Mark 11: trust and commitment rather than faith and belief

 

Mark 11: trust and commitment rather than faith and belief

Guide: CJB New Testament, online, emphasis in bold or Old Testament from chabad.org, text I emphasize in green; NKJV in magenta; chabad.org Hebrew Bible in olive. footnotes to CJB in superscript ^{sky blue} and Hebrew Bible; Nomads* discussion in yellow; and my comments in gray. I may use endnotes to cite outside literature or extensive comment.  

*Participative Sunday-school-class at UBC led by Kenny Tipton. In my view, Kenny appreciates and owns opinion in a continuous search to discover the ineluctable truth.

 My evolving statement about Genesis 1:26-28,31 and Psalm 82, now from the Hebrew Bible at chabad.org, is at the end of this post: because I accept Genesis 1’s directive to constrain chaos in my way of living, I may personally develop a god facing death or angelic person (John 10:36 with reference to Psalm 82:6-7).

This is the third week of new Nomads’ series to examine words that are key to Bible study. First was “salvation”, then “righteousness”, now “faith”.

Key opinions:

I write opinion and to facilitate listening to others, because I do not know the ineluctable truth.

Mark 11 has 10 constructs about Yeshua that project onto scattered Old Testament (OT) references and prophecies. That is, the controversial execution of Yeshua inspired the Church to construct two entities, Jesus and Christ, from mere suggestions in the OT.

The early Church acted to prove Yeshua was the Davidic King and high priest prophesied in the OT, the Messiah. Further, the early Church seemed to think the Messiah had to be a miracle worker, better than Moses, Elijah, and others. Lastly, they mimicked primitive doctrine that blood is required for atonement of sin. The Church thus suppressed Yeshua’s personal influence to necessary goodness. Neither “Jesus” the miracle worker nor “Christ” the sacrifice attempts to represent Yeshua’s influence to good behavior. Church entities suppressed the actually-real person.

The writer of Mark claims two times that Yeshua’s contemporaries relate to the Old Testament references – know Jewish literature.

CJB uses the term “trust” rather than NKJV’s “faith” and “belief”.

Just as nations cannot justly subject children to war (thank you, First Lady Melania Trump), churches may not construct a person by rationalizing ancient prophesy; churches only pretend they are not accountable for using mystery to divide children for life. “The mystery of God” claims there is a God and begs arrogant characterization. Children may and can be taught to be more humble than to impose mystery. The consequence would be adults in churches who encourage children to pursue necessary goodness.

For example, physics and psychology hold a woman accountable for her decision to remain pregnant; no man can justly force a woman to remain pregnant. Also, a man cannot change his sex. Also, aerodynamics and jet propulsion empower exploration of “the heavens”. Actual-reality does not conform to reason that has no ineluctable evidence; reality does not conform to mystery.

Yeshua’s contemporaries unjustly executed him, and the Church cannot dictate a justification, such as Christ the savior or Jesus the miracle worker. However, the people in each generation may and can collaboratively pursue Yeshua’s influence to necessary goodness.

Key verses:

1.     Projecting Yeshua onto Old Testament literature.

a.      V 2-3 quotes Zachariah 9:9.

b.     V 8 invokes 2 Kings 9:13.

c.      V9 invokes Psalm 118:25.

d.     V9 quotes Psalm 118:26.

e.      V10 invokes Psalm 118:25.

f.       V13-14 mimics Jeremiah 8:13.

g.     V16 invokes Jeremiah 7:11.

h.     V17 invokes Isiah 56:7.

i.       V28 invokes Isiah 53:3.

j.       I think V33 invokes Micah 6, Deuteronomy 10:12-13, and Isaiah 1:17 to refute Leviticus 17:11.

2.     V 14 and 18 reported that listeners related to the Old Testament constructs.

3.     V23 claims Yeshua said that personal faith can reverse the laws of physics. The Church goes too far to teach this kind of faith to children. Such faith promotes civil war in churches. Misrepresenting Yeshua adds concern.

a.      DEI Church claims a man can become a woman.

4.     V32 The Church always fears the people, because the people pursue faith using common sense – seek to discover necessary goodness, in order to practice good behavior.

The amazing list of events:

1.     Traveling from Jerico (Mark 10:46) Yeshua, approaching Jerusalem, sent two disciples to borrow a colt.

2.     Crowds behaved as greeting a king.

a.      Pleading for deliverance.

b.     Believing he was a prophet (emissary of the Lord).

c.      Expecting the kingdom of David.

