The interesting history about King Josiah

The Old Testament mentions about the exploits of King Josiah as one of the most prominent when it pertains to restoration of the pure worship of God and destruction of Baal and Asherah worship, but there are other interesting things in this story, too. These things will be detailed in the following below:

2 Chronicles 34: 1, 3b

Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reined in Jerusalem one and thirty years; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images.

2 Chronicles 34: 8, 14b-16a

Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land, and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the Lord his God.  Hilkiah the priest found a book of the law of the Lord given by Moses. And Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan. And Shaphan carried the book to the king. . .

NOTE: The Book of the Law must have been lost for Hilkiah the priest to have found it; or at least he came upon parts of the total number of scrolls out of many others. It seems that the priests or more importantly the Levites were more guilty than the people when it came to idol worship because surely they would have been the ones who safeguarded the Law, as mentioned in Deuteronomy 31: 24-26 : It came about, when Moses finished writing the words of this law in a book until they were complete, that Moses commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying, “Take this book of the law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may remain there as a witness against you. Also Exodus 40: 20a says: He (Moses) took the tablets of the covenant law and placed them in the ark.  Just one more point on this: 2 Chronicles 35: 3 He (King Josiah) said to the Levites, who instructed all Israel and who had been consecrated to the Lord: “Put the sacred ark in the temple that Solomon son of David king of Israel built. It is not to be carried about on your shoulders. Now serve the Lord your God and his people Israel.

So, what happened to the Ten Commandments that were placed ‘inside’ the ark or the Book of the Covenant (the other statutes and ordinances) that was placed beside it? Your guess is as good as mine.

2 Chronicles 34: 18-22

Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath given me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king. And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent his clothes. And the king commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Abdon the son of Micah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king's, saying, Go, enquire of the Lord for me, and for them that are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found: for great is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord, to do after all that is written in this book.

2 Chronicles 34: 22a, 23-25

And Hilkiah, and they that the king had appointed, went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college :) and they spoke to her to that effect. And she answered them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Tell ye the man that sent you to me, Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah: Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be poured out upon this place, and shall not be quenched.

2 Chronicles 34: 29-30

Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. And the king went up into the house of the Lord, and all the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people, great and small: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of the Lord.

NOTE: One has to ask, “What were these words in the covenant that had such dire warnings; I mean were they found in the Ten Commandments or elsewhere?” I think Hikliah the priest came across some fragments of the Deuteronomy scroll, as below:

Deuteronomy 26: 16-17

The Lord your God commands you this day to follow these decrees and laws; carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your soul.¹⁷ You have declared this day that the Lord is your God and that you will walk in obedience to him, that you will keep his decrees, commands and laws—that you will listen to him.

Deuteronomy 28: 15, 20, 58-59, 61

However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you: The Lord will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to, until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin because of the evil you have done in forsaking him. If you do not carefully follow all the words of this law, which are written in this book, and do not revere this glorious and awesome name—the Lord your God. The Lord will send fearful plagues on you and your descendants, harsh and prolonged disasters, and severe and lingering illnesses. The Lord will also bring on you every kind of sickness and disaster not recorded in this Book of the Law, until you are destroyed.

Now let’s go back to:

Deuteronomy 5: 22a

These are the commandments the Lord proclaimed in a loud voice to your whole assembly there on the mountain from out of the fire, the cloud and the deep darkness; and he (God) added nothing more. 

NOTE: This is interesting because Deuteronomy 29: 1 says: These are the terms of the covenant the Lord commanded Moses to make with the Israelites in Moab, in addition to the covenant he had made with them at Horeb.

A few more interesting things during the reign of King Josiah:

2 Chronicles 35: 1, 12, 16, 18

Josiah celebrated the Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem, and the Passover lamb was slaughtered on the fourteenth day of the first month. They set aside the burnt offerings to give them to the subdivisions of the families of the people to offer to the Lord, as it is written in the Book of Moses. They did the same with the cattle. So at that time the entire service of the Lord was carried out for the celebration of the Passover and the offering of burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord, as King Josiah had ordered. The Passover had not been observed like this in Israel since the days of the prophet Samuel; and none of the kings of Israel had ever celebrated such a Passover as did Josiah, with the priests, the Levites and all Judah and Israel who were there with the people of Jerusalem.

NOTE: That might not be exactly true because King Hezekiah seems to have celebrated the Passover quite elaborately (Cp. 2 Chronicles 30: 1 thru 31: 21).

