Sunday, November 11, 2012

A Prophecy Against Babylon (Isaiah 13-14)

The following quotes are taken from evilbible.com:


"More Rape and Baby Killing - "Anyone who is captured will be run through with a sword.  Their little children will be dashed to death right before their eyes.  Their homes will be sacked and their wives raped by the attacking hordes.  For I will stir up the Medes against Babylon, and no amount of silver or gold will buy them off.  The attacking armies will shoot down the young people with arrows.  They will have no mercy on helpless babies and will show no compassion for the children."  (Isaiah 13:15-18 NLT)

"Kill Sons of Sinners - "Make ready to slaughter his sons for the guilt of their fathers; Lest they rise and posses the earth, and fill the breadth of the world with tyrants."  (Isaiah 14:21 NAB)
             
You can read Isaiah chapters 13-14 here:


            The book of Isaiah was written around the 8th century BCE.  In it, the prophet Isaiah revealed visions and messages from God, predicting Judah's defeat by the Babylonians, and their subsequent exile and captivity in Babylon (which occurred over a century later, circa 588-586 BCE).
            Isaiah chapters 13-23 consist of prophecies concerning the doom of the surrounding nations; nations that God  had placed under judgment.  In chapter 13, a scene of war against Babylon is being described.  The Babylonian Empire angered God because of their arrogance, wickedness and pride (Isaiah 13:11, 14:13-15).
            When reading passages of war prophecies such as this one, we must take a few things into consideration.  First, God does not want anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9).  He always gives people an opportunity to repent before the day of judgment comes (2 Chronicles 32:26, Hebrews 11:31).  "If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned" (Jeremiah 18:7-8, NIV; see also Jonah chapter 3).  Judgment and destruction only came if the people did not take God seriously.
            In Isaiah 13:16, a graphic description of war is portrayed, with infants being killed and women being raped.  This illustration was given to the Babylonians as a warning; their rebellion and sins would affect their children and cause their destruction, if they did not repent and turn to God.  This horrific description reveals the serious consequences of a nation's rebellion against God.
            It is important to emphasize here that God does not desire that these things should happen.  He is a holy and just God (Psalm 103:6), who must punish those who disregard his commands and those who oppress and destroy others; the Babylonian Empire was certainly guilty of oppressing and overthrowing other nations, and their ruthlessness and pride led to their end.
            In regards to infants and children being killed in war, this is a difficult issue; and one that is not easily answered.  We live in a broken and fallen world, infected by sin.  Death has come into the world as a result of sin.  Every human being that is born will die.  Some will have longer lives than others.  What is important to note is this: "For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord" (Ezekiel 18:32, NIV).  The Bible also seems to indicate that infants and children who die before the age of accountability go to heaven to be with God (2 Samuel 12:23; Matthew 19:14).
            War is terrible, and passages such as this one are a sober reminder.  What needs to be remembered is that God does not desire war or death.  He sometimes allows war to accomplish his purposes, but his primary desire is that people turn away from their evil ways and turn to him for salvation.  "Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?" (Ezekiel 18:23, NIV).

Saturday, October 20, 2012

A Prophet Condemns Ahab (1 Kings 20:35-43)

The following quote is taken from evilbible.com:


"Killed by a Lion  - "Meanwhile, the LORD instructed one of the group of prophets to say to another man, "Strike me!"  But the man refused to strike the prophet.  Then the prophet told him, "Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, a lion will kill you as soon as you leave me."  And sure enough, when he had gone, a lion attacked and killed him."  (1 Kings 20:35-36 NLT)
             
            To get a better sense of what is going on in this passage, it might help to read the entire chapter.  You can read it here:


            To summarize, this event took place not long after King Ahab of Israel (reigned circa 869-850 BCE) battled against King Ben-Hadad of Aram, and God enabled Ahab and his army to win the battle (1 Kings 20:1-34).  However, instead of following God's instructions and executing Ben-Hadad for his crimes and threat against Israel, Ahab let him live and made a treaty with him.
            In response, God sent another prophet to confront Ahab and give him God's message of condemnation.  This was a warning, intended to get Ahab to repent and turn back to God.  God gave Ahab several warnings by prophets at various times during his reign and several chances to repent, but Ahab rejected them (1 Kings 18, 20:35-43, 21-22).  As a result, he was eventually killed in battle (1 Kings 22:34-38).
            In this instance, an unnamed prophet of God was given instructions to have his companion strike him and wound him (verse 35).  Why would God command this?  In ancient times, physical conditions were often used by God to get the attention of someone he wished to communicate to.  God often used physical illustrations to fully explain his message to people (Jeremiah 27-28; Ezekiel 4-5; Hosea 1, 3).  God wanted the companion to wound the prophet because the prophet would then disguise himself as a wounded soldier and tell Ahab a story about slacking in his duty and letting a captive escape.  This would drive God's point home to Ahab of the seriousness of his sin in letting Ben-Hadad go free.
            This was an urgent command, because Ahab was coming and the prophet had to immediately deliver God's message.  A reason is not given as to why the companion refused to strike the prophet; it may have been out of compassion, but could easily have also been out of disbelief at the command.  The death of the companion was a warning to those who did not take God's commands seriously. 

Saturday, September 29, 2012

The Ark of the Covenant (1 Samuel 6:19-20; 2 Samuel 6:3-7)

The following quotes are taken from evilbible.com:


"God Kills the Curious - "And he smote of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of Jehovah, he smote of the people seventy men, `and' fifty thousand men; and the people mourned, because Jehovah had smitten the people with a great slaughter.  And the men of Beth-shemesh said, 'Who is able to stand before Jehovah, this holy God? and to whom shall he go up from us?'" (1 Samuel 6:19-20 ASV)

"Killing the Good Samaritan - "The ark of God was placed on a new cart and taken away from the house of Abinadab on the hill.  Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab guided the cart, with Ahio walking before it, while David and all the Israelites made merry before the Lord with all their strength, with singing and with citharas, harps, tambourines, sistrums, and cymbals.
            When they came to the threshing floor of Nodan, Uzzah reached out his hand to the ark of God to steady it, for the oxen were making it tip.  But the Lord was angry with Uzzah; God struck him on that spot, and he died there before God."  (2 Samuel 6:3-7 NAB)

            In order to better understand these passages, it would help to examine them in their entirety.  You can read the full chapters here:



            First of all, what was the Ark of the Covenant of God?  The Ark was constructed by Moses and the Israelites at God's command, while they were in the wilderness after God freed them from slavery in Egypt.  It was a chest made of acacia wood overlaid with gold, with a lid containing the "mercy seat" between the figures of two cherubim.  Inside the Ark was placed the stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments were written (Exodus 25:10-22).  The Ark was housed in the innermost place of the Tabernacle while the Israelites were in the wilderness.  Once King Solomon constructed the Temple in Jerusalem, the Ark was moved there (1 Kings 8:1-21).
            There were very specific laws detailing who could approach the Ark, who could carry it and so forth.  The Ark was a physical representation of God's presence and of his holiness.  Only the high priest could approach it, and only once a year, on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:2), or he would die.  Only the Levites could carry it, and it had to be carried on their shoulders using poles so that they would not touch it, because anyone who touched the Ark would die (Numbers 4:15-20, 7:9; Deuteronomy 10:8). 
            Why was this commandment given?  Why was it such a serious offense to touch the Ark or look inside of it?  It is important to remember the holiness of God (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8).  No sinful mortal can approach God, because of the sinful and fallen state of humanity; there is a gap between us and God (Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:23).  This is why God sent Jesus to die for us and bridge the gap, to provide atonement for our sins and make us right with God, able to approach him once more (John 3:36; Romans 6:23; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:14-16).
            In these two instances, the people involved were aware of the commandment against touching or looking into the Ark of God, but they disobeyed and did it anyway.  In the case of Uzzah, they disregarded the command to carry the Ark on poles to eliminate the danger of touching it (Exodus 25:12-14; Numbers 7:9), and carried it on a cart instead.  Even though Uzzah's intentions may have been good, he disobeyed the commandment not to touch the Ark, and this irreverence brought about his death.  "The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God" (2 Samuel 6:7, NIV).  These two instances were clear warnings to anyone who would not take God's commandments, and his holiness, seriously.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Elisha and the Youths (2 Kings 2:23-24)

The following quote is taken from evilbible.com:


"Kill Brats - "From there Elisha went up to Bethel.  While he was on his way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him.  "Go up baldhead," they shouted, "go up baldhead!"  The prophet turned and saw them, and he cursed them in the name of the Lord.  Then two shebears came out of the woods and tore forty two of the children to pieces."  (2 Kings 2:23-24 NAB)

