Results 121 - 140 of 975
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: Aixen7z4 Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
121 | When did Adam become a sinner? | Gen 3:6 | Aixen7z4 | 92517 | ||
I am gathering that Adam was created with innocence. He did not become a sinner until he disobeyed God. That is when he got a taste of evil (Gen 3:22) and developed an appetite for sin. He was not able to get rid of it and he has passed it on to his children. Has it been by nature or by nurture that the trait was passed on? It was, and is, probably always both. But thank God for the antidote, which is the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. So, then, it does not matter, the fact that we have inherited sin, since there is a cure for it. I judge that this question, and the answers so aptly given, are important. God did not create sin, and he did not make Adam a sinner. He created him with innocence and with free will, and Adam became a sinner by choosing to disobey. Thank God for the second Adam who knew no sin and who chose the path of obedience. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous (Romans 5:19). |
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122 | Were Eve's desires sinful? | Gen 3:6 | Aixen7z4 | 92520 | ||
Strange that you consider her desires legitimate when they consisted of things forbidden by God. Please explain. Eating from that tree had been forbidden (v.3). Eve had understood that they were not to even touch that tree. The penalty of death reinforced that idea and should have been a disincentive. Satan directly contradicted God with his version of the consequences of the act. Did Eve not see that she was choosing to believe the devil and to disbelieve God? What was her legitimate desire? Was it to have food? She could get food from any other tree. Was it to please her eyes? All the other trees were pleasant. Was it to be wise? That sounds legitimate. But it was not wise to want to be as wise as gods, for that meant she would know both good and evil. Better not to know evil, I say. What do you say? Get wisdom, get understanding (Pr 4:5); yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil (Rom 16:19). |
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123 | Were Eve's desires sinful? | Gen 3:6 | Aixen7z4 | 92797 | ||
Questions remain, I think. It seems to me that beauty, wisdom and nourishment do not exist in vacuums and are not meaningful in and of themselves. The question concerns the legitimate sources of these qualities. The lemon tree is very pretty, and the lemon flower is sweet, but the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat. Does that make a point? Some beautiful fruits are actually poisonous and it would not be wise to eat them. In any case one should deny oneseslf the pleasure of desiring a thing, beautiful or not, if the Lord has put it on the forbidden list. Many women are beautiful, but a man is not to desire the beauty of another man's wife. Also on that list are his house, his manservant, his maidservant, his ox, his ass, and any thing else that belongs to that other man. Secondly, can you explain what Jesus meant when he said that a man has committed adultery if he looks at a woman with lustful eyes? I hope that you are not going outside these words to say that adultery occurs only when the physical act is consummated. Jesus says that man is not to be desiring that woman. While he is lusting, Jesus says he is not only being tempted, he is sinning. She is his not his wife and he should not be desiring her. Likewise a man should not be desiring the wisdom that does not come from above because it is earthly, sensual, devilish (James 3:15). He should be aware of evil, enough to be able to recognize it and avoid it. God does not want us to know evil through the experience of engaging in it. Again, "Be wise concerning that which is good, but simple (You don't have to know a whole lot) concerning evil" (Romans 16:9). You say that Adam and Eve were already like God, so you assume they already knew good and evil. Don't you find it strange then that God says, "Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil? (Gen 3:22). Surely, he had not just become what he already was. Surely you do not think that to be made in God's image means to be like him in every way. Omnipotent? Omnipresent? Omniscient? Adam was not any of those things. In spite of Benny Hinn, I would say that Adam could not even fly. He was like God in some ways, but not in every way. He only acquired the knowledge of evil when he had eaten of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 3:7). The above matters may not be clear or of prime practical importance. However, I think it should be clear, and important to understand, that Jesus was not tempted to sin. He is God. He is not tempted with evil (James 1:13). He was tempted by the devil. This refers to the activities of the devil, and not to any internal drives or