

7 Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon "place of laban, place of purity", as far as the great river, the Euphrates "good, nobble".

8 See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land the Lord swore he would give to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—and to their descendants after them.”

v. 33: How can you say we shall be set free? Never once in the Torah do we obtain permission to perform the heinous acts that are taking place on this world today. It is easy to read in this forum and others like it there are Biblical prohibitions against people like Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, the hated Mormons and Jehovah's Witlesses who do nothing but wallow in organized crime and violence while the governments watch their victims and their families squirm.

Shabbat is not just for Jews or the occasional other religious practitioner, it is a phenomenon whose responsibilities are shared by all persons. There must not be sin.

Even still, Joe Biden is leaving an America behind that will be slaves and victims of a man and a political party that are vocal they plan to get away with grievous sins and take all the world down with them as they expand the grandeur of their wickednesses.

Woe unto those that oppose them.

The Number is 10243, י‎בדג‎, yadabag, "you should wish away the worry, the anger, and the dread."

The dispute then over who is Jesus, who is the Father and who are we is answered in this universal wish for the wisdom to be free of dread. This explains our relationship to all of this perfectly.

We are not suited to life on this world with each other if we cannot as God said in the beginning of the Gospel, "I noticed you were suffering." The ability to witness unhappiness in others, in wildlife, in the land and the weather and wish it away is the secret to understanding God and all of His Laws and ways. Jesus came to ensure we did not fall short of mastery of this critical aspect of His plan for us. There is no way to honor the Sabbath without it.

The purpose of the Gospel Torah extends much further than successful collaboration between moral persons. Cultures must actually flourish like a meadow flourishes as a result of successful interdependencies on a great deal of biodiversity. We call this extension of Shabbat the Mashiach.

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craftylovegentlemen · 1 year ago

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Deuteronomy

Chapter 1

1 These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel on this side Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red sea, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahab. 2 (There are eleven days' journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadeshbarnea.) 3 And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the LORD had given him in commandment unto them; 4 After he had slain Sihon the king of the Amorites, which dwelt in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, which dwelt at Astaroth in Edrei: 5 On this side Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to declare this law, saying, 6 The LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount: 7 Turn you, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the south, and by the sea side, to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon, unto the great river, the river Euphrates. 8 Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them. 9 And I spake unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone: 10 The LORD your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude.

11 (The LORD God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you, as he hath promised you!) 12 How can I myself alone bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife? 13 Take you wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you. 14 And ye answered me, and said, The thing which thou hast spoken is good for us to do. 15 So I took the chief of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, and captains over fifties, and captains over tens, and officers among your tribes. 16 And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him. 17 Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God's: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it. 18 And I commanded you at that time all the things which ye should do. 19 And when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness, which ye saw by the way of the mountain of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded us; and we came to Kadeshbarnea. 20 And I said unto you, Ye are come unto the mountain of the Amorites, which the LORD our God doth give unto us.

21 Behold, the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged. 22 And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come. 23 And the saying pleased me well: and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe: 24 And they turned and went up into the mountain, and came unto the valley of Eshcol, and searched it out. 25 And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us word again, and said, It is a good land which the LORD our God doth give us. 26 Notwithstanding ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God: 27 And ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because the LORD hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. 28 Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there. 29 Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them. 30 The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;

31 And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place. 32 Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God, 33 Who went in the way before you, to search you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to shew you by what way ye should go, and in a cloud by day. 34 And the LORD heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and sware, saying, 35 Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers, 36 Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath wholly followed the LORD. 37 Also the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou also shalt not go in thither. 38 But Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: encourage him: for he shall cause Israel to inherit it. 39 Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it. 40 But as for you, turn you, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.

41 Then ye answered and said unto me, We have sinned against the LORD, we will go up and fight, according to all that the LORD our God commanded us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready to go up into the hill. 42 And the LORD said unto me, Say unto them, Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies. 43 So I spake unto you; and ye would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and went presumptuously up into the hill. 44 And the Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and destroyed you in Seir, even unto Hormah. 45 And ye returned and wept before the LORD; but the LORD would not hearken to your voice, nor give ear unto you. 46 So ye abode in Kadesh many days, according unto the days that ye abode there.

Deuteronomy 1

Diane Beauford

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lordgodjehovahsway · 1 year ago

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Deuteronomy 1: God Gives Moses The Command To Tell The Isralites To Go Inherit The Promise Land

1 These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel in the wilderness east of the Jordan—that is, in the Arabah—opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth and Dizahab.

2 (It takes eleven days to go from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea by the Mount Seir road.)

3 In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses proclaimed to the Israelites all that the Lord had commanded him concerning them.

4 This was after he had defeated Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, and at Edrei had defeated Og king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth.

5 East of the Jordan in the territory of Moab, Moses began to expound this law, saying:

6 The Lord our God said to us at Horeb, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain.

8 See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land the Lord swore he would give to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—and to their descendants after them.”

The Appointment of Leaders

9 At that time I said to you, “You are too heavy a burden for me to carry alone.

10 The Lord your God has increased your numbers so that today you are as numerous as the stars in the sky.

11 May the Lord, the God of your ancestors, increase you a thousand times and bless you as he has promised!

12 But how can I bear your problems and your burdens and your disputes all by myself?

13 Choose some wise, understanding and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will set them over you.”

14 You answered me, “What you propose to do is good.”

16 And I charged your judges at that time, “Hear the disputes between your people and judge fairly, whether the case is between two Israelites or between an Israelite and a foreigner residing among you.

17 Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of anyone, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it.”

18 And at that time I told you everything you were to do.

Spies Sent Out

19 Then, as the Lord our God commanded us, we set out from Horeb and went toward the hill country of the Amorites through all that vast and dreadful wilderness that you have seen, and so we reached Kadesh Barnea.

20 Then I said to you, “You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving us.

21 See, the Lord your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

22 Then all of you came to me and said, “Let us send men ahead to spy out the land for us and bring back a report about the route we are to take and the towns we will come to.”

23 The idea seemed good to me; so I selected twelve of you, one man from each tribe.

24 They left and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshkol and explored it.

25 Taking with them some of the fruit of the land, they brought it down to us and reported, “It is a good land that the Lord our God is giving us.”

