Psalm 100 affirms Genesis 1:28

 Psalm 100

[I comprehend Genesis 1:28, in Jesus’s perspective, to suggest that, while God offers appreciation and Jesus offers peace, male human-being unites to female and the unit provides safety& security to the living species and to the earth. Every person can& may accept the safety& security duty, which I call Genesis-1 “responsible-human-independence” or RHI.]

A psalm. For giving grateful praise.

¹ Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
²     Worship the Lord with gladness;
    come before him with joyful songs.
³ Know that the Lord is God.
    It is he who made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. [Phrases in olive seem inclusive to all people. Phrases in gray indicate subjects and followers rather than all people. The two phrases in sky blue seem to debate the-God.]

⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.
⁵ For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations.

[David’s mystic thoughts flow from “joy to the Lord”, to “the Lord is God”, to “the Lord is good and his love endures forever”, to “his faithfulness” {“to ourselves and our Posterity”, citing the preamble to the U.S. Constitution}.

It’s a stretch, but V 5 does not oppose my suggestion that “ourselves and our Posterity” can& may accept the mystery of God’s love& Jesus’s faithfulness to save our soul, in order to apply RHI to safety& security for life.]

Psalm 139 David urging God to usurp David's duty to safety& security

 

Psalm 139

[I comprehend Genesis 1:28, in Jesus’s perspective, to suggest that, while God offers appreciation and Jesus offers peace, male human-being unites to female and the unit provides safety& security to the living species and to the earth. Every person can& may accept the safety& security duty, which I call Genesis-1 “responsible-human-independence” or RHI.]

David entreating God to usurp David’s duty to safety& security

¹ You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
² You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.
⁵ You hem me in behind and before,
    and you lay your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too lofty for me to attain.

⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.
¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
    and the light become night around me,”
¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you;
    the night will shine like the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.
¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ Were I to count them,
    they would outnumber the grains of sand—
    when I awake, I am still with you.

¹⁹ If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
    Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
²⁰ They speak of you with evil intent;
    your adversaries misuse your name.
²¹ Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,
    and abhor those who are in rebellion against you? [Civic-citizens develop statutory-justice, in order to facilitate& reform errant fellow-citizens who are willing to reform. The unwilling invite constraint – either incarceration or execution. No civic-citizen hates a fellow-person.]
²² I have nothing but hatred for them;
    I count them my enemies.
²³ Search me, God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts. [David, you just stated that God knows every detail.]
²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting.

[It seems David vainly urged God to usurp David’s duty. David left doubtful legacy.]

John 5:1-18 influencing fellow-citizens to overcome fear

 I read the Bible with the perspective that Jesus affirmed Genesis 1, especially Genesis 1:28, which commends humankind to independently provide safety& security to the living species and to the earth. I call it responsible-human-independence (RHI). In recent weeks, my theory has matured:  God's love, the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ peace, Satan, heaven/hell, and soul are six mysteries that believers can accept and take-comfort-in according to their responsible-resolutions. I listen to responses to the theory hoping to improve it. Nevertheless, I think it is each citizen’s duty to take responsibility for safety& security in their way of living. Because some fellow-citizens can& may choose to be tyrants (arbitrary-dependents, criminals, and elite takers), civic-citizens must fund law, law enforcement, and statutory-justice development.

John 5:1-18 NIV

The Healing at the Pool

5 Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. ² Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. ³ Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. ^[4] [V 4 purged in recent translation.] ⁵ One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. ⁶ When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”

⁷ “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”

⁸ Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” ⁹ At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. [Today, Jon Parks, preaching at UBC listed “cure” possibilities, including that the man was psychologically invalid and thus living in error.]

The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, ¹⁰ and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.”

¹¹ But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ”

¹² So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?”

¹³ The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there. [According to Parks, the man acted without expectation that Jesus was a healer. Therefore, it is possible the Jesus’ command convinced him to act rather than maintain fear. I have a similar situation at age 79 and intending to skateboard. Because my bones are brittle, I do not take risks, so my learning rate is slow. However, I do not need to let fear keep me from working toward my goal. Time constraint may mean that I only reach a minimal attainment, but that will be OK with me.]

