Difficult Passages: Numbers 31:15-18

Numbers 31:15-18 "And Moses said to them, "Have you spared all the women? (16) "Behold, these caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, so the plague was among the congregation of the LORD. (17) "Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man intimately. (18) "But all the girls who have not known man intimately, spare for yourselves." (NASB)

The reason Moses gives is in v16: "Behold, these [women] caused the sons of Israel ... to trespass against the LORD..." I'm not sure we have enough information to know why the virgins are spared and given to the Israelites. I have to do more study to understand better why God ordered that along with these women, their sons had to be killed.

Difficult Passages: 1 Samuel 15:1-3

1 Samuel 15:1-3 Then Samuel said to Saul, "The LORD sent me to anoint you as king over His people, over Israel; now therefore, listen to the words of the LORD. (2) "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he set himself against him on the way while he was coming up from Egypt. (3) 'Now go and strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that he has, and do not spare him; but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.'" (NASB)

This is certainly a difficult passage. Perhaps King Solomon has some pertinent wisdom for us on this matter:

Eccl 11:5 Just as you do not know the path of the wind and how bones are formed in the womb of the pregnant woman, so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things. (NASB)

Yes... who are we to judge God for what He does. After all, this verse really only scratches the surface. What about the most obvious stuff like how all the women, children... everything that lived was destroyed in the flood, or how the women and children (including the pregnant ones) were burned directly by God in the fire and brimstone of Sodom and Gomorrah. And lest we forget the punishment of Hell that is bestowed upon all who do not repent and believe the gospel... and that is ETERNAL conscious torment, day and night forever and ever. Could this really be reasonable punishment for merely rejecting God's free gift? Indeed, it is... it must be. How can the mind even begin to comprehend this.

However, in verse 18, it says that God's command was 'Go and utterly destroy the sinners... and fight against them until they are exterminated.' God's command here is severe, but no doubt the sins of the Amalekites had added up to heaven. Saul obeyed except he kept the king alive and the best of the sheep (as he intended to save them for sacrifice to God -- see v21). But look at God's response through Samuel:

1 Samuel 15:22-23 "Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king." (NASB)

Notice that although Saul begged for mercy, he did not get it. Disobedience is the same as rejecting God's Word. He demands FULL obedience. We cannot mostly obey and follow our own way. This scripture really puts a healthy fear of God in me!

Difficult Passages: Hosea 13:16

Hos 13:16 "Samaria will be held guilty, For she has rebelled against her God. They will fall by the sword, Their little ones will be dashed in pieces, And their pregnant women will be ripped open." (NASB)

Looking at other scriptures, I noted the following in Amos:

Amos 1:13 "Thus says the LORD, "For three transgressions of the sons of Ammon and for four I will not revoke its punishment, Because they ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead In order to enlarge their borders." (NASB)

But they did it to selfishly enlarge their borders. God rather does so in judgment. God says "do not kill" but is He restricted to not kill? If so, then He could not be the judge. No, instead we are told by Jesus Himself "I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!" (Luke 12:5 NASB). This is the God who created us, who loved us enough to redeem us and come Himself to suffer God's punishment for each of us as the only perfect and acceptable sacrifice.

Jeremiah was so destraught by God's judgment that like Job he curses the day when he was born and the man who brought the news of his birth to his father "because he did not kill me before birth, so that my mother would have been my grave, and her womb ever pregnant." He continues: "Why did I ever come forth from the womb to look on trouble and sorrow, so that my days have been spent in shame?" (Jer 20:13-18).

Surely, if God's prophets felt this way, I'm sure we will too. God's judgments are severe here on earth, but they are just. And they are no comparison to the eternity to come. Perhaps we just do not understand the seriousness of sin.

Looking back at Hosea 13:8 we read how God will encounter the people. And look at verse 2 how "they sin more and more" in idolatry. However, continuing onto chapter 14, we see that God's anger is eventually turned away -- He even says in Hosea 14:3 "For in You the orphan finds mercy." No doubt, after that bout of wrath, there were a lot of orphans. Perhaps the final exhortation of this chapter is the key to difficult issues such as these:

Hosea 14:9 "Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; Whoever is discerning, let him know them. For the ways of the LORD are right, and the righteous will walk in them, but transgressors will stumble in them." (NASB)

So -- let us be discerning and know that God is just and not stumble in the fact that He destroys every living thing of those that are evil. We would do well to remember what God said to Abraham of Sodom and Gomorrah -- even for 10 righteous people I will not destroy them.

