2 Chronicles 22 – “Destroying the Seed” vs Killing Brothers

King of Syria: Hazael; King of Judah: Ahaziah; King of Israel: Jehoram

2 Chronicles 22 (2 Kings 10)

Ahaziah did wickedly thanks to his mother because his counselors were from the kingdom of Israel, who at this time we are also wicked towards Jehovah. In fact, we have another set of kings of Judah and Israel who have joined forces. These ones went after Hazael king of Syria and were defeated. They were also together when Jehu was wiping out the house of Ahab, thus Jehu also wiped out Ahaziah of Judah and Jehoram, grand child of Ahab, of Israel.

22:10 – But when Athalilah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal of the house of Judah.

I asked this before but just what was the “seed” that was destroyed. Let’s revisit this again. A mother is able to wipe out Ahaziah’s brothers? How did she do it? What kind of power does a mother have to wipe out a group of boys/men? Was it living beings that she destroyed? Items are destroyed. People are killed! The author said seeds (items) are destroyed.

What are we missing here? First thing I thought was DNA, or cells, or even fetus. Imagine a fetus in a jar, (or god forbid, being in a woman’s womb) being incubated, and here comes Athaliah and knocks the jar to the ground (or kills the mothers), killing the SEEDS since they are not living out of the womb. Of course this requires technology in the case of incubation, or pregnant mothers, neither not mentioned in the bible up to this point.

UNLESS, you skip back to the story of Noah… just HOW was he able to get 2 (or 7) of each animal in an ark? How about DNA, or animal fetus’ to reseed the earth after the flood was over? I’ve said it before, multiple times, and I’ll say it for 2 Chronicles 22 (interesting numerology being it is 1/3 of 666) again: These stories sound like ancient science fiction, quite possibly taking place not on this planet, but on another planet or another galaxy. Take a gander at the Book of Jasher to see it really sound extra-terrestrial.

This reminds me of the flood version of the Epic of Gilgamesh (which BTW is much older than the biblical flood story, meaning there is a high probability the flood of Noah is just a later copied version of Gilgamesh.) Gilgamesh too carried all the animals he could into his boat, and many think he had some sort of seed or DNA because his boat was nowhere near the size of Noah’s. It’s quite possible Noah’s ark was bigger because the revision writer had to make the story make more sense of all the supposed animals being put into the ark.

Back to the story, among the dead brothers (jars?) Jehoshabeath took Joash the son of Ahaziah who was still alive we assume, and him and nurse go to a bedchamber (a laboratory?). He is hidden in the house of Elohim for 6 years.

Ahaziah’s mother Athaliah reigns over the land since none of the seeds, ahem brothers lived to take Ahaziah’s place, and it seems Joash isn’t incubated… ahem grown enough to become king.

What’s very odd is other men of the family or of Judah couldn’t just get rid of Athaliah, paving the way for Joash the next heir to come out of hiding. Just what is going on here?

1 Chronicles 15-16

1 Chronicles 15: David Brings the Ark Back to His Possession

David instructs the Levites to “sanctify” themselves to prepare to handle the Ark. Just WHAT were the Levites doing all this time otherwise?!

We get a run down of all the Levites who are now handling and ministering to the Ark.

Here’s an interesting verse that mixes *elohim* with Jehovah:

15:26 – And it came to pass, when *Elohim* helped the Levites that bare the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, that they offered 7 bullocks and 7 rams.

Elohim helped the Levites bare the ark of Jehovah. This is not saying Jehovah helped the Levites bare his ark. Are the one in the same? I will show, even using Jehovah’s words, they are NOT.

The Ark is now in the city of David after its stay with Obed-edom. We end the chapter with the familiar story of Michal the daughter of Saul despising David for dancing wildly (electrocution? he’s charging himself from the Ark?) in front of the ark.

1 Chronicles 16: Celebration of the Ark and the First Psalm

The Ark of Elohim (as it is called now) and is also called multiple times in Chapter 15 along with the Ark of Jehovah. Could we be dealing with two arks? It doesn’t seem so, however the language confounds the reader to believe both Elohim and Jehovah are the same. I’ve showed the difference between the two going all the way back to the 2 stories of Noah.

The ark is put in it’s place in the tent, and a series of offerings are made to it. After the offerings, David hands out bread, meat, and wine to “every one of Israel.” We also get a list of names of all the Levites chosen to minister to the ark.