3.     Arriving, Yeshua visited the Temple courts but retired to the garden with the disciples.

a.      Next morning, hungry and sought a fig, even though figs were out of season.

                                                             i.      He chose to condemn the tree.

                                                           ii.      The disciples took note.

b.     He entered the temple courts and drove out vendors, customers, and money changers in the sacrifice trade: “You den of robbers.”

                                                             i.      Authorities to the Church took note.

1.     Plotted to eliminate him.

2.     Because Yeshua influenced the people.

c.      At evening, Yeshua and the disciples left the city.

d.     At morning,

                                                             i.      Peter remarked the fig tree had withered to its roots.

1.     Yeshua responded: “Trust God”

2.     Whoever does not doubt his heart can order a mountain into the sea.

3.     God will move the mountain for him.

4.     Trust your prayer.

5.     If someone offended you, forgive them.

a.      So that God will forgive you.

                                                           ii.      Returning to the Temple courts, the chief priest, teachers, and elders asked Yeshua’s authority.

1.     Yeshua countered, “Was John’s baptism heavenly or earthly” They anticipated,

a.      if heavenly they should believe God

b.     if earthly they should believe the people.

2.     So they answered, “We do not know”.

3.     Yeshua said, “Neither will I respect your question”.

4.     Response: God remains a mystery because people do not trust the complete Bible, primarily attempting to substitute blood sacrifice for good behavior.

a.      Genesis 1 assigns to humankind responsibility for order to life on earth and commentary refutes worship and praise as an alternative.

b.     Micah 6:8, “He has told you, O man, what is good, and what the Lord demands of you; but to do justice, to love loving-kindness, and to walk discreetly with your God.”

c.      Deuteronomy 10:12-13, “And now, O Israel, what does the Lord, your God, ask of you? Only to fear the Lord, your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, and to worship the Lord, your God, with all your heart and with all your soul, to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes, which I command you this day, for your good.”

d.     Isaiah 1:16-17, “Wash, cleanse yourselves, remove the evil of your deeds from before My eyes, cease to do evil. Learn to do good, seek justice, strengthen the robbed, perform justice for the orphan, plead the case of the widow.”

e.       A political philosopher, Yeshua influenced good behavior.

The Text: Mark 11 CJB

^11:1 As they were approaching Yerushalayim, near Beit-Pagei and Beit-Anyah, by the Mount of Olives, Yeshua sent two of his talmidim ² with these instructions: “Go into the village ahead of you; and as soon as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there that has never been ridden. Untie it, and bring it here. ³ If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ tell him, ‘The Lord The Lord needs it,’ and he will send it here right away.” ^{Zachariah 9:9, “Behold! Your king shall come to you. He is just and victorious; humble, and riding a donkey and a foal, the offspring of [one of] she-donkeys.”}

⁴ They went off and found a colt in the street tied in a doorway, and they untied it. ⁵ The bystanders said to them, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” ⁶ They gave the answer Yeshua had told them to give, and they let them continue. ⁷ They brought the colt to Yeshua and threw their robes on it, and he sat on it.

⁸ Many people carpeted the road with their clothing ^{2 Kings 9:13, “And they hastened, and each one took his garment and they put them under him on the top step, and they sounded the shofar and said, "Jehu has become king!"} while others spread out green branches [It’s a stretch to say “green branches” reflects Psalm 92’s “The righteous one flourishes like the palm; as a cedar in Lebanon he grows.” However, the story in John 12:12 begs the OT references, including Leviticus23:40 “date palm fronds” ] which they had cut in the fields. ⁹ Those who were ahead and those behind shouted, “Please! Deliver us!” ^{Psalm 118:25, “Please, O Lord, save now! Please, O Lord, make prosperous now!”} “Blessed is he who comes in the name of Adonai!” ^{Psalm 118:26, “Blessed be he who has come in the name of the Lord; we have blessed you from the house of the Lord.” 10} “Blessed is the coming Kingdom of our father David!” and, “You in the highest heaven! Please! Deliver us!” ^{Psalm 118:25“Please, O Lord, save now! Please, O Lord, make prosperous now!”}

¹¹ Yeshua Jesus entered Yerushalayim, went into the Temple courts and took a good look at everything; but since it was now late, he went out with the Twelve to Beit-Anyah.