Rebellion Against the Lord

26 But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God.

27 You grumbled in your tents and said, “The Lord hates us; so he brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us.

28 Where can we go? Our brothers have made our hearts melt in fear. They say, ‘The people are stronger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites there.’”

29 Then I said to you, “Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them.

30 The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes,

31 and in the wilderness. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.”

32 In spite of this, you did not trust in the Lord your God,

33 who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go.

34 When the Lord heard what you said, he was angry and solemnly swore:

35 “No one from this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your ancestors, 36 except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land he set his feet on, because he followed the Lord wholeheartedly.”

37 Because of you the Lord became angry with me also and said, “You shall not enter it, either.

38 But your assistant, Joshua son of Nun, will enter it. Encourage him, because he will lead Israel to inherit it.

39 And the little ones that you said would be taken captive, your children who do not yet know good from bad—they will enter the land. I will give it to them and they will take possession of it.

40 But as for you, turn around and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea.”

41 Then you replied, “We have sinned against the Lord. We will go up and fight, as the Lord our God commanded us.” So every one of you put on his weapons, thinking it easy to go up into the hill country.

42 But the Lord said to me, “Tell them, ‘Do not go up and fight, because I will not be with you. You will be defeated by your enemies.’”

43 So I told you, but you would not listen. You rebelled against the Lord’s command and in your arrogance you marched up into the hill country.

44 The Amorites who lived in those hills came out against you; they chased you like a swarm of bees and beat you down from Seir all the way to Hormah.

45 You came back and wept before the Lord, but he paid no attention to your weeping and turned a deaf ear to you.

46 And so you stayed in Kadesh many days—all the time you spent there.

#Lord God Jehovah #Holy Bible #Deuteronomy ch.1 #Moses #Joshua #Eleazar #Israelites #Inherit #Promise Land #Descendants #Increased #Population #Tribes #Commanded #Horeb #Spies #Rebellion #Wilderness

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mysticandskepticmuses · 5 years ago

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@faithsreward - tophel sent a meme for ryn fisher.

“I’m the thing that monsters have nightmares about.“

Ryn considered Phel’s words, taking the time to make certain that she had properly understood their meanings, to the best of her knowledge. Her brows furrowed, slightly, blinking slowly in the demon’s direction before finally speaking, simply and directly. “Why?” She understood that humans often feared those that were different from them, but she knew that the two of them had the ‘advantage’ of, for the most part, blending with the humans. She did not look like what she was, nor did Tophel - and most humans did not have the sense to know when a predator was in their midst. They were too concerned with their own lives, and the devices that they carried with them everywhere they went to see the potential dangers of the world around them.

“Tophel is good.” Tophiel had been nothing but kind to Ryn, helping her learn how to navigate the human world, how to understand then, as much as such a feat seemed possible, protected her, helped her. “Why would bad things be afraid of you?”

#IC. ( ryn fisher. )#ANSWERED. ( ryn fisher. )#FAITHSREWARD #FAITHSREWARD. ( tophel. )#RYN & TOPHEL.#IC.#ANSWERED.#VERSE. ( main. )

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lcgioned · 6 years ago

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[ 📲 • sms ] —— i s2g i’m punching you so hard the next time i see you. (To anyone from Phel [faithsreward])

@faithsreward | Text Memes | accepting

[ sms: phel ] ?!!!?![ sms: phel ] what i do??[ sms: phel ] i’m pretty sure i didn’t do anything!

#faithsreward #(answered | octavia)#c;tophel #i figured octavia would be a good fit #the answer is octavia is always up to something #Anonymous

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faithsreward · 10 months ago

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@ofbloodandbullets asked: “You haven’t an inkling of an idea of what you’ve just done, haven’t you?” Masked Villain! Gotham adjacent verse Andy & Phel

"I know far more than you think child. You are not nearly as clever as you believe you are al speis (old spirit). Your tongue betrays you." Not that most would be able to tell, but Phel knew that voice intimately, and there was a pattern to it that Andromache had never quite managed to shake. "And soon enough the rest of your body will do the same, I guarantee it."

#interaction: tophel #ofbloodandbullets #andy tag pending #answers: tophel

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orthodoxydaily · 5 years ago

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Saints&Reading: Thu., Sept. 17, 2020

Commemorated on September 4_”Old” Julian calendar

The Holy Martyr Hermionia (117)

The Holy Martyr Hermionia was a daughter of the holy Apostle Philip (Comm. 14 November). Wanting to see the holy Apostle John the Theologian, Hermionia with her sister Euthykhia set off to Asia (Asia Minor) in search of the saint, but during the time of their journey they learned the saint had died. Continuing on, the sisters met up with a disciple of Saint Paul named Petronias, and copying him in everything, they became his disciples. Saint Hermionia, having mastered the healing arts, rendered help to many a Christian and by the power of Christ she healed the sick. During this period, the emperor Trajan (98-117) waged war against the Persians and he came with his army through the village where the saint lived. When they reported that Hermionia was a Christian, he gave orders to bring her to him. At first the emperor with casual admonitions sought to persuade the saint to renounce Christ. When this did not succeed, he commanded that she should be struck on the face at length, but she joyfully endured this suffering. Moreover, she was comforted by a vision of the Lord, sitting upon the throne of judgement, in semblance of Petronias. Convincing himself that she was adamant in her faith, Trajan sent her away. Hermionia later built an hospice in which she took in the sick, doctoring their infirmities both of body and soul. Trajan's successor as emperor, Adrian, again commanded that the saint be brought to trial for confessing the Christian faith. At first, the emperor commanded that she be beaten mercilessly, then they pierced the soles of her feet with nails, and finally they threw her into a cauldron with boiling tar, tin and sulphurous brimstone. But the saint bore everything giving thanks to God. And the Lord rendered her His mercy: the fire went out, the tin flowed off, and the saint remained unharmed. Adrian in surprise went up to the place of torture and touched at the cauldron, to ascertain whether it had cooled. But just as he touched at the cauldron, he burned the skin on his hand. But even this did not dissuade the torturer. He gave orders to heat red-hot a sort of frying-pan and put upon it the holy martyress. And here again happened another miracle. An Angel of the Lord scattered about the hot coals and burnt many that stood about the fire. The saint stood on the frying-pan, as though on green grass, hymning forth praise to the Lord. Descending the frying-pan, the holy martyress seemed to appear willing to offer sacrifice to the pagan god Hercules. The delighted emperor gave orders to take her off to the idolous temple. When however the saint prayed there to God, a loud thunder-clap was heard, and all the idols in the pagan temple fell and shattered. In a rage the emperor ordered that Hermionia be led out beyond the city and beheaded. Two servants – Theodoulos and Timothy – were entrusted to carry out the execution. Going along the way, they wanted to commit iniquity against the saint, but just as they were considering this, their hands withered. Then they believed in Jesus Christ and with repentance they fell at the feet of Saint Hermionia. They besought her to pray to the Lord, that He should summon them to Himself before her, which through this prayer transpired. After this, having prayed, she also expired to the Lord (+ c. 117).