In verse 7 we get our first “psalm” that David delivers to Jehovah as thanks. We should note that the book of Psalms comes much later in the bible, so why isn’t it concurrent with 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles? For bible readers who are not in the know, they may think that these Psalms came later in the timeline of the bible, and thus the context may be long after David was king.

When I discuss Psalms, I’m not going to go into full detail, I’m only going to note particular verses of interest. I will explain why when I get to the book of Psalms.

For all intents and purposes, these Psalms are David really heaping boasts and praise to Jehovah, the way a servant of a powerful King would do in the presence of the King to get on the king’s good side. After all, the life of the servant lies in the hand of the King and his decisions, whether they are fair or not. I feel this is what we are dealing with as David praises Jehovah: he knows what Jehovah has done to his people, how he has killed the innocent for the actions of the guilty in the past, and David does not seem the type to want to be punished by Jehovah (as we saw with the story of the census in 2 Samuel and soon in 1 Chronicles, David deferred taking punishment and dealt it to the regular people.)

16:26 – For all the gods of the people are idols: but Jehovah made the heavens.

Just the heavens? This Psalm really has a very poetic tone to it, figurative language often found in Medieval English literature, which ironically, KJV is translated into with its “thou” and “hast” etc. Almost as if Shakespeare or a contemporary had written the original.

We get another run down of names of porters, priests, and “musicians” who will be ministering to the ark. The celebration is over and everyone goes home. All is good, right? What will crash and burn next, after all that seems to be one of the over all themes of the covenant between deity and his people.

Deuteronomy 32: The Song: 32:8 Jehovah’s Inheritance Finally Explained?

The song takes up verses 1-43. It contains some very important points that fit into my idea that 1) Jehovah inherited this people as Moses indicated 2) There are other gods and at least one higher than Jehovah. This song is also a prime example of how the various modern bible versions translate so different from one another, that I have to raise the question again “Why so many variations if this Bible is divinely inspired?”

To really analyze this song verse by verse, it should be viewed on a page like Biblehub.com. In this format one will see the various modern translations in a linear form, so one can compare each bible version verse by verse and see just how much the context changes between them, which really does change the story of the Bible. For anyone following along, open this link in another window to compare and contrast the various translations found in The Song of Deuteronomy 32. Pressing the blue arrows will navigate to the next or previous verse

The Song: The Land, the People, the Inheritance

The song starts with the singer asking the heavens and earth to listen to the singer. In a poetic form, the singer says his knowledge and the name of Jehovah and his characteristics as a god will fall to the earth.

• Distinction 32:4 – For the most part, the translations describe Jehovah as a “rock” with perfect ways. Other translations replace “rock” with “God” or “the Strong one”.

Because they have strayed they are no longer considered “his children” or worthy of being “his children.” The people are asked “is this how you repay him for what he has done for you?” They are asked to remember the old days by asking their elders about a specific time and event:

32:8 – (KJV) When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. For Jehovah’s portion is his people, Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.

Let’s analyze this verse. The Most High (El*yown) is the entity that divides to the nations their inheritance. Jehovah’s (Yahweh) portion of that inheritance was his people, the lot of his inheritance is Jacob.

Now most people would say well God divided the nations up and he kept Jacob for himself. The text does not say this though, the text says The Most High divided the inheritance and Yahweh’s portion is Jacob. Reading it like this finally explains my theory about this “inheritance”. Why would Yahweh inherit something from himself? The word inherit wouldn’t be correct here, the word would be “keep” or “retain” because it was already his to begin with. HE INHERITED these people and we finally have a name who gave the inheritance out: El*yown also known as “god Most High.”

Remember the story of Melchizidek and Abram. Melchizidek was a priest king of the Most High, his offerings were of bread and wine. Yahweh requires offerings of burning flesh. Two distinct characteristics about these two different deities that need to be kept in mind.

So let’s look for more context into this verse based on other translations:

• (NLV) When the most High assigned land to the nations, he divided up the human race, he established the boundaries according to the number in his heavenly court
• (ESV) When the most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God
• (CEV) that god Most High gave land to every nation. He assigned a guardian angel to each of them,
• (GNT) The Most High assigned nations their lands; he determined where peoples should live. He assigned to each nation a heavenly being

The other verses closely match with the KJV version: the Most High separated Adam (mankind) and gave them their inheritance. The last two above add some additional context: not only did the nations receive LAND, they also received an Angel/Heavenly being.