A final point is found here:

2 Chronicles 31: 3 mentions “New Moons” observed by King Hezekiah as one of appointed feasts written in the Law of Moses, but the earliest passage mentioning it is found in Numbers 10: 1-10 where it associated with blowing of 2 silver trumpets that are to be used when confronting an oppressive enemy. This is mentioned along with New Moon festivals but no details about the observance are given. Later in Numbers 29: 1-6 (Cp. Leviticus 23: 23-25) a more elaborate set of instructions are given for the Feast of Trumpets but nothing is said about a New Moon feast. According to “Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible” New Moon feasts involved commencement of the autumnal year’s celebration of the passing of the darkening of the moon, which was an ominous sign in ancient times. The restoration of the solar disk was seen as a time of rejoicing, and as such, it became ritualized among the cultic people of Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Semites such as the Israelites, too. Doubtless, the Feast of Trumpets/New Moon celebrations were incorporated into a dual festival as they were both observed in the seventh month (Tishri/September-October).

Robert Randle

776 Commerce St Apt 701

Tacoma, WA 98402

March 23, 2017

Robertrandle51@yahoo.com

Response to the book, "50 Simple questions for every Christian"

This is a copy of the email that I sent to the author, as below in the following:

Hi Mr. Harrison:

The first thing I want to do before making the attempt to answer the title in the subject line is that I recently purchased “50 Simple questions for every Christian” on the FOR SALE shelf at my local library. I am always looking to read something that satisfies my curious nature, especially as it pertains to questions or answers to the ultimate mystery as presented in some of the world’s religious systems, and Judaism/Christianity in particular. I was hooked after reading the first few pages, and if you will pardon the expression, “it’s a Godsend” (blessing). The writing is masterful, probing, direct, and the questions are provocative, poignant as well as challenging; the book should be read by every Christian in my opinion. I was thinking about the resurrection narratives as recorded in several New Testament passages, which to me would be a skeptic’s treasure trove. In the gospel of Matthew 27: 62-66 and 28: 11-17 there seems to be some confusion with the temple guard and the soldiers; what story would be told about how the body of Jesus was missing; the payment of a bribe; soldiers falling asleep on duty; and the last part of verse 17 where it says of the disciples of Jesus: “. . . and some doubted” – (what??); These were people who were right there and part of this supernatural event, and yet, these unnamed followers and disciples/apostles were not convinced; which says something for those of us who believe two thousand years later.

Before I move on to another matter, the stone that was removed from the tomb or sepulcher is interesting because according to the story, Jesus had already been resurrected and could simply materialize and appear suddenly as He did where the disciples were gathered. I think the resurrection story would have been more credible if the stone had not been removed and Jesus was seen walking around because it would have avoided the rumor that Matthew 28: 13 talks about.  There is at least the name of one skeptic as recorded in John 20: 24-25, which reads: Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see for myself the nail marks in His hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe” (wow!!).  This is a man that followed Jesus around, heard Him teach and perform miracles but instead of taking the word of the other disciples, he wanted verifiable proof, empirical facts, and not hearsay, or eyewitness accounts/testimonies- which should serve as a good lesson for us today and food for thought instead of just believing or accepting everything on “faith” or rather Church tradition, ritual and dogma.

Now that I have said all of that, let’s get to the main issue. I have given some thoughtful consideration to the proof of God’s existence, and if you don’t mind I would like to answer this concern by “flipping the script” or turning the question around. I would like to ask, “can you offer proof that you exist; of for that matter, proof that you love someone?” Are numbers real or letters of the alphabet- how can you prove this, and by what measure? And what about the concept of time or what is perceived as this phenomena? Isn’t everything composed of atoms or smaller subatomic particles, and isn’t there space or a void between each atom? Aren’t we really dealing with concepts or constructs of the “Mind” that are merely symbols and serve as building blocks in this illusion called “Life” but don’t really exist, in and of Itself, in reality. Whatever or Whoever is cosmic ‘Mind,’ it casts a wide net where there is reality-bias that skews any true knowledge and distorts sense perception. Therefore, all what we experience is essentially subjective and non-quantifiable (“Cogito ergo sum”).

Robert Randle

776 Commerce St Apt 701

Tacoma, WA 98402

March 17, 2017

robertrandle51@yahoo.com

The feminine face of God

To most readers of the Bible, God is almost universally accepted as male; with the exception of the Holy Spirit, who is presented as female. But is the gender of deity always gendered as tradition and Church history says it does, or is there possibly more to the story than what we have been told and led to believe? I guess the first place to start in the journey of inquiry is the start at the beginning (‘Bereshith’).

