Joshua 1:1-4:24

THE YEAR OF BLOGGING BIBLICALLY: DAY 70

 

If Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy collectively make up the Pentateuch ("the five scrolls"), the addition of Joshua is sometimes called the Hexateuch ("the six scrolls") because it continues the narrative begun in the previous books.

Following the death of Moses, Joshua takes the role of leader over the Israelites. He will be their general in the war of conquest over Canaan. In chapter 1, Joshua is told (3 times) to "be strong and courageous," words that have been applied to him before.

In chapter 2, Joshua sends two spies to scout out the land, "especially Jericho." In that city, they stay in the home of a prostitute named Rahab. She protects them from the king of Jericho and, in exchange, barters for her life, and the lives of her family, when the Israelites attack the city. She is an interesting case.

Her name is also the name of a mythical sea monster mentioned in the Psalms, and a figurative name for Egypt. In the New Testament she is mentioned as an example of faith in Hebrews 11:31, and as an example of justification by works in James 2:25. She may be mentioned as an ancestor of Jesus in Matthew's genealogy (Matthew 1:5).

Perhaps the most intriguing question concerning Rahab is: Just why were those Israelite spies spending the night in her house? I think I know.

It is interesting, at the least, to notice that Israelite men consort with prostitutes and no moral judgment is pronounced upon them in the text. When Judah slept with Tamar (Genesis 38) he was not judged for patronizing a sex worker, but for withholding his son Shelah from his widowed daughter-in-law.

Rahab was a traitor to her own people. Fear of YHWH is her stated reason. We can only guess at the circumstances that led her into prostitution. It is pure speculation to say that she may have been resentful toward the men of Jericho who had used her. I think it is clear that she was resourceful and used what little leverage she had over the Israelite spies to ensure her own future and that of her family.

In chapters 3-4, in a scene deliberately (even heavy-handedly) reminiscent of Exodus 14, Joshua leads the Israelites across the Jordan river. The invasion has begun. A pile of 12 river stones is set up on the Jordan's bank as a monument.

The image of Chagall's lithograph Rahab and the Spies of Jericho was lifted from this website. It is a commercial website. My link should not be considered an  endorsement. The painting Rahab's Window was found at the website of Mat Barber Kennedy. I like his work. 

Next: Joshua 5-8.

Sallman's Head of Christ

HOW GOD BROKE THE FIRST COMMANDMENT

You've almost certainly seen this painting before.  Warner Sallman's Head of Christ has been reproduced  more than 500 million times if wiki is to be believed.

In some ways it isn't very good. The Jesus portrayed here is too wispy, too northern European, too white. This blue-eyed boy is certainly not a portrait of the historical Jesus of Nazareth. One of my seminary profs referred to this painting as "Beautiful Hair Breck Jesus."

Still, I don't hate it.

A large copy of the painting hangs in the narthex of my church. I was looking at it Sunday morning as I folded bulletins for the morning's service. Bulletin-folding is brainless work and it allows one's thoughts to wander free. So I was thinking  that Jesus didn't look like this painting, but he did look like something. More properly, Jesus looked like someone. Someone specific. His eyes were a particular color; nose a certain shape; his mouth a specific width.

The first commandment (or the second by some numberings) prohibits Israel from making images of God. Unlike earthly creatures, God is ineffable, holy, numinous, and, in large measure unknowable. No earthly image can portray God.

The Christian doctrine of the incarnation says that God dwelt among people in the specific form of Jesus of Nazareth. A skilled artist could have made an accurate portrait of him. Had there been cameras in first century Judea someone could have taken his photograph.

What this means is that God broke the first commandment.

A Pause to Reflect

BEFORE WE PLOW AHEAD INTO JOSHUA

Call it the Pentateuch (if you like the Greek), or the Torah (if you prefer Hebrew), or the Five Books of Moses (if legendary attribution is your thing). Whatever you call it, the collection of books from Genesis through Deuteronomy is an interesting read.

At the outset, I called the creation stories in Genesis "narrative theology." I think that descriptor can be applied to the entire Pentateuch (and beyond). These books are the way that ancient Israel told the story of its relationship with YHWH, its God.

The one God (whether that means the only God or the greatest of the divine beings) who created the world chose to make a covenant with Israel. He would be their God and they would be his people.