Is Jehovah the Angel/Heavenly being that was given to Israel? Hint: we will see that other lands will have their own gods, separate from Jehovah and Israel but similar in scope that fit this theory: Boundaries of land and heavenly beings in charge of the people within each boundary. A god for each nation. Need an example already established? Chemosh the god of the Moabites in Numbers 21. In Deut 2 the Israelites were commanded not to “distress” the Moabites because their land has already been given to them (which fits the notion that each “nation” received land and Chemosh was the angel/god/heavenly being assigned to Moab/Ar.)

Looking at the original Hebrew interlinear, we have that the boundaries and nations were divided according to the number of the “sons of God.” A son would receive an inheritance from their father. In this case, El*yown divided the inheritance and Jehovah received a portion. Is El*yown Jehovah’s father? Jehovah never calls himself el*yown. Is this a title reserved for the supreme god at the top?

I’ve already made the case that Jehovah is not an omniscient, omnipresent, or omnipotent deity. Powerful, yes. All powerful? No. Will we see more evidence in the future that he is not? Yes. Hint: Meroz.

So, to summarize: The supreme god in this pantheon of this ancient middle eastern culture, El*yown, divided the land according to the number of his sons, and each son was assigned to the land and the peoples as a god. Jehovah inherited Jacob, and this Old Testament is about the relationship between Jehovah and his inheritance.

A very unpopular, if not heretical concept, to be sure. But I state my case based on the verses in the bible, and the lack of a true translation with which to go by.

The Inheritance of the Israelites?

What most people think is happening here is that they are referring to when Jehovah divided up the new lands for the 12 tribes. Let’s take a look at this. First off the verse says “the sons of Adam”. If it is referring to Adam literally, then the sons of Adam are not just in the new land but everywhere else in the known world. It does not say he separated the “sons of Jacob/Israel” which is what Jehovah did when he split the land by the 12 tribes. Secondly, verse 9 clearly states that the portion Jehovah received is in fact Jacob. So I think there are two things going on here:

• The hands of man have tried to twist the story of El*yown and the inheritance to apply solely to the story of the 12 tribes receiving their portion of the new land
• The hands of man who did manipulate this, were not bold enough to completely change the names and certain concepts within the song, thus leading to the confusion
  • Don’t believe me? Just look at how different modern bible versions translate this verse
• If this is indeed the case, are there other examples?
  • The Genesis 1 story of the good “elohim” creation and the Genesis 2 story of Jehovah’s creation in the garden of Eden gone bad
  • The two parallel stories of Noah and the ark, 2 of each animal or 7 of the clean animals? Elohim said all the world was theirs to subdue, Jehovah immediately lays down food laws.

It’s an uncomfortable place to be in to question so much based on one verse, but the context for the question has been well established in previous verses. Jehovah is faulty, and while he is attributed to being the supreme god, there are instances where he is more human than god. That raises serious questions, and when one finds a verse like Deut 32:8 that starts to fill in the blanks about the “inheritance” and about why Jehovah and the people of Israel were connected, it starts to make sense that really breaks the dogma of the modern church.

Deut 32 is probably the most powerful chapter I’ve read so far, and I’m not even close to finishing the analysis of it. There is so much in it that can raise questions and even answers, that I know it’s going to take a few blog posts to cover. For now, I will sit back and analyze the concept of the El*yown “most high” god vs. Jehovah the god of the Israelites.

Deuteronomy 12: Instructions for the New Land

Repeating what has been discussed before, Moses once again lays out a list of things that need to be done to stay on Jehovah’s good side:

• Destroy all the places/locations where the original people worshiped their *elohim* (could this be “The elohim”?)
• Not do what they are doing at the time of the speech 12:8: “… every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes.”
  • Is there no law or order in this society at this time? There obviously was because the people have been punished for previous transgressions.
  • My take: Moses is telling the people that they will NOT THINK FOR THEMSELVES once they enter the land
• Not offer burnt offerings in every place they see (12:13) only in the location selected by Jehovah

Previous food laws can now be broken. Very odd that this takes place, early Jehovah was adamant about the people not eating unclean animals. Now, he has changed his mind? Is it because the people complained about it during their travels?

12:15 – Notwithstanding thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, according to the blessing of Jehovah thy god which he hath given thee: the unclean and the clean may eat thereof, as of the roebuck, and as of the hart.

Is this a bargaining chip Jehovah is using, i.e. do what your told and in the end you can eat anything you want to your hearts content aka “whatever thy soul lusteth after” even if it goes against previous food laws laid out in one (of the two) stories of Noah as the people were let out of the ark.

12:21 – If the place which Jehovah thy god hath chosen to put his name there be too far from thee, then thou shalt kill of thy herd and of thy flock, which Jehovah hath given thee, as I have commanded thee, and thou shalt eat in thy gates whatsoever thy soul lusteth after.

