The Flood (Genesis 6-8) 2. He remained loyal to King Saul, despite Saul's crazed pursuit. Abraham said of Sarah his wife, "She is my sister.". Invaluable Lessons from 7 (Good and Bad) Kings in the Bible - Crosswalk He offered chances for repentance to both Jews and Gentiles alike. The cities of the plain, including Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18-19) 3. Question Why is God so different in the Old Testament than He is in the New Testament? Who Were the Canaanites, and Why Did God Order Their Destruction? Maybe she was thinking wistfully of the things she had to leave behind. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him (John 3:16-17). He wants him to desires, honesty, and truth in your prayers and in your worship towards him. Because there was no prophetic word from God during the period from . This certainly implies that runaway slaves knew that slaves fared far better in Israel than elsewhere. Isaac Bible Story - What He Did and His Importance - Bible Study Tools But he refused to kill King Saul, despite several opportunities. In the Bible, from beginning to end, salvation in the Bible is by faith. 4:4; 3:14-15). But some of them had to be babies who didn't even have the time to persecute the Jews yet. The oppression didnt bode well for Pharaoh. 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? 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. (NIV), 1 Samuel 18:7-8As they danced, they sang: "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands." Later, we will discuss why we should read our Old Testament (part 2), and finally (part 3) how we should read the Old Testament. 20 By faith also Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning the future. Aslan wasnt safe but he was good. These acts were Satanic, and an abomination to the holy God of Israel (Deuteronomy 12:31). What Do You Do When You Cant Care About Every Issue? 13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. King Hezekiah in the Bible Found Favor With God - Learn Religions I guess thats true, but it still doesnt seem to jive with the character of God. Why Was the God of the Old Testament So Violent? - RELEVANT We live in the New Testament, under the New Covenant. What should we learn from the account of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? When the Israelites refused to enter the Promised Land after hearing the report of the ten faithless spies in Numbers 13:31-33, they wanted to choose new leaders to take them back to Egypt (Numbers 14:1-4). Biblical Womanhood and the Problem of the Old Testament Hes the King, I tell you. Bob Iger Wants Disney to Cut Back on Marvel and Star Wars Content, Titanic Addict James Cameron Wants to Direct a Series About the OceanGate Submarine Disaster, Seven Books That Will Help You Care for the Poor, Dr. Derwin Gray: The Forgotten Practice of Lament Might Be the Key to Unlocking Happiness, Six Devotionals to Help Jump Start Your Spiritual Life, Hollywood Will Shut Down For the First Time Since 1960, 20,000 Moviegoers Have Already Purchased Tickets For a Barbenheimer Double Feature, Sound of Freedom Passes $40M at the Box Office, 15 Christian Parodies of Pop Songs Youve Got to See to Believe, Boxer Ryan Garcia Walked Out to Oceans at a Huge Match This Weekend, Texas Tech Suspends Mens Basketball Coach Over Using a Racially Insensitive Bible Quote. The 10 Worst Old Testament Verses by Dan Barker What do we do with this Old Testament God? (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. Certainly many of its stories can make your skin crawl and force you to ask the question: But isnt the Christian God supposed to be a God of Love? The God of the Old Testament vs. the God of New Thats faith; when things dont make sense, Im going to choose to trust God. It would seem that this instruction applies to those who were slaves in some other country, and have fled to Israel as a sanctuary. 15 Bible Verses about God Hating People. (Genesis 32: 22-31), 11) Killing People for Complaining About God Killing Them, To be fair, after God freed the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, they were extraordinarily bitchy about not instantly being in a land of milk and honey. Theres many more explanations, but I think you get the picture. Reading the New Testament is so much easier than reading the Old Testament. He was cursed because of his sin against Noah ( Genesis 9:20-25 ). What have you been thinking about? God did bring judgment upon people in the Old Testament. (NIV). God ultimately allowed them to be conquered by the Assyrians and Babylonians (Psalm 106). There was no water for the congregation, and they assembled themselves . 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? While what Dawkins says might seem a bit harsh, he raises some valid questions. Get our Question of the Week delivered right to your inbox! In Genesis 10:15-19 we read of 11 groups in the area of Syria and Palestine that descended from Canaan. But hes good. God declares acts of homosexuality and bestiality to be not only sinful, but contrary to nature. And he may have actually been insane, if his willingness to randomly murder devout worshippers like Moses was any indication. 24 See also Acts 10-11, 15:1ff. (Genesis 22:1-12), Let's be completely up front: The Egyptians and the Jews did not get along. 