Let us examine the story of Elisha's journey to Bethel.  You can read the full chapter here: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Kings+2&version=NIV

            Before examining this particular story, it would be helpful to get an overview of the events that preceded it.  Elisha was a prophet who lived during the time of the split monarchies of Judah and Israel.  He was the successor to Elijah, one of the great prophets of God (1 Kings 19:19-21).  After the death of King Ahaziah of Israel, Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind, and Elisha witnessed it (2 Kings 2:1-12).  After that event, Elisha became God's prophet for 60 years (circa 892-832 BCE), and did many miracles.
            In this passage, Elisha was confronted by a large group of young men while he was on his way to Bethel.  It is important to understand that there have been many mistranslations in this passage: the Hebrew root word used is na'ar, which is most often used to describe a young man between the age of 12 and 30 [1][2] (see also Genesis 34:19, 41:12; 1 Kings 20:14-15).  The youths involved were not small boys; they were young men in their teens or twenties.
            The taunting that the young men gave Elisha was not just teasing.  It was a threatening act, designed to intimidate him.  The fact that 42 of them were killed by bears demonstrates how many of them there were; most likely a crowd of more than 50 ganging up on Elisha.  When they said, "Go up, you baldhead!", they were mocking him in two ways.  First, they were mocking the miracle of Elijah being taken up to heaven in a whirlwind not long before.  They were challenging Elisha to "go up" as Elijah had done, suggesting that they did not believe in the miracle of Elijah's disappearance, and daring Elisha to go up in the same way that Elijah had.  Second, their taunt "baldhead" was a slur against Elisha - there are several suggested meanings, that a prophet of that time signified his/her separation to God by shaving their head, that a leper in that time period had a shaved head and was considered a despised outcast [2], or used as a general term of contempt.  In any case, their verbal attack was designed to mock Elisha and his status as God's prophet.
            Essentially, the youths were challenging Elisha's authority as a prophet, and in insulting Elisha, were insulting the God who anointed him.  Had there not been immediate and swift action against the youths, the people would have had justifiable reason to question Elisha's call to prophecy and his status as God's messenger.  God saw the youths' rebellion, disrespect and utter contempt for him, and he responded by taking their lives.  In doing so, he was issuing a clear warning to anyone who would dare mock their Creator and King, and the prophets that he sent.       
             
References
[1]  Gesenius's Lexicon, Heinrich Friedrich Wilhelm Gesenius (translated by Samuel P. Tregelles), 1847
[2] The Case For Faith, Lee Strobel, 2000.  Pgs. 122-124.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

The Sabbath (Exodus 31:12-17)


The following quote is taken from evilbible.com:

"Kill People For Working on the Sabbath - "The LORD then gave these further instructions to Moses: 'Tell the people of Israel to keep my Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between me and you forever.  It helps you to remember that I am the LORD, who makes you holy.  Yes, keep the Sabbath day, for it is holy.  Anyone who desecrates it must die; anyone who works on that day will be cut off from the community.  Work six days only, but the seventh day must be a day of total rest.  I repeat: Because the LORD considers it a holy day, anyone who works on the Sabbath must be put to death.'"  (Exodus 31:12-15 NLT)

            The Sabbath was God's gift to the Israelites, and part of his lasting covenant with them.  It was a reminder to the people that God was in their midst.  Just as he created the earth in six days and then rested (Genesis 2:2-3), the Israelites were commanded to work six days in the week and then rest on the seventh day (Exodus 20:8-11).  The Sabbath was also instituted to remind them of the Lord saving them from slavery in Egypt (Deuteronomy 5:15).
            So why was capital punishment prescribed for breaking the Sabbath?  Since God made the Sabbath a holy day, to break his commandment of resting on the Sabbath was a serious offence.  Working on the Sabbath was considered an act of blatant defiance and rebellion, as grave as an act of high treason.  It was a deliberate denial of God's sovereignty, his leadership and his authority.  Worse than that, it showed utter contempt to the one who saved the Israelites from perpetual slavery in Egypt.  It was considered an act of rebellion and ingratitude.
             Again, it is important to note that capital punishment commands such as these were given specifically to the nation of Israel during the time period and culture of the Ancient Near East.  The capital punishments prescribed do not apply in our time period and culture (Romans 6:14; Galatians 3:24-26).