desires within our Lord. He knew no sin. He could do no sin. He is perfect. Much as the heat shows the qualities of pure gold, the testing showed us what Jesus was made of. He loved righteousness and hated iniquity. He was not tempted to sin. Tested and tried, yes, and he came forth as gold. Lastly, I trust that no one reading these posts will think that it is good to know evil. Know of its existence, yes. Know how to recognize it, yes. (I think that 'Emmaus' makes the point well, and we should look again at his post, above). But not to know it intimately, in detail, or by experience, no. A client told me she needs to learn from experience, not from simply listening. I asked her, in the presence of her fiancé if she planned to learn about adultery in that way. That seemed to settle the question for her. I hope it settles it for us all. |
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124 | Why were Adam and Eve unable to resist? | Gen 3:6 | Aixen7z4 | 92799 | ||
I wonder if you meant to ask, "Why did Adam and Eve not resist that temptation?" Do you think they were utterly unable to say no to Satan? God says we should resist the devil (James 4:7). That suggests to me that we are able to do that, and they were able to do that, for God would not ask us to do something we are unable to do. If they had resisted, he would have fled. It seems that they chose not to resist. | ||||||
125 | When did Adam become a sinner? | Gen 3:6 | Aixen7z4 | 92800 | ||
Yes, Hank, but I think that explains when the sin occurred. How did he acquire the sinful nature? That is another way of framing the original question. (I suppose you would say it is not our sinning that makes us sinners, but rather it is our sinful nature which causes us tp sin). Seems he acquired the sinful nature when he experienced sin and developed a taste for it. As you say, it happened in his heart before the physical act was committed. | ||||||
126 | Were Eve's desires sinful? | Gen 3:6 | Aixen7z4 | 92927 | ||
Here is a long and careful answer. For clarity, please read it the same way. Bear with some repetition if it serves the cause of clarity. It is my understanding that the section in the book of Hebrews in view (Chapter 4) is talking about maintaining their faith; holding onto the truths they had been taught and not going back to the Mosaic system. Faith is tested, as in 1Peter 1:7. Genuine faith, like genuine gold, comes out shining. The Galatians had failed the test (Galatians 1:6). Christ had not been formed in them (Galatians 4:19). Thus they had allowed themselves to be removed from him that had called them into the grace of Christ unto another gospel. The writer to the Hebrews was strengthening them against a similar "falling away" or being tossed about, as in Ephesians 4:14. This I say in order to put the passage into context and to give a proper perspective. Now, for your questions. 1. What does it mean, Jesus was tempted? In that Jesus was tempted, he was tried, he was tested. The purpose was not to get him to do something immoral, but to turn him away from the plan and program of God. The result was that Jesus showed his true nature. He had come to do the Father's will. He was perfectly in accord with the Father and Satan tried to divert him, but he failed. Nothing could turn him away from the father's will. But Satan had persuaded some of the angels to take his side, and he would try it with Jesus. He failed. Jesus was not tempted. What I mean is, he was not interested in worshipping or serving Satan. Sometimes a comparison helps, so think if this. I once was a chemist and developed products. They had specifications. When they were manufactured they had to be tested in a quality control environment to see if they met the specs. They were put through tests. If they had been manufactured properly they passed the tests. This is what Jesus went through, and the results showed that he was the genuine article. He was God. There was no weakness in him. He passed the tests. If we can think of Jesus' "temptation" as a "test", then I think we have the right idea. 2. What does it mean to be tempted? a. You and I can be enticed to do wrong. We can be allured, drawn away. Our resolve can be broken down and we can give in to sin. All of that happens if we fail to resist the devil. But Jesus did not need to go through that. He is God and he is not tempted with evil. Evil has no attraction for him. b. We can also be tested. As mentioned above, our faith is tested. We pass the test and prove to ourselves that our faith is genuine. I studied to be a psychologist. I had to pass the tests and the license exams. I was tested and tried and certified. So was Jesus. Hebrews 2:18 He suffered being tempted. The tests included hunger, thirst, privation, shame, scorn, nails, death. He passed them all and showed himself the victor. 