Results 61 - 80 of 156
|
||||||
Results from: Answers On or After: Thu 12/31/70 Author: MJH Ordered by Verse |
||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
61 | God's eternal purpose | Deut 32:4 | MJH | 174624 | ||
I agree with Doc, but thought it might interest you to know that in the day of Jesus and before, many commentaries on the Bible were written or shared orally. It was believed by those that before creations began, or before the beginning, 7 things existed. "Seven things were contemplated (By the Holy One, Blessed be He) before creation: Torah. Repentance, the Garden of Eden and Gehinnom, the Throne of Glory, the Holy Temple and the Messiah's identity." (BT Pesachim 51:A) This illustrates that the idea of the Torah existed before time, and was one of the central objectives behind the creation. Before man was created God knew that "the impulse of man's heart is evil from his youth," (Gen. 7:21) and that he was destined to sin and stumble. This is an integral part of human nature. Accordingly, before anything existed the Torah was prepared to guide him along his path through life. In similar fashion, the Torah's counterpart, the concept of repentance, was also prepared in advance of man, so that one who transgresses the will of his Creator has a path to return to Him. This too was forged into the very foundation of the world to provide man with a remedy for sin.” www.templemount.org/tempprep.html The “Seven things contemplated” idea predates Jesus. It seems that these Godly men also believed that the divine purpose was that man would fall and need redemption. Not a definitive answer to your questions, but interesting to get another point of view on the subject. MJH |
||||||
62 | Lying justified? | Josh 2:5 | MJH | 225072 | ||
It would have been morally wrong for Rahab to not lie for it would have certainly resulted in the death of the spies. Those good people risking all to hide Jews during WW2, to fail to lie to the German Nazi's, would have been morally wrong. When one is faced with the unfortunate situation where by keeping one law you break another, he must know which is greater. "Life" trumps most things. In Jesus day this question was asked in many ways and Jesus is asked it as well. Will Jesus "work" on the Sabbath to bring wholeness to a hurting sick person or not? Is "to do good" greater than to "not work on the Sabbath?" One group said it this way: All commands can be broken to preserve life but these three: 1) to take a life, 2) to commit adultery, 3) to commit idolatry; for the Law was given so that "you might have life" and not death. Death is the antagonist of God's Law and Kingdom. A long way to say, Rahab was considered righteous because she lied. That being said, I agree with previous answers, it is technically speculation, but the results of Rahab's blessed life and the comments in Scripture concerning her lead me to be quite certain of that statement. MJH |
||||||
63 | Context versus what is translated. | 1 Sam 25:22 | MJH | 166870 | ||
Shythiyl, This does not pertain to your question, which was already answered, but your text of choice has been a problem with me when I was younger. In the NIV the text reads that David was going to kill all of the males of Nabal's household. Even the males it would seem that did nothing to him. But the original text in Hebrew DOES NOT SAY THIS! The literal translation says that, "everyone who pisses against the wall (ie. David) will not be left alive”, meaning those males who did not "piss" against David would not be harmed. The whole text is wonderful in the original with word plays. David is the “wall” that protects Nabal and his household, and David is saying that he is figuratively being pissed on by Nabal and his family for not being compensated. So in reality, David may be targeting women as well, but since the NIV didn't apparently want to use the word "piss" in the Holy Bible (even though God did) they figured, only men can "piss on a wall" given their anatomy, so we will change it to say "men" rather than "anyone who pisses against the wall." In light of the correct translation the text doesn't contradict justice...too bad for those who only read one translation (or ignore the original) as I once did. MJH |
||||||
64 | was Bathsheba a levite? | 2 Sam 11:3 | MJH | 212401 | ||
Why are you wondering if Bathsheba was a Levite? MJH |
||||||
65 | Why is the raven use to feed Elijah? | 1 Kings | MJH | 177162 | ||
I have asked this same question myself, so I don't think I will have a good answer, but to further the interest.... I have read very old Jewish commentaries that equated the Raven during the flood with the Devil, flying to and fro over the waters. Else where in scripture Satan is described as going to and fro (Job 1:7). Also, the bird is unclean and would have fed on the dead, not needing to re-enter the Ark. Also, Noah may not have wanted it to re-enter considering that which is symbolized, death, while the dove would symbolize life. Most likely the raven did return to the ark from time to time to rest and it would not have had a shortage of food. The raven is never seen as a positive creature when seen symbolically, so the question still remains, WHY DID A RAVEN FEED ELIJAH? After all, we know what the raven feeds on and symbolizes. So why would God have a Raven feed Elijah at this time. ...I do not know. But one thing I am certain of, there is a purpose and meaning that I do not see yet, but it is there and the original readers would have known it at least in part. God doesn’t produce His word without every word and even every letter being significant (Matt 5:18) MJH |