Moses Is Born (1531 BC)

2 And a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi. 2 So the woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months. 3 But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river’s bank. 4 And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him.

5 Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river. And her maidens walked along the riverside; and when she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it. 6 And when she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby wept. So she had compassion on him, and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”

7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?”

8 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the maiden went and called the child’s mother. 9 Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. 10 And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. So she called his name [a]Moses, saying, “Because I drew him out of the water.”

Moses Flees to Midian

11 Now it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. 12 So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 And when he went out the second day, behold, two Hebrew men were fighting, and he said to the one who did the wrong, “Why are you striking your companion?”

14 Then he said, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?”

So Moses feared and said, “Surely this thing is known!” 15 When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from [b]the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian; and he sat down by a well.

16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. And they came and drew water, and they filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. 17 Then the shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.

18 When they came to Reuel[c] their father, he said, “How is it that you have come so soon today?”

19 And they said, “An Egyptian delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, and he also drew enough water for us and watered the flock.”

20 So he said to his daughters, “And where is he? Why is it that you have left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.”

21 Then Moses was content to live with the man, and he gave Zipporah his daughter to Moses. 22 And she bore him a son. He called his name Gershom,[d] for he said, “I have been a [e]stranger in a foreign land.”

23 Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. 24 So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.

Footnotes

Exodus 2:10 Heb. Mosheh, lit. Drawn Out

Exodus 2:15 the presence of Pharaoh

Exodus 2:18 Jethro, Ex. 3:1

Exodus 2:22 Lit. Stranger There

Exodus 2:22 sojourner, temporary resident

Deuteronomy 1 NKJV

The Previous Command to Enter Canaan

1 These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel on this side of the Jordan in the wilderness, in the [a]plain opposite [b]Suph, between Paran, Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab. 2 It is eleven days’ journey from Horeb by way of Mount Seir to Kadesh Barnea. 3 Now it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spoke to the children of Israel according to all that the Lord had given him as commandments to them, 4 after he had killed Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who dwelt at Ashtaroth in[c] Edrei.

5 On this side of the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this law, saying, 6 “The Lord our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying: ‘You have dwelt long enough at this mountain. 7 Turn and take your journey, and go to the mountains of the Amorites, to all the neighboring places in the [d]plain, in the mountains and in the lowland, in the South and on the seacoast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the River Euphrates. 8 See, I have set the land before you; go in and possess the land which the Lord [e]swore to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—to give to them and their descendants after them.’

Tribal Leaders Appointed

9 “And I spoke to you at that time, saying: ‘I [f]alone am not able to bear you. 10 The Lord your God has multiplied you, and here you are today, as the stars of heaven in multitude. 11 May the Lord God of your fathers make you a thousand times more numerous than you are, and bless you as He has promised you! 12 How can I alone bear your problems and your burdens and your complaints? 13 Choose wise, understanding, and knowledgeable men from among your tribes, and I will make them [g]heads over you.’ 14 And you answered me and said, ‘The thing which you have told us to do is good.’ 15 So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and knowledgeable men, and [h]made them heads over you, leaders of thousands, leaders of hundreds, leaders of fifties, leaders of tens, and officers for your tribes.

16 “Then I commanded your judges at that time, saying, ‘Hear the cases between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the stranger who is with him. 17 You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid in any man’s presence, for the judgment is God’s. The case that is too hard for you, bring to me, and I will hear it.’ 18 And I commanded you at that time all the things which you should do.

Israel’s Refusal to Enter the Land

19 “So we departed from Horeb, and went through all that great and terrible wilderness which you saw on the way to the mountains of the Amorites, as the Lord our God had commanded us. Then we came to Kadesh Barnea. 20 And I said to you, ‘You have come to the mountains of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving us. 21 Look, the Lord your God has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as the Lord God of your fathers has spoken to you; do not fear or be discouraged.’

22 “And every one of you came near to me and said, ‘Let us send men before us, and let them search out the land for us, and bring back word to us of the way by which we should go up, and of the cities into which we shall come.’

23 “The plan pleased me well; so I took twelve of your men, one man from each tribe. 24 And they departed and went up into the mountains, and came to the Valley of Eshcol, and spied it out. 25 They also took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us; and they brought back word to us, saying, ‘It is a good land which the Lord our God is giving us.’

26 “Nevertheless you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the Lord your God; 27 and you complained in your tents, and said, ‘Because the Lord hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. 28 Where can we go up? Our brethren have [i]discouraged our hearts, saying, “The people are greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.” ’

29 “Then I said to you, ‘Do not be terrified, or afraid of them. 30 The Lord your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, 31 and in the wilderness where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.’ 32 Yet, for all that, you did not believe the Lord your God, 33 who went in the way before you to search out a place for you to pitch your tents, to show you the way you should go, in the fire by night and in the cloud by day.

The Penalty for Israel’s Rebellion

34 “And the Lord heard the sound of your words, and was angry, and took an oath, saying, 35 ‘Surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land of which I [j]swore to give to your fathers, 36 except Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him and his children I am giving the land on which he walked, because he [k]wholly followed the Lord.’ 37 The Lord was also angry with me for your sakes, saying, ‘Even you shall not go in there. 38 Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall go in there. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.

39 ‘Moreover your little ones and your children, who you say will be victims, who today have no knowledge of good and evil, they shall go in there; to them I will give it, and they shall possess it. 40 But as for you, turn and take your journey into the wilderness by the Way of the Red Sea.’