Genesis 1: 1 In the beginning God (“Elohim”) created the heavens and earth.

In “The Expository Dictionary of Bible Words” (1985) by Lawrence O. Richards, the word ‘Elohim’ is the most frequently used name for God in the entire Old Testament, occurring nearly 2,570 times. Lon Milo Duquette writes in “The Chicken Qabalah” that this word stems from the root word ‘Eloh/Eloah’ which is a feminine singular noun for Goddess (or divine feminine); “im” is merely the plural masculine suffix. Duquette, who is a Kabbalist, or Jewish esoteric/metaphysical practitioner or teacher, is not the only person to make this same association. So, taken together the word “Elohim” gives the meaning of Goddess/God; Dual-gendered deity/ Creatress-Creator; Feminine/Masculine divine Principal; or something like that. Ok, maybe this is a little bit to much to swallow, but keep reading, as in the following below:

Genesis 1: 26, 27

Then Elohim said, “Let Us make man in Our image after Our likeness.” So Elohim created man in His (not their??) own image, in the image of Elohim He (not they??) created him (Adam); male and female He (not they??) created them (Cp. Genesis 5: 1-2).

NOTE: The male and female (Adam) was created in the image and likeness of the Us/Our-“Elohim.”

There’s more:

Exodus 6: 2-3

Elohim also said to Moses, “I am the Lord (Yahuwah), I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as El Shaddai (“The Almighty”). . .

NOTE: The word “Shaddai” is plural of the root ‘shad’ which refers to a female breast/ or teat [as it pertains to the female mammary gland], and the “ai” is just the plural suffix for breasts or teats. A literal translation for El Shaddi might be something like: God of breasts or breasted God (hermaphrodite??). Since men do not have breasts it seems reasonable to conclude the deity of the patriarchs was dual-gendered, or a Goddess, at the very least.

Continuing further: the book of Job is considered the second oldest in the entire Bible and this great great man is believed to be a contemporary of Abraham, so it is certainly worth the time and effort to see what he perceived or understood of deity’s (God’s) nature as it was revealed to him.

Job 38: 1, 8, 29

Then the Lord (Yahuwah) answered Job out of the storm, “Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb?” “From whose womb comes the ice?” “Who gives birth to the frost from heaven?”

NOTE: The language in the above rendering would seem a little odd to be spoken by a male, wouldn’t it; does a man have a womb or give birth to anything?

Job 22: 26-27

Surely then you will find delight in Shaddai (Mighty), and lift up your voice to Eloh/Eloah (God). You will pray to him (??) and he (??) will hear you.

NOTE: Curious why Job would use feminine references (Shaddai and Eloh) and then include such pronouns as him and he if God were strictly gendered as male (Oops)? Interestingly, David B. Clark maintains that the single book, Job, makes heavy use of ‘Shaddai’ and comprises roughly 2/3 of all the uses of the word mentioned in the Old Testament. Some other biblical passages that seem to juxtapose Lord (Yahuwah) with God/Goddess (Elohim) are: Genesis 24: 3; 1 Samuel 6: 20; Psalms 50: 6; Isaiah 30: 18; 37: 16; 40: 28; 45: 15; 54: 5; 65: 16; and Jeremiah 10: 10.

I have covered the Old Testament in quite some detail, so what about the New Testament?

Luke 11: 27

And it came to pass, as Jesus spoke these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, “Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps (Heb. Hashaddayim) which thou hast sucked.”

Revelation 1: 13

And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle (KJV).

COMMENTARY: This last part is quite revealing and controversial because paps are another word for breasts. In Luke’s gospel the Hebrew is the plural suffix (“ai” or” im”) of singular breast/teat (shad). The translation of most modern bibles uses the “chest” or “breast/bosom” (singular) but some other translations do not, such as: Jubilee Bible 2000; American Standard Version; Darby Bible; Easy-to-Read Version Bible; and American King James. A few other versions use “paps” as in: Webster Bible; Douay-Rheims; King James. This matter might just be far from being settled as a certainty, so the reader has to draw his or her conclusion. The inclusion of the feminine into the exclusive male godhead as co-equal in all aspects of divinity can have a profound effect socially, theologically, psychologically, and culturally; impacting not only the role of women in society and the Church, but will reshape the future evolvement of life on planet Earth.