¹⁴ Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” [The dictionary holds “sin” to be religious fault. However, Parks’ sermon or Parks directly helped me interpret it as human error in John 5 context. That is to be psychologically bound to a perceived infirmity is simple error. Research led to the ancinet Greek meaning, "fail of one's purpose, or go wrong.] ¹⁵ The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well. [Persuaded him from fear?] [With Jon Parks’ leadership and my Greek-word-research, I think this John-5 story is an example of Jesus affirming Genesis 1:28. Civic-citizens (like Jesus) practice, facilitate, and encourage RHI, and thereby influence fellow citizens to develop order and prosperity on earth. That is, when civic-citizens see the opportunity to encourage a dependent citizen to reform, they humbly act.]

The Authority of the Son [These paragraph headings are a form of political influence.]

¹⁶ So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. ¹⁷ In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” ¹⁸ For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. [The theological squabble between Jewish leaders and Christians represses/obfuscates the lesson about civic citizens trusting mutual encouragement. Viewed from Genesis-1 RHI, both sides are in error.]

Psalm 24 civic-citizens rather than gods-facing-death

[Reminder: I read the Bible with the perspective that Jesus affirmed Genesis 1, especially Genesis 1:28, which commends humankind to independently provide safety& security to living species and to the earth. In recent weeks, my theory matured: God, the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ peace, Satan, heaven/hell, and soul are six mysteries that believers can 1) accept and 2) take comfort in their personal resolutions, for them. I listen to responses to my theory hoping to improve it. Nevertheless, I think it is each citizen’s duty to take responsibility for safety& security in their way of living. Because some fellow-citizens can& may choose to be tyrants (religion-dependents, lazy people, criminals, and elite takers), we civic-citizens must fund law, law enforcement, and development of statutory justice.]

Psalm 24

[Note: biblestudy.org/basicart/who-wrote-the-psalms.html explains Psalms’ sections. “Section 1 (1 to 41) refers to the Passover, the beginning of Israel as a nation, and the start of the New Testament plan of salvation centering around Jesus.”]

Of David. A psalm.

¹ The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
    the world, and all who live in it;
² for he founded it on the seas
    and established it on the waters. [If so, he is the author of Genesis 1:28.]

³ Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
    Who may stand in his holy place?
⁴ The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
    who does not trust in an idol
    or swear by a false god.

⁵ They will receive blessing from the Lord
    and vindication from God their Savior. [Springing from the words “Savior” to claim that Jesus is that Savior is divisive rather than persuasive toward the Old Testament sponsors. Reference to Genesis 1:28 is a reasonable approach to uniting humankind.]
⁶ Such is the generation of those who seek him,
    who seek your face, God of Jacob.

⁷ Lift up your heads, you gates;
    be lifted up, you ancient doors,
    that the King of glory may come in. [The writer seems to be trying to settle an issue: the Lord, a false god, God their Savior, God of Jacob, King of glory, and Lord Almighty so far.]
⁸ Who is this King of glory?
    The Lord strong and mighty,
    the Lord mighty in battle.
⁹ Lift up your heads, you gates;
    lift them up, you ancient doors,
    that the King of glory may come in.
¹⁰ Who is he, this King of glory?
    The Lord Almighty—
    he is the King of glory. [A past Sunday school teacher said, “Surely the Psalmist was a Christian.” I responded, “This was written centuries before Jesus was born: How do you define “Christian”? The teacher responded, “Anyone who truly seeks God.” I hope the teacher later reflected on our Q&A. I did.]

[Note: Over 27 years ago, I started developing the phrase "gods-facing-death". In my letter to The Advocate's editor, July 26, 1995, I wrote, ". . . every person can be a god until his death". I could not articulate it then, but now am trying to express the responsibility for safety& security on earth that human-being possesses but no person can master during their limited life-span. According to Genesis 1:28, they are in God's image, yet because they face death, they have time enough only to perfect their person's performance. Recently challenged by a self-styled atheist, I reliquish the phrase "god-facing-death" and choose "civic-citizen". ]

Psalm 107 mysterious manipulator Lord

 [A breakthrough development to me.

Recall, I read to pursue 2 principles. First, Genesis 1 reflects Sumer political philosophy. Second, only human-being can& may pursue safety& security to the earth and its content. I call that way of living “responsible-human-independence” (RHI).

