God has killed so many people, you guys. 26 He regarded abuse suffered for Christ to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for his eyes were fixed on the reward. The Bible makes clear there is only one true God (Verses here: Whenever we read about the Law in the Old Testament it is often followed by the question, Whats the Point of the Old Testament Law, Theres a temptation when we read the Old Testament to justify or explain why God acted the way he did. He responds, Who said anything about being safe? We all have faith in something. Supreme Court Justices might not read the Constitution for entertainment at bedtime, but they would be quick to tell you how important it is to understand the Constitution. Absolutely not! This raises the question, Does God sometimes use evil to accomplish His plans? Heres a short history lesson: God created the nation of Israel from one man in the Ancient Near East: Abraham. And how are they to hear without someone preaching to them? Legalism seeks to provide a specific instruction for every circumstance we encounter in life. We can see the relationship between God and his people develop. He offered chances for repentance to both Jews and Gentiles alike. Its easier to go down when we understand that many of these pagan nations were also extremely wicked in their religious practices. 16 The mere use of the word perversion (found in Leviticus 18:23) is regarded as inappropriate and unacceptable. God ultimately allowed them to be conquered by the Assyrians and Babylonians (Psalm 106). God spoke to Paul in Pauls day and in Pauls way. Simultaneously, the God of the Old Testament is also love. "They have credited David with tens of thousands," he thought, "but me with only thousands. David lived a frustrating life, first in the shadow of his brothers, then constantly on the run from vengeful King Saul. dneonu50 1 mo. 22 By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, mentioned the exodus of the sons of Israel and gave instructions about his burial. Consider this: during their great time of famine, the Egyptians willingly offered to become slaves to Pharaoh (and, secondarily, to Joseph), and were grateful for being allowed to do so.21 Exodus 21:5-6 took into account the fact that some slaves, for love of family, and even their master, would choose a lifetime of slavery over freedom. And here's where God comes in literally, into Samson, giving him the power to murder 30 random people for their clothes. Soldarnal 36.3k 70 203 383 5 @Soldarnal, To add to your question: When Lot departs from Abraham he goes east (Gen. 13:11), the children of Abraham's concubines are sent east (25:6), Reuben, Gad and half of the tribe of Menashe choose to dwell outside and to the east of the land of Israel (Deut. King David was a man of contrasts. Evans is troubled by many things in the Old Testament, but especially by the harsh consequences in the law that follow from sexual sin consequences that often required the death of men and women. We dont need to justify Gods actions. But thats an oversimplification and doesnt take into account everything thats going on. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. 35 Then Jesus got up early in the morning when it was still very dark, departed, and went out to a deserted place, and there he spent time in prayer. The oppression didnt bode well for Pharaoh. God responded by killing another 14,700 of them with a plague. Learn Religions, Apr. We'll never know, because God turned her into seasoning for breaking a rule she didn't know existed. The was perhaps the greatest transgression of David's life. While what Dawkins says might seem a bit harsh, he raises some valid questions. DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affliliate links, meaning I get a small commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links. 29:8). 6 So even David himself speaks regarding the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: 7 Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; 8 blessed is the one against whom the Lord will never count sin (Romans 4:1-8). Aliens (foreigners, immigrants) are relatively powerless and vulnerable, and thus they may suffer abuse, even slavery. (2023, April 5). 6) Ordering His Underlings to Kill Their Own Children, God is obviously good at big picture dickishness, but he also took the time to be a dick on a more personal level. Only a true friend would help you commit mass murder to settle a completely stupid bet. Their story is very cyclical. These acts were Satanic, and an abomination to the holy God of Israel (Deuteronomy 12:31). God was violent to Israels enemies to ensure his new people survived and thrived. 