Robert Randle

776 Commerce St Apt 701

Tacoma, WA 98402

March 20, 2017

robertrandle51@yahoo.com

Are the Bible prophecies about the end of the world so much hype or sobering truth?

The Bible solemnly warns about God’s day of wrath on evildoers, but when is this dreaded event supposed to happen, or more importantly, will it ever take place as the Scriptures describes? It seems that situations in the world are getting worse as there is increasing poverty, vanishing or shrinking permafrost, destruction of rainforests, pollution of water, soil, and the air, global financial insecurity, increasing crime rates and acts of violence, as well as the constant threat of nuclear conflagration or another world war; and this is just the short list. Either it is time to take the Lord’s warning seriously, or if not, and all of this doom and gloom is just so much hype, then let’s embrace the philosophy of life found in Isaiah 23: 13: “let us eat, and drink [and be merry??], you say, for tomorrow we die.” However, I think before throwing in the towel and give in to despair and nihilism, maybe the Bible can offer some perspective. Let’s begin with the words of Jesus in Matthew 16: 3b: You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.

2 Peter 3: 2-3a, 4, 8-9

I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles. First of all, you must understand that in the “Last Days” scoffers [doubters] will come.  They will say, “Where is this coming,” he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation. But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promises, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you [us??], not wanting anyone to perish (Cp. Ezekiel 18: 23; 33: 11), but that everyone would come to repentance.

Now, let’s see what is written in the prophets:

Isaiah 13: 10-11a

The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. I will punish the world for its evil; the wicked for their sins. Therefore I will make heaven tremble, and the earth will shake from its place.

Isaiah 34: 1-2, 4a

Come near, you nations, and listen; pay attention, you peoples! Let the [entire] earthy hear, and all that is [are] in it, the world and all that comes out of it! The Lord is angry with all the nations; his wrath is upon all their armies. All the stars of heaven will be dissolves [shaken/moved??] and the shy will be rolled up like a scroll.

What did the Lord tell his apostles about these things?

Matthew 24: 3

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately; “Tell us,” they said, “When will this [these things] happen, and what will be ⁽¹⁾ the sign of your coming and ⁽²⁾ the End of the Age [world]?”

NOTE: I think there were actually two questions asked here; the first part was contemporary in their time and the latter part reserved for the future. It is also possible that this was a compound single question which wrapped together both parts with the expectation that Jesus was going to usher in the kingdom of God and finally defeat evil when he returns in their lifetime.

Now it’s time for some details, as in the following:

Luke 21: 9

“. . . when you hear of wars and revolutions (Cp. Matthew 24: 6; Mark 13: 7).”

Luke 21: 11

There will be great earthquakes; famines (droughts??) and pestilence in various places, and fearful events [like 9/11??], and great signs from (in??) heaven [Blood Moons or unusual alignment of the planets/stars??] (Cp. Matthew 24: 7b; Mark 13: 8b).

Luke 21: 25-26a

There will be signs in the sun, moon and the stars. On the earth nations will be in anguish and perplexity and the roaring and tossing of the sea. Men will faint from [fear of or from??] terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world.

NOTE: This last part could be pulled from today’s newspaper headlines among the nations of the earth. All this uncertainly could be compounded by not only severe weather patterns, but concerns over a potential pandemic from the Zika virus, AIDS, or new strains of super bugs that are resistant to the latest antibiotics. There are no answers for the acts of terrorism by ISIL and al-Qaeda, the war in Syria and the refugee humanitarian crisis. What is to be done about an aggressive Russia and economic powerhouse China and her military exercises in the South China Sea? Will the EU hold together or will Brexit signal the exit of other countries as well?

Luke 21: 34

Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and the day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap; for [assuredly] it will come upon all those who live on the face of the earth.

Luke 24: 32

I tell you the truth; this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.

CONCLUSION:

That generation has passed away and those things which pertained to them have been fulfilled, now there is another “this generation” of human still living on the planet and there are events still waiting to occur; especially up until the final consummation of all things when the kingdom of God will finally be among men. The main point I want to make is that the world is a lot closer than many of us want to think about regarding the day of God’s wrath. Matthew 24: 10-12 talks about many people turning away from the “true” faith, mainly due to false prophets deceiving people. Because of the increase of wickedness the love (compassion/empathy/ sympathy of people will [has] turn cold. Despite all the technological advances and social media, there is an increase in cyber bullying, shaming and other predatory practices; mostly among teens and the most vulnerable members of society. Although there is a great desire for acknowledgement, connectedness, social interaction or companionship; quite a few people feel lonely, isolated, not valued, apprehensive about the future, and more disconnected than ever.

