THE GEM of Psalms: Psalms 82 – Gods in the Council of Judging Gods; Dead Gods?

I’ve been waiting to get to this one from the start. As I read through the bible the first of the 5 times I’ve gone through it in the past few years, I started to notice all those little polytheistic nuances present, however I would just brush them off at the time. That is, until I got to this chapter and said WOAH! “I thought there was only one God!!!”

This is a Psalm of Asaph, who was chief musician to David. We are taken to a place that doesn’t sound like it’s on this planet, a “congregation of the mighty” or in the original Hebrew “congregation of el/god”. To really figure out the context of this whole chapter, one REALLY needs to look at the KJV and compare it to the Parallel bible versions for each individual verse (easily navigated on biblehub.com.) No specificity to any named god is made however we do get dual use of el/elohim/god/gods.

82:1 – Elohim stands in the congregation of El (singular “god”. KJV “mighty”); he judgeth among the Elohim.

The first elohim seems singular, and the congregation has to be plural (though the singular el is used), and yet the third mention of elohim is plural. Confused yet?

Some god/gods, stand in the congregation of the gods, and are judging among the gods.

82:2 – How long will ye judge unjustly, and *accept* the persons of the wicked? Selah

The second I read this verse I thought: Jehovah! Jehovah accepts the persons of the wicked, most of the patriarchs and his kings were evil and wicked. Yeah, he would punish them, but he’d always RETURN to defend and more importantly *ACCEPT* them back. Thus, is Jehovah being judged? If so, he very well may be being judged by a council of gods, or one supreme god (the Most High?)

Which ever god/gods being judged is then told that they should: defend the poor, fatherless, do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy out of the hand of the wicked… Here’s one viewpoint of how the man/god relationship should work, from the very mouth of a judging god who sees man and the earth in an imbalance:

82:5 – They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.

The people who need the gods help the most walk in darkness, and if you believe the plural form of elohim regrew the earth in Genesis 1 (as I do), we see that their earth is “out of course.” In other words, things are bad, and it’s the fault of the gods being judged. They, being part of the Elohim that “created” the earth, have now caused it to go out of course, out of balance.

Next, it almost seems like judgement is being laid out:

82:6 – I have said, Ye are gods (elohim); and all of you are children of the Most High (el*yown).

He’s recognized their divinity and we get another mention of the children of the Most High. Now comes the sentence:

82:7 – But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.

In verse 6 there is ONE god voice speaking and judging, and he references a plural “gods” aka the children of the Most High. And, if Jehovah is the right hand of the Most High as David inferred, Jehovah just might be one of the gods/sons of the most high being judged.

A Set of Gods are Being Judged (Quite Possibly Including Jehovah)

So here’s my initial translation: The gods stand in the congregation of THE god (Most High, father of the sons of God) and the council is judging among the gods being accused.

These gods were accused of judging unjustly and accepting wickedness in man. They are supposed to be doing good things, godly things to help those that need it, yet they are meddling with the wicked (a power struggle among the gods?)

The creation of the gods, both earth and mankind, is in turmoil. Man walks in darkness and the earth is off course.

The gods being judged are reminded of their godly status, but they receive their sentence by the council:

“But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.”

The guilty gods have been rendered mortal, sentenced to fall and die like man. Thus the introduction of the idea of the death of gods.

Overall Viewpoint; god/Jehovah is Dead

It was after a few times getting to this chapter that I thought of one thing: Jehovah has fallen, and may be dead as a god. I often proposed the question of “Just where is Jehovah and his voice?” during the time of the captivity of the Jews (Judah and Benjamin) under the Persian Empire according to the books thus far. Now I think we will see some words in some of the books of the prophets, but for the most part, reading Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther I got the impression the cult of Jehovah was dead, and those of the Persian captivity were trying to resurrect a dead religion, and quite possibly, a dead god. A true attempt at religious revival, bringing a god and his worship back to life.