41 “Then you answered and said to me, ‘We have sinned against the Lord; we will go up and fight, just as the Lord our God commanded us.’ And when everyone of you had girded on his weapons of war, you were ready to go up into the mountain.

42 “And the Lord said to me, ‘Tell them, “Do not go up nor fight, for I am not among you; lest you be defeated before your enemies.” ’ 43 So I spoke to you; yet you would not listen, but rebelled against the command of the Lord, and presumptuously[l] went up into the mountain. 44 And the Amorites who dwelt in that mountain came out against you and chased you as bees do, and drove you back from Seir to Hormah. 45 Then you returned and wept before the Lord, but the Lord would not listen to your voice nor give ear to you.

46 “So you remained in Kadesh many days, according to the days that you spent there.

Footnotes

Deuteronomy 1:1 Heb. arabah

Deuteronomy 1:1 One LXX ms., Tg., Vg. Red Sea

Deuteronomy 1:4 LXX, Syr., Vg. and; cf. Josh. 12:4

Deuteronomy 1:7 Heb. arabah

Deuteronomy 1:8 promised

Deuteronomy 1:9 am not able to bear you by myself

Deuteronomy 1:13 rulers

Deuteronomy 1:15 appointed

Deuteronomy 1:28 Lit. melted

Deuteronomy 1:35 promised

Deuteronomy 1:36 fully

Deuteronomy 1:43 willfully

Mark 6:30-45

30Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.31And He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest awhile." For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.32So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.33But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities. They arrived before them and came together to Him.34And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things.35When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, "This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late.36Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat.37But He answered and said to them, "You give them something to eat." And they said to Him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?"38But He said to them, "How many loaves do you have? Go and see." And when they found out they said, "Five, and two fish."39Then He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass.40So they sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties.41And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all.42So they all ate and were filled.43And they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish.44Now those who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men.45Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away.

Hebrews 11:33-12:2

33who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,34quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.35Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.36Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment.37They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented-38of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth.39And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receivethe promise,40God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.1Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,2looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that wasset before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

#orthodoxy #orthodoxchristian #ancientfaith #firstchristian #sprituality #holyscripture #gospel #wisdom

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fordecree7 · 1 year ago

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THE BIBLE THE BOOK OF GOD

Deuteronomy 1

The Command to Leave Horeb

tents and said, ‘Because the Lord hated us he has brought us out of the land of Egypt, to give us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. 28 Where are we going up? Our brothers have made our hearts melt, saying, “The people are greater and taller than we. The cities are great and fortified up to heaven. And besides, we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.”’ 29 Then I said to you, ‘Do not be in dread or afraid of them. 30 The Lord your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes, 31 and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place.’ 32 Yet in spite of this word you did not believe the Lord your God, 33 who went before you in the way to seek you out a place to pitch your tents, in fire by night and in the cloud by day, to show you by what way you should go.

The Penalty for Israel's Rebellion

Deuteronomy 1

Diane Beauford

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torahtantra · 2 years ago

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44. Parsha Devarim. "The Words." From Deuteronomy 1:1–3:22.

Devar= the words

Im= I am

We just finished a cursory analysis of the Parshiot located in the Book of Numbers, which explain how to dial the phone numbers of the Days of the Week, the Tribes, the Commandments, the Festivals the Profanities, etc. and create civilized human beings out of animals wearing human bodies.

God insists we dial Him up so He can see as much of Himself in us as possible, and vice versa. This protects the world and us from short term and lasting harm, ultimately it prepares us to enjoy better and better times while we have the time to spend.

The Parshiot contained in Deuteronomy, from elah-ha-devarim, "God is the Words" are next, and begin here:

The Command to Leave Horeb "The Glowing Heat."

-> The verses above say if we just head east and criss cross past the borders where talkers and strifers live - those nasty arabs- and grow show and glow in the village, we will be pure as gold.

The Eleven Days Road, the one walked by horrible hairy dudes, makes an easy process more complicated. I will never understand just exactly how hairy the Torah wants us to be...I do think some hair is good, if you know what I mean...

3 In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses proclaimed to the Israelites all that the Lord had commanded him concerning them. 4 This was after he had defeated Sihon "uproot" king of the Amorites "the talkers", who reigned in Heshbon "intelligence", and at Edrei "mighty" had defeated Og "baked" king of Bashan "fruitful" , who reigned in Ashtaroth "union of the law."

5 East of the Jordan in the territory of Moab "the past" , Moses began to expound this law, saying:

6 The Lord our God said to us at Horeb, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain. 7 Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon "place of laban, place of purity", as far as the great river, the Euphrates "good, nobble". 8 See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land the Lord swore he would give to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—and to their descendants after them.”

The Torah Tantra Translation for the above is:

"When all the habits for slander and listening to the slanderers stops, a place of goodness and purity will result. Go as far as it takes in order for this to come to pass."

The Appointment of Leaders

9 At that time I said to you, “You are too heavy a burden for me to carry alone. 10 The Lord your God has increased your numbers so that today you are as numerous as the stars in the sky. 11 May the Lord, the God of your ancestors, increase you a thousand times and bless you as he has promised! 12 But how can I bear your problems and your burdens and your disputes all by myself? 13 Choose some wise, understanding and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will set them over you.”

14 You answered me, “What you propose to do is good.”

15 So I took the leading men of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them to have authority over you—as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens and as tribal officials. 16 And I charged your judges at that time, “Hear the disputes between your people and judge fairly, whether the case is between two Israelites or between an Israelite and a foreigner residing among you. 17 Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of anyone, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it.” 18 And at that time I told you everything you were to do.

Spies Sent Out

19 Then, as the Lord our God commanded us, we set out from Horeb and went toward the hill country of the Amorites "gossipers" through all that vast and dreadful wilderness that you have seen, and so we reached Kadesh Barnea "holiness" . 20 Then I said to you, “You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving us. 21 See, the Lord your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

22 Then all of you came to me and said, “Let us send men ahead to spy out the land for us and bring back a report about the route we are to take and the towns we will come to.”

23 The idea seemed good to me; so I selected twelve of you, one man from each tribe. 24 They left and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshkol "vineyards" and explored it. 25 Taking with them some of the fruit of the land, they brought it down to us and reported, “It is a good land that the Lord our God is giving us.”