||||||
66 | When was the Book of Job first published | Job | MJH | 142372 | ||
It is my impression that Job was written either during the exile in Babylon, or after that period when many of the apocrypha and pseudogrypha books were written. It is for this reason why the book is often viewed by people as an allegory (Israel was experiencing what Job experienced in many ways at this time. Job written at this time makes a lot of sense.) Just because the book may have been penned during the exile or post exile, does not mean that it isn't still historically accurate. Therefore your question about the origin of the book still remains and no one will ever know the answer for sure. I am certain, however, that the Jewish Rabbis have a lot to say about authorship. You might venture over to such a web site and seek an answer there. I'd do it, but just don't have time today. MJH |
||||||
67 | Saving sex for marriage | Ps 1:1 | MJH | 144144 | ||
The words you are using are not in the Bible, but as Doc already answered you, Psalm 1:1 is a good verse. Since you are not asking IF God says to wait for marriage, then I assume you know that. Therefore, if we follow what God wants, we will enjoy life much more over the whole course of our life. (Those doing wrong may enjoy life in the short term, but latter they reap what they sow. It is easy to look around you and see.) Anecdotally speaking, I waited until I was married at 25, and WOW, it was worth it. Also, I have no memories of being with anyone else. Also, I worked (before being married) with some men at a factory who were shocked that I a) was a virgin in my 20's and b) that I was proud of it. After leaving the break time, one man who often commented on his experiences asked me why I was proud to be a virgin (He never meet someone like me). I told him, “I could be what you are within 3 hours. It was easy. But you can never be what I am. It is hard.” There is forgiveness and a person can turn and do right after making the error. God sees them in a right relationship. But they will still never experience what those who wait will. The consequence still remains. My wife became a Christian a couple years before we married and a year before we met. She didn’t have the value of a Christian up bringing. She came into our marriage clean before God and me, but she still had the past none the less. I hope that this helps some. And I pray that more men wait! MJH |
||||||
68 | 1 Samuel 15:3 - a loving God? | Ps 115:3 | MJH | 157832 | ||
A fairly good web site that gives answer to this question is found at www.theology.edu/canaan.htm MJH |
||||||
69 | If you gave a tenth of all you OWNED... | Prov 3:9 | MJH | 142630 | ||
Infinity (and beyond) ;-) Technically speaking you would never give everything away. However, if you rounded off to the nearest penny, then it would depend on how much money you started with. Did I win anything? MJH |
||||||
70 | Spare the rod, spoil the child | Prov 13:24 | MJH | 178399 | ||
The passage is a proverb, not a command. That is often misunderstood. Proverbs do not equal commands. Concerning... Proverbs 22:15 Proverbs 23:13 the Hebrew word translated "Child" is Na'ar, which elsewhere in the Bible is almost always translated young man, or young men. The same can be said about Prov 13:24 where "son" does not mean toddler (but can). If the idea that a literal "rod" of correction is to be used is anywhere in the proverbs, it is upon a youth and not a toddler. And this use would have been out of love, after all, that youth is quickly approaching the place where the death penalty could be handed out. Deut 21:18-21 "If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and, though they discipline him, will not listen to them, then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gate of the place where he lives, and they shall say to the elders of his city, 'This our son is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.' Then all the men of the city shall stone him to death with stones. The word for “son” here is the same one used in Prov. 13:24. I doubt that anyone would assume this passage is referring to a toddler. The fact that many use this passage to say that spanking is required of all good Christian parents is unfortunate. Whether you or anyone else uses spanking or other corporal punishment as a means to aide in discipline, is up to the parents, but the Bible does not "require" it, and in no place can one find it even being suggested unless these passages are to mean "toddler" when in every other passage, the word means youth or young men. MJH |
||||||
71 | Destiny of created beings | Is 14:12 | MJH | 186242 | ||