Now when I say “dead” I don’t necessarily mean he is non-existent. He may have been removed from the council of the Elohim. He may have gone back to wherever he came from and not allowed to reign over any people or land on this earth. Or he could literally be dead. Gods die in other religious beliefs. It’s not that far fetched. Much like when man dies, we believe our spirit goes to another realm, same with the ‘gods’?

One might even go far and say is that, after this “death” he tried to revive his kingdom through Jesus and the Gospels, and then so later with the prophet Mohamed and the Quran, all 3 religions clearly stating their god is the god of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Is Jehovah/Yahweh/Jah/Ellah/Allah really still around? The systems he put in place when he was (supposedly) here on earth are long gone, and the 3 religions calling upon him are all variants of that original system, and so much to the point they fight among each other instead of finding a peace they should find knowing they are following the same god. As well each of the three has branched into countless variations where just about any translation and ideology is represented.

His prophets are gone, his tabernacle and ark are gone. His house is gone, his priesthood is gone, his inheritance is shattered. He is no longer ministered with incense, and blood and burnt offerings. He may have been judged among his godly peers and removed from the Elohim “gods”. He has thousands if not hundreds of thousands of churches, synagogues, and mosques trying to revive him, all while they spill each others blood and squabble among themselves and among their own brothers and sisters.

Did Jehovah receive a death sentence in Psalm 82 and eventually leave this earth? Die? Is Jehovah the “Father” Jesus and the apostles refer to in the New Testament? Seems likely, at this point, the “Most High” who had children just might be the Father, not Jehovah.

One might say: but he still existed after David and Asaph? Yes, but look what happened to his covenant and the kingdoms: shattered. This may have been part of his sentence, his god system “falls” into pieces and his inheritance (the land and the people) now belong to someone else. Like most sentences, the punishment can usually take some time to play out.

Very interesting chapter to come across: nice and short, yet vague (intentional?) enough to really skew the original meaning AND provide a multitude of interpretations to provide conflicting translations among the churches that continue to follow the text.

Gems of Psalms: Part 5; Jehovah vs the Pantheon? Angels Food

Psalms 77 – The Right Hand of the Most High = Jehovah?

Again, David starts out by crying out to Elohim. Then, in verse 7, he turns his speech to speak not to, but ABOUT Jehovah, asking if Jehovah is ever going to be favorable to him again. So apparently David is all alone and Jehovah is not helping him. Here’s more of David’s interesting plea:

77:10 – And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High (el*elyown). I will remember the works of Jehovah: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.

It seems as if David is calling Jehovah the right hand of the Most High. This makes sense with my theory, Jehovah is either a SON of the Most High (El*elyown) or the Elohim (gods) THUS this also makes sense that Jehovah could be the “right hand” of the Most High. He can’t be right hand to himself! Let’s look at this verse and just how well it meshes with the Deuteronomy verse:

Deuteronomy 32:7 – Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee. 8When 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 God (sons of God?). 9For the LORD’S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.

Jehovah received his inheritance from the Most High, who separated these inheritances based on the “number of the children of Elohim.” Were they his children? Or just children of all the gods UNDER Most High, Jehovah being one of them.

This also makes me wonder about Jehovah’s status in this hierarchy of gods and why he is so jealous not wanting the other gods “before” him. Was he a 2nd born, and thus JEALOUS of the 1st born god? And he takes out his frustration on the first born of every man and animal on earth, including his own people? He really hated Esau and Ishmael got a bad rap, both first borns. The 2nd borns were the ones he favored.

This theory would lead to the idea there is an entire PANTHEON of gods and deities here, we are merely getting a microcosm story focused on Jehovah and his particular inheritance. Archaeological finds in the Levant and other parts of the middle east show the nations that inhabited the lands at this time were fundamentally polytheistic, gods were shared and brought from other lands.

Then the BIG one for me.. the “groves” and “pillars” that Jehovah hates so much. The physical material records tells us these were called “asherah” (as I’ve noted in previous blog posts.) These are related to Ashtarte/Ishtar, and other feminine goddesses among these Middle Eastern pantheons, if not the outright wife/queen to the highest ranking god. And yes, we will see her and just how the Israelites view her when we get into the books of the prophets, specifically Jeremiah. If there is a King of Heaven, then surely there will be a Queen of Heaven?