->This is indeed a good land God has given and fuck anyone that tries to spoil the time we spend in it with all this bullshit crap. Get rid of them and keep them away.

They are not facts of life, they are not legally required, they were made by man not by God, they are corrupt, they are filth, they must not stay.

Rebellion Against the Lord

26 But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God. 27 You grumbled in your tents and said, “The Lord hates us; so he brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us. 28 Where can we go? Our brothers have made our hearts melt in fear. They say, ‘The people are stronger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites "ornamented" there.’”

29 Then I said to you, “Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. 30 The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, 31 and in the wilderness. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.”

32 In spite of this, you did not trust in the Lord your God, 33 who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go.

34 When the Lord heard what you said, he was angry and solemnly swore: 35 “No one from this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your ancestors, 36 except Caleb "the faithful dog" son of Jephunneh "the one who will turn and face". He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land he set his feet on, because he followed the Lord wholeheartedly.”

37 Because of you the Lord became angry with me also and said, “You shall not enter it, either. 38 But your assistant, Joshua son of Nun, will enter it. Encourage him, because he will lead Israel to inherit it. 39 And the little ones that you said would be taken captive, your children who do not yet know good from bad—they will enter the land. I will give it to them and they will take possession of it. 40 But as for you, turn around and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea.[a]”

-> The Red Sea is the boundary between Egypt and Israel= the Edoms, the commitments. One commits to stop listening to the little tallywhacker and listen to the big one instead, crosses the Red Sea and then prepares to receive the Center of Heat on the slopes of Sinai.

42 But the Lord said to me, “Tell them, ‘Do not go up and fight, because I will not be with you. You will be defeated by your enemies.’”

43 So I told you, but you would not listen. You rebelled against the Lord’s command and in your arrogance you marched up into the hill country. 44 The Amorites who lived in those hills came out against you; they chased you like a swarm of bees and beat you down from Seir all the way to Hormah "dedicated to the Most High". 45 You came back and wept before the Lord, but he paid no attention to your weeping and turned a deaf ear to you. 46 And so you stayed in Kadesh many days—all the time you spent there.

-> Only the One who Turns will see God, he and his assistant, Joshua the Faithful, the Deliverer.

Wanderings in the Wilderness

2 Then we turned back and set out toward the wilderness along the route to the Red Sea,[b] as the Lord had directed me. For a long time we made our way around the hill country of Seir "bristly guys".

2 Then the Lord said to me, 3 “You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north. 4 Give the people these orders: ‘You are about to pass through the territory of your relatives the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, but be very careful. 5 Do not provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land, not even enough to put your foot on. I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as his own. 6 You are to pay them in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.’”

7 The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything.

8 So we went on past our relatives the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. We turned from the Arabah road, which comes up from Elath "protrude" and Ezion Geber "Backbone Of A Man, Foundation Of Human Essence", and traveled along the desert road of Moab "traditions".

-> So the smooth guys traveled through the hills on the wandering path with the bristly guys and were expected to be left alone?

=A cautionary note by the Lord for young people not to turn from the paths of tradition at the advice of heathens.

9 Then the Lord said to me, “Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war, for I will not give you any part of their land. I have given Ar "skinned, naked" to the descendants of Lot "covered by God" as a possession.”

10 (The Emites "fearsome" used to live there—a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites "tall formidable". 11 Like the Anakites, they too were considered Rephaites "terribles" , but the Moabites called them Emites. 12 Horites used to live in Seir, but the descendants of Esau drove them out. They destroyed the Horites from before them and settled in their place, just as Israel did in the land the Lord gave them as their possession.)

13 And the Lord said, “Now get up and cross the Zered Valley.” So we crossed the valley "where many luxurious trees grow", [refers to many beautiful gorgeous penises, btw].

14 Thirty-eight years passed from the time we left Kadesh Barnea until we crossed the Zered Valley. By then, that entire generation of fighting men had perished from the camp, as the Lord had sworn to them. 15 The Lord’s hand was against them until he had completely eliminated them from the camp.

16 Now when the last of these fighting men among the people had died, 17 the Lord said to me, 18 “Today you are to pass by the region of Moab at Ar. 19 When you come to the Ammonites "kinsmen", do not harass them or provoke them to war, for I will not give you possession of any land belonging to the Ammonites. I have given it as a possession to the descendants of Lot.”

20 (That too was considered a land of the Rephaites "horribles", who used to live there; but the Ammonites called them Zamzummites "schemers". 21 They were a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites. The Lord destroyed them from before the Ammonites, who drove them out and settled in their place. 22 The Lord had done the same for the descendants of Esau, who lived in Seir "shaggies", when he destroyed the Horites "cavemen" from before them. They drove them out and have lived in their place to this day. 23 And as for the Avvites "live in ruins" who lived in villages as far as Gaza "strong city", the Caphtorites "cupbearers, wearing crowns or bearing pomegranates" coming out from Caphtor[c] destroyed them and settled in their place.)

-> Water sources, clean ones at any rate, reflect the Glory of God upon the man via his own reflection. There are ideal states in which to perform this daunting task; the Torah says men of noble qualities and appearances are best to gaze upon.

The terms "seir" and "horite", which imply "brutes and savages" are amusing aren't they? Their noble counterparts, the Calebites and Cathiterites, men who do not drag their knuckles, gossip, scheme, or live in the ruins of the past are the "luxurious trees" that grow up beside men who sport the holiest of reflections in the water.

Part 2.

In Part 1 of Parsha Devarim God says, "Oh grow up!": Kill the the liars, the gossips, and troublemakers, they simply don't fit in.

Part 2 elaborates on this, stating we need to overtake the intelligent and wise in our midst and grow into our adult pleasures:

Defeat of Sihon King of Heshbon, “who uproots intelligence.”

24 “Set out now and cross the Arnon Gorge "the center of cheer". See, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his country. Begin to take possession of it and engage him in battle. 25 This very day I will begin to put the terror and fear of you on all the nations under heaven. They will hear reports of you and will tremble and be in anguish because of you.”