Additionally, I advocate studying Jesus’ practical advice as a basis for living individuals to share experiences& observations that aid personal pursuits of happiness.

Recently, I discovered that God, the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ peace, Satan, heaven/hell, and soul seem psychological mysteries as opposed to both possible physical myths, like Nephilim and my study: Jesus-suggested-morality. Avoiding bemusement by mysteries& myths can accelerate benefits from the-practical-Jesus.

I think mysteries and myths can be accepted without further consideration, whereas moral suggestions are worthy of continual study as a person pursues their lifetime.]

Psalm 107

[Note: I read biblestudy.org/basicart/who-wrote-the-psalms.html to understand the sections. “Section 5 (107 to 150) pictures a time when Judah (all Israel) shall again be delivered as they were in the time of Esther.”]

Psalm 107

¹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever. [Genesis 1 through 2:3 expresses creation by “both plural and single-male God” whereas Genesis 2:4 begins “the Lord God” directly communicating with Adam and elite descendants. I use the-High-God to distinguish whatever actually constrains the consequences of human choice, perhaps the laws of physics, yet perhaps an intelligent being.]

² Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—
    those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
³ those he gathered from the lands,
    from east and west, from north and south. [I oppose the division of humankind constructed using the phrase “the foe”. I prefer a view of each human being in the-High-God’s image, erroneous as they may be in their pursuit of the can& may of RHI.]

⁴ Some wandered in desert wastelands,
    finding no way to a city where they could settle.
⁵ They were hungry and thirsty,
    and their lives ebbed away.
⁶ Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he delivered them from their distress.
⁷ He led them by a straight way
    to a city where they could settle.
⁸ Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
    and his wonderful deeds for mankind, [Seems inclusive rather than to Israel.]
⁹ for he satisfies the thirsty
    and fills the hungry with good things. [Is this materialism?]

¹⁰ Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness,
    prisoners suffering in iron chains,
¹¹ because they rebelled against God’s commands
    and despised the plans of the Most High [How is “the Most High” distinct from “the Lord”?].
¹² So he subjected them to bitter labor;
    they stumbled, and there was no one to help.
¹³ Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he saved them from their distress.
¹⁴ He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness,
    and broke away their chains.
¹⁵ Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
    and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
¹⁶ for he breaks down gates of bronze
    and cuts through bars of iron. [Breaking barriers.]

¹⁷ Some became fools through their rebellious ways
    and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.
¹⁸ They loathed all food
    and drew near the gates of death.
¹⁹ Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he saved them from their distress.
²⁰ He sent out his word and healed them;
    he rescued them from the grave.
²¹ Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
    and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
²² Let them sacrifice thank offerings
    and tell of his works with songs of joy.

²³ Some went out on the sea in ships;
    they were merchants on the mighty waters.
²⁴ They saw the works of the Lord,
    his wonderful deeds in the deep.
²⁵ For he spoke and stirred up a tempest
    that lifted high the waves.
²⁶ They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;
    in their peril their courage melted away.
²⁷ They reeled and staggered like drunkards;
    they were at their wits’ end.
²⁸ Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he brought them out of their distress.
²⁹ He stilled the storm to a whisper;
    the waves of the sea were hushed.
³⁰ They were glad when it grew calm,
    and he guided them to their desired haven.
³¹ Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
    and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
³² Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people
    and praise him in the council of the elders. [Are “the elders” the same as “the nobles” in v. 40?]

³³ He turned rivers into a desert,
    flowing springs into thirsty ground,
³⁴ and fruitful land into a salt waste,
    because of the wickedness of those who lived there. [This vengeful god is not consistent with Genesis 1:28, which states that human-being is responsible for safety& security on earth.]
³⁵ He turned the desert into pools of water
    and the parched ground into flowing springs;
³⁶ there he brought the hungry to live,
    and they founded a city where they could settle.
³⁷ They sowed fields and planted vineyards
    that yielded a fruitful harvest;
³⁸ he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased,
    and he did not let their herds diminish. [The culture was performing in concert with Genesis 1:28, under the law-codes of Sumer kings.]