Psalms 78 – Angels Food? Manna

We are taken back to the time of the Israelites wandering in the wilderness. They are hungry and not sure if Jehovah will be able to feed him. Of course, he becomes angry as usual, and then “opens up the heavens” so that the “corn of heaven” will come down:

78:25 – Man did eat angels’ food: he sent them meat to the full.

This is interesting, the concept of “other worldly” food, not food grown on the ground, cut from an animal, or pulled from a tree. But food from heaven/outer space, whatever you want to call it. Why would angels need food though? A quick look at Strong’s Hebrew interlinear shows that the word used for angels actually means “valiant, strong, strong like bulls” which may be referring to a type of angel? Because the word here is not the usual angel/messenger word. I’m thinking this is another type of angel, a stronger angel than the usual “messenger”.

There is a version of the bible I’ve just noted called the “New Heart English” bible, and in both of the gems I’ve listed above, it seems to have matched up with my thoughts on the verse. I only really knew details of or read KJV, NSV, ASV, and NKJV, but it was interesting to see at least one of many bible versions parallels with what I think I’m seeing in the context of these texts.

So maybe we are dealing with “the food of the mightier angels”…

Job 1 – Satan or satan; What’s the Story? The Adversary? The Only Adversary? Job’s 1st Test

It feels as if the book of Job was randomly thrown into the Old Testament. It’s not part of the Judges-Kings/Chronicles-Captivity timeline. It really does feel like it belongs in Genesis, well before the Exodus out of Egypt, because in Genesis the man-god system and ensuing covenant is still being designed and defined. Yet here we find ourselves smack dab in the middle of a man-god direct situation.

I do have one idea why it was placed here: To remind the reader that the fundamental key to a successful man-god relationship is utter and complete servitude of mind, body, and labor, to said god.

Especially after we’ve gone through countless books where Jehovah’s people disobey him and end up in captivity. Don’t stray too far reader! Don’t forget to live in utter fear!

Job 1:6 – Now there was a day when the sons of Elohim came to present themselves before Jehovah, and Satan came also among them.

Why were the “sons of Elohim” presenting themselves to Jehovah. Where was this taking place? Who were these sons? Were there 2, 3, 100?

Now on to the details: Jehovah is a name (Yahweh). Is Satan a name? According to the Hebrew interlinear, it is not, the word used here is Strong’s 7854 “satan” (pronounced: saw-tan) which means “adversary”. Here we see it used not as a name but as a noun:

1 Kings 11:14 – And the LORD stirred up an *adversary* unto Solomon, Hadad the Edomite: he was of the king’s seed in Edom.

Here the same word being used as the name *Satan* in Job is used as *adversary* in 1 Kings 11. So “satan” is a TITLE. In this case, the “satan” was Hadad. So who is the “satan” in Job? Does he have a name? He’s obviously comes with the “sons of Elohim.” Is he one of them? A son of Elohim? Is he one of the sons of the Most High in Deuteronomy 32? A natural “adversary” to the bloodline of Abraham, thus he’s demonized? Is he the adversary to Jehovah (as he eventually evolves to?) or the adversary to MAN. Let’s get some context from Jehovah himself. But first, lets get some context about how this adversary/satan moves around. Does he fly around with giant red wings?:

Job 1:7 – And Jehovah said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered Jehovah, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

First off, why does Jehovah EVER ask any questions about anything? Isn’t he omniscient? Doesn’t he know everything? Why does he ask Satan questions? So, satan/adversary seems to be a roamer of the earth. No mention of death, destruction, sin, being left in his wake. Here’s where we get into the context of what just satan/adversary’s function is:

Job 1:8 – And Jehovah said unto “satan”, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth Elohim, and escheweth evil?”

Again, Jehovah asking questions he should already know the answer to if he is indeed the omniscient god he boasts to be. Also note that it is JEHOVAH that instigated the question and thus the bet. Notice the question however:

“Have you considered….”