3. What was Jesus tempted by Satan to do? The devil tried to get him to turn away from the plan and purposes of God. He tried to get him to follow his (Satan's) plans. Look at the temptations themselves: a. Make bread when I say so. b. Tempt the Lord thy God. c. Worship me and serve me. The anticipated consequences? i. Your hunger satisfied, my way. ii. God's sovereignty questioned. iii. Power and riches with the loss of your soul. Jesus was not tempted by those. He did not want them. 4. Was Satan only trying to tempt Jesus? He was placing him in positions where a fake would crack. He was allowing his to show his true qualities. He was putting him through the tests. But gold is not bothered by fire and Jesus was not bothered by the machinations of the Devil. If Satan was trying to appeal to evil desires in Jesus then we may say he was trying. In that he did not have a chance, we may say he was only testing him. But there is no chance of you failing a test to tell your name and address, and Satan did not stand a chance with Jesus. His tests were well within the Savior's capabilities. 5. Does Hebrews (chapter 4) mean that Jesus was not tempted? It means tested, not tempted to do evil. Jesus was and is God. God cannot be tempted by evil (James 1:13). 5b. Is that how you interpret the Hebrews passage? I prefer the word "understand" to "interpret". Again, the context of the book and the section suggests that the topic is not resisting evil but maintaining faith. Yet, whatever is not of faith is sin and Jesus was without sin. Jesus was without sin, not because he had resisted temptation to sin but because that was his nature. He was not just innocent, like Adam, but he was holy. There was no sin in him. He was holy, holy, holy. He was God. Think of it this way. All sin is against God. Jesus is God and God does not go against God. When he is tested, when he is tried, He says, "Thy will be done". Tested? Yes. Tempted to sin? No. |
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127 | Where did Cains wife come from | Gen 4:17 | Aixen7z4 | 106905 | ||
FreeThinker: I agree with you. It is OK to ask questions. I will join with mommapbs to suggest that you keep on asking. But may I also suggest that the question "what?" should precede the question "Why?". I will give you an example in a moment. But first, let me say that I was just like you. I asked a lot of questions and I was not content to stop until I found the answer. But I want to say that I have found the answer. I sought the Lord, and I found him. Or rather, he found me. I am confident that it will be the same for you, and I look forward to hearing that you found him, right here on this forum. You remind me of a man who came to Jesus with a question. Mark 10:17 says, "There came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, 'Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?'" Mark 10:21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, "One thing thou lackest ..." And I'd like to suggest, if I may, that Jesus feels the same way about you. He loves you. And He would say that there is something that you lack. Please listen. First of all, you might ask the Lord to show you what is in your heart, whether you have the humility that that man had. Notice that he came kneeling. Secondly, here is a suggestion that you ask your questions of the Lord himself. That is what that man did. He might have asked others before, and I think it is OK that you did, but now he was asking the Lord himself. Have you thought of doing that? He says, "Call unto me and I will answer you". You may prove him right there. Number three is the last, and I think it is the same thing that man lacked. You may call it focus. That man was not asking about why Cain had been punished, or why in one case God had not spoken, or why elsewhere he had said the same thing twice. He was asking how to have eternal life. He wanted to know how to be saved. Is that your interest? Frankly, my friend, that is God's interest. He is not interested in satisfying our curiosity about minor things. He wants us to get to know him in an intimate, personal way. He wants to be your Savior and your Friend. He wants you to ask about that. And there are some things you will never understand until you get to know God first. That is God's way. He reveals things through his Spirit. When you do get to know him, you will find that he is with you and in you, and he will give you the answer to deep spiritual things. You will find that knowing God and having eternal life and being saved are all the same thing. Jesus said, this is life eternal, that they might know him, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom he had sent (John 17:3). Have you ever had the experience of hearing people around you talking about you and not to you? Sometimes I think that God feels the same way. It is good to talk about him. But we can also talk to him. (Excuse me. Jesus, please speak to our friend, FreeThinker. He needs you.) FreeThinker, You will need to humble yourself before Him. Tell him who you really are, aSinner. Ask him to forgive you and to save you. And trust him. He died for you. You will seek him and find him when you search for him with your whole heart (Jeremiah 29:13). |