Finder, You seem to have some VERY good questions. I was a bit disappointed in the responses you received so far. Sure, you could read mountains of books on theology, but your questions are also for what this forum is meant. I do believe that some people appear to dislike difficult questions, or questions that appear to carry presuppositions that don't agree with them. Personally I think everyone of your questions is valid not only to be asked here, but also to be asked of the Almighty Himself. They reveal your heart's ache and your desire to come to terms with evil in a world created by complete Good. All this being said, I'd spend several hours answering every one of your questions. How about doing this...ask one question at a time. I will try my best, if you respond to this post, to answer, and others tend to answer one question at a time better than so many. But either way....keep asking questions. MJH |
||||||
72 | Jeremiah 3: 12-15 what verses support | Jer 3:12 | MJH | 177161 | ||
You have chosen an incredibly rich passage; one of the most profound in all scripture, for it speaks the theme of all scripture for not only Israel, but for all mankind. God is faithful and will remain faithful for all His people both corporately and individually. And undoubtedly, He will eventually lead you to the right shepherd for your church and youth group. However, this may be a wonderful time for your group to grow and learn and seek God. After all, we can all get lazy when we have a good shepherd to do the work for us rather than searching and seeking out God’s will for ourselves. It seems that you have a heart of leadership and a heart for your fellow youths! Pray through that and seek God through prayer and His word to know how you can be an effective member of your group during this time. The passage you stated has an interesting point: “RETURN.” The question you have to answer is “Return to what?” What was Jeremiah asking the people to “return” to? What is God asking your group to “return” to? Returning and repentance are very closely related. To “Repent” is to “Turn back toward something.” The Lord is asking for a true revival of His people. If God laid this verse on your heart, then you have a lot of work cut out for yourself I believe, and it will start not with others in your group, but with your own heart. And don’t forget, Jeremiah was called the “weeping prophet” for a reason. I pray the best for you and your church. MJH |
||||||
73 | Trees | Jer 6:6 | MJH | 212400 | ||
The verse you are looking for was in Jer 10 and is NOT speaking of Christmas Trees, but rather in cutting down trees and carving them into idols and decorating the idol with gold and metals, et. al. as a worship item. This verse is often used by those who believe that having a Christmas tree in your home is against God's law. The only way this could be true is if you are some how worshiping the tree. But in most traditions the tree is a symbol of life in a cold dead part of the winter months. It has been a symbol in nearly every culture whether pagan or Christian and is not bad simply because pagans also happened to use it. This is my opinion on the matter. MJH |
||||||
74 | why only one angel help in Daniel 10 | Dan 10:21 | MJH | 164722 | ||
It is a common believe that one angel comes for one message/purpose. An example would be the three that visit Abraham came with three messages. I have read some ancient Jewish "midrashim" (Commentaries) that make this statement and it seemed to me that it was commonly held. Therefore, Michael was sent because there was only one message. This answer is NOT directly from scripture and should not be taken as a definitive truth. The book of Enoch has a lot about angels that the first century Jewish person would have been aware of. This is not a Biblical text, and it was not thought to be authoritative in Jesus day, but it was well known. MJH |
||||||
75 | Did Jonah die in the belly of the fish? | Jon 2:2 | MJH | 211897 | ||
Interesting question. I never thought about it, but may have to now.... The verse you quote however, has him crying out which doesn't fit with him being dead. Also, the sea, particularly the Mediterranean Sea in a storm, was seen as a place of death, chaos, and fear -- the Abyss. To referrer to it as Sheol would fit the historical context of Jonah’s day. Under the seas was a huge mystery, a frightening chaotic place where once you go under, you never return. For Jonah at the time, though still conscious, he presumed that once down there he was as good as dead and in Sheol, the place of death, already. But, that's my off the top of my head response. MJH |
||||||
76 | Did "betrothed" couples live together? | Matt 1:19 | MJH | 141581 | ||