Considered him for what? A test? A job (get it?) Just what is this satan’s role on the earth? In the system of the Elohim and Jehovah, does he test man? That seems to be the role because Jehovah adds even more context.

Also, let me rephrase the words of Jehovah “Have you considered…”

“You wanna make a bet?”

Jehovah the gambler of human lives and emotions. Adversary/satan takes the bet. Jehovah allows satan/adversary to do what it takes to put Job to the test, everything up to the point of “put not forth thine hand” on Job.

Judging by what happens next, if we attribute it to the actions of this satan/adversary, he seems to have some very Jehovah-like powers, that Jehovah has allowed him to perform. HOWEVER, there is no statement that verifies what happens to Job is due to the actions of the satan/adversary, it’s only inferred:

• Sabeans kill his servants and take his oxen and asses
• The fire of Elohim kills his sheep and more servants (note it’s not the fire of Satan)
• Chaldeans take his camels and kill his servants
• A great “wind/spirit/breath” knocked the walls of his eldest (first born subject again!) son’s house killing his sons

So we are to conclude the powers of the earth (wind, sky, etc.) belong to Jehovah, but apparently satan/adversary can either harness them on his own, or Jehovah allows him to harness them. I reference the idea that the “gods” really don’t care much for humans and it seems they allow other entities the ability to destroy humans using some supernatural force.

Job’s First Deflection of Jehovah (I blame Jehovah for what has just happened, not Satan.)

1:20 – Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and fell down upon the ground, and worshiped, And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: Jehovah gave, and Jehovah taketh away; blessed be the name of Jehovah.

I’m not going to note ALL the “Jehovah Deflections” (aka every time Job deflects a godly transgression towards him, and ends up praising Jehovah), so I will note the first one, and any other ones of significance. Otherwise, I will skip over most of them.

And here’s the moral of the story in a nutshell, and we probably shouldn’t think, as humans with free will and free minds, that this is noble:

1:22 – In all this Job sinned not, nor charged Elohim foolishly.

Job passes the 1st Jehovah test. Did he want to charge Elohim? Did he live in fear of doing so? Of reacting the way we are programmed to, by our supposed creator? Do we truly want to blame the root cause, and not ourselves? To be angry that we had to accept that which had no reason to happen? If I was Job, I’d blame Jehovah… he killed or allowed my sons to be killed for no reason except to make a point to satan/adversary, a point he could’ve made WITHOUT killing my first born and his brothers.

Side Note: in some belief systems, Satan/Devil’s role is as an accuser of man: test man’s devotion to his god, and then presents himself to the judge/god to ACCUSE those men who lack devotion. In other words, a tattle tale of men to their god.

In this case, Satan is NOT the anti-thesis of Jehovah, because as we have seen and we will see in his own words, Jehovah is both good and evil. NOT Satan. Satan’s role in the New Testament seems entirely different though. HOWEVER, we will have to differentiate between the words used for Satan and the Devil to see if they really are the same when the change in context comes.

Job Intro – Skipping the Praise, Skipping the Nuances

The book of Job takes place in an unknown time, in a place known as Uz, of unknown locale. We seem to have zapped back to a time where “the sons of Elohim” are part of the script, which really goes back to the time of Genesis. So I am not making the distinction that the book and time of Job comes after the Esther timeline.

An entire blog series could be put together on the book of Job. There are 42 chapters in Job and each one can be gone through with a fine tooth comb looking for nuances into the man-deity relationship of the peoples and the cultures of the time. However, this overall relationship has already been well defined in the previous books, and I need no nuanced information to move on to the New Testament.

I am interested in looking a bit more into the character Satan in this book, however. We’ve heard very little from him, and despite the overwhelming presence of blood, death, wars, deceit, chaos, murder, lies, sins, etc. in the past, none of it has SOLELY been attributed to him, but to Jehovah’s decisions and the hands of his people. Of course, today? Blame it on Satan.