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128 | Where did Cains wife come from | Gen 4:17 | Aixen7z4 | 106906 | ||
I understand what you mean, but ... Acts 17:26,27 (He) hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us. |
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129 | Where did Cains wife come from | Gen 4:17 | Aixen7z4 | 106912 | ||
The concept of dispensational eras may be helpful here. Before the law there were other economies, other systems by which God judged. And Romans 2:12 may attest to this. For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law. Adam and Eve were judged in innocency. They had not known evil and were responsible only to listen and trust and obey. Cain and Abel were guided by their consciences. They knew what was right and what was wrong. They had “the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another” (Romans 2:15). For those who do not accept the schema of dispensationalism, I hope you can disregard it and focus simply on Paul’s explanation to the Romans. The writer to the Hebrews says that Abel was acting on faith when he offered his sacrifice. Paul tells us that faith comes by hearing the word of God. These together suggest that God had spoken to Cain and Abel. Whether it was with an audible voice or through their consciences that he had revealed his will about sacrifices we may judge. But God did speak to Cain: “Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?” But his parents had chosen to listen to Satan, and so did he. 1 John 3:12 Cain was of that wicked one. That‘s why he slew his brother. Seems it has always been this way. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. |
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130 | Where did Cains wife come from | Gen 4:17 | Aixen7z4 | 107040 | ||
Thanks for your thoughtfulness. But actually, I did not intend that post for him. As I understand it, he is not a believer as yet and I would have kept his focus on the gospel. (See my note to him, above). I would have hoped it would be of more general interest to believers trying to explain culpability in the absence of the law of Moses. But who knows, he may find it interesting. | ||||||
131 | how did satan survive the flood? | Gen 7:23 | Aixen7z4 | 147822 | ||
Hello. It has been stated already that Satan is a spirit and as such he is not affected by physical things such as water, even in a flood. I do not know how he is affected by fire either, except that he will be in it, and he will be tormented day and night for ever and ever (Revelation 20:10). In Genesis 1:2 it says that the Spirit of God hovered over the surface of the waters. I wonder if Satan would not have done a similar thing in Genesis 7:19. He does tend to mimic God, and he is like God in this one aspect, that he is a spirit. But the word of God does not talk about Satan during the flood. It seems to me that there are many times when the Spirit of God might have talked about Satan and he does not. For example, we are not told in Genesis that Cain was a follower or son of Satan, although he was (1 John 3:12). Indeed, after Genesis 3, and except for the beginning of the book of Job, Satan is hardly mentioned in the Old Testament. In the New Testament he is only mentioned here and there, as if to remind us that he is around. He is, but the focus is not on him. This piece is not intended to raise other issues, but simply to say that the word of God seems to give much less attention to Satan and more to the one to whom he is arch-rival, the Lord Jesus Christ. It does not tell us where Satan was during the flood, or what he was doing. It does tell us, though, that God was with Noah and in the business of saving him and those who had faith to enter the ark. I wonder if, when we are in heaven, if we will wonder where Satan is. I think our focus will be on Jesus, and we will always know where he is. The throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him. And they shall see his face. Amen. |
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132 | Abraham....work it boy | Gen 15:6 | Aixen7z4 | 93573 | ||
Yes. The question of the comingling of works and faith is an old one, as you probably know. Have you never seen it answered to your satisfaction? Paul says that we are saved by faith without works (Ro 3:28,Ga 2:16, etc.). James says faith is accompanied by works (Jas 2:17). There is no contradiction here. A person believes in his heart and is saved. His faith causes him to act in obedience to God's directives. You may clarify the issue in your own mind by substituting the word "action" for "works". A person is not saved by trying to be good, by trying to keep the law, for example. A person is saved by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31, Eph 2:8, etc.). However, his faith is shown in the fact that he calls on the name of the Lord (Ro 10:13) gets baptized (1Pe 3:21), etc. The fact that Paul asks the believers to do works is precisely because they are believers and not in order to become believers. His letters are addressed to saints. Becaue they are saved they are encouraged to live up to their profession. So, works do not earn salvation. They follow |