I hope this was helpful. Please let me know what you think.

Difficult Passages: Ezekiel 20:26

In Leviticus 18:21, we read the following:

And you shall not give your seed [ie. offspring] to pass them through [the fire] to Molech, nor shall you pollute the name of your God; I am Jehovah. (LITV)

However, in Ezekiel 20:26 we read:

And I defiled them by their own gifts, by making all that open the womb to cross the fire, so that I might waste them, to the end that they might know that I am Jehovah. (LITV)

I started reading through the whole chapter of Ezekiel 20 (which I recommend), and noticed that verse 25 states in the NASB: "I also gave them statutes that were not good and ordinances by which they could not live." As I was thinking about this, I'm wondering if these were the laws allowing divorce because of their hard hearts, as was spoken of in the NT...

True, the rendering of verse 26 in Ezekiel 20 is difficult -- "I defile them". However, it was because of their own gifts (passing their firstborn through the fire) that they were defiled. Verse 31 clearly states that they defile themselves by doing these things. But note verse 38, which is very satisfying, because it states that God will purge from among them the rebels and the transgressors against Himself. He doesn't mindlessly punish the people, but those who sin. Ezekiel 18 makes this very clear. Yes, the whole house may be drawn into the desert, but those who do not continually rebel and defile themselves will be spared.

In North America, we live in a land of plenty; but if God judges this nation, we may be forced to live like they did back in the 1930s. It would be like saying that those who rebelled would perish, but those who obeyed, God would sustain. Paul said that he had learned that through all things, whether in need or plenty, he lived in thankfulness for what he had.

The other point that is likely being brought out in this passage is that of allowing the people to fill up the measure of sin for their time of judgment. Jesus refers to this in Matt 23:32 when He says: "Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers." Paul refered to those rebels also in 1 Thess 2:16 when he said that "...they always fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them to the utmost." And again, we refer back to Isaiah 6 where God determines at some point to further harden the hearts of the rebels, those who willingly harden their own hearts, in order to fill up the measure of sin that they are to bear. Difficult, difficult stuff -- I certainly am not trying to say otherwise, but this is the God of mercy AND justice that I love and serve. He is the God of grace and truth (John 1:17).

In all of these difficult passages, we must not presume that God is ever unjust. In every other point He has proven Himself faithful and just, and how can we think differently just because we don't have all the details or don't fully understand an obscure passage. Yet, I trust that He can and will provide us with wisdom if we seek Him in faith, believing that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly seek Him.

Difficult Passages: Do 2 Sam 24:1 and 1 Chron 21:1 Contradict?

2 Sam 24:1 Again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, "Go and take a census of Israel and Judah."

1 Chron 21:1 Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel.

I don't see a contradiction here. God often personally associates Himself with an action but is in fact using Satan, a deceiving spirit, an invading army, etc. He incites "Egyptians against Egyptians" in Isaiah 19:2. In 1 Kings 22:20, God asks for someone to entice Ahab to fall in battle and says in verse 23: "...the LORD has put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets..."

Another contention is that God would punish Israel because (and only because) of David's sin. But in 2 Sam 24:1, we see clearly that the anger of the LORD burned against Israel. So it was clear that there were those in Israel who were sinning against the LORD and the time of their punishment was upon them. Note that all three of the options that God gives to David to choose from in 2 Sam 24:13 (seven years of famine, three months fleeing their foes, or three days pestilence) all involved judgement on the people. It seems to me that in the seven years of famine, those whom God wanted to judge would die. Same with 3 months of fleeing their enemies, and similarly with the 3 days of pestilence. Perhaps I'm wrong, but it seems that all three involved the death of Israelites. If I had a choice, I think I would rather get it over with quickly and have picked option three. But David wanted option 4 if at all possible, and if not, then knowing the mercy of God, left it in His hands...