“The place which Jehovah has chosen to put his name” is an interesting phrase. Is there going to be a physical name/sign placed? The word for name derives from “shem” and can also (according to Strong’s Concordance) can also relate to “place of worship” so he may be referring to a central location or altar. Let’s see if more about this “name” is discussed in the future.

12:30 – When Jehovah thy god shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land. Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their *elohim*, saying, How did these nations serve their *elohiim*? even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so unto Jehovah your god: for every abomination to Jehovah, which he hateth, have they done unto their *elohim*; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods/elohim.”

Are these elohim gods real? Why are they not called “fake” gods, or other terms to indicate they are not real? Devils? Demons? Even Moses is understanding the issue that these people are capable of not being entirely devoted to Jehovah and is warning them as such.

I also find it odd that Jehovah finds burning children with fire an abomination, especially after what he did to Aaron’s sons.

Moses lays down the law simply:

12:32 – What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

After seeing Jehovah bend on the food laws regarding clean and unclean animals while in the new land, I’m curious to see if anything else will be added or diminished to the protocols laid out in the earlier prophecy.

Numbers 25 – Israelites Intermingle with Moabites; Punishment; Human Sacrifice?

The Israelites are now in Shittim, among the daughters of Moab (note that Moab was the first born son of Lot and one of his daughters after they fled Sodom and Gomorrah). The Israelites have, after being warned not to, sacrificed, eaten and bowed to the gods of the Moabites.

What is the author trying to tell us here, after ALL the supposed wonders and miracles performed by Jehovah and Moses, the Israelites quickly turn to other peoples deities? Are the Israelites looking for ANY way to relieve themselves from the subjugation of Jehovah and Moses? Are the wonders and miracles exaggerated by the author, when in reality, the didn’t really exist, which explains why the Israelites are so quick to turn to other gods?

Not surprisingly, Jehovah’s reactions was not one of “righteousness and forgiveness”:

Numbers 25:4 – And Jehovah said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before Jehovah against the sun, that the fierce anger of Jehovah may be turned away from Israel.

This time, Moses was happy to comply with the demand for blood:

25:5 – And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one of his men that were joined unto Baal-peor.

Go to verse 25:3 “And Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor”… this makes it sound like the entire congregation committed this transgression. Yet we are told in 25:5 that it was only certain ones of Israel that did so. This is important to know because the definition of “all” or “forever” does not translate into what we know as today. So the next time we see “all” or “forever” used we must understand that the meaning quite possibly does not mean what we think.

So an Israelite man brings and Midianite woman in the presence of Moses, in front of *all* (verse 25:6) the congregation who were weeping.

25:7 – And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand; And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel.

Commandment Number 6 of 10: Thou shalt not Kill

Note that it wasn’t until blood was shed (a sacrifice?) that the plague was stopped. Going back to Commandment #6: I made the argument that this commandment only applies to Israelite vs Israelite. Anyone else? Free to kill as seen in verse 25:7, since there is NO MENTION of Phinehas being punished for breaking this commandment. In fact, by breaking this commandment he did a good thing by stopping the plague.

Don’t agree? Jehovah agrees:

25:10 – And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy.

So, by killing these two individuals, Jehovah was pleased and was no longer angry at Israel. The deeper meaning exposes itself further:

25:13 – And he shall have it (covenant of peace), and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his god, and made an *atonement* for the children of Israel.

Atonement = offering. In this case, the atonement was the murder of two people. Murder = Atonement. In other words: Phinehas, by offering the blood and lives of two people, made an atonement for the transgressions of the Israelites.

Human Sacrifice. And Jehovah was pleased with it, after all he “stayed” the plague and even mentioned he turned away his wrath because of it.

No human sacrifice in the Bible? Abraham was more than willing to please Jehovah. Phinehas did it and it pleased Jehovah. Spoiler alert: These aren’t the only instances.

The punishment doesn’t stop there. We find out that the Israelite was of the tribe of Simeon, son of a prince. The Midianite woman was the daughter of head of a chief house in Midian. In other words, two important people from each nation. Also note, Midian was a son of Abraham, brother of Isaac, hence distant relatives.

25:16 – And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, Vex the Midianites, and smite them: For they vex you with their wiles, wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a prince of Midian, their sister, which was slain in the day of the plague for Peor’s sake.

So now all the Midianites must suffer the consequences.