Their forebears were difficult, argumentative, sinful, faithful people. The patriarchs' families were dysfunctional to say the least. They were not chosen because they were holy. They were holy because they were chosen.

Once a nation of slaves, the Israelites were rescued by YHWH from Egyptian bondage through the agency of Moses, another clay-footed hero. Moses led the Israelites through 40 years of wilderness wandering and gave them the laws by which they would be set apart as the Lord's people.  Some of those laws are timeless precepts of justice. Others are practical. Some are bound by the culture that produced them. Some are just weird. Some--like that business with the "water of bitterness"--seem barbaric. Others display uncommon kindness.

Some of the stories in the Pentateuch are beautiful and inspiring. (Jacob and Esau reconcile). Others are disturbing. (The binding of Isaac). Still others are bizarre. (The bridegroom of blood episode).

For thousands of years faithful readers have found inspiration, instruction, hope, and correction in the Torah. For thousands of years people have read these books and encountered God.

Deuteronomy 32:1-34:12

THE YEAR OF BLOGGING BIBLICALLY: DAY 69

The song of Moses is a review of Israel's history both past and future from the time in which the narrative is set. It spans from YHWH's choosing Israel through the exile and ends with the return of the people to Judah. It refers to Israel by the name of its forebear, "Jacob" and also as "Jeshurun," a Hebrew name meaning "the Upright One."

The song refers to God as the "Rock" and also uses feminine, maternal imagery for YHWH who "gave birth" to Israel.

The question of monotheism remains open. This song refers to other "gods" who are almost certainly lesser divine beings, and may possibly be demons (32:17).

In verses 48-52, YHWH tells Moses to climb Mt. Nebo from which he will see the promised land before he dies.

In Chapter 33, Moses blesses the tribes of Israel with the curious omission of Simeon. Am I missing something? Why is Simeon left out?

The poem is reminiscent of Jacob's deathbed blessing of his sons in Genesis 49.

Chapter 34 narrates the death of Moses. It seems that YHWH himself buries the man of God. There is notice that Joshua has taken charge of the Israelites (v. 9) and a tribute to Moses.

And so we come to the end of the Pentateuch.



The depiction of Moses on Mt. Nebo in stained glass is from Mt. Nebo Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA. I found the photograph at thiswebsite.

Next: Joshua 1-4

Inappropriate Psalms

In church this morning we celebrated the Festival of Pentecost. The Revised Common Lectionary's appointed psalmody for this day (Pentecost Year C) was Psalm 104:24-34, 35b. It's a fun reading with great imagery: ships going to and fro on the sea, God creating the sea monster Leviathan just for fun. Appropriate to the occasion, the psalm speaks of God's Spirit giving and sustaining life.

But there's that half verse (35a) that gets omitted what's up with that? I don't pretend to know the mond of the lectionary committee but I think I can see what they were up to verse 34a is not appropriate for worship. It says, "Let sinners be consumed from the earth and the wicked be no more."

Asking God to destroy people is antithetical to the purposes of most Christian worship. What's more, many worship services begin with an order for confession, an acknowledgement that we are sinful people. In that context, verse 34a sounds like the expression of a death wish. Best to leave it out, then and skip ahead to 34b: "Bless the Lord, O my soul. Hallelujah!"

Alyhough the Psalms are filled with noble and uplifting sentiments, there are some things in them that are not conducive to worship. I can't imagine worthy liturgical use for Psalm 137:9, "Happy shall they be who take your little ones and dash them against the rock!"

But this is something that I love about the Psalms. They encompass a great range of human thought and emotion. They may not all be appropriate for a worship service but they teach us that in our devotions and our prayers anything goes. There is no desire that we cannot express to God. God can take it. God will hear us. 

Of course, that doesn't mean that God is obligated to act on our wishes. Or even approve of them. 

In fact, by expressing our desires we may even learn that some of them are not appropriate. 

 

 

The psalms were quoted from the translation found in Evangelical Lutheran Worship. 

Deuteronomy 30:1-31:30

THE YEAR OF BLOGGING BIBLICALLY: DAY 68

As we come near to the end of Deuteronomy, chapter 30 begins with a promise that, after the punishments of conquest and exile, Israel can be restored to the promised land provided they are repentant and faithful. The Apostle Paul quotes verse 11 (for his own purposes, as Paul quotes anything) at Romans 10:6-8. 