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133 | abraham second lie sarah really sister | Gen 20:12 | Aixen7z4 | 121720 | ||
It is a difficult task we have, to determine whether a prophet is serious and yet, at the same time, lying. The fact is, we do not know whether Abraham was lying when he said for the second time that Sarah was his sister. He was saying that he had married his half-sister, and we do not have enough information to say whether that was a lie. The first mention of Abraham and Sarah, in Genesis 11, also gives information about his brother. We know from Genesis 11:29 that Nahor married his brother’s daughter. We are not told of a familial relationship between Abraham and his wife. In fact, we are not told anything about Sarah’s family. Was she a half sister, as Abraham claimed? We do not know, and it seems unnecessary to conclude that she was not, or that Abraham was persisting in his lie. We might hope that Abraham was not continuing to lie, since the Lord had owned him as his prophet (Genesis 20:7). God had said that Abraham would pray and that his prayer would be heard (Genesis 20:7). But other scriptures tell us that sin is a hindrance to prayer (See Psalm 66:18;Isaiah 59:2). This might lead us to conclude that Abraham was not continuing in the sin of lying. Abraham may well have felt that he had not lied the time before (in Genesis 20:2) or the time before that (Genesis 12:13,19). He may have chosen, for his purposes, to highlight one part of the truth. And many a Christian man today may feel that he is not lying if he says his wife is his sister, for in a sense, she is. We may think that he is not serious if he refers in that way to their spiritual relationship. But a man may do that if he wants to turn the conversation somehow to spiritual matters. He may say it to an unsaved person, hoping they would question it, hoping for an opportunity to give the Gospel to them. Abraham was motivated by fear, but we may have another reason to shift the conversation to another matter that we may judge to be more useful. Doing this, we may have to admit that we have some sinful tendencies. But then, Christ died for our sins. If we have repented and trusted in him, then we have forgiveness for our sins, and we are saved. The means we use to get these opportunities may seem questionable, but we have an urge to give the message. In researching this question I have read some terrible indictments of Abraham. But is it not interesting that God does not condemn him? (See Hebrews 11:8-17; Romans 4: 16). Abraham was justified in God’s eyes, because of his faith. |
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134 | How is Joseph like Jesus? | Gen 30:25 | Aixen7z4 | 149903 | ||
Try these links: http://www.hishows.bizland.com/Topics/SUBTOPS/SoLikeJoseph.html http://www.cob-net.org/inspire/joseph_jesus.htm |
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135 | the belly of a whore,what scripture | Gen 38:9 | Aixen7z4 | 122124 | ||
There is no scripture suggesting it is OK to have sex with a prostitute. On the contrary, we have 1 Corinthians 6:15. "Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid". The unthinkableness of that idea is reflected on in the following verses. What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. |
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136 | "...sin against God?" | Gen 39:9 | Aixen7z4 | 102235 | ||
Before the law sin was in the world (Rom 5:13) but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Joseph might have decided that God had not said explicitly that adultery was wrong and he could have taken that as an excuse, but he chose not to. Before the law, and outside of the law, man still has his conscience. When people like Joseph who lived before the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: They show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another (Romans 2:14,15). When the law came, sin by the commandment became exceeding sinful (Romans 7:13). Man was then violating not only his conscience but also the written word. But now there was no excuse. God has concluded that all are sinners and made mercy available to all. O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! By what reasoning or knowledge did Joseph consider adultery with Potiphar's wife to be sin against God? By his conscience, I think. In his heart he knew that “as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law”. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference. I wanted to say that Joseph’s life was in every way such a picture of the life of Christ, it would have been a shame if he had committed that sin. But God was with him and he wanted to please him. He did not look for loopholes but followed the dictates of his conscience. He set an example for us that we live not by the letter of the law but by the Spirit. The Lord has said to his great-grand-father, “Walk before me, and be thou perfect”, and we also have a knowledge of his will, with wisdom and spiritual understanding; that we might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing. Along with the word, it helps to have a tender conscience. |