“Righteous and Forgiving”

So, despite ALL the supposed signs, miracles, and wonders, the Israelites easily intermingle with other nations. Despite ALL the murder, death, plagues, fires, disease, and other mortal punishments at the hand of Jehovah, they easily turn to other nations.

What gives?

What are we, as readers, missing? Did these miracles truly exist? If so, are the Israelites beyond stubborn? OR, is the author exaggerating about the miracles and we are seeing the normal course of human activity when two nations meet. Especially when you take into consideration that Midian was a son of Abraham, uncle to Jacob/Israel.

If Jehovah truly was the creator of the universe, why can he not control his own people? Punishment after punishment, they still disobey… so is he really almighty? Is this the work of an all powerful god?

If it’s not obvious by now, Jehovah has very little control of his *inheritance*, his seed, his own people.

If that’s not a sign of a deity that is not all powerful I don’t know what is.

 

 

Leviticus 18 – Cultures, Nakedness, Abominations

Jehovah speaks to Moses telling him to tell the Israelites:

Leviticus 18:3 – After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances.

So there are cultural practices and norms that Jehovah does not want them to do, practices they did in Egypt, and practices of the people of Canaan.

Nakedness

The concept of “uncovering nakedness” has been somewhat ambiguous. When Noah’s nakedness was uncovered by Ham, it was such a serious event that Noah cursed his own grandson, (ironically Canaan). So there is more to this “uncovering” than I believe Ham seeing his own father nude. We get hints that “uncovering” a female relatives nakedness meant actually laying with her in a sexual manner. Did some perverse sexual encounter take place with Ham and Noah that the author didn’t describe? All we are told is that Ham told his brothers, who then came and covered their father (but didn’t look at his nakedness) yet Ham’s son was cursed for it all!

Jehovah lays out rules about “uncovering nakedness” and after reviewing Leviticus 18:6 through 18, it really does sound like a mandate to prevent incest within family members, blood or marriage relatives. Also included are “approaching” (as is used in verses 6-18) an unclean woman to “uncover her nakedness” or “laying carnally” with your neighbors wife.

IS JEHOVAH THE ONLY DEITY AROUND AT THIS TIME?

18:21 – And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy god…

Who is Molech? It is a deity? It is a concept/idea? Why is this name capitalized in the text the way a proper name is? Modern interpretation tells us that children were sacrificed to Molech by burning them. Was Abraham familiar with the deity or concept of Molech? After all he was willing sacrifice Jacob to Jehovah at his request, WITHOUT QUESTION! Is this concept of child sacrifice normalized to these Hebrew peoples at this time?

• It is an abomination to lie with mankind as it is to lie with womankind
  • This the verse that tells us that “the Bible says” homosexuality is immoral (Leviticus 18:22)
  • What is the punishment for breaking this rule?
• It is an abomination to lie with Animals
  • It is not considered an abomination but “confusion” (Leviticus 18:23)
  • Does this concept go back to Genesis 6, pre-flood world where (in Elohim terms) ALL CREATION (animals and man) were defiled?

18:24 – Defile not  ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations that are defiled which I cast out before you: And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants.

This verse :24 accomplishes multiple goals:

• Lays down future law
• Explains the reasoning for the supposed upcoming slaughter of the indigenous people of Canaan (who are related to the Israelites through Abraham)

Interesting chapter. We get some specifics on the people that are about to be genocided, and why Jehovah lays out certain rules to his people.

Sidenote: If Jehovah supposedly created the heavens and the earth and breathed life into ALL mankind, then he really screwed up by allowing his creation to go against him. This concept that creator does not have control over his creation flies in the face of what we are told “god” is today, that ALL THINGS are possible with god. Not only that, Jehovah has never claimed that these Canaanite nations, nor the Egyptians, were his creation. This is an assumption that is made.

Not only that, the whole PURPOSE of the Great Flood was a FAILURE. There is still “evil” on earth (yet the word evil hasn’t really been used, instead we get the term “defiled”.)

Not once has he said “my creation is compromised”. Is it because he is embarrassed by the creation? Or that he really didn’t create man and is merely responsible for this one group of people which he “inherited” according to Moses.

18:27 – (For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled;) That the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you.

This verse is talking about the future as if it were in the past (“as it spued” = past tense) yet the nations of Canaan, at this point in the narrative and timeline, have yet to be removed. This tells me this text was written long after the events took place. Which also tells me that much of the explanation of events could very well be made up to explain the past (Sodom & Gomorrah destroyed by volcanic activity – Explanation: the people MUST HAVE been wicked to suffer such a fate, etc.)