¹² The next day, as they came back from Beit-Anyah, he felt hungry. ¹³ Spotting in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came up to it, he found nothing but leaves; for it wasn’t fig season. ¹⁴ He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And his talmidim heard what he said. ^{Jeremiah 8:13, “I will utterly consume them, says the Lord. There shall be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree; even the leaves will be withered, for what I gave them they transgressed.”} [This harshness could seem like OT metaphor for The God judging Israel’s “transgressions”.]

¹⁵ On reaching Yerushalayim, he entered the Temple courts and began driving out those who were carrying on business there, both the merchants and their customers. He also knocked over the desks of the money-changers, upset the benches of the pigeon-dealers, ¹⁶ and refused to let anyone carry merchandise through the Temple courts. ^{Jeremiah 7:11, “Has this house upon which My name is called, become a cave of profligate men in your eyes? I, too, behold I have seen it, says the Lord.” 17} Then, as he taught them, he said, “Isn’t it written in the Tanakh, My house will be called a house of prayer for all the Goyim ^{Isaiah 56:7, “I will bring them to My holy mount, and I will cause them to rejoice in My house of prayer, their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be acceptable upon My altar, for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”}

But you have made it into a den of robbers!” ¹⁸ The head cohanim and the Torah-teachers heard what he said and tried to find a way to do away with him; they were afraid of him, because the crowds were utterly taken by his teaching. (Yeshua influenced the crowd to choose necessary goodness despite the Church.) ¹⁹ When evening came, they left the city.

²⁰ In the morning, as the talmidim passed by, they saw the fig tree withered all the way to its roots. ²¹ Kefa Peter remembered and said to Yeshua, “Rabbi! Look! The fig tree that you cursed has dried up!” ²² He responded, “Have the kind of trust that comes from God faith in God! ²³ Yes! I tell you that whoever does not doubt in his heart but trusts that what he says will happen can say to this mountain, ‘Go and throw yourself into the sea!’ and it will be done for him. ²⁴ Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, trust believe that you are receiving it, and it will be yours. ²⁵ And when you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive your offenses.” ^{26 Some manuscripts include verse 11:26: But if you do not forgive, your Father in heaven will not forgive your offenses.”}

²⁷ They went back into Yerushalayim; and as he was walking in the Temple courts, there came to him the head cohanim, the Torah-teachers and the elders; ²⁸ and they said to him, “What s’mikhah authority do you have that authorizes you to do these things? Who gave you this s’mikhah authorizing you to do them?” ^{Isaiah 53:3, “Despised and rejected by men, a man of pains and accustomed to illness, and as one who hides his face from us, despised and we held him of no account.” 29} Yeshua said to them, “I will ask you just one question: answer me, and I will tell you by what s’mikhah I do these things. ³⁰ The immersion of Yochanan John — was it from Heaven or from a human source? Answer me.” ³¹ They discussed it among themselves: “If we say, ‘From Heaven,’ he will say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ ³² But if we say, ‘From a human source, . . . ’” — they were afraid of the people, for they all regarded Yochanan as a genuine prophet. ³³ So they answered Yeshua, “We don’t know.” “Then,” he replied, “I won’t tell you by what s’mikhah I do these things.” [Yeshua left the mystery that baptism might not be required by whatever constrains the consequences of the human choice between: male circumcision or baptism; blood sacrifice or obedience to necessary goodness. Most of all, blood sacrifice came from Israel: Leviticus 17:11, “For the soul of the flesh is in the blood, and I have therefore given it to you [to be placed] upon the altar, to atone for your souls. For it is the blood that atones for the soul.” Micah 6 refutes blood sacrifice. Similarly, Deuteronomy 10:12-13, emphasizes loving God and following His commands. Rejecting blood sacrifice, Isaiah 1:17 calls for justice and caring for the oppressed. These passages demand justice, mercy, and humility before God.]

[Genesis 1:26-28, 31, chabad.org:

I read to consider and apply perhaps 5500 year old Sumerian political philosophy, religiously referenced by Semite (pre-Israel) scribes of 3900 years ago, in Genesis 1:26-28, 31, in my paraphrase and extension to law:  

Female-and-male-human-being may and can choose to practice the power, the authority, and the responsibility to pursue necessary goodness and constrain wickedness on earth. Civic citizens may and can use the rule of law to develop statutory justice. And that is good. 