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137 | Resymbolism? | Gen 50:20 | Aixen7z4 | 136339 | ||
It is a word some use in place of rationalization which is, as you know, an ego defense mechanism. I suggest that the Biblical characters such as Joseph here, his father in Genesis 49, and David in Psalm 22, were actually exercising the gift of prophecy. Whether foretelling or forthtelling, whether revealing or concealing, they were speaking God's word into the situation. | ||||||
138 | Resymbolism? | Gen 50:20 | Aixen7z4 | 136372 | ||
Yes. It is said that everyone, not only a Christian, rationalizes at times. It serves not only to protect the ego but to give meaning to the events of life. Sometimes life is weird and difficult to deal with. A problem is apparent when that mechanism is used too much as it were to avoid reality. Again, if a person has God's perspective, they find it easier to deal with unpleasant circumstances or things they would not understand otherwise. One may say it is the way a believer is expected to live, "while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things that are not seen". Brother J. Alan Blair says we should live in light of eternity, and Brother K.P. Yohannan asks us to pray that God would stamp eternity on our eyes. God inhabits eternity and that would be his perspective. When the world hates us, Jesus says it is normal, and when we suffer for righteousness’ sake we are told we should accept it because… Back to the case of Joseph though, his perspective is given in hindsight. “God meant it”. One wonders whether he knew all along that God had a plan. Jesus knew what to do and how to accept the events of his life because he knew what had been written and that it must be fulfilled. He acted often just so the Scriptures would be fulfilled, and after the fact he would say that is the way it had to be. I have not read Joe Stowell’s book, but the sentiment rings true to Scripture. Man’s goings are of the Lord, how then can he know his own way? I think we are like Job and like Solomon. If God’s will is not apparent in the events of life, then they make no sense at all. But if we can see his will in his word and apply it to our lives, then all is well. That is one reason we should search the word, to see the meaning in the events of life even before they happen. If we are not familiar with the word we may not be able to see God’s perspective, and we may not be able to apply the right principles. Without the word we are forced to invent reasons why things happen, and it may be to excuse our own behavior. But if we life by the word and it provides explanations, that seems entirely satisfactory and satisfying. Jesus told us life would be hard, so if we can face difficulty without being surprised by it and “think it not strange” it will help. All in all it seems there is a scriptural form rationalization. Some may call it philosophizing. Some may call it resymbolization. I'd say if it makes proper use of Scripture it is OK, whatever they may call it. |
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139 | Why would God seek to kill Moses? | Ex 4:24 | Aixen7z4 | 136727 | ||
Amen, Lady. Permit me to add some thoughts that I have had on this. But first let me say how impressed I am that you found your answer so easily. It seems that your heart was all ready for it, and that I admire. It is hard to know what someone has in mind when they ask the question “Why”. But to that question I will say that there are many times when God does what he does and he does not tell us why. The fact is that God is sovereign. He can do what he likes and does not have to give us a reason. Let it be said that we cannot question God. By that I mean we cannot second-guess him, for “The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, ‘Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand’” (Isaiah 14:24). Nevertheless, the Lord has revealed to us what he is like, and we can look to see that he is acting in concordance with his character. But first, we can learn God’s attributes from the thing he does, and I suggest that is the proper approach to the question. It is recorded for us what God did, and what can we learn from it? Remember that “Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope” (Romans 15:4). One lesson we can learn is