Also note: NONE of the defilement has been attributed to Satan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exodus 25 – 27 Tabernacle, Ark, Mercy Seat, Table of Showbread, Golden Lampstand

So we are told Jehovah created the heavens and the earth. So why the need to gather physical items together for any sort of purpose? Is he not able to create things anymore?

Or, is the theory correct, that Jehovah makes claims for the creation in Genesis 1 that we are told is done by the Elohim?

Exodus 25 describes the details of the items Jehovah needs to dwell among the Israelites.

Exodus 25:8 – And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them

Why would a spiritual being need a sanctuary to dwell among that which he created? Did Jehovah, prior to the book of Exodus, require a sanctuary as he spoke to Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac or Jacob? Why have the rules about where and how Jehovah exists and interact with his ‘creation’ changed?

Can you now see how different Jehovah is in Exodus vs. Genesis?

I began to go into great lengths to describe in detail what exactly was being constructed, but I found it to be far too mundane. What is described in Exodus is the gathering of materials and the details for:

1. The Tabernacle
2. The Ark of the Covenant
3. Table of Showbread
4. Golden Candlestick

So let’s look at some MODERN renditions of these 4 items considering NONE of them exist in anyone’s hands anymore:

Why would the creator of heaven and earth need an earthly structure to dwell in?

In Exodus 27 we get an interesting verse:

Exodus 27:21 – In the tabernacle of the congregation without the veil, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before Jehovah: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.

“for ever”? So where is it now? Is this the same “forever” we use in the English language today?

 

Genesis: A quick redux. Genesis grade: A-

Genesis was an interesting read in that I started to find tangents and parallels taking place that I was not aware of before. I’ve heard people say the Bible is perfect, infallible, and the “word of God”. Well to be honest, I would think the word of God wouldn’t come off like a typical incomplete novel that was still in the works. Sounds critical of me to say but that is the truth. The timeline is erratic, a lot of information and data is missing, and I almost get the impression it was a series of stories squished together to try to fit into one.

Some major observations and questions I come across as I quickly review my findings:

• Creation. Two stories and they do not match
• Why is it important that precious stones exist in the lands where Jehovah and the Garden of Eden are placed?
• Adam and Eve are assumed to be the first two people on earth but after reading the story again and comparing Genesis books 1 and 2, I no longer think that is the case: Cain is afraid of ‘whosoever’ he comes across will want to kill him despite the insinuation of modern translation that he is only the 3rd person on earth.
• Elohim and Jehovah: Different traits, characteristics, actions
  • Elohim seems cosmic, universal, ethereal, spiritual “Elohim’s spirit floats over the waters”
  • Jehovah seems earthly, worldly, physical “he walks in the cool of the evening”
  • They give different instructions to Noah regarding animals to bring on the Ark and what animals they are allowed to eat
  • Elohim’s offerings are of bread and wine, oil and drink offerings
  • Jehovah’s offerings are beasts and blood, and rejected Cain’s offerings of first fruits
• The patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Jacob, Esau, the sons of Jacob and Esau) are all well off, lot’s of flocks and land. They live lives that TODAY would be considered sinful and evil
  • Lying and cheating their brethren
  • Having multiple wives, including wives of slave women
  • Having multiple children with multiple wives
  • Treating their children unequally in terms of their inheritance
  • Disobeying their fathers
  • Not paying heed to the promises of Jehovah “do not fear” yet they do and bring chaos to those around them (Pharaoh, Abimelech, etc.)
  • The non-Jehovah special lineage (Ishmael and Esau) really didn’t do anything wrong compared to their counterparts
• There is no mention of a priesthood until we find out about Melchizedek, King Priest of the Most High God, who gives thanks with bread and wine (Jesus like) but not the blood and burning flesh of Jehovah
• There is no mention that evil done by man is caused or influenced by the Devil/Satan.
• Jehovah is not omnipotent or omniscient “I came to see for myself if the evil of Sodom and Gomorrah is true”
• With all the knowledge we know about ancient Egypt, many data points are missing in the Genesis description of Egypt (Pharaoh names for example)
• For one event to happen (the reunion of Joseph with his brothers which saves them from the drought) a WHOLE LOT of other steps were put into place to cause this event, as claimed by Joseph that it was all part of a master plan. Why would an omnipotent god need to do such a thing?
• Big questions pop up why many of the events and geographical sites mentioned in Genesis are all big mysteries. Where is the evidence?
  • Where was the Garden of Eden and why is it not around today with Jehovah walking around it. Where is the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil? Where is the “flame of a sword” that protects the Tree of Life? Where are the rivers Havilah and Pishon?
  • Do we know where Sodom & Gomorrah really were?
  • Where was the Tower of Babel?
  • Did the Nephilim who were offspring of the sons of Elohim and the daughters of man leave remains behind? Why do we not know the whole story of how that took place and what happened to those that “fell” in Genesis?
  • Is there physical evidence of the great war of kings in Genesis 14? It was of a grand scale and surely something would be left behind. And where did these kings come from?
• “Israel” was NOT monotheistic, they CLEARLY worshiped other gods, they KNEW of other gods, they POSSESSED other gods (Jacob hiding his family’s idols from Elohim)
• The patriarchs and the 12 sons of Israel are not boasted about, they clearly are human teetering on a wickedness that modern Christians would condemn. Will this be the case in future books ahead? SPOILER ALERT: I’m jumping ahead and spoiling the narrative by saying no, they get special treatment in future books and their wickedness still exists, if not worsens. This tells me there are yet more authors with different intentions in our future.