->Torah say it's nice if he's smart...women say:

26 From the Desert of Kedemoth "ancient, eastern" , I sent messengers to Sihon king of Heshbon offering peace and saying, 27 “Let us pass through your country. We will stay on the main road; we will not turn aside to the right or to the left. 28 Sell us food to eat and water to drink for their price in silver. Only let us pass through on foot— 29 as the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir "shaggy", and the Moabites "traditional" , who live in Ar, "the town" did for us—until we cross the Jordan into the land the Lord our God is giving us.” 30 But Sihon king of Heshbon refused to let us pass through. For the Lord your God had made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate in order to give him into your hands, as he has now done.

-> It's a hairy guy kind of town. The Mayor is really smart and he's not letting anyone pass through. What's his problem?

31 The Lord said to me, “See, I have begun to deliver Sihon and his country over to you. Now begin to conquer and possess his land.”

32 When Sihon and all his army came out to meet us in battle at Jahaz "Yah sees" , 33 the Lord our God delivered him over to us and we struck him down, together with his sons and his whole army. 34 At that time we took all his towns and completely destroyed[d] them—men, women and children. We left no survivors. 35 But the livestock and the plunder from the towns we had captured we carried off for ourselves. 36 From Aroer "stripped bare" on the rim of the Arnon Gorge "the pleasure place", and from the town in the gorge, even as far as Gilead "testimony stones" [noble qualities named in the Ephod] , not one town was too strong for us. The Lord our God gave us all of them. 37 But in accordance with the command of the Lord our God, you did not encroach on any of the land of the Ammonites, neither the land along the course of the Jabbok "the emptying" nor that around the towns in the hills.

-> Sometimes traditions have to change or be replaced, especially those that prevent one from conquering and entering the pleasure place, stripped down. The course and heading should be determined by nice guys.

Defeat of Og King of Bashan "Barbarian."

3 Next we turned and went up along the road toward Bashan, and Og king of Bashan with his whole army marched out to meet us in battle at Edrei "strength". 2 The Lord said to me, “Do not be afraid of him, for I have delivered him into your hands, along with his whole army and his land. Do to him what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon.”

3 So the Lord our God also gave into our hands Og king of Bashan and all his army. We struck them down, leaving no survivors. 4 At that time we took all his cities. There was not one of the sixty cities that we did not take from them—the whole region of Argob "ambush", Og’s kingdom in Bashan. 5 All these cities were fortified with high walls and with gates and bars, and there were also a great many unwalled villages. 6 We completely destroyed[e] them, as we had done with Sihon king of Heshbon, destroying[f] every city—men, women and children. 7 But all the livestock and the plunder from their cities we carried off for ourselves.

8 So at that time we took from these two kings of the Amorites "propagandists" the territory east of the Jordan, from the Arnon Gorge as far as Mount Hermon "place of consignment to heaven". 9 (Hermon is called Sirion "place in the clouds" by the Sidonians "hunters, fisherman"; the Amorites call it Senir "the glistening snowy peak".) 10 We took all the towns on the plateau, and all Gilead, and all Bashan as far as Salekah "to walk east of Jordan" and Edrei, towns of Og’s kingdom in Bashan. 11 (Og king of Bashan was the last of the Rephaites "the terribles".

His bed was decorated with iron and was more than nine cubits long and four cubits wide.[g] It is still in Rabbah "to be great" of the Ammonites "of the siblings".)

-> Students of the religion need to eventually become the masters, called Rabbis. Realization of the meaning of things takes place spontaneously, like an ambush. The Torah however, says this is not as scary as it sounds. Just walk East, and cross the Jordan.

The iron bed with all the cubits sounds very mysterious...nonetheless, it receives many visitors...

Division of the Land

12 Of the land that we took over at that time, I gave the Reubenites "Leaders" and the Gadites ["exposers, AKA "teachers"] the territory north of Aroer "stripped" by the Arnon Gorge, "the pleasure hole" including half the hill country of Gilead "testimony stones", together with its towns. 13 The rest of Gilead and also all of Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to the half-tribe of Manasseh. (The whole region of Argob "the turf" in Bashan used to be known as a land of the Rephaites. 14 Jair, "he shines" a descendant of Manasseh "to reform, to forget the past", took the whole region of Argob as far as the border of the Geshurites "the beholder" and the Maakathites "to oppress" ; it was named after him, so that to this day Bashan is called Havvoth Jair "Village of the Enlightener".

-> Re: pleasure gorges and snowy glistening peaks, etc. I get the strong impression God does not want frigid, conservative, or prude persons in charge of things...seems like this always causes trouble and misery.

A nice guy with an enlightened approach towards everything important to one's success and happiness in life sounds like a good idea:

[h]) 15 And I gave Gilead to Makir "the Testimony to the King". 16 But to the Reubenites and the Gadites I gave the territory extending from Gilead down to the Arnon Gorge (the middle of the gorge being the border) and out to the Jabbok River "to pour out, to empty", which is the border of the Ammonites "siblings". 17 Its western border was the Jordan in the Arabah, from Kinnereth "the harpest" to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea), below the slopes of Pisgah "the very top".

-> JIC UDK: The top always empties out into the gorge.

18 I commanded you at that time: “The Lord your God has given you this land to take possession of it. But all your able-bodied men, armed for battle, must cross over ahead of the other Israelites. 19 However, your wives, your children and your livestock (I know you have much livestock) may stay in the towns I have given you, 20 until the Lord gives rest to your fellow Israelites as he has to you, and they too have taken over the land that the Lord your God is giving them across the Jordan. After that, each of you may go back to the possession I have given you.”

Moses Forbidden to Cross the Jordan

21 At that time I commanded Joshua: “You have seen with your own eyes all that the Lord your God has done to these two kings. The Lord will do the same to all the kingdoms over there where you are going. 22 Do not be afraid of them; the Lord your God himself will fight for you.”

-> FINALLY this makes sense to me. The mention of Arabah, the criss crossing path means Moses thinks life does not follow a critical path. How can it?

If life consisted of a direct route from birth to reason to understanding to enlightenment the Torah would be just a few pages. Instead, God told Moses there are going to be a few little snits along the way and we are going to have to reason our way through and past them.

They include men who are violent, jealous, greedy, ambitious, corrupt, who lie, cause strife and will try to oppress and wring all the joy from the rest.