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. Anyone who thinks that the God of the Old Testament is different from the God revealed by Jesus needs to reflect on the fact that the God worshiped and proclaimed by Jesus as our "heavenly Father . So a guy named Eliseus was traveling to Bethel when a bunch of kids popped up and made fun of him for being bald. The point is God speaks in a way that the people he is speaking to understands. They were not to be given back to their (oppressive) masters. At times he was single-mindedly devoted to God, yet at other times he failed miserably, committing some of the most serious sins recorded in the Old Testament. God blesses him and wanders off, presumably to go get in a bar fight somewhere. He went down to Ashkelon, struck down thirty of their men, stripped them of everything and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. King David was often lax, or absent as a father, not disciplining his children when they needed it. No More Excuses: Read Your Old Testament! 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. Alright, lets tackle some of these issues in a little more detail. What is the significance of "east" in the Scriptures? And what about all those laws? How was God stopped from murdering his #1 fan? Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy! Hell, God once helped some Israelites kill 500,000 other Israelites. That had to suck, and you can't blame Eliseus for being pissed and cursing them to God. God wants you to know how connected y'all really are. Aliens (foreigners, immigrants) are relatively powerless and vulnerable, and thus they may suffer abuse, even slavery. It depicts a great deal of violence and blood shedding. Church Planter. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age (Matthew 28:19-20). 9. She obtains wool and flax, and she is pleased to work with her hands (Proverbs 31:13). (Galatians 1:6-9). Sports Betting Hits a New High: A Crisis in the Making? For our premium ad-free experience, including exclusive podcasts, issues and more, subscribe to. God can defend himself. 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell after the people marched around them for seven days. 2 He prayed to the LORD and said, Oh, LORD, this is just what I thought would happen when I was in my own country. Nathan replied, "The LORD has taken away your sin. 8 Worse yet, Mordecai is portrayed as a hero. We might do well to read and meditate upon Psalm 119, to remind ourselves of how godly Old Testament saints looked upon the Law. There are no simple answers. Here we see God . They will be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years. Thus when we read the Old Testament we need to understand the people God was talking to before we can understand how it applies to us today. Husband. Elijah told Obadiah to tell Ahab that he was going to pay him a visit. God downs his bourbon, presumably, and tells Satan he can fuck with Job all he wants. 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. Consider what God does say in the Old Testament about slavery: When a foreigner resides with you in your land, you must not oppress him. . I dont know what to do, theres nothing that really makes sense to me. Okay, I mean technically, God has killed everyone if you subscribe to Judeo-Christian thought, but I'm not talking about indirect methods, I'm talking about God murdering countless people in horrible ways simply because he's pissed off. The first of the firstfruits of your soil you must bring to the house of the LORD your God. We should read it. When you first see the contrast between the Old Testament and the New Testament its easy to conclude that there must be two gods. All rights reserved. All of this, we must recognize, is the result of sin. God spoke to Abraham in Abrahams day and in Abrahams way. At that point I think its important that we say, What You Need To Know About The Hebrews 12:2 Meaning, What Is The Armor Of God? I will never stop searching for answers. God states in the Book of Amos, For three sin of Ammon, even for four, I will not turn back my wrath. We are preoccupied with discovering whats in it for me. All too many Bible studies are guided by the question, What does this text mean to you? I believe that we should begin, rather, with the question, What did this text mean to the ones to whom it was first written? We need to read Old Testament texts from the recipients point of view, and only later seek to apply it to our own lives. You must not cook a young goat in its mothers milk (Exodus 34:26). Was this not an opportune time to launch His ministry by granting such healing? As I have recently been reading through the Gospel of John, I have been impressed with how many times we are told that the disciples did not understand what Jesus was saying at the time. 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. Im not going to break this down too far, but if you want to read more check out my article: Whats the Point of the Old Testament Law. To understand the Bible we need to understand how the law worked. But it wasnt only the Amorites who were intensely evil. They abandon God, things get bad. And the laws, well well talk about this in a bit. There is literally no explanation given in the Bible for God's decision to murder one of his chief supporters. Heres how I handle difficult passages. 