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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | I just started reading the Bible and.... | OT general | keliy | 211316 | ||
Hi Pete, thanks for responding, I have no problem with your timing, it is a non-issue with me, and it is always good to hear from you. Your questions are quite challenging, and thought provoking and that is why I come to this forum when I can. You asked: how then are we to know at what precise time our faulty wisdom is not faulty. That is an excellent question. But, if we could answer that, our wisdom would not be faulty, now would it? (o; What I said was, 'When there appears to be anything amiss, it is always us who possess the faulty wisdom and not God." -The key here, is "appears" and it suggests an impression that could be an erroneous one. (I think, therefore I err) In response to your next question, on Deut 13:10, you wrote, "He commands us to kill our brother or any other family member if they try to entice us away from Him" I would bring up certain rules of hermeneutics here relating to cultural context but time and space being limited, I will give you the short answer and if you still are at a loss, I would appreciate another reply. What the author is trying to get across here, concerns the dangers of idolatry. In the prior chapter (12:30,31) he had warned following in ways of the Canaanites. In this chapter he is warning against the rise of idolatry from among themselves. Satan often uses people that are closest to us as tools to draw us away from God. A stranger would be far less likely to have an effect, satan well knows. When the seducer does appear, as a brother, child, parent, or whatever, he must not only be strongly resisted, but also punished by the law of the land. In that culture, I believe it was getting stoned to death. This was to be done not hastily, or privately, but after proper trial and conviction; and you, as informer, would be given the duty to cast the first stone. So Pete, when you do have a question like this, it is good to go back into the time and culture of the original author and the original language to translate for yourself, -after praying for understanding, and God will be faithful to help your understanding become more complete. We are actually commanded to do this, in 2Tim 2:15: Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. (NASB) Is rendered in the (KJV) as, Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Notice, for example, where the NASB writes "accurately handling", is in the Greek, "orthotomeo" Let us get an answer from: A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, by Arndt and Gingrich (p. 584), The Greek word orthotomeo is found once only in the New Testament, hardly enough to dogmatically state it means "dissect," and the authoritative source—A Greek-English Lexicon—says perhaps it means "guide the word of truth along a straight path." This is ample proof that to translate orthotomeo as "dissecting" is STRICTLY AN INTERPRETATION. Furthermore, the Septuagint shows the King James Version translators correctly rendered it "divide." I need to split this into two parts for sending, -More to follow (o: keliy |
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2 | I just started reading the Bible and.... | OT general | petedavis6263 | 211323 | ||
Hi there keliy, Thank you for your nice response. Regarding our faulty wisdom, I don't for a second see it as a problem as I believe God knew that when He created us. The fact is there is no one born of this earth who has ever had or will ever have perfect wisdom. However we do all have basic senses of morality that tell us it is better to be happy than sad, it is better to be healthy than needlessly afflicted, it is better to be prosperous than poor, it is better to be good than bad and it is better to live and let live than to kill. God created all of us, red, yellow, black, brown and white. We are all equal in God's sight. Whether you are talking about a northern culture, or a southern culture, a western culture or an eastern culture, human life is valuable and precious. Weak or strong, intelligent or challenged, ancient or modern, gender or creed, normal or disabled, the human being is a child of God. Your argument of time and culture as a reason God allowed rogue family members to be killed goes against God's nature. How can you not see this? As we all know we no longer obey God's Dt 13:10 command to kill a family member. Everyone knows it is wrong. However, members of this forum are telling me that no, some of us who are Gentiles are not bound under the civil laws of Moses, instead we are all obligated under the moral law of God. Thoroughly confused, Pete |
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3 | I just started reading the Bible and.... | OT general | keliy | 211337 | ||
Pete, you are getting a little free with your quotes of mine, but that is OK, it helps to state your case, and helps me to know your thoughts. I will not be strict with you, but in trying to straighten it out, I will say that when you said, "Your argument of time and culture as a reason God allowed rogue family members to be killed goes against God's nature" that: No, I did not say anything was a reason that 'God allowed rogue family members to be killed' The thought I tried to convey was God ordered that he must not only be strongly resisted, but also punished by the law of the land. Stoning to death was a cruel way to die, but it was the law. The adulterous woman brought to Jesus was about to be stoned to death, but she received a reprieve through the grace of our Lord. That is where the differences of time and culture come in. No, it does not go against God's nature. God often killed people in the OT for what we might call 'minor infractions'. For example, look at 2 Sam 6:3; 6:6 and 6:7. So they set the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart. ...And when they came to Nachon's threshing floor, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by the ark of God. God killed Uzzah, who thought he was doing a favor when the ark teetered, Uzzah reached out his hand to steady it and God took his life on the spot. Can you now See it? Another example is Lot's wife, in Gen 19:26 But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. God killed her for looking back. What did you say about God's nature? Again, we are living in a completely different culture than in OT times. In a different country, over 2400 years ago, things were way different. We are living now in a new Covenant with God, the Covenant of Grace. Just because God does not wipe people out for minor infractions in our lifetime does not mean it never happened, it did. It continued in the NT, in acts 5:3, 5:5, 5:6, But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things. And the young men arose and wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him. And in 5:10, his wife who was his accomplice in the lie, walked in and suffered the same fate. Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband. Now, really Pete, Ananias and Sapphira sold a possession, and lied about the price they received and were killed without trial. Are you still standing on the grounds that no one would ever be killed for trying to sway a family member into idolatrous practices, because it is against God's nature? How about a single angel wiping out 185,000 assyrians in one night? (2 Kin 19:35) That should change some people's perception of nice, gentle golden-haired angels, should it not? In the Old Testament God appears overly harsh but His reason could likely be to demonstrate the exacting requirements of the Law. This also demonstrates the need for grace that would eventually be manifested on the cross. In the relative comfort of our modern society much of this violence seems reprehensible yet we can conclude that this harsh requirement was a necessary legality to instill obedience. I really hope your comprehension of God's character and propensities is growing, and you are not just becoming more thoroughly confused. (o: In His service and yours, keliy |
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