Some odd impressions about Jehovah I took that conflict with modern church teachings that I think the bible clearly insinuates:

• Jehovah was a surrogate father, after all it was until “he did that thing when he visited Sarai” who the bible clearly says both her AND Abraham were beyond child birthing age, did she give birth to Isaac. Was Abraham really the father when it was only by a visit from Jehovah that she gave birth? The precedent was set in Genesis 6 when we are clearly told the spiritual/heavenly beings ARE able to breed with the daughters of man.
• Jehovah clearly starts to sound like an earthly, tribal god. His physical form means he can walk the earth but is not always on earth because other times he appears in dreams to the patriarchs. He needs physical specificity in the case of: sacrifices (he enjoys the smell of burning flesh), Sodom & Gomorrah (he needs to see the evil for himself)
• The 12 sons of Jacob and Jacob himself were pretty wicked, yet were protected by Jehovah despite their sins.
• Jehovah has dragon and/or volcano traits to his being and I think we will see more of this in Exodus.

The “sins” of Adam and Eve all the way down to Jacob (who admitted to the Pharaoh his days have been short and evil) do give a very humanistic aspect to these early peoples, an aspect that even modern man can associate with: deceit, family conflict, land issues, weather related catastrophes, widespread wickedness, and much more.

Some points I’m looking to get clarified in future books:

• The devil was not accused of involvement in any of the evil actions taken by the peoples of this day (save for the serpent who people insinuate is the devil but Genesis does NOT specify this). The evil comes from man himself, no credit is giving to the devil/Satan
• The difference between El*elyon, El Shaddai, Elohim, and Yahweh. I no longer believe they are one in the same and have multiple Genesis verses to prove my point. I’m hoping it gets clarified in further verse.
• When the flood occurred it was (again, different reasons were mentioned pertaining to the difference between Elohim and Jehovah) because the world was overly wicked. There is NO mention of CORRECTION to keep the world from becoming overly wicked again. All we have is a flood that wiped out the wickedness but no measure to prevent it from happening again.
  • SO, BIG QUESTION: Can the world ever become as wicked as described in the pre-flood days?
  • Just how did the author(s) of Genesis define “the world”? Was it the entire globe? The middle east specifically? The eastern hemisphere which we find that not until at least 1492 people thought was the entire world?

Overall my latest study into Genesis really opened my eyes about details NOT discussed by any church officials, bible studies, or conversations with fellow Christians of many denominations. All I get from them is broad assumptions (Adam was first man; Jehovah is the only god; the patriarchs were faithful and role models).

Let me say this, the patriarchs get a big NO WAY in terms of being role models. It can not be denied that their lifestyle would not mesh with modern times, whether the lifestyle of a modern Christian or an average US citizen (polygamy is now illegal).

The big hypocrisy between modern church goers and Genesis: Today it is frowned upon, if not outright illegal, to own slave servants or to marry multiple wives. But that’s what the patriarchs did and it was not frowned upon by Jehovah or Elohim! So why do people point to Genesis and say there are things in there that we should be doing? Isn’t it all or none? Do we get to pick and choose which rules we follow listed in the bible? I know future books of the Bible are really going to hammer this point home.

There is much much more to discuss regarding Genesis, but I need to move on to Exodus for the purpose of this blog. Genesis complete. Overall status: Confused but still open to the word of the bible, not convinced modern science meshes with Genesis, but I know there are many more themes to come in future books so I move on.

