Physical miracles induce spiritual doubt: Joshua 1-4

Note: I read the Bible to consider whether a specific passage comports to my weak-comprehension of the perhaps 5,000-year-old Sumerian philosophy expressed by Hebrew scholars 3,000 years ago in Genesis 1:28:  Female& male-human-being can& may, independent of other entities, constrain political chaos on earth. I think the next Bible canon should include the law codes of Sumer.

I perceive that the 10,000-year-old Sumer civilization ought to be considered, in order to increase civic-integrity while appreciating private spiritual pursuits in 2022 and beyond.

Joshua

During my first half-century, I paid less than adequate attention to Old Testament (OT) stories, discounting them as mere predictors of the historical Jesus.

During my last quarter century, I dropped out of Christianity to explore what I now call responsible-human-independence (RHI).  Now I view the OT as a record of considerate ancient people struggling for the-good. Jesus-appreciators can refer to the object as the-metaphysical-Jesus, who, when asked about Abraham, claimed existence “before Abraham was born”. However, each civic-citizen’s appreciation for every OT/NT word is precious to me.

With a view to Genesis 1:28’s message (independently constrain chaos), and using merriam-webster.com for word-usage-opinion and creationwiki.org for scripture opinion I comment on each verse, as follows:

Joshua 1:1 That God spoke directly to civil leaders and elites is the author’s understanding, and perhaps-Joshua’s view does not ring true in 2022. Some temporal leaders act on their own, then blame God for their failures and/or proclaim personal morality by thanking God, in this case, the Lord. We, in 2022, need not accept Joshua’s self-evaluation.

It seems to me that my life-influences are direct-associates and unseen fellow-citizens who either choose to pursue the-good or don’t.

1:2 According to Genesis 1:28, humankind is charged to independently constrain chaos on Earth. That is, the Lord won’t . . . can’t usurp RHI (responsible-human-independence). (That’s the Genesis-1, 5,500 year-old political suggestion.)

1:3 Quoting the Lord about his promises is a vain attempt to influence domestic action. Civic people don’t fall for it: the species human-being, that is, each person who accepts being a human-being, has too much independent power, energy, authority, and obligation (HIPEAO) to accommodate lies.

1:5 We know in 2022 that great leaders are rare in history and it’s natural for the next magistrate to claim an exceptional light’s powers. So far, no past president competes with George Washington’s temporal excellence.

1:6 We all want to “be strong and courageous” and we will not be duped into defying physics& its-progeny, such as psychology. That’s right: I assert that psychology develops under the laws of physics. Resisting gullibility requires strength. (Would you believe I once sold a Baton Rouge four-plex and kept the mortgage, believing the buyer and his attorney???? The buyer went to jail, and I bet the attorney did not. I went bankrupt, and my family suffered greatly). I can’t say how much better off I am despite a ruined life, yet think I learned . . . the hard way.

1:8 As a child, my community convinced me that accurate& precise Bible interpretation would make me prosperous& successful.

[My maternal family, from Booker/Inklebarger of Tater Valley Tennessee, thought I would be one of the many Bible-thumpin’ preachers in the family& posterity. Uncle Clyde Booker put 7 children through college from his 120 acre farm and then gave it for a little cash dug from safe keepin’ by a poor man with 5 children when rag-weed took over. I wish I had Uncle Clyde’s goodness. Nevertheless, I read the last two sentences of Revelation and thought: I cannot follow a God that is so weak as to threaten me. Thank goodness I studied STEM, became a chemical engineer, accepted a job offer in Baton Rouge, and later fell-in-love-with a Louisiana French-Catholic woman: I benefited from disruptive change.]

 Also in V. 1-8, the Moses-law notion is not consistent with Genesis 1:28’s necessity& justice. Lastly, “the Lord your God” is less inclusive than “the Lord God” or “the Lord” (or the-God).

1:15 In 2022, it’s important to write toward “dawn” or equal instead of “sunrise” so as to represent the rotation of the earth on its axis rather than the falsity: the sun daily orbits the earth. (And to a few perception dominated people, a flat earth.) Understanding the knwledge is important to appreciating the awe of the universe we are in rather than abiding the perceptions some too readily accept& promote. More importantly, children are better off when adults teach rather than share-perception.

