A Prophecy Against Edom (Ezekiel 35)

The following quote is taken from evilbible.com:

"God Promises More Killing -  "I will make Mount Seir utterly desolate, killing off all who try to escape and any who return.  I will fill your mountains with the dead. Your hills, your valleys, and your streams will be filled with people slaughtered by the sword.  I will make you desolate forever. Your cities will never be rebuilt. Then you will know that I am the LORD."  (Ezekiel 35:7-9 NLT)

This chapter concerns God's prophecy against the nation of Edom.  You can read the entire chapter here:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel%2035&version=NIV

            The nation of Edom was descended from a man named Esau (Genesis 36), the twin brother of Jacob, who was the father of the tribes of Israel.  From the time that Jacob tricked Esau and stole his birthright and blessing (Genesis chapters 25 and 27), the two nations were enemies.  The Edomites refused to let the Israelites pass through their land when the Israelites were journeying to the Promised Land, and came out against them with their army (Numbers 20:14-21).  Throughout Israel's history, they and the Edomites were often at war.

            In this passage, God pronounced his judgment on the nation of Edom, and gave clear reasoning for why they had brought this judgment upon themselves.  “‘Because you harbored an ancient hostility and delivered the Israelites over to the sword at the time of their calamity, the time their punishment reached its climax, therefore as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I will give you over to bloodshed and it will pursue you.  Since you did not hate bloodshed, bloodshed will pursue you" (Ezekiel 35:5-6, NIV).

            Even though the Edomites were related to the Israelites by blood, they had no compassion on them as they were being conquered by the Assyrians and Babylonians, and even assisted those nations in destroying Israel.  To add insult to injury, the Edomites rejoiced in the Israelites' misery (Ezekiel 35:15; Obadiah 1:12), plundered and looted Jerusalem after its destruction (Obadiah 1:13), and mistreated those Israelites who survived the destruction of Jerusalem, cutting them down and handing them over to their enemies (Obadiah 1:14).  Because of all this, and because of their utter contempt for God, they would eventually cease to exist as a nation.  "Then you will know that I the Lord have heard all the contemptible things you have said against the mountains of Israel. You said, 'They have been laid waste and have been given over to us to devour.'  You boasted against me and spoke against me without restraint, and I heard it.  This is what the Sovereign LORD says: While the whole earth rejoices, I will make you desolate.  Because you rejoiced when the inheritance of Israel became desolate, that is how I will treat you" (Ezekiel 35:12-15, NIV).

A Prophecy Against Judah (Jeremiah 15)

The following quote is taken from evilbible.com:

"God Kills Some More - "Then the LORD said to me, "Even if Moses and Samuel stood before me pleading for these people, I wouldn't help them.  Away with them!  Get them out of my sight!  And if they say to you, 'But where can we go?' tell them, 'This is what the LORD says: Those who are destined for death, to death; those who are destined for war, to war; those who are destined for famine, to famine; those who are destined for captivity, to captivity.'  "I will send four kinds of destroyers against them," says the LORD.  "I will send the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, the vultures to devour, and the wild animals to finish up what is left.  Because of the wicked things Manasseh son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, did in Jerusalem, I will make my people an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth."  (Jeremiah 15:1-4 NLT)

This passage is part of the larger prophecies of the book of Jeremiah.  You can read the entire chapter here:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah%2015&version=NIV

            In the book of Jeremiah, God sent his message of doom against the nation of Judah; those who were not killed during the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians were going to be taken into captivity, and Jerusalem (including the First Temple, the one built by King Solomon) would be destroyed.  The prophecies were fulfilled shortly after Jeremiah's warnings, circa 586 BCE.

            The reason for the Babylonian captivity is because the people of Judah had completely turned away from God, choosing to worship idols instead (Jeremiah 16:10-13), and had even defiled God's Temple by placing idols inside of it and worshipping them there (Ezekiel 5-8).  The reference to King Manasseh's wicked deeds was because of his idolatry and child sacrifice (2 Chronicles 33:1-9).  On top of that, the people were constantly committing murder, foolishly thinking that God did not see or care what they did (Ezekiel 5:5-7, 7:23, 8:17-18, 9:9-10).  "Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself am against you, Jerusalem, and I will inflict punishment on you in the sight of the nations.  Because of all your detestable idols, I will do to you what I have never done before and will never do again" (Ezekiel 5:8-9, NIV).

            The charge of idolatry is a very grievous sin, which God does not take lightly (see Exodus 20:3-6, 23; 23:13, 23-24; 34:17; Leviticus 19:4; 26:1; Deuteronomy 4:15-28; 5:7; 6:14-15; 8:19; 12:31; 17:2-7; 27:15; 29:17-18).  God warned the Israelites on several occasions that if they committed idolatry, it was a crime that warranted the death penalty.  The Israelites' covenant with God demanded that they worship and serve him only.  They were not supposed to worship other gods or fashion idols for themselves.  God had warned them that if they did these things, it would lead to their destruction: "If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed" (Deuteronomy 8:19, NIV). 