3 So now, LORD, kill me instead, because I would rather die than live! (Jonah 4:1-3, emphasis mine). (Exodus 4:24-26). While that offers an explanation, its not really founded on anything solid. Late one night I could see a dim light coming from the kitchen, and when I investigated, what I feared was happening. When the LORD your God brings you to the land that you are going to occupy and forces out many nations before you Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and powerful than you 2 and he delivers them over to you and you attack them, you must utterly annihilate them. God spoke to Abraham in Abrahams day and in Abrahams way. Why didnt Adam and Eve find it strange that a serpent was talking to them? (NIV). Job doesn't not curse God, but he does wish he'd never been born (literally) and begs God to kill him, but no dice. Theres a temptation when we read the Old Testament to justify or explain why God acted the way he did. I dont know. It just makes a whole lot more sense, except for Revelation, we dont talk about that book. I believe this is where faith comes in. ", Culture Club / Contributor / Getty Images. My goal is to persuade you to read, study, and even teach the Old Testament, but in order to accomplish this goal I must first deal with some of the most common excuses that are offered for ignoring this part of the Bible. 6. And theres more. Beyond this, we need to be careful what we ask for when it comes to God dealing with sin. Tony Evans: Why We Need Black History Month, A.I. Afterward they will come out with many possessions. God required the Israelites to deal kindly with such folks, reminding them that they had once experienced the injustices and cruelty of an oppressive nation (Egypt). Rather getting his worshippers the hell out of there, God wanted to show those damned Egyptians what for, releasing 10 plagues that began with turning the river Nile into pure blood, and ending with the slaughter of the first-born of every single Egyptian man and animal. This story actually has a happy ending, in that right before Abraham drove a knife into his son's throat, God yelled "Psyche!" 27 By faith he left Egypt without fearing the kings anger, for he persevered as though he could see the one who is invisible. While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after giving thanks he broke it, gave it to his disciples, and said, Take, eat, this is my body. 27 And after taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them, saying, Drink from it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood, the blood of the covenant, that is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins (Matthew 26:26-28). (NIV), 1 Samuel 30:6David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. Then things gets weird. He writes this about Abraham: Plainly, then, Abraham was not by nature a man of strong principle, and his sense of responsibility was somewhat deficient. All of this, we must recognize, is the result of sin. At this rebellion, God was going to strike the entire nation down and start a new nation through Moses (Numbers 14:5-12). We have to remember the Old Covenant, the weight of the Law, and acknowledge that there are elements we just wont understand. 1. They were singing a new song: You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals because you were killed, and at the cost of your own blood you have purchased for God persons from every tribe, language, people, and nation (Revelation 5:9). I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion. That God made with Satan. But when we read the Old Testament we need to recognize that God is operating under a different set of rules. For our premium ad-free experience, including exclusive podcasts, issues and more, subscribe to. And so, yes, women can look to the Old Testament law passages to be reminded of God's holiness in texts like Leviticus 15:19-33. Abraham. Because he ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to extend his borders (1:13). Because if you're ugly, you can just go worship some other god, okay? Related Topics: Bible Study Methods, Bibliology (The Written Word), Christian Life, Old Testament, Spiritual Life, Robert L. (Bob)Deffinbaugh graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with his Th.M. It is also true that having slaves was almost universally accepted throughout Old Testament times (and even today, in some parts of the world). Like when God orders the genocide of entire groups of people: men, women, and children. You could call it equal opportunity punishment. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. Simultaneously, the God of the Old Testament is also love. "Profile of King David, Father of Solomon." ( Isaiah 5:20) The intent of many of those who make such claims is to make a good God look evil to justify their position of rejecting Him, His Word, or even His existence. In Genesis 10:15-19 we read of 11 groups in the area of Syria and Palestine that descended from Canaan. The magnitude of the blood shedding that we find in the Old Testament serves to indicate the magnitude of mans sin, and of its consequences, as well as its cure. This is when God pops up and basically tells him. Helped Samson Kill 30 People for Their Clothes (Judges 14:1-19) Then the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/king-david-man-after-gods-heart-701169. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that the one who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them. God required the shedding of blood as a sacrifice for sin. But thats an oversimplification and doesnt take into account everything thats going on. Non-Christians sometimes assert that God is portrayed in the Old Testament as a cruel and ruthless deity that indiscriminately orders the execution of seemingly innocent men, women, and children, or directly carries out their deaths by various means. without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22). But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, "Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is married.". The only sensible explanation for this is that God was drunk out of his mind and looking for a bar fight, and you better hope that's correct because the alternative is that God's a psychopath. We know Abraham loved his son, so he was probably kind of upset with this, but hey, God's God, right? God does not care for Er, and kills him. King David was often lax, or absent as a father, not disciplining his children when they needed it. Theres many more explanations, but I think you get the picture. It got so bad that God was ready to kill all of them and let Moses start the Jews over, although Moses managed to talk him out of it. But Jesus made it clear that healing the sick (as good as that was) was not His primary mission. Hes the King, I tell you. It depicts a great deal of violence and blood shedding. Job, having finally done something wrong, pleads for mercy, and God eventually gives him back animals and children new ones, because the old ones are still dead. King David was a man of contrasts. 37 When they found him, they said, Everyone is looking for you. 38 He replied, Let us go elsewhere, into the surrounding villages, so that I can preach there too. He loved these people, even though they dwelt in one of the most wicked cities of its day. 34 The foreigner who resides with you must be to you like a native citizen among you; so you must love him as yourself, because you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. This is at no cost to you and helps keep Rethink up and running. Richard Dawkins in his book The God Delusion, says, The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.. He had received the promises, yet he was ready to offer up his only son. There was no water for the congregation, and they assembled themselves . What have you been thinking about? The problem was the Nation of Israel just couldnt live up to the demands of The Law. Only God can do that. Annihilation was to take place when Canaanite culture became a cancer on society, and thus posed a great danger for Israelites. They will be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years. Its not just Christians that have noted this difference. We must take such texts as these within the broader context of Old and New Testament revelation, and thus we must consider these additional factors: First of all, Gods covenant with Abraham included, and indeed facilitated, His purpose of blessing Gentiles (non-Jews): Now the LORD said to Abram, Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your fathers house, To the land which I will show you; 2 And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; 3 And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. But God in wisdom dealt with this easygoing, unheroic figure to such good effect that not merely did he faithfully fulfill his appointed role on the stage of church history, . But if God didn't exist and the Bible weren't His Word, there would be no basis to say that good and evil exist, and therefore, brutality would be neither good nor bad. It just doesnt make sense to me. That had to suck, and you can't blame Eliseus for being pissed and cursing them to God. God made a bet with Satan that Job, a good man, would remain faithful even if he killed his children and ruined his life. Meet Jonathan in the Bible: Eldest Son of King Saul, Enoch in the Bible Was a Man Who Did Not Die, M.A., English Composition, Illinois State University, B.S., English Literature, Illinois State University. There are no simple answers. . This we will seek to do in the next lesson. Later in this passage He makes an outlandish claim, that for the Law to save you, you would have to follow it better than the Pharisees. No matter what, the Lord is always faithful to His promises. The first is that the Old Testaments honest portrayal of mans flaws and the fact that things are not as they should be is yet another way in which the Law set a standard that men could not meet, thus showing his need of salvation some other way than by law-keeping. It may well be that we are storing up vital truth, the meaning and application of which may very well become evident later. Heres the quick answers: The Old Testament and the New Testament God are the same. Having been well admonished that Moses was putting himself above the rest of the people with God's permission, a number of surviving Israelites were kind of pissed that Moses and God had killed so many of their fellow people to prove a point. It started with Cain shedding the blood of his brother Abel.5 God took the shedding of animal blood seriously, and the shedding of human blood (murder) even more seriously.6. I dont know what to do, theres nothing that really makes sense to me. Please dont throw up. To the atheist, these verses prove that the biblical God is cruel, and anyone who believes in him is, at best, brainwashed. 