Any praise heaped on Jehovah will be skipped over: these are a people under the violent thumb of their god, they will say just about anything to keep that thumb from squashing them. It’s because of this that, just because they say it, does not make it true. They are under duress.

Job seems to be under a state of intimidation during an interrogation. Jehovah and Satan stand watching the play out of the actions placed on Job, and his ensuing reactions and words. They’ve gambled with Job’s life and livelihood, his children, his emotions, and his sanity, and they sit back and watch to see what happens. Like 2 detectives observing an interrogation on a TV screen. Pretty sadistic for what is supposedly a good god.

One message I was taught about the lesson of the story of Job: Job did good because he never said anything bad about god despite all the bad that happened to him. Yet another “role model”. That is until I read and studied the story.

What’s never inferred is that Jehovah allowed this to happen to him as part of a gamble, a game, with Satan. If Jehovah truly knew what’s in peoples hearts (as he boasted about with his king Saul), he could just explain this to Satan. But remember, we are dealing with a supposedly omnipotent god who really isn’t, so he really does have to go through the motions of ruining Job’s life to impress the devil. With what though?

To impress the devil with the notion that he has these humans live in SO MUCH FEAR of his wrath, that he can destroy their lives and livelihood, and someone like Job will never speak poorly of him. Complete control of their emotions and thoughts, because of the heinous punishments that await them if they think and speak freely and openly.

Job doesn’t speak poorly of Jehovah because of the good deeds Jehovah performs, but because of the fear he lives in. Frankly, in my opinion, it’s a terrible story to sell as an example of a healthy relationship between man and his god, unless the moral is to show that the gods see humans as puppets, the gods feed off of human fear, and that man is a slave in body and mind to the gods.

I’m going to be quick with Job, my target is set on the books of the prophets, and then the big target: the New Testament.

I will cherry pick interesting verses in Job, so we’ll see how long this journey really takes. On to Job.

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.

Leviticus 20 – Molech, Spirits, Curses, Incest, Bestiality

While not much is known about Molech, the fact that offerings are made to him, the fact that his name gets a capital letter, tells me this is some sort of deity, and not just a non-threatening wooden idol of Terah.

• If you give your children to Molech, you will be stoned
  • Notice that the punishment is not meted out by Jehovah, only by the Israelites who stone him.
  • Why can’t Jehovah directly interact with the people the way he did in Genesis?
• If anyone knows but ignores/conceals/looks away from the man who gives his children to Moloch and do not kill him, then that man AND his family will be cut off
• If you go to those with spirits, wizards, you will be cut off
• If you curse your parents, you will be put to death
• Committing adultery with your relatives or your neighbor’s wife all guilty parties will be put to death
• Homosexual men who lay with other men are to be put to death
• If a man sleeps with his wife AND her mother, they are to BURNT to death
  • Why the distinction with fire in this case, versus stoning?
• If a man lays with a beast, the man and beast are to be put to death
  • I can’t imagine there would be a case where the beast was nothing more than an unwilling participant in this event
  • However, considering beasts are what are sacrificed as offerings, I can see why the beast would be considered for death as well.
  • UNLESS! We are talking about another “beast” type creature/hybrid
• If a woman lays with a beast, they both die
• If a man sleeps with a woman who is unclean due to her period “he hath discovered her fountain” and they are to be cut off
• Many more incest based commandments, some repeat, some more detailed.

I still get a sense that much of this can go back to the Genesis 6 “wickedness”.

Lastly, in case it wasn’t clear:

Leviticus 20:27 – A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.

How many thousands of innocent lives have been taken over the past 2,000 years, just for being ACCUSED of being a witch/wizard/having familiar spirits? The text is very lacking in details, on just what a wizard of familiar spirit are, which leaves interpretation up to the people at the time, who then justify THEIR TRANSLATION to murder other people. Even false accusations, as we learned in Salem, led to trials of death regardless of innocence or guilt.

This is why I say the Bible is incomplete as a moral compass, especially in regards to laws and punishments. When you leave it up to interpretation of a corrupt mankind, these laws punish the innocent and allay the guilty.