Political and religious philosopher Yeshua affirmed Genesis 1:26-28, 31, contributing ideas in each Matthew 18:18 (no peace-power above humankind), Matthew 19:3-8 (mutual spousal-loyalty), Matthew 5:48 (in good behavior, pursue personal perfection, which also affirms Deuteronomy 18:13), Matthew 19:4-6 (don’t divide/lessen goodness), John 10:34 (humans who resist and avoid wickedness are gods facing death, as in Psalm 82:1-7), and in other direct dialogue, such as “go and sin no more”. Psalm 82 says nothing about resurrection.

Discussion

I think Genesis 1:26-28, 31 informs humankind to flourish in necessary goodness rather than accommodate badness and allow evil. Quoting chabad.org below,

And God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and they shall rule over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the heaven and over the animals and over all the earth and over all the creeping things that creep upon the earth."

And God created man in His image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

And God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the sky and all the living creatures that crawl on the earth."

Accepting the power, the authority, and the responsibility to have dominion over life on earth is human being (verb). Reliable human-beings choose necessary goodness to actual reality. The God judges the goodness in V 31:

And God saw all that He had made, and behold it was very good, and it was evening and it was morning, the sixth day.

Note: unlike chabad.org, OJB uses “Elohim” in Genesis 1 and 2, excepting “G-d” in 1:24-31. V 27 seems to equate the two entities. Septuagint uses “ὁ θεὸς”, or God throughout Genesis 1. I use “The God, or whatever constrains human choice”, hoping to express religious humility to whatever The God is.

Since theism is a human construct, I use the phrase, “the god, whatever it may be”, to express objection to any doctrinal God yet reserve humility to ineluctable evidence and remaining unknowns about that which constrains the consequences of human choices.]

Updated on 8/25/2025

Romans 4 CJB righteousness by trust-in rather than obedience-to

 

Romans 4 CJB righteousness by trust-in rather than obedience-to

Guide: CJB New Testament emphasis in bold (CJB online) or Old Testament OJB, text I emphasize in green; NIV in magenta; OJB in olive. footnotes to CJB in superscript sky blue and OJB; Nomads* discussion in yellow; and my comments in gray. I may use endnotes to cite outside literature or extensive comment.  

*Participative Sunday-school-class at UBC led by Kenny Tipton. Kenny appreciates opinion in a continuous search for the ineluctable truth. My evolving statement about Genesis 1:26-28,31, now from OJB, is at the end of this post. Also, this report is the first after I discovered Psalm 82, OJB, which in my view affirms that because I accept Genesis 1’s directive to constrain chaos in my way of living I am a god facing death. I will post this under a new label, Genesis-1’s Psalm 82.

This is the second week of  new series starting examination of words that are key to Bible study. Last week’s word was “salvation” and this week’s is “righteousness”.

Key opinions:

1.    Typical religious usage is negative, such as “self-righteous”. An exemplary secular usage is “righteous indignation”.

2.    Paul craftily omits Hagar and Ishmael from Abrams’ decisions to mistrust Hashem. By omission, Paul claims that Hagar’s descendants are Sarah’s privation rather than Abram’s.

3.    Paul speculates that since Abram was blessed before circumcision at age 99, The God blesses Abram’s descendants whether circumcised or not.

4.    Neither neglecting Hagar’s story nor using Sarah to shield Abram’s guilt justifies 2025 enmity toward Arabs.

5.    Genesis 14-17 seems to present the view that neither civil authority nor national god can substitute for good behavior, in order to establish righteousness (civicality rather than civility) before whatever constrains the consequences of human choices; we can trust our goodness and reject Paul’s boasts.

6.    I think Paul in Romans 4 makes no sense because he attempts to skirt reality.

a.    The Bible expresses The God’s word; the ineluctable truth is timeless.

b.    Taking Yeshua as the expression of necessary goodness, chiefly through Matthew 5:48, I think a student like me may and can humbly construct continuity from the judge in Genesis 1:31 OJB through Revelation 22:18-20 CJB. I don’t know the ineluctable truth.

c.     In other words, Yeshua pursued necessary goodness, and Paul’s imposition of Christ cannot lessen trust in Yeshua.

