Chapter 18 - The Conquest of Canaan

J and E traditions edited and embellished by P. Now comes D: from the entrance into Canaan to the fall to the Babylonians.

"...biblical practice of faithfully reproducing the sources even when they contradict the editor's viewpoint."

National Pride, Deuteronomic theology (danger of syncretism or "blending of traditions", blessing-fall-repentance-restoration cycle),
Joshua the hero (suitable successor to Moses)

To obey the law is to prosper, to disobey the law will result in failure and bad times.

Corporate guilt (Achan) and later individual responsibility

YHWH against other peoples - causing hailstones to fall and kill more than the Israelistes. We hear modern preachers attributing death and destruction to God. The tradition continues.

"The cities, vineyards, fields, and crops - these represent Israel's inheritance; they are for her use" <- explains a lot of what happened in the 2nd half of the 20th century!!!

Chapter 17 - The Book of Numbers

I enjoyed this chapter. I love a good epic tale. I like how history can be combined with legend, myth, and lore to prove a point and explain history.

Complaining, angry, revolting people and Moses is always pleading a case for them to YHWH. ...and YHWH gives in.

YHWH leads the people as they march and when they camp YHWH can be found in the middle of the camp.

So many versions of the stroies... so many conflicts in the versions... Wish we could find the original versions and better understand why we have what we have and what the intentions were of those who compliled what we have today.

Chapter 16 - Concluding Exodus

"...is so confused it is practically impossible to understand." and then
"...are also described in a way incapable of being understood."

After the Exile... it seems like much of what we have read so far was written (or edited) after the Exile in the attempt to re-establish a national identity.

God "comes down" and engages in the actrocities of humankind. (hmmm...)

In the patriarchal period the covenant was made with individuals; with Moses the covenant is finally given to Israel as a whole people. (Ah....)

God overcomes human evil and transforms it.

(I am almost caught up now)

First post from France

Now that I have internet in my room I will be able to update this thing.

My responsibility here is knowledge transfer. The technicians here who work for the French bank will soon be responsible for supporting our software that is used by the bank (Citibank-Germany) that was recently purchased. I am here as the Systematics expert. There is another person here from the Citibank technology subsidiary to explain the modifications that have been done to the Systematics software. Nelvin, the other technician, and I have a wonderful tag-team thing going where I explain how the software works or used to work coming from Little Rock and he explains how it is used today in the Citibank-Germany environment. Anyway, all this to explain how I have, every now and then, time to do other things.

This morning I have been reading Lowell's blog. Wow! If you have not read the last three or four I highly recommend them. He is on a roll. Having worked through the Genesis stories and being familiar with the New Testament, I can really appreciate Lowell's observations. Brilliant!

Look for more to come now that I am online.