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. And this one man said something like this when he stood up to read the passage: I know that we normally read the passage and then pray, but today I would like to pray first, before I read the passage.. So read it. (2023, April 5). And you realize there were cats in Egypt, right? For kicks. Lets be honest, the Old Testament is bloody. Here is my list of the 10 worst Old Testament passages, in reverse order. What we do see (and should learn) from the Old Testament examples of multiple wives is that it didnt work well. We should not be surprised when Paul has some very strong words to say against legalism: I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are following a different gospel 7 not that there really is another gospel, but there are some who are disturbing you and wanting to distort the gospel of Christ. . The death of our Lord Jesus was, of necessity, bloody. I mean, God appointed him to lead the Jews out of Egypt, parted the Red Sea for him, and even picked him to receive the 10 Commandments, right? Repent and live! Pope Francis Says Christians Dont Understand Marriage. These all died in faith without receiving the things promised, but they saw them in the distance and welcomed them and acknowledged that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth. 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. He had received the promises, yet he was ready to offer up his only son. A fool takes no pleasure in understanding but only in disclosing what is on his mind (Proverbs 18:2). 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. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 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. 29:8). Second, Gods essential desire and predisposition is to graciously forgive sinners, rather than to destroy them: 6 The LORD passed by before him and proclaimed: The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness, 7 keeping loyal love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. Of course, God isn't as worried about skin color or sexual orientation as he is about whether you're ugly or not. However at some point in our finite capability we will run into a wall. 8 Now, dear friends, do not let this one thing escape your notice, that a single day is like a thousand years with the Lord and a thousand years are like a single day. For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. He's literally just hanging out with Satan which is kinda weird when you think about it when he starting bragging about how awesome Job is. Only God can do that. For that is what I came out here to do (Mark 1:34-38). Yet God completely ignores those facts and uses " I love you" to hide the facts as well as using it as his "get out of jail" card. The cross of Christ is the remedy for sin, and the only means by which God delivers sinners from eternal punishment: For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. Before Jesus arrived and his divine father chilled out, the Old Testament God was, ironically, kind of a hellraiser. 36 Simon and his companions searched for him. 1. The Canaanites descend from the grandson of Noah, Canaan. Skepticism is understandable. 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 Bible declares that God created all mankind as either male or female, and it is as such that they are created in His image.17 He distinguishes male and female roles, and defines appropriate relationships. So, too, Gods primary purpose in the Old Testament was not to correct every evil, but to reveal mans sin and inability to earn salvation by good works, and to prepare the way for Jesus and the Gospel. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; when it comes, the heavens will disappear with a horrific noise, and the celestial bodies will melt away in a blaze, and the earth and every deed done on it will be laid bare (2 Peter 3:7-10). 16 In the fourth generation your descendants will return here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its limit (Genesis 15:12-16, emphasis mine). When you first see the contrast between the Old Testament and the New Testament its easy to conclude that there must be two gods. Put your email in the box below! ago In simple terms God created everything including satan thus is Satan's creator thus should be held accountable for all of Satan's crimes. But if the servant should declare, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free, 6 then his master must bring him to the judges, and he will bring him to the door or the doorposts, and his master will pierce his ear with an awl, and he shall serve him forever (Exodus 21:5-6). Neither Moses nor God cared for that, and God opened up the grounds beneath their people's tents, killing both tribes (God also set fire to 250 Israelite princes who'd made the same complaint). It also condemned their insidious neighbors. Here are the 12 craziest, most awful things God did in the Old Testament, back before that wacked-out hippie Jesus softened him up. 18 You know that from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors you were ransomed not by perishable things like silver or gold, 19 but by precious blood like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb, namely Christ (1 Peter 1:17-19).
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