Can we add up all the innocent dead killed throughout history, because these commandments were incomplete and vague, to the Jehovah body count?

Besides, where in the world did these people get the power to become wizards, or the use of familiar spirits? I know, I know… modern Christians say: THE DEVIL!

But the text does not say that at this point. In fact, I’ve made the argument, complete with verse that proves it to be true, that the good AND evil at this point in the Bible come from one source only: Jehovah.

And even he is incomplete, scattered, incorrect, and contradictory to his own words and actions. And you want me to believe the Bible is infallible and applicable to the world today?

Leviticus 19 – More Commandments

Question: How many commandments are in the Bible?

Answer (from me as a young buck in religious studies): 10

Real Answer: Hundreds

I’ve already made the argument that the “10 Commandments” could very well have been picked and chosen out of the hundreds to FIT into modern generations that this story is tried to be sold to. After all, there are at least 3 commandments from Jehovah that instruct to make altars, and one on how much to sell your daughter for.

I must reiterate, no where in any of these verses and chapters does the author say that these commandments are for ALL PEOPLES.

Leviticus 19 piles more commandments on top of the already established ones, some repeated, some clarified, and some new. What’s interesting is that many of these commandments contradict the behavior of the Israelites during their time in Egypt, where they looted their hosts in Egypt.

• Fear your parents, keep the Sabbath
• Turn not to idols, or make molten gods
• Peace offerings must be eaten for 2 days only, on the 3rd day it is an abomination
• The “corners” of your field must be left so that the poor and the stranger can have it
  • I guess Jehovah is not going to provide for them directly
• (Egypt) Ye shall not steal, deal falsely, nor lie to each other
  • The key here is the idea that most of these commandments are for how they treat EACH OTHER, not other people
• Don’t profane Jehovah’s name
• (Egypt) You shall not defraud your neighbor, nor rob him; pay your workers properly
• Do not curse the deaf, or put a stumbling block in front of the blind (does this really need to be commanded?)
• When it comes to judgement, do not respect the poor, or honor the mighty, but judge in righteousness.
• Don’t be a story teller, or stand against the blood of your neighbor
• Don’t hate your brother in your heart, and you shall not suffer sin on your neighbor
• You should not avenge, or bear a grudge against the children of your people, love your neighbor as yourself
  • There it is, these rules apply to this group of people
• Keep Jehovah’s statutes, don’t let cattle of different kinds mix, don’t plant mingled seed, don’t make garments of linen and woolen together
  • A nod to Genesis 6?
  • Don’t mingle plant seeds, as we know today, destroys the genetic diversity of certain types of foods. Besides, some seeds are exclusive to each other and actually compliment themselves when planted together
    • In North/Meso American cultures the “3 Sisters” are planted together for good reasons: nitrogen fixing, bean poles on corn stalks, etc.
• If a man lies with a woman, a slave, given to another for husband, not free;
  • She get’s scourged (really?!)
  • The man is put to death because she was not free
  • In other words, since she was not free, she was another mans property
  • The man can be forgiven with a trespass offering
• When they enter the new land, they must plant but not eat of any of the fruit for 3 years
• They are not to eat anything with blood, use enchantment, or observe times
  • Put away those raw steaks
  • Throw away your calendars and horoscopes
• Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard
  • I’m going to assume this dates to some sort of ritual facial decoration found either with the Egyptians or the Canaanites.
    • Just how do you round the corner of  your head? Where is the corner of the beard, and how do you “mar” it?
• No cuttings in the flesh for the dead (Egyptian death ritual), nor print any marks upon you
  • Don’t put on tattoos!
• Don’t prostitute your daughter to keep the land from becoming full of wickedness.
  • The last time the daughters of man were involved in the land becoming full of wickedness was in Genesis 6 when the fallen angels mated with the daughters of man and created corrupt offspring.
  • Is this a reference of not whoring your daughter to these beings again?
• A possible reference to honoring the elders (face of the old man)
• Don’t curse strangers/refugees in your land because they were once refugees in Egypt
• Don’t cheat measurements

Follow all these rules, says Jehovah who brought them out of the land of Egypt.