In the Hebrew culture, of which Joseph and Mary were apart, in the first century, engaged couples did not live together. In short, the engagement occurred between the couple’s father. The girl did have a say in the choice (and I presume the mother as well). After the engagement, the groom-to-be went home to his fathers house and added a room to the fathers household. When the father said that it was time, and not before (the son did not usually know the date or time of the wedding), then the wedding party would depart from the village and go to the brides village (if different) with trumpets and all announcing the wedding day. The girl and family went back to the groom’s home, they married, went together in the room or house, and afterward partied for 7 days. This is the basic idea of a wedding in first century Galilee. There may have been variations and I may have some small points out of place, but the main point for your professor is that they certainly did not live together. Your professor will not just accept my knowledge, so some books to help prove your point: “Life in Biblical Israel” by Philip J King and Lawrence E Stager. “Our Father Abraham”, Marvin R Wilson. “Mishnah” Translated by Darby. “. . . the bride was not to be seen by her intended husband until their entry into the wedding chamber.” Life in Biblical Israel” Page 54 For first century teachings of the Jews about Marriage you can consult the “Mishnah”, translated by Darby. It has a huge amount of the oral teachings about such matters most of which Joseph and family would have been aware of and none I assure you allow for the two to be together before marriage. Don’t forget that Joseph was described as being “devout” in Matt. 1:19. I hope this helps. MJH |
||||||
77 | Sources? | Matt 5:17 | MJH | 137708 | ||
I am hunting down the sources for the idiom (can't locate them when you need them...) In the mean time, you can read, "Understanding the Difficult Words of Jesus" by David Bivin and Roy Blizzard. Also, "Our Father Abraham: Jewish roots of the Christian Faith", by Marvin Wilson. Both books show how modern scholars agree that the first century Jews spoke Hebrew as their main language and not Arabic or Greek (or Latin). The ISBNs are: 1-56043-550-X and 0-8028-0423-3 respectively. I apologize for not having the source for the Idiom readily available, but both these authors make the same argument for this verse as I have. I will get that source a.s.a.p. |
||||||
78 | Sources? | Matt 5:17 | MJH | 137898 | ||
I’ve spent several hours digging this up, and have yet to complete my task, but I hope that this will be adequate at least for right now. The Sources are at the end of this post. The reason I’m digging into this source and taking time to follow this thread is so that some can appreciate the value of knowing the language, culture, and contemporary teachings of Jesus time. When Jesus is placed back in His Jewish roots, the scriptures come alive in ways they do not when Jesus is taken out of His original Jewish culture. Case in point: A denominational Sunday school curriculum had a picture of a young boy walking up stairs into a building and the words with the picture said, “Jesus was a good Christian boy who went to church every Sunday.” Three things are wrong with this: 1) Jesus was not Christian but Jewish; 2) Jesus went to Synagogue, not Church; and 3) Jesus went on the Sabbath, not on Sunday. I suppose when children are taught such things, it is no wonder that there is such an uphill battle to help adults place Jesus back into His true setting. Why do I harp on this stuff? Several of you asked what this has to do with Salvation. First and foremost, when I began to study along these lines my life changed dramatically. It is not uncommon for a newly saved person to try and convert all his friends because of the Joy they have found. I too, feel this way in a sense and want everyone to experience the exhilaration of meeting Jesus in a fresh and real way, as He was and is. My goal is to know God and Jesus more and more to enjoy Him and live in the fullness of His Kingdom. Second; I do not believe that God’s only purpose in the story of the Bible was to simply get people saved and out of hell. We too often have the attitude that our job is to “get people in” when Jesus’ life and ministry was far more than just that. He practiced a first century discipleship that was not only common to His day, but ended up changing the Roman world in ways the Zealots of His time couldn’t have imagined. Jesus did this by studying immense amounts of information from the Old Testament to Oral Law and many other extra-Biblical teachings. Jesus debated with other respected Rabbis (not just those “white washed tombs” he chastised.) There were eight great debates in Jesus time and Jesus addresses all eight of them. (7 times he sides with Hillel and 1 time with Shammi, the leading Rabbinic schools of the day.) Jesus discussed the most minute law of the day as well as the greatest. I feel that when we ask, “What does this have to do with Salvation.” we devalue much of what God wants for us and from us. We cheapen the scriptures and what they can do in our lives. We forget that God is more interested IN us than in what we can do for Him. That being said, I am not one to participate in polemic divinity. I feel I side with Benjamin Franklin on this account. SOURCES: First the English ones: “Jesus the Jewish Theologian”, by Brad H. Young page 264-265 of ISBN 1565630602 “Understanding the Difficult Words of Jesus”, by David Bivin and Roy Blizzard, Jr. page 111-115 of ISBN 156043550X “Our Father Abraham”, by Marvin R Wilson, page 117 of ISBN 0802804233 En-Gedi web site: http://www.en-gedi.org/articles/rtb/rtb2002apr.html “Heavenly Torah”, by Abraham J. Heschel page unknown (I do not have this book yet) ISBN 0826408028 Non English Sources: W. Bacher, Die exegetische Terminologie der judischer Traditionsliteratur (Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1905; Hebrew translation by A Rabinovitz; Erche