            Why is idolatry considered such a serious crime?  The severity of the judgment, capital punishment, is due to the severity of the sin.  God is the only God, the Lord and creator of all the universe.  When anyone bows down and worships or pays tribute to a false god or idol, they are taking credit away from God and giving it to something undeserving of that credit.  "I am the LORD; that is my name!  I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols" (Isaiah 42:8, NIV).  The crime of idolatry was so serious that it was often referred to as adultery against God (Ezekiel 6:9).

            The people of Israel and Judah had been given multiple warnings by God through many prophets over the course of nearly 300 years, and they still did not repent and turn to God for forgiveness.  If they had, they would have been spared, and all of the death and destruction could have been avoided.  "If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if 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).

            As in previous passages, it should be noted that God does not want anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9), and he takes no pleasure in the death of anyone (Ezekiel 18:32).  However, there comes a time when his patience runs out and he abandons those who have rejected him to their fate.  The conquest of Judah by Babylon was such a time. 

Micah and the Danites (Joshua 19:47; Judges 17-18)

The following quotes are taken from evilbible.com:

"The Danites Kill The Next Town - "But the territory of the Danites was too small for them; so the Danites marched up and attacked Leshem, which they captured and put to the sword.  Once they had taken possession of Lesham, they renamed the settlement after their ancestor Dan."  (Joshua 19:47 NAB)


"Micah Kills A Whole Town - "Then, with Micah's idols and his priest, the men of Dan came to the town of Laish, whose people were peaceful and secure.  They attacked and killed all the people and burned the town to the ground.  There was no one to rescue the residents of the town, for they lived a great distance from Sidon and had no allies nearby.  This happened in the valley near Beth-rehob. Then the people of the tribe of Dan rebuilt the town and lived there.  They renamed the town Dan after their ancestor, Israel's son, but it had originally been called Laish.  (Judges 18:27-29 NLT)  (Note that God approves of this slaughter in verse 6.)"

            This quote in the book of Joshua is actually a brief parenthetical statement that interrupts descriptions given of the land that was assigned to each tribe of Israel after they had wandered in the wilderness for 40 years.  It refers to a larger story that took place later, and is described in the book of Judges, chapters 17-18.  You can read the whole story here:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges%2017-18&version=NIV

            To quickly summarize, these events took place during the time period of the Judges.  The book of Judges is a story of the breakdown of a society without God.  The book ends with this sentence: "In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit" (Judges 21:25, NIV).  The Israelites had ceased following God after they entered the promised land of Canaan, and though judges ruled over them for a time, the conditions of the nation of Israel continued to get worse.

            In this story, a man named Micah set up idols in his home, and invited a Levite to stay with him and be his personal priest.  Later, the tribe of Dan sent representatives to scout out the land to find a place to settle, because they were unsuccessful in claiming the land that God had allotted to them in the book of Joshua.  Instead of following God's command and settling in the land that he had given them, they decided instead to strike out on their own, and conquer a city named Laish (aka Lesham).

            Not only were they disobeying God by choosing to conquer a city that he had not given to them, they also learned that Micah had idols in his home and a Levite acting as his priest, and a large group of them went to his house, stole his idols and took his priest into their service, threatening Micah with death if he tried to stop them (Judges 18:14-26).  After that, they attacked and murdered the peaceful people of Laish, burned their city to the ground and settled there, where they set up the idols they had stolen from Micah and worshipped them for hundreds of years, until the land was taken captive.  

            First of all, we need to examine this passage in a historical context.  It is important to note that the Bible does not always approve everything that it records.  Just because there is an act of violence recorded in the Bible does not mean that God approves of that act of violence.  Some parts of the Bible, particularly the Hebrew scriptures (Old Testament), are books of history.  The book of Judges is one such book, describing the nation of Israel during the period of the judges (circa 1380-1050 BCE).  The book of Judges is not part of the Law (Torah) given to the Israelites, and does not contain instructions on how to live a life that pleases God (such as Paul's letters in the New Testament).  It is a book of history.

            This story is another example of the disintegration of the Israelite culture in the book of Judges, where "everyone did as they saw fit" and no one honored or obeyed God.  Micah, the Levite and the Danites all committed idolatry, and then the Danites murdered the inhabitants of a peaceful city, something that God had not commanded them to do (the Levite's promise of God's approval in verse 6 was false; idolaters are incapable of hearing messages from God.  See Jeremiah 14:14).  It was because of their evil deeds, such as idolatry and murder, that Israel and Judah were eventually overthrown and taken into captivity.  "A voice is announcing from Dan, proclaiming disaster from the hills of Ephraim.  Tell this to the nations, proclaim concerning Jerusalem: 'A besieging army is coming from a distant land, raising a war cry against the cities of Judah.  They surround her like men guarding a field, because she has rebelled against me,' declares the LORD.  'Your own conduct and actions have brought this on you.  This is your punishment.  How bitter it is!  How it pierces to the heart!" (Jeremiah 4:15-18, NIV).