Before I forget to  make this point: The gospel of Jesus Christ has reached the four corners of the earth but one wonders if it is the same “Good News” that was first preached by Jesus and later by those who first saw, heard and handled the Word of Life and first-begotten of the Father. Today, the preaching is mostly the politically-correct, non-offensive kind that tastes good like honey; and is sweet in your mouth as well as in your belly. The old “Fire and Brimstone” sermons of the past are not preached from the pulpit and not as welcome in modern society today as opposed to times past. It seems that quite a few Christian Churches are trying to model a welcoming, Starbucks-friendly atmosphere offering a variety of homilies in as many flavors as there are lattes and cappuccinos.

I was thinking about Micah 3: 11a where it says, “Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money.” Now, this is not to criticize those faithful stewards of God who are to be supported and teach the truth in sincerity (Cp. Luke 10: 7; 1 Timothy 5: 18), but this is my polemic against those who are wolves in sheep clothing. A final thought comes from Zechariah 14: 12b: “Their flesh will rot [turn black and discolored??] while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.” This scene kinda reminds me of an episode of  “The Walking Dead” and could this possibly be a prophesy about some experiment that goes horribly wrong where a plague is unleashed on the public after spores, gas or mist from biological or germ warfare research that escapes from a containment module or chamber?

Anyway, to wrap this all up, Jesus leaves us with this sobering thought found in Matthew 24: 37-39: “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.  For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” 

Robert Randle
776 Commerce St Apt 701
Tacoma, WA 98402
November 2, 2016
robertrandle51@yahoo.com

Were there two different copies of the Ten Commandments?

Most of us are used to thinking that the stone tablets called the Ten Commandments, which received and written with the finger of God, and that Moses later smashed after coming down from Mount Sinai, were later replicated as originally given when Moses went back up the mountain to appear before the Lord, but is this actually the case? The following study will explore this question in some detail.

Exodus 34: 1

The Lord said to Moses, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the [same] words that were on the first tablets, which you broke

Exodus 34: 11b

I will drive out before you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites
(Cp. Exodus 23: 23).

Exodus 34: 13-14

Break down their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles. Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God (Cp. Exodus 20: 3, 5b, 23a; 23: 24b).

Exodus 34: 15

Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land (Cp. Exodus 23:32).

Exodus 34: 17

Do not make cast idols (Cp. Exodus 20: 4, 23??).

Exodus 34: 18

Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days eat bread without yeast, as I commanded you (Cp. Exodus 13: 6-7). Do this at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in that month you came out of Egypt (Cp. Exodus 13: 3-4; 23: 15).

Exodus 34: 19-20

The first offspring of every womb belongs to me [the Lord], including all the firstborn males of your livestock, whether from the herd or flock (Cp. Exodus 13: 12). Redeem your firstborn sons.

NOTE: This latter part of verse twenty is not found in the earlier version, as well as verse nineteen; which is found in the thirteenth chapter of Exodus.

Exodus 34: 20b

No one is to appear before the Lord empty handed (Cp. Exodus 23: 15b).

Exodus 34: 21

Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during plowing season and harvest you must rest (Cp. Exodus 20: 9-11; 23: 12).

Exodus 34: 22-23

Celebrate the Feast of Weeks with the first-fruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year. Three times a year all your men are to appear before the Sovereign Lord, the God of Israel (Cp. Exodus 23: 16-17).

Exodus 34: 25

Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast; and do not let any of the sacrifice from the “Passover Feast” remain until morning (Cp. Exodus 23: 18).

NOTE: The Passover Feast is not mentioned in the previous account, but only “the fat of my festival offerings”??

Exodus 34: 26

Bring the best of the first-fruits of your spoil to the house of the Lord your God (Cp. Exodus 23: 19).

Exodus 24: 6b

Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk (Cp. Exodus 23: 19b).

Exodus 34: 27, 28b

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write down [all] these words, for in accordance to these words I have made a covenant with you and Israel. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant- The Ten Commandments (Cp. Exodus 24: 12).

 

CONCLUSION: It is commonly believed that the Ten Commandments were just those statutes listed in chapter twenty in the Book of Exodus, but that just might be an oversimplification. Those statutes certainly are the main body of a moral as well as religious code for the Israelites but there is much more to it. The way I look at it, and the biblical text confirms this, some of the precepts from chapter thirteen were incorporated into the original instructions of the ten Commandments starting in chapter twenty, and then reintroduced in chapter thirty-four; but even so, there was additional material added that was not present in the original version. In Exodus 34: 1 the Lord says that he will write the words that were in the first set of stone tablets that Moses broke. It seems to me that Exodus 20: 1-17 comprises the first set of Ten Commandments and Exodus 23: 1-13 expands on those principles.