Key points from the text

·         V3 Childless Abraham believed Hashem’s promise that Abraham’s descendants would be countless.

o   V4-5 Abraham was trusting Hashem’s grace rather than taking civil action, so Hashem considered Abraham righteous.

o   One of Kenny’s commentaries prompts me to think “grace” refers to civic behavior; that is, a person treats others as he or she would like to be treated. Paul might say that civic integrity is Hashem’s gift.

·         V6 Likewise, David’s blessing extends to those who received Hashem’s grace.

·         V8 NIV’s “the Lord” in place of CJB’s “Adonai” could be Yeshua, influencing people before Yeshua was born.

·         V9 introduces Paul’s argument that grace is for pagans (Gentiles) as well as Jews; uncircumcised as well as circumcised.

o   V11 with new footnote, Abram was circumcised when his son, Ishmael, was 13 years old. In 2025, both Arabs and Jews believe in circumcision.

o   V12 the covenant granted the uncircumcised Abram accrues to descendants who trust Hashem as Abram did.

o   V13 descendants who trust Hashem as Abram did inherit the world

o   V14 civil obedience is insufficient to the grace of civic integrity

o   V15 Paul expresses fallacy: civic integrity is useless

·         V19 Paul overlooks Hagar altogether. Behold Israel at war in 2025.

o   V20 attributing Hagar to Sarah does not verify Abram’s “glory to God”.

·         V24 Paul is writing about Yeshua’s resurrection after the event. There’s no trust after a happening. And “because of our offenses” is Paul’s conjecture.

 

The CJB text with comments:

^4:1 Then what should we say Avraham, our forefather, obtained by his own efforts? ² For if Avraham came to be considered righteous by God because of legalistic observances works, then he has something to boast about. But this is not how it is before God! ³ For what does the Tanakh Scripture say? “Avraham put his trust in God believed God, and it was credited to his account as righteousness.”^{[Genesis 15:6, “And he believed in Hashem; and He credited [emunah (faith)] to him as tzedakah (righteousness).”] 4} Now the account of someone who is working is credited not on the ground of grace but on the ground of what is owed him an obligation. ⁵ However, in the case of one who is not working but rather is trusting in him who makes ungodly people righteous, his trust is credited to him as righteousness.

⁶ In the same way, the blessing which David pronounces is on those whom God credits with righteousness apart from legalistic observances:

⁷ “Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered over;
⁸ Blessed is the man whose sin Adonai the Lord
will not reckon against his account.”^{[Psalm 32:1–2, “(Of David. A maskil). Ashrei is he whose peysha (rebellion) is forgiven, whose chata’ah (sin) is covered. Ashrei is the adam unto whom Hashem imputeth not avon (iniquity), and in whose ruach there is no remiyyah (guile, deceit).”]}

⁹ Now is this blessing for the circumcised only? Or is it also for the uncircumcised? For we say that Avraham’s trust was credited to his account as righteousness; ¹⁰ but what state was he in when it was so credited — circumcision or uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision! ¹¹ In fact, he received circumcision as a sign, as a seal of the righteousness he had been credited with on the ground of the trust faith he had while he was still uncircumcised. ^{[Genesis 17:24-27, “Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, and his son Ishmael was thirteen; Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that very day. And every male in Abraham’s household, including those born in his household or bought from a foreigner, was circumcised with him.”]} This happened so that he could be the father of every uncircumcised person who trusts and thus has righteousness credited to him, ¹² and at the same time be the father of every circumcised person who not only has had a b’rit-milah circumcision, but also follows in the footsteps of the trust which Avraham avinu had when he was still uncircumcised.

¹³ For the promise to Avraham and his seed^{[Genesis 15:3, 5, “And Avram said, See, to me Thou hast given no zera; and, hinei, one born in my bais is my yoresh (heir). And He brought him forth outside, and said, Look now toward Shomayim, and count the kokhavim, if thou be able to number them; and He said unto him, So shall thy zera be.”]} offspring that he would inherit the world did not come through legalism but through the righteousness that trust produces. ¹⁴ For if the heirs are produced by legalism, then trust is pointless and the promise worthless. ¹⁵ For what law brings is punishment wrath. But where there is no law, there is also no violation transgression. [Paul is simply, blatantly wrong. If a citizen invents a novel way to harm a fellow citizen, the offender was civically violent. Civil justice is served if new legislation constrains if not prevents future civic offenses.]