14 How are they to call on one they have not believed in? A number of cases of mass killings of people, apparently at God's behest, are recorded in the Old Testament: 1. Well, Samson's wife wheedled the answer out of him and then told these dudes, at which point an angry Samson had to pay up. Absolutely not! 6 For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. (Galatians 1:6-9). Either the sight of a very unexpected circumcision sobered God up quickly, or he didn't want to touch a dude who just touched a severed foreskin. We arent reading a story of two different Gods, but rather a story of the same God in different circumstances. For that is what I came out here to do (Mark 1:34-38). But keep these things in mind. Fifth, Christians are commanded to take the good news of the saving work of Jesus (the Gospel) to the unsaved, so that they can be delivered from Gods wrath: 8 But what does it say? Maybe she was thinking wistfully of the things she had to leave behind. There are not two ways of salvation in the Bible: salvation by law-keeping in the Old Testament, and salvation by faith in the New Testament. 5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in the one who declares the ungodly righteous, his faith is credited as righteousness. I choose to believe even though I dont know things for sure. Runaway slaves were to be embraced by Israelites, allowed to settle where they wished, and were to be treated kindly. Why does God permit men to have multiple wives, and even concubines?11 How can we justify Abrams foreign policy of having Sarah pass herself off as his sister,12 thereby appearing to make herself available for a foreigner to marry? It was complete savagery. But he unwisely chased the Hebrews across the Red Sea to his own doom and the annihilation of the Egyptian army. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy! But God had Eliseus' back, by which I mean he sent two bears to maul 42 of these kids to death. No More Excuses: Read Your Old Testament! The Hebrew Bible (and its overt violence) can be difficult to defend. So the Lord let him alone." 9 I was pleased to see that J. I. Packer agrees on this point. 16 But as it is, they aspire to a better land, that is, a heavenly one. Gods divine violence protected His people. A crowd was gathered, waiting for more healings. Who can honestly say that these stories are boring: Our kids grew up hearing us read these and many other stories of the Bible, most of which came from the Old Testament. Here are the 12 craziest, most awful things God did in the Old Testament, back before that wacked-out hippie Jesus softened him up. The New Testament, however, makes it clear that observation of these Old Testament food laws for religious reasons is no longer required in the New Testament era. Then he made a bet that if they could solve it in a week, Samson would give them all new clothes, but if they couldn't they would give Samson 30 pairs of new clothes. David hails from Bethlehem, the City of David in Jerusalem. We may try to fool ourselves or others, but we cannot hide our sin from God. King David's story runs from 1 Samuel 16 through 1 Kings 2. If we dont we cant fully understand what Jesus did. God did bring judgment upon people in the Old Testament. He then tried to cover up her pregnancy, and when he failed with that, he had her husband Uriah the Hittite killed. So Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. Thats where faith comes in. Satan does. Cats who had first-born? 14 See Judges 19:22-30. (Numbers 16:41-49), 8) Killing a Dude for Not Making More Babies, So you're a dude named Onan and you have a brother named Er. This is like the God of the Old Testament. This is actually pretty awkward for Onan, sleeping with his sister-in-law, and rather than give her any more kids (she had two with Er already) he pulls out. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, 4 for they will turn your sons away from me to worship other gods. Then Jesus enters the picture. Lets be honest, the Old Testament is bloody. Later, we will discuss why we should read our Old Testament (part 2), and finally (part 3) how we should read the Old Testament. Here are four of the numerous stories of men who were used by God and what we can learn from their lives. It is also true that the Old Testament assumes that slavery (and many good things, such as marriage) could and would be abused, even badly abused. Zavada, Jack. God ultimately allowed them to be conquered by the Assyrians and Babylonians (Psalm 106). Gods wrath arrived in full force. But this was a town that, when two angels were staying at Lot's place, gathered en masse and asked if they could rape them. And you realize there were cats in Egypt, right? We live in the New Testament, under the New Covenant. Here is an interesting command. For I take no delight in the death of anyone, declares the sovereign LORD. And be honest, NOBODY knows for sure.

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