After Exodus 20: 18 thru 23: 13 appears to be an addition to the original Ten Commandments of Exodus 20. I surmise that Exodus 23: 14-33 is a somewhat altered repetition of the first set of Ten Commandments. Interestingly, or I might say oddly, Exodus 24: 7 says, “The he [Moses] took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. So, the words graven on stone tablets (“Ten Commandments”) in Exodus 20 are now, or become part of a book four chapters later. Then from Exodus 25 thru 34: 1, 27, 28b there are more instructions that are in themselves more amendments. So, it is not unreasonable to accept that the Ten Commandments were edited and expanded upon from the point when these instructions were initially given, by some unknown redactor or priestly scribe throughout generations to accommodate the evolving religious, cultural, social, and historical development of this mixed heterogeneous grouping of a specific offshoot of Canaanite clans called Hebrews or Israelites.

Robert Randle

776 Commerce St Apt 701
Tacoma, WA 98402
October 28, 2016
robertrandle51@yahoo.com

Which copy of the Covenant was used to inaugurate Israelite kings?

It may come as quite a surprise to many readers of the Bible that there were in fact, two sets of statutes in the Old Testament regarding how Jewish kings were supposed to behave, as well as govern. This study will provide an interesting comparison/contrast among the narrative sources as it pertains to the responsibilities that the kings were to act among the Israelite people.

Deuteronomy 17: 14-20

When you enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you have (take) possession of it and settled it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,” be sure to appoint over you the king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite. The king ⁽¹⁾ must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself, or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them; for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back this way again.” He ⁽²⁾ must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He ⁽³⁾ must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. When he takes the throne of his kingdom, ⁽⁴⁾ he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. It is to be with him and he is to ⁽⁵⁾ read it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God, and to ⁽⁶⁾ follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees, and ⁽⁷⁾ not consider himself better than that of his brothers; and turn away from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over the kingdom of Israel.

NOTE: The decrees are quite explicit in the Deuteronomist version but it seems that Solomon didn’t know about it, or instead, chose to ignore it entirely (Cp. 1 Kings 10: 14-21, 22a, 28; 1 Kings 11: 1-5). This also brings up another important point, namely, that the Torah (including the book of Deuteronomy) was not written down or orally transmitted during his reign or lifetime.

1 Samuel 8: 4-7, 9-17

So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead us.” This disturbed Samuel, so he inquired to the Lord. And the Lord said to him, “Listen to all that the people are saying to you: It is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. Now listen to them: but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who reigns over them will do.” Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest; and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage, and give it to his officials and attendants. Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves.

1 Samuel 10: 25a

Samuel explained to the people the regulations of the kingship. He wrote down on a scroll and deposited it before the Lord.

NOTE: This last part would imply that Samuel placed these decrees in the custody of the priests, the Levites who ministered before the Lord in the temple. It is also worth noting that Samuel‘s version doesn’t seem to be a continuation of Moses’ law but something different altogether. The source in Deuteronomy anticipates the request for a king as a natural progression, whereas in Samuel’s version the Israelites reject God ruling over them outright, using the excuse that it was due to Samuel’s old age and his sons’ bad behavior.

2 Kings 11: 12a

Jehoiada brought out the king’s son [Joash] and put the crown on him; he presented him with a copy of the Covenant and proclaimed him king.

2 Kings 22: 8; 23: 2

And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. The king went up to the house of the LORD and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests and the prophets and all the people, both small and great; and he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the LORD.

CONCLUSION:

It seems that the Book of the Law/Torah (incl. Deuteronomy) wasn’t found until the time of King Josiah, which means that it must have been lost. This makes sense because Solomon would have devoted his heart fully to the Lord if it had existed at the time; at least, this is what I think. Jehoiada the priest probably found a copy of the scroll written by the prophet Samuel, which he used to administer the oath of office to Joash. The Mosaic commandment contained in Deuteronomy was still unknown or missing until the High priest Hilkiah discovered either the entire Torah or portions of it in the temple some eleven chapters later.

 

Robert Randle

776 Commerce St Apt 701
Tacoma, WA 98402
October 25, 2016
robertrandle51@yahoo.com