¹⁶ The reason the promise is based on trusting is so that it may come as God’s free gift grace, a promise that can be relied on by all the seed, not only those who live within the framework of the Torah, but also those with the kind of trust Avraham had — Avraham avinu for all of us. ¹⁷ This accords with the Tanakh, where it says, “I have appointed you to be a father to many nations.”^{[Genesis 17:5, “Neither shall thy shem any more be called Avram, but thy shem shall be Avraham; for Av hamon Goyim (Father of a multitude of Goyim) have I made thee. [T.N. Ga 3:29 says “And if you belong to Moshiach (YESHAYAH 53:10), then you are of the ZERAH of Avraham Avinu, you are yoreshim (heirs) according to the havtachah (promise).]”]} Avraham is our father in God’s sight because he trusted God as the one who gives life to the dead and calls nonexistent things into existence. ¹⁸ For he was past hope, yet in hope he trusted that he would indeed become a father to many nations, in keeping with what he had been told, “So many will your seed be.”^{[ [Genesis 15:5, “Look now toward Shomayim, and count the kokhavim, if thou be able to number them; and He said unto him, So shall thy zera be.”] 19} His trust did not waver when he considered his own body — which was as good as dead, since he was about a hundred years old — or when he considered that Sarah’s womb was dead too. [Paul totally overlooks Abram’s wavering to sleep with Hagar 13 years before Abram was circumcised. The story has Sarah suggesting the infidelity yet does not remove Abram’s vainglory. ] ²⁰ He did not by lack of trust decide against God’s promises. On the contrary, by trust he was given power as he gave glory to God, ²¹ for he was fully convinced that what God had promised he could also accomplish. ²² This is why it was credited to his account as righteousness.^{[ Genesis 15:6, “And he believed in Hashem; and He credited [emunah (faith)] to him as tzedakah (righteousness).”}

²³ But the words, “it was credited to his account . . . ,” were not written for him only. ²⁴ They were written also for us, who will certainly have our account credited too, because we have trusted in him who raised Yeshua our Lord from the dead — ²⁵ Yeshua, who was delivered over to death because of our offences and raised to life in order to make us righteous for our justification.

[Genesis 1:26-28, 31 OJB:

I read to consider and apply perhaps 5500 year old Sumerian political philosophy, religiously referenced by Semite (pre-Israel) scribes of 3900 years ago, in Genesis 1:26-28, 31, in my paraphrase and extension to law:  

Female-and-male-human-being may and can choose to practice the power, the authority, and the responsibility to pursue necessary goodness and constrain wickedness on earth. Civic citizens may and can use the rule of law to develop statutory justice. And that is good. 

Political and religious philosopher Yeshua affirmed Genesis 1:26-28, 31, contributing ideas in each Matthew 18:18 (no peace-power above humankind), Matthew 19:3-8 (mutual spousal-loyalty), Matthew 5:48 (in good behavior, pursue personal perfection, which also affirms Deuteronomy 18:13), Matthew 19:4-6 (don’t divide/lessen goodness), John 10:34 (humans who resist and avoid wickedness are gods facing death, as in Psalm 82:1-7), and in other direct dialogue, such as “go and sin no more”. Psalm 82 says nothing about resurrection.

Discussion

I think Genesis 1:26-28, 31 informs humankind to flourish in necessary goodness rather than accommodate badness and allow evil. Quoting OJB below,

And G-d said, Let Us make man in Our tzelem, after Our demut: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon ha’aretz (the earth).

So G-d created humankind in His own tzelem, in the tzelem Elohim (image of G-d) created He him; zachar (male) and nekevah (female) created He them.

And G-d blessed them, and G-d said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. See note, below.

Accepting the power, the authority, and the responsibility to have dominion over life on earth is human being (verb). Reliable human-beings choose necessary goodness to actual reality. The God judges the goodness in V 31:

And G-d saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was tov me’od (very good).

Note: OJB uses “Elohim” in Genesis 1 and 2, excepting “G-d” in 1:24-31. V 27 seems to equate the two entities. Septuagint uses “ὁ θεὸς”, or God throughout Genesis 1. I use “The God, or whatever constrains human choice”, hoping to express humility to whatever The God is.

Since theism is a human construct, I use the phrase, “the god, whatever it may be”, to express objection to any doctrinal God yet reserve humility to ineluctable evidence and remaining unknowns about that which constrains the consequences of human choices.]