The problem I have with this passage is that in God's anger against Israel, He incites David to sin. We know from other scripture that God doesn't tempt us to sin, though He tests us from time to time. In the Message paraphrase, Eugene says that God tested David, but I don't think this is what the text says. God clearly wanted to judge Israel and He seems bent on making David responsible for this disaster for some reason. This is a difficulty I have not yet resolved. The King James renders it "He moved David..." but, if God was the cause of this sin, then how was David responsible? God certainly could have put fear in David's heart that he would think of numbering the people to gain relief in the numbers of his armies. In that case, God did not tempt him directly, but led him into temptation. And we are told in 2 Chron 21:1 that God used Satan to do this. One has to ask why in the Lord's prayer we are to pray "lead us not into temptation"? Perhaps David was sinning against the LORD as well, and God, knowing his heart, knew that he would do this sinful thing. I'll have to think about this further and see if there are other scriptures that illuminate this more, but for now this is my best assessment. I know of other examples of God leading others into sin such as Judas Iscariot, but just as God hardened Pharoah's heart, it was not without his own hardening beforehand, and with Judas -- he was already showing evidence of unbelief and unrepentance before. Probably the most obvious and blatant description of what God is doing is described in Isaiah 6. I am beginning to see the reason for the believer to pray "lead us not into temptation"... After all, following the Lord is still a choice. And, if I am not disciplined, then I am not truly loved. When I or any believer is disciplined, it is never only because I am being setup, but because of sin already present in my heart for which I have harbored.

How Do We Know We've Got the Truth?

Often we get a lot of the ideas, beliefs and practices that we have from our cultural influences, people that we look up to and books. How do we know what we are believing to be true actually is true? We can easily become swayed, like a reed in the wind, by believing in doctrines of people and not those of God from His Word. If we are not careful to "search the scriptures to see if these things are so" (Acts 17:11) like the Bereans (rather than just sticking with a single verse and an argument), then we are in danger of being "tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes" (Eph 4:14). I am all to familiar how in the reading of books and using them as spectacles through which to view scripture, one can easily wander from the truth. Often we don't realize we are doing it, but if we place books and the words of men above the Word of God and seeking His understanding through the teaching of the Holy Spirit, then we will certainly err. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit will teach us all things, not men -- even the best of them! (John 14:26 -- see also Psalm 143:10, Luke 12:12). I certainly don't want myself to stray, nor you nor any brother or sister in Christ... and so to this end I am labouring.

As good Bereans, we should do at least the following 2 things whenever we are offered an interpretation of scripture:

1. First and foremost, we must establish the local context in which the verse in question lies. Who is the speaker? Who is the audience and what understanding did they have of the things being spoken of? For the latter, reading relevant parts of the Talmud (or Jewish oral traditions) would help to understand the mindset of those Jews who joined the early church. What was being done or said before and after the verse? If it is a letter, re-read the entire letter in one sitting to get the greater context as well as tone.
   
2. Secondly, carefully examine key words within the verse in question. Then search the entire Bible for these key words to find out how the Bible uses these terms in the rest of scripture. Anyone is capable of doing this, and with modern computer technology and freely available Bible software (ie. http://www.e-sword.net/), it is quite easy. Without these, a concordance will help. In this case, we want to look at the term "Rock" and any variants, such as "stone," etc.

Of course, whenever approaching scripture, we must do so in prayer and in submission to the Holy Spirit's leading. It is very easy and natural for us to look for support for our current understanding. If scripture disagrees with our current understanding, we must be open to allow the Holy Spirit to teach us and to renew our minds and to correct us. One of the keys to reading the Bible is to never read a verse. Never ever read a verse in isolation; always read it in its contexts (both local and within the general context of scripture).

Interpreting Scripture

The Bible has MOST DEFINITELY been misinterpreted and in several places, innapropriate words were used in translation and even outright incorrect words for some. That is without doubt. One list of several mistranslations that have caused a lot of dispute within the church is here. You understand, though, that this speaks nothing of the original texts, but of the translators. You should be glad to know that no essential doctrines related to the gospel message have been mistranslated to the point that people cannot clearly understand them. But what do we make of these mistakes? Does this mean the Bible is not inerrant?

The Bible is indeed inerrant because the originals are inerrant. We only have copies of the originals, however the mistakes and differences found are for the most part copyist errors such as "rocks and trees" instead of "trees and rocks" or spelling mistakes or other fairly obvious errors/ommissions on the minority of the copies. So the obvious questions I suspect you are asking then is what we are to do if even those highly educated in the original languages make mistakes in the translation? How on earth are we to figure out what is and what is not a mistake? How do we know if we are right or wrong?