Interesting set of rules, some (like marring your beard) completely not applicable for those who can’t grow beards (Amerindians like myself).

Let’s focus on one verse to prove a point I’ve been trying to make throughout my blog. This deity, Jehovah, can not be the deity (or part of the deities which is more correct) that created the heavens and the earth in Genesis 1. For example:

Genesis 1:14 – And Elohim said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.

Compare this to Jehovah’s commandment:

Leviticus 19:26 – (Jehovah to Moses, to instruct the Israelites) Ye shall not eat anything with blood: neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times.

Elohim gave the stars for signs and times (seasons, days, years). Jehovah says not to observe them. Again, some parts of the good creation, Jehovah does not like, which tells me he was not part of it.

 

 

Exodus 31 – The Tabernacle, the Ark, furniture. Explaining why God rested in Genesis 2.

In a vein similar to the Book of Enoch where the fallen Angels teach their hybrid human children the art of mining, jewelry, makeup, and other “technologies”, we see that Jehovah has granted two men, Bezaleel and Aholiab some “extraordinary” skills. These are skills, by the way, that modern man today, do not need divine intervention to perform:

Exodus 31:2 – (Jehovah speaking to Moses): See, I have called by name Bezale-el the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: And I have filled him with the spirit of Elohim, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship. To devise cunning works, to work in gold, silver, and in brass, And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship.

Items to be constructed by the two artisans:

• Tabernacle of the Congregation
• Ark of the Testimony
• Mercy Seat
• All the furniture of the Tabernacle
• The table and his furniture
• The pure candlestick with his furniture
• Altar of incense
• Altar of burnt offerings with all his furniture
• The laver and his foot
• The cloths of service
  • Aaron’s holy garments
  • Aaron’s sons garments
• Anointing oil
• Sweet incense

Jehovah reiterates keeping of the sabbath, anyone who works on the sabbath will be cut off from his people. The sentence is lengthened when he also says anyone who works on the sabbath will be put to death.

The chapter ends with Jehovah passing along two tablets of testimony to Moses, tablets which says were written with the finger of Elohim.

I would like to go back to a peculiar verse in Exodus 31:

31:17 – It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever; for in six days Jehovah made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.

There’s “for ever” again. Let’s go back to Genesis 1… how many beings were part of the creation? Once I again I reiterate the actual verbiage of the Bible:

• The Hebrew word for God in Genesis 1 is *Elohim* which is PLURAL
• This concept is reinforced with the saying “Let us make man in our image” which is PLURAL inferring multiple beings were present, and no where does Genesis 1 say that one being was more powerful than the others.

Is Jehovah hijacking the creation of the Elohim? Is he taking credit for it?

I always wondered, why would an all powerful god need to “rest?” Humans rest, animals, rest… but gods? THE God?!

Let’s jump back to Genesis 1… Genesis 1 counts six days of creation, all of which are “good” and there are multiple beings involved. Then Genesis 1 ends. Why isn’t day 7 grouped with the previous six days in Genesis 1? Ironically it is day 7 that is grouped with the singular Jehovah Elohim introduced in Genesis 2. Is the Jehovah of Exodus claiming that 7th day for his own, ignoring the multiple entities of the previous six?

Jump back to Exodus 31:17…

The author explains Jehovah rested on the seventh day and was refreshed. Why would he need to refresh? (Similar to why would he walk in the Garden of Eden in the “cool” of the evening?) Is the author alluding to a very unpopular concept that Jehovah was not an almighty god? Why would he need to rest, was he tired? (Despite the fact he’s attributed all mightiness, yet we know glory full traits are often heaped upon those with authority, whether out of fear or out of exaggerated admiration… “The Almighty King of Spain”… Alexander the Great… Mighty Joe Young, whether or not the persons were indeed Almighty or Great)

Resting seems to be a very human/animal concept and we add another human trait to the supposed almighty God of the universe. The words of the Bible seem to be proving a less almighty God than what the modern church says. Not a popular point of view to take but I think the author of the Bible is clearly alluding to such.