that God cares that we obey him. God had told Moses to circumcise his son and he had not done it. God shows here that he is patient. He may delay his judgment. But he wants obedience. He says, “A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear?” (Mal 1:6). We should fear God, and reverence him, and we show that by obeying him. If God had not shown his displeasure at Moses’ disobedience (or neglect of obedience) in this matter we could also be asking why. And we might conclude that Moses got away with it and so can we. We can weary ourselves with these questions. And we can weary the Lord, by trying his patience and then asking questions like this. Indeed, “Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, ‘Wherein have we wearied him?’ When ye say, ‘Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delighteth in them’; or, ‘Where is the God of judgment?’” There is a bad result when judgment is slow in coming. “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil” (Ecclesiastes 8:11). So it is good for us to see God in the judgment mode. We can learn that God does not wink at sin. We can learn that we should not harbor sin in order to take advantage of God’s patience. God is patient “But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God”? (Romans 2:5) So, we learn that God is a God of justice; that he will punish sin. And yet, God does not desire the death of the wicked. “Say unto them, ‘As I live’, saith the Lord GOD, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die?’” (Ezekiel 33:11). Notice, if you will, that Moses was not actually killed. We learn that God is a God of the second chance. When he says he will bring judgment, if we repent, he relents. He says, “Again, when I say unto the wicked, ‘Thou shalt surely die’; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right; … he shall surely live, he shall not die. None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live” (Ezekiel 33) Yet, when God acts, we ask why? “The children of thy people say, The way of the Lord is not equal”. And we do not learn. There are many things that God has asked us to do today. Like Moses, we neglect to do them. For example, God says that a new believer should be baptized. But some of us debate the fine points of it and yet neglect to simply do it. Like Moses, we may feel that we have gotten away with it. Yet God is still a God of judgment, and he comes to us in judgment. Some say he does not, because he has already judged our sins at the cross. But we should consider that that he might. He might come to us with death. It might be spiritual death. Though he does not take away his salvation or his love, he may withdraw his presence, and that separation, I submit, is like death. Then again, it might be physical death. Many are weak and sickly among us, and many die. “But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world” (1 Corinthians 11:32). I am not sure we needed to ask the question for the eleventh time. But we can learn from that incident in the life of Moses. “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13). |
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140 | Who was God going to kill? | Ex 4:24 | Aixen7z4 | 138577 | ||
Many translations boldly write the word “Moses” instead of “him”. Thus: “Along the way they stopped for the night. The LORD met Moses and tried to kill him“ (God's Word). NIV and NLT indicate it could be either Moses or his son. Matthew Henry acknowledges the ambiguity but suggests it was the son who was going to die: “The account in this and the two following verses, although rather obscure, seems to imply, that on their way to the land of Egypt, an angel appeared to Moses, and sought to kill his son, on account of his father’s non-observance of the Lord’s positive command to Abraham, that every man child of the Jewish nation, or born in his house in servitude, should be circumcised on the eighth day; and the Zipporah, at the command of Moses, immediately fulfilled the injunction, and thus averted the wrath of God, denounced against the disobedient: ‘The uncircumcised man child, whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people.’“ Genesis 17:4 (quoted above) leads us to think it was the uncircumcised son who would have been killed. Exodus 20:5, Exodus 34:7, Numbers 14:18, and Deuteronomy 5:9 would indicate it would have been God’s way at that time, to punish the son for the sins of the father. Ezekiel 18:4 leads us to think it was Moses who was responsible and guilty and worthy of death. All in all, it seems not to matter. God was not going to kill either one of them (Jonah 3:10; 4:3). Moses in writing might have chosen his words as Luke did (24:28) perhaps, but we suppose the Holy Spirit would have him to write as he did and that he would have us to look to the other passages and to combine them, as we did here, in order to get the bigger message. |
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