At the end of Numbers, we had to overcome the talkers and strife. In the open volley of Deuteronomy the call to action is to overtake the government and faith and replace them with contemporaneous understandings of how the world works. Chief among these is how important it is for adults to feel free to be sexy.

Of this, there is no doubt, and thus ends Parsha Devarim, "the Words" numbered 44 of 54 contained in the Holy Torah.

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tanach-929 · 6 years ago

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#154: Devarim/Deuteronomy Chapter 1

New Book!

929 chapter link: http://www.929.org.il/lang/en/page/154

Mechon Mamre link: https://www.mechon-mamre.org/e/et/et0501.htm

1 These are the words which Moses spoke unto all Israel beyond the Jordan; in the wilderness, in the Arabah, over against Suph, between Paran and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Di-zahab. 2 It is eleven days journey from Horeb unto Kadesh-barnea by the way of mount Seir. 3 And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spoke unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the LORD had given him in commandment unto them; 4 after he had smitten Sihon the king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, who dwelt in Ashtaroth, at Edrei; 5 beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, took Moses upon him to expound this law, saying: 6 The LORD our God spoke unto us in Horeb, saying: 'Ye have dwelt long enough in this mountain; 7 turn you, and take your journey, and go to the hill-country of the Amorites and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the Arabah, in the hill-country, and in the Lowland, and in the South, and by the sea-shore; the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates. 8 Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD swore unto your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them.' 9 And I spoke unto you at that time, saying: 'I am not able to bear you myself alone; 10 the LORD your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude.-- 11 The LORD, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you, as He hath promised you!-- 12 How can I myself alone bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife? 13 Get you, from each one of your tribes, wise men, and understanding, and full of knowledge, and I will make them heads over you.' 14 And ye answered me, and said: 'The thing which thou hast spoken is good for us to do.' 15 So I took the heads of your tribes, wise men, and full of knowledge, and made them heads over you, captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, and captains of fifties, and captains of tens, and officers, tribe by tribe. 16 And I charged your judges at that time, saying: 'Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him. 17 Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; ye shall hear the small and the great alike; ye shall not be afraid of the face of any man; for the judgment is God's; and the cause that is too hard for you ye shall bring unto me, and I will hear it.' 18 And I commanded you at that time all the things which ye should do. 19 And we journeyed from Horeb, and went through all that great and dreadful wilderness which ye saw, by the way to the hill-country of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded us; and we came to Kadesh-barnea. 20 And I said unto you: 'Ye are come unto the hill-country of the Amorites, which the LORD our God giveth unto us. 21 Behold, the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee; go up, take possession, as the LORD, the God of thy fathers, hath spoken unto thee; fear not, neither be dismayed.' 22 And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said: 'Let us send men before us, that they may search the land for us, and bring us back word of the way by which we must go up, and the cities unto which we shall come.' 23 And the thing pleased me well; and I took twelve men of you, one man for every tribe; 24 and they turned and went up into the mountains, and came unto the valley of Eshcol, and spied it out. 25 And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us back word, and said: 'Good is the land which the LORD our God giveth unto us.' 26 Yet ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God; 27 and ye murmured in your tents, and said: 'Because the LORD hated us, He hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. 28 Whither are we going up? our brethren have made our heart to melt, saying: The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.' 29 Then I said unto you: 'Dread not, neither be afraid of them. 30 The LORD your God who goeth before you, He shall fight for you, according to all that He did for you in Egypt before your eyes; 31 and in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bore thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came unto this place. 32 Yet in this thing ye do not believe the LORD your God, 33 Who went before you in the way, to seek you out a place to pitch your tents in: in fire by night, to show you by what way ye should go, and in the cloud by day.' 34 And the LORD heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and swore, saying: 35 'Surely there shall not one of these men, even this evil generation, see the good land, which I swore to give unto your fathers, 36 save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, he shall see it; and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children; because he hath wholly followed the LORD.' 37 Also the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, saying: Thou also shalt not go in thither; 38 Joshua the son of Nun, who standeth before thee, he shall go in thither; encourage thou him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it. 39 Moreover your little ones, that ye said should be a prey, and your children, that this day have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it. 40 But as for you, turn you, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.' 41 Then ye answered and said unto me: 'We have sinned against the LORD, we will go up and fight, according to all that the LORD our God commanded us.' And ye girded on every man his weapons of war, and deemed it a light thing to go up into the hill-country. 42 And the LORD said unto me: 'Say unto them: Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies.' 43 So I spoke unto you, and ye hearkened not; but ye rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and were presumptuous, and went up into the hill-country. 44 And the Amorites, that dwell in that hill-country, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and beat you down in Seir, even unto Hormah. 45 And ye returned and wept before the LORD; but the LORD hearkened not to your voice, nor gave ear unto you. 46 So ye abode in Kadesh many days, according unto the days that ye abode there.

Have any thoughts, opinions, feelings or insights on this chapter? Please share!

#tanach #bible #torah #929 #devarim #Deuteronomy

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agameforgoodchristians · 7 years ago

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“Following God’s commands not being that difficult” (Deuteronomy 30:11-14)

Sometimes it is difficult to know exactly what a biblical writers means: the point of a passage can be rather opaque. At other times, it feels like the biblical writers are trolling us, calling us idiots.

This is one of those times.

Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away. It is not in heaven, that you should say, “Who will go up to heaven for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?” Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, “Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?” No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe.

~ Deuteronomy 30:11-14

tl:dr =

But, as always, we think context is important.

New Country, New Rules

The book of Deuteronomy begins explaining the setting, the characters, and a summary of what will follow:

These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan—in the wilderness, on the plain opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Di-zahab. (By the way of Mount Seir it takes eleven days to reach Kadesh-barnea from Horeb.) In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses spoke to the Israelites just as the Lord had commanded him to speak to them. This was after he had defeated King Sihon of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, and King Og of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei. Beyond the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses undertook to expound this law as follows…

~ Deuteronomy 1:1-5

Moses is with the people at the tail-end of their journey from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land. Here he reminds them of the law (Torah) previously given to them: a refresher before they move forward and claim the promise.

As will all things biblical, especially in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, there are arguments over when things were composed, by who, and how our current text came to be. Chapter 30 of Deuteronomy is no different. Scholars argue that this section of Deuteronomy comes from a tradition separate from the surrounding verses (vss. 1-10 & 15-20) and has been edited/redacted to fit their context.

