October 17, 2009, 9:29 am by dc-agape.

Genesis 37:12-36

This is the story about Joseph being sold into slavery by his jealous and angry brothers.  Jacob Israel sends Joseph to Shechem (were Levi and Simeon) murdered all those people.  Jacob Israel heads out, alone, from Kiriath Arba (Hebron) to Shechem, which is over a 50 mile trip, one way.  No wonder Esau and Israel could not live together, if the shepherds of the time required that much land, Esau would have to move over 100 miles away!  Joseph cannot find them at Shechem because they have moved further north, an additional 20 miles from Kiriath Arba! 

Joseph’s brothers see him coming and hatch a plot to get rid of him.  Reuben talks them out of directly killing him.  Rueben hopes that he will be able to rescue Joseph from the cistern that they trough him in.  But while Rueben was gone, (where did he go?) Judah talks the remaining eight brothers into selling Joseph to some Ishmaelite slave traders.  They earn a whopping 20 shekels of silver.   So each brother gets about 2 shekels for selling their own brother into slavery!

When Reuben returns he discovers that Joseph is no longer in the cistern.  All ten brothers decide to use goat’s blood and stain Joseph’s ornamented robe.  They return to Jacob Israel and dishonor him by giving false witness about the death of Joseph. 

Jacob Israel is horrified, and tore his cloths in mourning and wore sackcloth (symbol of mourning in the Traditions of Men).  Jacob’s Israel’s entire family tries to comfort him but be declares that he will mourn until he dies.  Some of the family that attempt to comfort Jacob Israel are his daughters, since the Word only mentions one daughter, we can assume that these are the kidnapped woman of Shechem that have been forced to marry Israel’s sons.

When Joseph gets to Egypt he is sold into slavery.  But not to just anyone, he is sold into slavery to Potiphar, the captain of the Pharaoh’s guard.  Why Potiphar chooses Joseph is a complete mystery, the Word does not say. 

From an Atheist point of view, this story can be interpreted to have several meanings.  No is something that most Humanist recognize.  Lying to someone never works.  Does no one ever realize that when you lie, someone will catch you at sometime in the future?  Lying gets to complex very rapidly.  After lying to their own father, the brothers had to attempt to console him.  I am amazed that not a single one of them broke down and told their father the truth!  This story also tells an Atheist how even being chosen by YHWH does not mean that a person will be honorable or good!  These men were the Chosen Ones of YHWH, yet they get angry and jealous, they murder, steal, kidnap, lie, dishonor their parents, have multiple wives, and sell/buy slaves.  And TrueChristianTM think that Atheists are evil!  I’m also getting really tired of correcting YHWH.  Jacob’s name is ISRAEL!!  Why can’t YHWH remember that he gave him that name!

Gen 32:28 Then the man (who is YHWH) said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel. Because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.”

The moment YHWH changed Abram’s name to Abraham it stuck.  We never read the name Abram again.  But this verse says that Israel’s name is no longer Jacob.  YHWH has decreed it, why does the Word of God not follow his own decree?  The more I read the Bible the more I am certain that YHWH has dementia, or maybe Alzheimer’s.  We know that YHWH is an old man, by the Traditions of Men, so maybe that’s why he keeps forgetting things.

Posted in Family Values?, Genesis, Readings | Print | 1 Comment »

October 17, 2009, 9:10 am by dc-agape.

This Scroll starts by claiming to “speak out freely” about various saying, parables, and riddles.  The term “speak out freely” is directed to those who are willing to hold fast to what is taught.  These include those who are devious, stiff necked, and even the Gentiles.  This sounds so familiar, yet we can be certain that it was written nearly a century for Jesus is teachings.  Is this not exactly what Jesus did?  So the Judaism had forms of religion that were evolving into Christianity. 

The next paragraph is so what fragmented but has a very interesting interpretation.  It would seem to be saying that there’s only one source for the desire of knowledge.  It even uses the words “Light” and “Illumination”.  This light and illumination is from the “angels from those we praise”.  This seems to indicate that light and illumination come only from YHWH.  But it is the origin of knowledge that this paragraph is referring to.  Interesting, if applied to Christianity, that wisdom and knowledge are equal and both come from YHWH.  How I wish Christians would take this to heart.  Knowledge is not evil; knowledge is from the one they worship.  In that case, there is nothing wrong with learning new things.

The next paragraph is actually rather simple but in a surprising way.  It basically says those that do not learn and from the past will repeat the past.  The only way to avoid this cycle is to know “this secret of the way things are.”   But what exactly is the secret of the way things are?

The rest of the scroll is devoted to explaining the secret of the way things are.  Unfortunately, it starts with a prophecy that has not occurred.  It claims that time will come when all evil has been eliminated from this world.  We will know when this occurs because there will be no more sin or folly.   It claims, it this prophecy, that the end of sin and folly cannot be averted!  I certainly can’t wait for that time…  But it’s if since this was written over 2000 years ago, the chances of that happening now are very slim.

The next paragraph tells how all cultures space and nations are similar.  This similarity is in the rejection of evil, the desire for truth, freedom from its oppression, freedom from theft, and possibly some more that have been fragmented away in time.  So the author(s) of this Scroll understood that all humans desire the same thing.  They also understood that all of these things cannot be stopped.  Evil occurs, falsehood is spread, oppression and theft continue to happen.  Even the “righteous” have fallen short of fulfilling these eternal desires.  And the reason for this is that the “righteous” have not sought the true secret of the way things are.

Since the wisdom of YHWH is secret, YHWH knows all secrets.  Not only does he know them all, but he “stands behind every thought”.  The “secret” is that all things are controlled by YHWH.  Even the times of our birth, the test of our heart, the limits of our deeds, and the actions of the Gentiles are controlled by YHWH.

So is there more to this secret?  From this Scroll the answer seems to be yes. One must understand that the stars, the day, the night the rivers in the seas, the rains, and even the mounds were created for humankind. The most important thing to keep in mind is that humans have the ability to understand knowledge, insight, and great intelligence.  The Scroll claims that we were created to pursue true knowledge and wisdom.  But YHWH locked this knowledge and wisdom up away from humankind so that we would have to search for it.

The final paragraph comes from a completely different scroll and does not seem to have much to do with the earlier part of the Scroll.  It speaks of YHWH having patience, great anger and splendor.  It ends by claiming YHWH to be the leader of Israel, honored by the people who are splendid and blessed when the period of wickedness is over.  

Posted in The Book of Secrets, Dead Sea Scroll, Readings | Print | 31 Comments »