Deuteronomy 6: "the Lord you God" introduces competitive laws

 Highlight code: yellow my comments, blue noted points, green critical points.

[Note: When reading Bible passages, I apply Genesis-1 perspective. I think Genesis 1:28, in the-metaphysical-Jesus perspective (JESUS), suggests that, given each 1) mysterious-God, offering appreciation to human being (verb) and 2) JESUS, offering “my peace”, male unites-to female human-being (noun) and their spouse-hood pursues comprehensive-safety& security to the living species and to the earth (SECURITY). Every person can& may accept personal duty to SECURITY. Some persons neglect, partially or wholly, God-appreciation, JESUS-my-peace& SECURITY.

I call Genesis-1’s message, “responsible-human-independence” or RHI. A few human-beings throughout history seemed to practice, facilitate, and encourage RHI; for example, Albert Einstein. The RHI-individuals from the past are our friends and the others, not so much. I think the authentic-Jesus practiced, facilitated, and encouraged RHI. But I don’t know the-ineluctable-truth. “Ineluctable” means: not to be avoided, changed, escaped, neglected, or resisted.

Persons appreciating contemporary human being (verb) during each generation constitutes the-metaphysical-Jesus I advocate. In other words, I attribute to JESUS the civic-appreciation that human being (verb) applied “before Abraham was born” and since then. Given the question, “Was Jesus a man?”, my response, “I don’t know yet value JESUS”, seems sufficient& complete for my person. I am glad I accept that I don’t know, seek further evidence, and reserve humility.

It seems PHYSICS constrains the consequences of each person’s choices. I choose to accept God’s appreciation and pursue JESUS’ “my-peace”, in order to commit-to and trust-in the-laws-of-physics (PHYSICS). For example, I work for food& shelter rather than accept what a bureaucrat might provide.]

6 These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you [The Babylonian code of Hammurabi and its Sumerian predecessors existed centuries if no millennia before, so this text can be regarded as competitive comment, with awareness or ignorance.] to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, ² so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life [What about everlasting life?]. ³ Hear, Israel [Why not “hear, Jews”?], and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey [What about heaven?], just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.

⁴ Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one [rather than a pantheon: but how about a trinity?], ⁵ Love [appreciate seems more workable] the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. ⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. ⁷ Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸ Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹ Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

¹⁰ When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, ¹¹ houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, ¹² be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. [Later, Jesus said, we understand, “Before Abraham was born I am”.]

¹³ Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. ¹⁴ Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; ¹⁵ for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you [When did the God of Genesis 1 introduce anger/love/destroy? When did the God of Genesis 1 decide some humans were not in their image? Does Genesis 2’s “the Lord your God” lessen the Genesis 1 God?], and he will destroy you from the face of the land. ¹⁶ Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah. ¹⁷ Be sure to keep the commands of the Lord your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you. ¹⁸ Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight [Is that according to the law of Moses?], so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors, ¹⁹ thrusting out all your enemies before you [Am I, Phil Beaver, an enemy “before you”?], as the Lord said. [I don’t think so yet cannot judge myself.]

²⁰ In the future, when your son asks you, “What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you?” ²¹ tell him: “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. ²² Before our eyes the Lord sent signs and wonders—great and terrible—on Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. ²³ But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land he promised on oath to our ancestors. ²⁴ The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. ²⁵ And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness. [I think Jesus corrected the law about a man divorcing his wife. Are there other laws Jesus corrected?]”