A Slight Editorial Problem

[The next few paragraphs are nerdy, but stay with us. This is going somewhere.]

In short, vs 1-10 calls to mind the various blessings and curses previously laid out by God, through Moses, but it specifies that the people will eventually receive the curses. i.e. the people will turn away from God and will receive their just deserts (read: punishments) at the hand of God. However, it also speaks to the people’s eventual return from sin and God’s provision as a result. These verses display themes of repentance, redemption, and restoration.

The problem is that these words are at odds with verses 15-20, which repeat the call for repentance and exhortations to obey God’s command. However, the specific threats of curses given in this section do not neatly mesh with what vs 1-10 says— they seem to be positing a different reality. For example, vs 3-5 says that the punishment is exile from the land, while vs 18-19 prescribe utter annihilation. While either of these passages work well with vs 11-14, they don't all play well together.

An interesting solution to this comes from biblical scholar Richard Elliott Friedman. He proposes that 29:29 naturally flows into our passage, 30:11-14, and the intervening verses could be simply be cut out. When applied, it's easy to see his point:

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things belong to us and to our children forever, to observe all the words of this law. Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away. It is not in heaven, that you should say, “Who will go up to heaven for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?” Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, “Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?” No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe.

~ Deuteronomy 29:29 and 30:11-14

Okay, so why should you care about any of that? Why is that speculation important?

Friedman's reading draws the eye to the clear parallel established in the text: there are things hidden and known only to the God, but there are also things that are readily reveled to humanity.

A New Story: Easy Access to the Almighty

The commandments given by God through Moses fall into the second category: the law (Torah) is freely given to us so that we may live as God intended, and without the hassle of a fight to obtain it. Thus the use of rhetorical questions-- "Who will go up to heaven for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?” & “Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?” -- is significant for two reasons.

First, it highlights the ease of revelation of God's commands. Second, there is a comparison being made between the way YHWH acts, and the way of the deities in all the surrounding nations: all those people mentioned at the beginning of Deuteronomy and throughout the Exodus journey.

Moses knows, they all know, that the land that they are in, and the land to which they are going, has stories different from their own. Stories of heroes who must travel great distances on perilous adventures. Those heroes cross land and sea, ascend to the heavens, plunge into the underworld, fight nature, monsters, and gods, often to obtain a prize, tangible or abstract. Among these tales are journeys to gain special, hidden knowledge from the gods; Great odds and perils must be overcome to obtain words from the divine. The Egyptians, Ugarities, Sumerians, Babylonians, Greeks, and Canaanites of various stripes across the Levant, all have mythos of this sort.

But the Hebrew story is different.

God went to humanity with his knowledge instead of expecting humanity to struggle obtaining it

Despite what some may argue, God was very generous and very clear with knowledge in Eden: they only got in trouble when they believed that something was hidden from them: that they had to search for something other, better. God brought them what they needed, they tried to take more.

After-which God went to the First Family and then to Cain with words of warning. God went to Abraham with promises and knowledge. God went to Moses in a burning bush and sent he and Aaron to the people. Throughout the rest of the Scripture he pattern continues: God keeps sending prophets and priests, judges and kings (a couple of whom didn't suck). God lives among the people in the Ark, the tabernacle, the temple. In Jesus. In the Kingdom of God. The pattern is so clear we won't keep belaboring it. This is at the root of Paul's words in front of the Areopagus in Athens. That the God who made the world and everything in it, who gave all things things life and breath, who made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, figured out our times and locations, specifically so we can have access to a God who is so close by, we could find Him by simply reaching out our hand like a man groping in the dark (Acts 17:16-28). Here Paul is also responding (in part) to gnostic claims that divine knowledge (gnosis) is held in reserve for only special people. This is a thought that the writers of John's gospel and epistles, as well as other New Testament writings were also firmly against. God's revelatin is open to all.

Returning to the passage at hand, we see the reason both verses end with the same rhetorical question: “get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?” The answer is, "no one." The God of the Bible, unlike other gods, gives divine law freely to all. It is given, not achieved through heroic deeds or specialized positions.

You're on Your Own: Suck Less

The diction and direction of Chapter 30 of Deuteronomy revolves around two words: shema שְׁמָע ("hear"/"obey") and shuv שׂוּם ("turn"/"repent"). These words are vital to biblical concepts of holiness, and appear all over the chapter (shema vs. 2, 8, 10, 12, 13, 17, & 20 / shuv vs. 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, & 10). The people must hear and obey God. They must turn themselves toward God and away from their own desires.

This passage comes near the close of the Torah, and the end of the Moses’ life. It is presented as preceding Moses’ final words to his people. Soon they must live with these guidelines without him. They must walk before the Lord their God by themselves. Moses will not ascend any mountains to bring them the word, he will not cross the Red/Reed Sea with them as God’s emissary. Moses will no longer be the voice to remind them to shema and shuv. They are on their own. But, thankfully, it's not that hard.

But this is not only an Hebrew Bible/Old Testament concept "good chrisitians" can ignore because the law has passed away, or been fulfilled, or some other supersessionist, steeping in anti-semetic, bullshit sentiment to get them out of their moral obligations as human beings. The New Testament, doubles down on this idea. Think about it: What is the definition of sin in the New Testament? There are two of them. Really simple.

1. "All wrongdoing is sin" (1 John 5:17)

You know that thing is wrong? Yes? That's a sin.

2 "Anyone who knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, commits sin" (James 4:17)

You know that thing is right, but you're not doing it? Yes? That's a sin.

The Bible gets us coming and going.

Perhaps holiness is the hardest thing there is. Not because we don't know what to do, what not to do. Not because we need someone to patiently explain to us right and wrong. Not because we need someone to bring us a set of divine revelations to act like decent human beings. But because we simply make excuses.

Perhaps that's the point.

Perhaps striving to suck less in all our endeavors-- by not doing the wrong thing, and doing the right thing-- is exactly what we and this world needs.

Perhaps when we fail, we should get up and make better choices the next time.

But what do we know: we made this game and you probably think we're going to Hell.

#Deuteronomy 30:11-14 #Law #d #Holiness #You had one job #Divine Revelation #Moses #holiness #Reading comprehension

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