The answer is two-fold:

1. First, the Holy Spirit (if we are listening to Him), teaches us ALL things is is the light by which the scripture is illuminated to us in its true meaning. It is much like a Hologram. The Holy Spirit is to be our teacher, not humans -- we are to subject every human interpretation to the authority of the Spirit.... including our own often half-hazzard interpretations. We must come to the Word in prayer and in submission to it. If it speaks against our worldview or corrects us, we need to be willing to listen to it and not stand in judgment over it.
2. Second, and very importantly, is that we absolutely must read scripture in context. There is a local context (scriptures in the immediate vicinity), the context of the book or letter, the historical context (can get a lot from the traditions in force at the time through works such as the Talmud, etc.) and MOST IMPORTANTLY the context of the whole of scripture. One of the best ways to find out if an interpretation is correct when there are multiple available is to seach the whole Bible for every occurrence of the key words in the passage and see what the meaning in the local context is for each. By the end of such a study, you will have an idea as to whether or not the proposed interpretation is likely or not or even plausible. And anybody, regardless of their training can do this as long as they are seeking the truth and submitting to the teaching of the Holy Spirit.
   

A very good book which I highly recommend on the subject of interpreting scripture is "How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth," by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart.

We Are The Light of The World (Matt 5:14)

What does it mean to be "the light of the world" that Jesus claims we are? It is important to understand the answer to this question as we are commanded to be a light and not to hide it. Note that being light to the world is distinguished from being the salt of the Earth (I will cover what it means to be the salt of the Earth in another post).

The Example of Jesus as "The Light"
Since Jesus lives in and through those with saving faith, and since we are to be like Him, statements made about Jesus and by Jesus reveal what it means to be a light.

In Matthew 4:16-17, we are told that Jesus, the Great light (or morning star), preached repentance from the beginning (or dawning) of His ministry to those sitting in great darkness, in the land and shadow of death.

Recall also that Simeon blesses Jesus as a baby and says the following over Him:

...then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, "...For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, And the glory of Your people Israel. ... [and speaking to Mary] Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed-- and a sword will pierce even your own soul--to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed."

So Jesus was the light of God's revelation to the Gentiles! Simeon says that this meant He was going to be a sign of opposition, causing the rise and fall of many in Israel. Also, being a light meant revealing the thoughts of hearts. In Mark 4:22, Jesus states: "For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light."

The Bible defines the source of light (the Word and commandments of God) in the following:

1. Prov 6:23 states: "For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light; And reproofs for discipline are the way of life."
2. In Psalm 119:105-112, David declares "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws."

...more to come

My List of Bible Study Resources

I thought I would start off by giving you a list of all the resources that I frequently use for Bible study.

• The first and by far best resource I have ever come across for the price is the e-Sword Bible software by Rick Meyers available from http://e-sword.net/ free of charge! You can download many different free Bible versions including the International Standard Version (ISV), Modern King James (MKJV), KJV with Strongs, the New American Study Bible (NASB w/strongs, $20), as well as many other commentaries, a Bible reading plan tool, a prayer list and reminder tool and much more! Probably the best 2 features are being able to search the entire Bible for a word, phrase, or strong's number and secondly the Topic and Study notes capability where you can store all your notes. It is a very easy program to use and you will not be disappointed!


• The NET Bible is also an excellent translation with very extensive translator notes which are very helpful. You can either use the online version here or download it for your computer here or even as an add-on for e-Sword. The NET Bible also includes the Apocrophal books in case this interests you.


• Another good online study tool (if you don't have access to e-Sword) is the BlueLetterBible at http://blueletterbible.org/.
• Another tool I am using is a Greek-English interlinear called the Apostles' Bible for Genesis to Revelation which you can download in PDF format for free from here: http://septuagint-interlinear-greek-bible.com/ .


• Finally, I have been totally blessed by my Bible on audio CD which has allowed me to listen to the Bible many, many times already. By listening to an entire book in one session while doing dishes, for example, I am able to get a better feel for the context and a broader understanding of the text. I am also able to listen while I work or while I am driving to/from work. It is excellent for those who have a very busy lifestyle. This tool has been indispensable! I purchased the NIV multivoice w/music version of the entire Bible on CD and then burned it onto MP3s and can take the entire Bible with me wherever I go on a few CDs or now on one of those small flash MP3 players! HIGHLY recommended!