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NASB | Judges 11:36 So she said to him, "My father, you have given your word to the LORD; do to me as you have said, since the LORD has avenged you of your enemies, the sons of Ammon." |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Judges 11:36 And she said to him, "My father, you have made a vow to the LORD; do to me as you have vowed, since the LORD has taken vengeance for you on your enemies, the Ammonites." |
Subject: why did GOD allow Jephthah killed |
Bible Note: Dear Edwin, Given the clear emphasis of the importance of deep knowledge based in the revelatory truth of the Word (Ephesians 1:17; Philippians 1:9; Colossians 1:9-10; 2:2; 3:10; 2 Timothy 2:25; Titus 1:1; Hebrews 10:26; 2 Peter 1:1-8, etc), and the clear admonitions to eschew speculative thinking (1Timothy 4:7, 6:4-5, 20; 2:14, 16-18, 2 Timothy 2:22, 4:4; Titus 1:14, 3:9; 2 Peter 1:16), I'd say your thesis is problematic at its roots. Assuming you can -- with a clear conscience -- sidestep these doctrines, your list is seriously deficient. I'm not even entirely confident that the constructive criticism I offer below is perfectly appropriate in the sight of my Lord. Like as not it all should be ignored. First and most importantly, the order of your items promotes the idea that the Word of God is of tertiary importance. If you really believed that I rather doubt that you'd be participating in a forum whose foundation is the sole authority of Scripture. So, move #3 into position #1. The Word is the firm foundation on which all doctrine must rest. (cf Matthew 22:29, 31-32; Acts 28:23; Ephesians 2:20) Second, I'd put in the #2 slot what the old divines called the "light of nature." Some of God's attributes are called "communicable." That is, they are attributes of His own that He has seen fit to imbue (i.e., communicate) into some of his creatures. Rationality is one such attribute. God cannot make 2 plus 2 something other than 4. He cannot overturn the laws of logic. Not because He is powerless to do so, but because it is contrary to His nature. Consequently, if a speculation is plainly irrational, I'd say it should be jettisoned post haste. Third, I'd put in the #3 slot the teachings of the Church. Let's face it, Edwin, no one reading this forum is likely to come up with something that hasn't been come up with in 2000 years of Christian thinking! Well, let me amend that: If any one of us comes up with something that no other believer ever thought of, it probably isn't true. This, of course, annoys the folks who have a vested interest in avoiding learning (as we frequently witness around here). That's too bad, because they will then be swayed by every wind of doctrine, walking in the vanity of their own mind. God equipped the Church explicitly in order to avoid this (Jeremiah 6:16; Ephesians 2:20; 4:11-24). The teachings of the Church ought only be abandoned when they violate our first two requirements. Your other points seem somehow misplaced, unnecessary, or redundant. After all, God is always honored by truth. All things that are true are rooted in Him. Truth is unchanged no matter how it benefits people. Truth never becomes less true simply because people abuse it, or because they react negatively to it. Edwin, we can never plumb the veridical depths of the Word of God. With so many things we can assert and discuss backed by the revealed truth of God, why should we wander off onto shakier ground? Why would we want to encourage others to do so? What does it say about our confidence in the doctrines of the sufficiency and clarity of the Scriptures? What does that, in turn, say about our trust in God? As I think more about it, why amend your list at all? Why not let it pass away through simple neglect? :-) The principles of wisdom in Scripture would commend us to that path. As to the discussion of over-spiritualization, allegorization, or moralization of Scripture... Eschewing these errors are simply a part of forming a sound hermeneutic as taught by the Word itself. Our brother Kalos is right to warn us away from these things that would otherwise drive us away from the Truth, as they have done to so many others. In Him, Doc |