³⁹ Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled
    by oppression, calamity and sorrow;
⁴⁰ he who pours contempt on nobles [I think the Psalmist is accusing the kings of bad leadership. When the king errs, the people can& may redirect their nobles – render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s responsibility.]
    made them wander in a trackless waste.
⁴¹ But he lifted the needy [the poor; MLK, Jr organizing the poor?] out of their affliction
    and increased their families like flocks.
⁴² The upright see and rejoice,
    but all the wicked shut their mouths.

⁴³ Let the one who is wise heed these things
    and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord. [Does that include the nobles on whom he pours contempt? I don’t buy it: the-High-God does not spoil its own image, even when the image is a king.]

Psalm 118 personal-God's love forever

Reminder: I read the Bible with the perspective that Jesus affirmed Genesis 1, especially Genesis 1:28, which commends humankind to independently provide safety& security to the other species and to the earth. In recent weeks, my theory that God, the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ peace, Satan, heaven/hell, and soul are all mysteries that believers can accept and take comfort in their resolutions has matured. I listen to responses to the theory hoping to improve it. Nevertheless, I think it is each citizen’s duty to take responsibility for safety& security in their way of living. Because some fellow-citizens can& may choose to be tyrants (lazy people, criminals, and elite takers), we civic-citizens must fund law, law enforcement, and development of statutory justice.

Psalm 118 personal-God’s love forever

¹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.

² Let Israel say:
    “His love endures forever.”
³ Let the house of Aaron [Aaron, Moses’ brother and a Levite, made the golden calf for worship] say:
    “His love endures forever.”
⁴ Let those who fear the Lord say:
    “His love endures forever.”

⁵ When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord;
    he brought me into a spacious place.
⁶ The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.
    What can mere mortals do to me?
⁷ The Lord is with me; he is my helper.
    I look in triumph on my enemies.

⁸ It is better to take refuge in the Lord
    than to trust in humans. [This is perhaps the most divisive sentence I have read lately. The Psalmist divides people over a mystery no one can solve. It’s like telling this vagabond to trust dogma more than trust Nomads’ diverse perceptions. I won’t choose “the Lord” over Nomads.]
⁹ It is better to take refuge in the Lord
    than to trust in princes. [This refutes the Genesis 1:28 RHI, e.g., Mike Pence betraying the U.S. commander-in-chief’s responsibility to uphold election laws.]
¹⁰ All the nations surrounded me,
    but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
¹¹ They surrounded me on every side,
    but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
¹² They swarmed around me like bees,
    but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns;
    in the name of the Lord I cut them down. [This aggression toward fellow-humans is a far cry from Genesis 1:28’s demand that humankind provide safety& prosperity to the earth. Jesus affirmed Genesis 1.]
¹³ I was pushed back and about to fall,
    but the Lord helped me.
¹⁴ The Lord is my strength and my defense;
    he has become my salvation.

¹⁵ Shouts of joy and victory
    resound in the tents of the righteous:
“The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!
¹⁶     The Lord’s right hand is lifted high;
    the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!”
¹⁷ I will not die but live [does this refer to the afterdeath?],
    and will proclaim what the Lord has done.
¹⁸ The Lord has chastened me severely,
    but he has not given me over to death.
¹⁹ Open for me the gates of the righteous;
    I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
²⁰ This is the gate of the Lord
    through which the righteous may enter.
²¹ I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
    you have become my salvation.

²² The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;
²³ the Lord has done this,
    and it is marvelous in our eyes.
²⁴ The Lord has done it this very day;
    let us rejoice today and be glad.

²⁵ Lord, save us!
    Lord, grant us success!

²⁶ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
    From the house of the Lord we bless you.
²⁷ The Lord is God, [Does the-High-God agree with the Psalmist?]
    and he has made his light shine on us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
    up to the horns of the altar.

²⁸ You are my God, and I will praise you;
    you are my God, and I will exalt you. [Is the Psalmist arrogant and proud? It seems the opposite of humility and I would not mimic it.]

²⁹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.

[I perceive that the Psalmist thinks I am not a person with faith in his religion. I agree. If he therefore “cuts me down”, I regard him in conflict with Genesis 1:28. I accept that I could be wrong but don’t expect to change my opinion.]