1:18 I do not condone capital punishment on religious opinion about God’s orders, whether the opinion comes from one person, an institution, a nation, or a God. As a civic-citizen to RHI, I think capital punishment is required when harm/injury/damage is unthinkable and the perpetrator needs-to stop living. The God does not . . . cannot usurp the temporal debate and is responsible only to the mystery of afterdeath, that indefinite time when body, mind, and person stop functioning.

2:1 Rahab proves to be a hearsay-believer.

2:4 Rahab lied, which is a bad influence. Everyone knows physics ineluctably exposes both the lie and the liar. How did her lie turn out? I don’t know.

2:10 Rahab accepts the “CNN news/Fox news” about the escape from Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, and the total destruction of invaded cities’ inhabitants. In 2022, we need not hold the-God to such favor to a civilization.

2:11-13 Rehab claims the reported defiance of physics as evidence of “God in heaven [and] earth” and bargains for salvation from death for her entire family.

2:17-21 The spies agree and give Rehab a red marker to identify her house, where all her people must be when Joshua takes the city.

Readers with humor can imagine Rehab operated a ayahuasca retreat rather than a red-light house. With many possibilities “rehabilitation” seem unescapable.

3:5 Consecrate means make sacred or sanctify. To commend people to self-sanctify seems arrogant against the-God and the person.

3:10 It’s interesting to explore the list of enemies: Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. The sons associated with these tribes are 4^th son of Ham (son of Noah), Heth, Hivi, none, of Ham, Amori, and Jebus, respectively.  Read etzion.org.il/en/tanakh/studies-tanakh/core-studies-tanakh/ki-tisa-nations-canaan-and-girgashites for deeper, amusing scholarship.

3:12 Note that all 12 tribes of Israel were present (in the story).

3:16 The flood-stage river-flow stopped, a different miracle from the parting of the Red Sea; the water “piled up . . . a great distance away”. Hmm: did the pile-up prevent up-river-area flooding-by? Did an ice jam and further freezing stop the flow?

4:7 “memorial . . . forever” not expected in 2022, but who knows what local chapel may own the original stones to attract tourist admission and donations?

4:13 40,000 military from 2.5 tribes, 600,000 men (Numbers); perhaps 2 million people.

4:14 Joshua exalts himself on par with Moses!

4:24 I do not choose to follow a Lord that is so weak as to coerce people with miracles/tricks. It reminds me of Nancy Pelosi saving the U.S. from both AOC and Donald Trump. I want something more reliable for my life and family, and I choose civic-citizens, including those who believe Jesus or believe in-Jesus. I think it is important for believers to pay attention to Jesus’ claim to “before Abraham was born” whether he meant that literally or, under journalist’s repression, expressed personal regard for Genesis 1, including V.28.

Summary: the physical miracles, invasion intentions, unpredictable Israel-geopolitical unity, and personal-boasting by Joshua’s story cause doubt in its value to civic integrity. On the other hand, like individuals, nations must progress in their journey to responsible-human-independence, according to their unique genes& memes. The Jordan crossing, whether metaphysical or not, is a step in Israel’s journey toward civic-integrity. If someone asked my opinion about their progress, I’d say only a fool would answer. But under insistence, I’d admit to being a dreamer and say Israel, the nation, seems to practice, facilitate, and encourage RHI and remain spiritual.

In contrast, the USA is in divergent chaos. Let 2022 be the year the majority of “ourselves and our Posterity” discovers, practices, facilitates, and encourages the-ineluctable-truth and otherwise accepts and publicly proclaims “I don’t know” when that is so.

Like persons, civilizations, and nations, churches may develop the practice, facilitation, and encouragement to RHI. There is nothing wrong with a church adopting the suggestion in Genesis 1:28: accept can& may provide order& prosperity on Earth. For all we know, that message came from Jesus, perhaps only 1300 years before Abraham was born.