I look forward to see the future human and/or god like traits attributed to Jehovah.

 

 

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 29 – Jacob seeks a familial wife, Canaan follows suit; Jacob, Rachel, Leah

Isaac commands Jacob not to find a wife of the people of Canaan, instead he sends him to marry one of his first cousins, daughters of Laban.

Esau follows suite, after taking wives of the Hittites which bothered his mother and father, he goes to somewhat more distant relatives to marry within: Mahalath, the daughter of his uncle Ishmael.

Jacob leaves Beer-sheba on his way toward Haran when he experiences a dream: A ladder connects the top of heaven set upon the earth, with angels ascending and descending it. Jehovah stands at the top and repeats his promise to Isaac (this is your land, your seed will be plenty in all directions, all families of the earth will be blessed.

Genesis 29:15 – And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee whithersoever thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.

So there is a “completion” to this promise, that Jehovah will leave him once he has done all he has promised for Jacob.

29:16 – And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely Jehovah is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.

Afraid, dreadful. Words to describe the house of God and the gate of heaven? The concept that Jehovah is not at places at once looks to be a belief Jacob carried. Is this why Jacob would travel and “fear” despite being told not to?

Jacob arrives in the land of his uncle Laban. He meets Rachel at a watering hole with her sheep and everyone is introduced. Laban offers Jacob wages for his work as Jacob stays with him, and Jacob requested the hand of his younger daughter, Rachel (described as beautiful and well favored) over Leah his eldest daughter (described as tender eyed, sore to the eyes?)

Jacob promises 7 years of work for the hand of Rachel.

After the 7 years, he calls in his promise and in the midst of the wedding night, Laban switches Rachel with Leah, and Jacob sleeps with her that night. Was she veiled the whole time where Jacob could not tell? Was he drunken the way Lamech was when his two daughters were able to sleep with him? Laban exclaims that it’s not his culture to give away his youngest daughter before the eldest to explains his guile.

Jacob is offered 7 more years of work for the hand of Rachel.

Jacob prefers Rachel over Leah, aka “Jehovah saw that Leah was hated” so what does Jehovah do? He closes Rachel’s womb and opens Leah’s. Leah begins to give birth:

1. Reuben – “Because Jehovah hath looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me”
2. Simeon – “Because Jehovah hath heard that I am hated, he hath give me this son also”
3. Levi – “Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have borne him three sons.
4. Judah – “This time I will praise Jehovah”

Four births for Leah while Jacob loved Rachel. Once again Jehovah intervenes for these births. Can we say for certain Jacob was the father while he “hated” Leah?

Was she not praising Jehovah before? Seems like she was, but maybe she wasn’t giving proper thanks for the previous 3 children Jehovah had given her. Is it possible that Jacob was NOT sleeping with Leah (after all we know he loved Rachel more) so, with Jehovah’s intervention (as with Sarah and Rebekah), Leah gives birth? After all, after Levi was born, Leah exclaims “Now this time will my husband be joined unto me.”

Are these 4 children another example of a heavenly being mating with a daughter of man? The Bible does not indicate, again, that Jacob contributed his seed to these 4 births, only Rachel’s words that Jehovah “gave her” these children. No mention of Jacob’s reactions though if she had to give birth to a third before proclaiming “NOW Jacob would join her, it’s possible he had nothing to do with these conceptions.

It’s not uncommon for married couples not to procreate, especially when one prefers the company of another, so it’s not that far fetched to believe. After Judah, it is said she left off bearing. So now we have 1 group of 4, will the remainder of the 12 also be split into groups of 4?

Also of note, she didn’t give birth to any females? Another work of the hand of Jehovah to ensure all male births? Or, as with previous examples, it just wasn’t important to mention, i.e. daughters of Adam and Eve who were said to have been born, but given no names or order within the children.