I give Genesis an A- because it is absolutely fascinating, but mysterious (thanks to all the missing information) so it puts me in detective and critical thinking mode. I think there are multiple authors and multiple stories squished into one, which is glaringly obvious, but because it warrants more questions it incites my imagination and critical thinking skills in looking for more proving data. Flaming swords, magic trees, Nephilim, giant sea and land creatures (Leviathan and Behemoth), tribal war gods: sorry to say it has a Lord of the Rings feel to it all. If someone does not take it serious I can see why, it’s not that hard to see. I loved the imagery I got from it all (Jehovah, who is given no physical description, “walking” in the cool of the evening in the Garden of Eden, or the Elohim floating over the cosmic waters) so I give it an A- in terms of its effect on my mind and how I place myself in this world.

Let’s see what Exodus does.

Genesis 9 Part 2 – Noah’s drunkenness & His Son’s Legacies. Genesis 10 – Lineage

In an odd event that results in even odder results, Noah is found drunk and naked in his tent by his son Ham, who goes and informs his older brothers. His brothers grab a garment, place it over their shoulders and walked in backwards towards Noah so as not to see him.

Noah wakes up, realizes what happens, and instead of cursing Ham, curses Ham’s son, Canaan. Noah curses his own grandson because of the actions of Canaan’s father. We are told Noah was a righteous man, perfect in his generations, and he walked with God. Yet he got caught in this unfortunate, if not embarrassing, situation, at which point instead of repenting for his drunkenness, he curses his own grandchild? This curse is for Canaan his grandson to be servants to the lineage of Shem and Japheth.

Genesis 9:26 (Noah speaking) And he said, Blessed be Jehovah, the god of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant. Elohim enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant.

Is Jehovah also not the god of Canaan, Japheth, and Ham? Is it up to the grandfather to appoint such a sentence to his grandchildren? Interesting story and outcome. He blesses Jehovah who is god of Shem and he wants Elohim to enlarge Japeth.

Noah dies after 950 years and his lineage is described in Genesis 10. A few interesting verses to note:

Genesis 10:8 – And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before Jehovah: wherefore it is said, Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before Jehovah

The last time we heard about “mighty men” it was in reference to the children of the Sons of Elohim/Daughters of men who were called Nephilim and giants. A quick internet search for Nimrod uncovers an interesting image:

That’s not a cat, it’s a lion!

Hopefully we come across Nimrod again in future verse, I’d like to know more details.

Genesis 9 – A Covenant with Man, Food, and a Sign of the Covenant

Elohim blesses Noah and his sons, again tells them to be fruitful and multiply and man is given domain over every beast, every bird, all the fishes of the sea.

Genesis 9:3 – EVERY moving thing that liveth shall be food for you; as the green herb have I given you all.

Elohim tells them they can eat it all. Doesn’t this contradict what Jehovah eventually tells them in regards to CLEAN and UNCLEAN animals? Elohim makes no distinction here. Elohim’s instructions continue:

9:4 – But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.

“Flesh with the life, which is the blood…” Ok, this is where it gets somewhat ambiguous, most animals have life and blood in them (according to our modern standards.) This almost sounds like a commandment to be Vegans. What makes more sense is that Elohim is referring to life as in human life, an explicit instruction against cannibalism. Not sure but these are two possible interpretations.

NOW we see a verbal Covenant created between Elohim and Noah. Note the difference between Jehovah, thinking in his heart, that he will no longer smite animals and the earth for the sins of man.

But first, let’s look back at what Jehovah said post flood:

Genesis 8:21 And Jehovah smelled the sweet savor; and Jehovah said IN HIS HEART, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake … neither again will I smite any more everything living, as I have done.

Compare to what Elohim says post flood:

9:11 (Elohim to Noah) And I will establish my covenant to you; neither shall ALL flesh be cut off any more by the waters of the flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth…. 9:13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth (Elohim later describes as Noah/man and every living creature).

Jehovah’s words are interesting. We dealt with a flood (indicated by the words of Elohim in verse 9:11), not a cursing of the ground. The ground was cursed back with Adam and Eve. Is this what Jehovah is referring to, the original curse? He also says he “smote” every living thing. This word is ambiguous defined as a strike/hit which doesn’t necessarily cause death, though in later use it can also be attributed to a kill.

Back to the covenant with Elohim. Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham, and Japeth: “… of these was the whole earth overspread.” So now we’ve reset the original peoples, and all can be traced back to Shem, Ham, and Japeth and now we have a sign that will appear that will remind Elohim of his covenant with life on earth.