Deuteronomy 30:11-20 encourage the Israelites to "choose life." Life and prosperity are equated with keeping the law; death and destruction with disobedience. This comes as no surprise to anyone who has been reading Deuteronomy attentively.

In chapter 31:1-8 Joshua is made Moses' successor. Moses tells him to " be strong and courageous." This will be a theme for Joshua. YHWH tells him the same thing in verse 23.

Chapter 31 is a bit of a mess. It seems to interrupt itself several times. Verses9-13 tell that Moses wrote the words of "this book" (presumably Deuteronomy) which, no doubt gave rise to the legend that Moses wrote the entire Pentateuch. It is to be read  to the people at the Temple in every Sabbath year. 

Verses 14-18 "predict" God's rejection of Israel. In verses 19-22 YHWH instructs Moses to write "this song" (What song?). Verse 23 focuses on Joshua again. Verses 24-29 hark back to 9-13. Here Moses is instructed to place the book he has written beside the ark of the Covenant. And then in verse 30, we are given an introduction to Moses song which begins in chapter 32 (Oh, that song!). 

Like I said, it's a bit of a mess.

Remember these guys? I'm pretty sure they aren't Moses and Aaron.

Somehow Deuteronomy 30:19 reminds me of them.

I don't think Wake Me Up Before You Go Go was the song YHWH told Moses to write.

I guess we'll find out in Deuteronomy 32.

Next Deuteronomy 32-34

Deuteronomy 28:1-29:29

THE YEAR OF BLOGGING BIBLICALLY: DAY 67

Deuteronomy 28 is, I think, the heart of this book and the statement of a central theme in deuteronomistic thought. Verses 1-12 promise blessings upon those who obey the YHWH's laws. Verses 15-68 invoke curses on the people of Israel if they are disobedient. The blessings, wonderful as they are, are overshadowed by the curses which are more numerous, more extravagant, and, honestly, more interesting.

I came across a website some time ago that claimed, falsely, that the ELCA teaches that there is no prophecy in the Bible. I think the proprietor of that site was working with a mistaken idea of what prophecy is. Like a lot of people he thought that prophecy equals prediction. Prophecy may include prediction, and there are some predictions in the Bible. But prophecy is much more than that.

Every week I listen to the Working Preacher podcast. This week I was reminded that prophecy is not just a call for social justice either. Prophecy may include calls to social justice, and there are plenty of calls to social justice in the Bible. But prophecy is much more.

Prophecy is speaking for God.

Deuteronomy 28:47 ff. states, graphically, that among the curses to befall disobedient Israel are siege, conquest, and exile by a foreign nation. I suppose that this might be a prediction, though the evidence suggests that Deuteronomy was written after these "predictions" were supposed to have been made. So, no, I do not think that this is prediction. I do, however, believe it to be prophecy. The Deuteronomistic author, speaking for God, is trying to make sense of Israel's history. God, speaking through the author, is calling God's people to repentance and obedience.

I don't think the simple equation that keeping God's law leads to prosperity while disobeying God's law leads to destruction and curse holds up to the test of lived experience. Sometimes bad things happen to good people and vice versa.When we get to the book of Job we will find an important counterpoint to Deuteronomy, an opposing voice also canonized in Scripture.

In Deuteronomy 29 Moses again reviews some of the history of Israel's travels through the wilderness and calls the people to renew their covenant with YHWH. It ends with a wonderful statement, an editorial comment:

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things belong to us and to our children forever, to observe all the words of the law.

God is transcendent and sovereign. God has revealed God's covenant and laws to Israel. I believe that God has revealed God's self to the nations (i.e. Gentiles) in Jesus Christ. 



Next: Deuteronomy 30-31

Deuteronomy 24:1-27:26

THE YEAR OF BLOGGING BIBLICALLY: DAY 66

Some of the laws found in chapters 24-25 of Deuteronomy require kindness on the part of the Israelites toward their neighbors, the poor, foreigners, and even animals. Newlyweds are exempt from military service for a year. Millstones (required for a miller's livlihood) cannot be taken as collateral for a loan. Day laborers must receive their wages by sundown. Oxen are not to be muzzled while treading grain. Some of a crop is to be left in the field at harvest so that the poor can eat.