Midrash, Jerusalem: Carmiel, 1970) Rabbis of today! This is a current common saying in the schools of Jewish theology found throughout the world, particularly in Israel. Also, I do have notes from an article by Bivin that come from the earliest sources (Mishnah written in the 200’s AD and is the Oral Traditions that were common during Jesus time.) These notes are all but meaningless if you do not know Hebrew and since the article they are attached to is copy protected, I can only post the notes. I am not posting the notes because they are long, but should you want them, I can post them in a separate response. And finally, the following was emailed to me by a wonderful man who helped me track some of this down: “David Bivin and the other Jerusalem School Scholars are experts in Koine Greek (even conversing in that ancient language on occasion), Mishnaic Hebrew, Aramaic, Biblical and Modern Hebrew, Syriac, and other languages used in Biblical scholarship like German, Latin, and French. I have not found the equal of their scholarship and linguistic capabilities among other Biblical scholars.” I hope that this helps in our walk with God, not just in some stupid disagreement about interpretation. Anyway, the most common interpretation of this text, even though wrong when used in Matt. 5:17, is a correct belief and teaching of the Bible, but that point is made elsewhere in the New Testament. |
||||||
79 | Sabbath Saturday change to Sunday | Matt 5:18 | MJH | 231798 | ||
God did not nor could not change the Law. It's a binding covenant for all time, both in this life and the life to come; however, given the changes in our status before God, certain elements of the Law would be applied differently, or all together irrelevant. (Where there is no unclean, there is no need for cleansing rituals.) Some time between 70 AD and 114 AD this change occurred. More likely after 90 AD. The why? is far too long of an answer for here, but historically it was inevitable. The New Testament doesn't answer the question for us because the writing of the New Testament, with the exception of possibly John's Revelation, was written before anyone even thought such a thing could occur. While some point to obscure Texts to show it was an Apostolic change, this is impossible when one understands first century Judaism. One of the primary reasons the Jews are said to be exiled in Babylon was for ignoring the Sabbath. They knew this, and because of this they turned the Sabbath into a heavy burden of rules to guard against it's desecration. Had the Apostles "changed" this day from Saturday to Sunday, it would have been as big of a fight and discussion as Gentile inclusion was. But nothing is said in the New Testament! Nothing. This fact alone aught to be proof enough that it never changed during the writing of the New Testament. That all being said, should you worship on Sunday or Saturday is your call. God has OBVIOUSLY blessed the church and many many devout Christians who have not only believed, but taught passionately that Sunday was the day of worship. To fail to take this into account is a massive error. So I am not telling you, nor anyone, what is right in this matter; only what is to me obvious knowing now what I know. MJH |
||||||
80 | Praying for the 'World'. | Matt 5:44 | MJH | 163615 | ||
Sonlite. You are in a good place. I joined in on this forum some time ago and it has been very fruitful for me in exploring new ideas and questions about the scripture. Many people hear are wroth listening to. I too have been raised in the church and held pretty much to the same doctrinal views for the first 29 years of my life. After joining a new church and meeting some new people, my views have been challenged a lot. After 4-5 years of this, I now actually have many more questions than before, but my views of God, Jesus, and His Word have become so much more great. The awe and worship of such a great God has changed not just my thinking, but my life and actions. There are MANY benefits for growing up in and staying within the same community of believers (there is plenty of Biblical evidence that this is the ideal.) However, doing so can make one think that "we have it figured out." All questions have an answer that is correct and that's that. But is that possible. Can a finite being understand fully an infinite God? Systematic theology, for all its good points, often removes the "mystery" of God that is so wonderful. I cherish my up bringing and love the church that brought me into the world of God very much. Without their dedication, the roots of my faith would not have been so deep, and the trails I have followed may have uprooted some of my faith, rather that cause it to bloom. I have seen people loose much of their faith because they were knew to Christianity and followed many of the same paths I followed, but did not have that deep root into a faith that has been tested by time, trials, as well as joys. All questions are worth asking, even the "scary" ones, because ultimately, on the other end, your faith will be stronger and you will probably be asking more questions and more questions... MJH |
||||||
Result pages: << First < Prev [ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ] Next > Last [8] >> |