Some of the laws in these chapters are strange and culturally remote. The law of levirate marriage the business of calling someone "unsandaled" are strange to us.

The law found in 25:11-12, in which two men are fighting and one's husband comes to his aid by grabbing the other's genitals is weirdly specific. The punishment (the woman's hand is cut off) seems harsh.

The instruction to destroy the Amelakites is also harsh. YHWH really didn't like the Amelekites. A commandment to commit genocide rightly appalls us.

On the other hand, the law about using honest weights and measures in trade is a good thing.

Deuteronomy represents ancient Israel's best efforts to establish a kind, just society in accordance with God's will. Sometimes they got it gloriously right. Sometimes they blew it. 

For Christians, Jesus is God's most intimate self-revelation. Reading these Scriptures through Jesus goggles I think we can be outraged by the order to commit genocide while celebrating the laws that call for honesty, kindness, care for the poor, and justice.

Chapter 26 begins with instructions for an offering of firstfruits. Verses 1-11 are a common reading at harvest thanksgiving services. The offering is made with a remembrance of what God has done for his people.

Verses 12-15 are instructions for the third year tithe that is set aside for the poor and the Levites. 16-19 say that those who keep these commandments will be blessed.

Chapter 27 instructs that all the commandments should be written on stone markers in Canaan. An altar is to be built on Mt. Ebal. A ceremony is described in which a series of curses are called down on those who break the commandments, or at least some of them. As the curses are pronounced, the people are to reply "Amen" ("Let it be so.")




Next: Deuteronomy 28-29

Deuteronomy 21:1-23:25

THE YEAR OF BLOGGING BIBLICALLY: DAY 65

Some of the laws in the book of Deuteronomy seem...What is the right adjective?...Quaint?

Chapter 21:1-9 describes a process to atone for an unsolved murder that occurs in open countryside. Guilt is imputed to the nearest town whose citizens must make up for it.

Some of the laws in the book of Deuteronomy are offensive to our modern sensibilities.

Verses 10-14 describe the situation of a man who marries a woman captured in war. The situation seems cruel, but the regulations actually provide the woman with some small measure of protection. She is allowed to mourn her dead. She is not to be treated like a slave.

Some of the laws in the book of Deuteronomy echo through other books of the Bible.

21:15-17 instruct that the firstborn son of a household is to receive a double share of the inheritance. If the father has more than one wife and prefers another wife over the firstborn's mother, the firstborn still receives the larger inheritance. The stories of Abraham, Jacob, David and Bathsheba, and the Prodigal Son all resonate with this passage.

21:22-23 declare that the body of a hanged (impaled? crucified?) person is a curse that must be removed. Jesus was crucified.

22:22 declares adultery a capital offense, punishable by stoning. John 8 describes the plight of a woman caught in adultery.

23:1-5 exclude (among others) eunuchs and Moabites, from the temple. The Ethiopian eunuch, and Ruth the Moabite woman will both be included among God's people.

23:15-16 say that runaway slaves should not be returned. The apostle Paul will return the runaway Onesimus to his master Philemon.

Some of the laws in the book of Deuteronomy are naive, patriarchal, outdated and even horrifying.

A woman who is raped in a city but does not call for help is to be stoned to death along with her attacker (22:23-24). If she is attacked in the countryside, she will not be punished since no one would hear her scream if she did. Apparently the idea that a rapist might prevent a woman from screaming did not occur to the author(s) of Deuteronomy.

A man who rapes a virgin who is not engaged to another man must pay a bride price and marry the woman. Only in a patriarchal culture could this be seen as a good idea.

Some of the laws in the book of Deuteronomy are strangely tender and kind.

Israelites are to help their neighbors, even the ones they don't like (22:1-4). An Israelite who takes eggs or young birds from a nest must not also take the mother bird (22:6-7).

And then there's the Hebrew Bible's insistence on a kind of purity that involves not mixing things. Cross-dressing is verboten (22:5). Mixing seeds, plow animals, and fabrics is prohibited (22:9-11).

There are other laws in this section, but I'll let these comments suffice.

I'd love to hear your take on these various laws. For instance, is 22:8 an early example of product liability law?



Next: Deuteronomy 24-27.

The remaining laws in these chapters deal with a variety of