A Prophecy Against Moab (Jeremiah 48)

The following quote is taken from evilbible.com:

"You Have To Kill - "Cursed be he who does the Lords work remissly, cursed he who holds back his sword from blood."  (Jeremiah 48:10 NAB)

You can read the entire chapter here:

            http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=jeremiah%2048&version=NIV

           

            It is important to note that this verse is not a blanket command, given to any and every person in any given situation.  This was a very specific directive given to a very specific group of people: the Babylonian army, whom God allowed to conquer Moab.  Verses such as these must be considered within the passage they appear in, and should not be taken out of context.

            Why was judgment pronounced on Moab?  The Moabites were an ancient nation who were descendants of Lot (Abraham's nephew) and one of his daughters (Genesis 19:30-38).  They were often hostile towards Israel; their king, Balak, hired a man named Balaam to curse Israel because the Moabites felt threatened by them, but God caused Balaam to bless Israel instead (Numbers 22-24).  Shortly after this, the Moabite women enticed the Israelite men into sex and worship of false idols, causing a plague that killed 24,000 people (Numbers 25:1-9).

            Even so, God prevented the Israelites from going to war against Moab later on, because he had given the land of Ar to the descendants of Lot as their possession (Deuteronomy 2:9).  But because of their hostility against Israel, Moabites and Ammonites were not permitted to enter the assembly of the Lord (Deuteronomy 23:3-6).    

            The hostility continued - King Eglon of Moab oppressed Israel for 18 years during the time of the judges (Judges 3:12-30).  Moab battled against Israel during the time of King Joram, and their king, Mesha, sacrificed his own son on the city wall (2 Kings 3).  Moabites raided Israel every spring during the time of the kings (2 Kings 13:20).  In short, Moab and Israel were enemies, constantly at war.

            The reason for Moab's destruction was because they had "defied the Lord" (Jeremiah 48:42).  "We have heard of Moab’s pride - how great is her arrogance! - of her insolence, her pride, her conceit and the haughtiness of her heart" (Jeremiah 48:29, NIV).  Even so, God said that in days to come, he would have mercy and restore the fortunes of Moab (Jeremiah 48:47).  If anyone repents and turns to God, he shows mercy (Jeremiah 18:8).

The Resurrection of Jesus - Fact or Myth?

            This Easter Sunday, I wanted to briefly address a question that often comes up: Did Jesus really exist, and did he really rise from the dead, or is the whole story a myth?

            I will most likely discuss the proof of Jesus' life, death and resurrection in detail in a later blog post, but I wanted to briefly summarize proof we have that the story is true.  First, we have a wealth of texts that verify Jesus' existence.  We have the four Gospels, written by eyewitnesses and their companions, which all tell the story of Jesus, his life and teachings, and his death and resurrection.  The letters of early church fathers (such as Papias, Polycarp and a document known as the Didache), written between 95-150 CE, quoted extensively from all four of the Gospels and said that they contained the words of Jesus.  We also have an early fragment of John's Gospel (known as Papyrus P52), dated roughly to the first half of the second century CE.  The four Gospels were in circulation and being quoted by 100 CE, which means that they were written within 70 years of the death and resurrection of Jesus (which occurred circa 30 CE).  In addition, we have the letters of Paul, Peter and James, who all were martyred prior to 67 CE.  All of these letters testified to the existence of Jesus and his death and resurrection, and all were written within 40 years of the events.

            Besides the Biblical texts, we have extra-Biblical documents that testify that a man named Jesus lived and was executed during the governorship of Pontius Pilate (whose existence has been confirmed by archaeological evidence; see my earlier blog on The Pilate Stone).  Tacitus, a first-century Roman historian, mentioned "Christus" being executed during the reign of Tiberius, and Emperor Nero's persecution of Christians [1].  Suetonius, another Roman historian, mentioned the same events [2].  Josephus, a Jewish historian, mentioned Jesus, James and John the Baptist in Antiquities [3].  The Babylonian Talmud mentioned a man named "Yeshu" who was accused of sorcery and apostasy, and hanged on the eve of Passover [4].  There are quite a few other examples, but these are among the most prominent.

            As for evidence of the resurrection, we have several clues that point to the fact that Jesus actually, bodily rose from the dead.  Witnesses saw his body laid in the tomb, a seal was placed over the entrance and guards were present (Matthew 27:57-66).  After Jesus rose from the dead, he appeared to his disciples and many others, including 500 people at one time (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).  The empty tomb was explained away by the religious officials, who conspired with the guards to say that the disciples stole the body while the guards were asleep (Matthew 28:11-15).  This theory is very faulty, however - how would the disciples have been able to break the seal and remove the body without waking the guards?  Why would all of the disciples have suffered torture and gone to their violent deaths proclaiming a risen Jesus if they had just stolen his dead body and hidden it?  Why would they die for a lie?  Had that been the case, at some point the truth of their deception would have been exposed. 

            The empty tomb attests to the resurrection of Jesus.  To end the spread of Christianity, all that the religious leaders and Romans would have had to do was produce Jesus' body and present it publicly as proof that he did not rise from the dead.  They could not, however, because the body was gone.

            One of my favorite parts of Scripture is the original ending of the gospel of Mark, just after the women who went to the tomb found it empty and an angel told them that Jesus had risen: "Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid" (Mark 16:8, NIV).  The gospel ends very abruptly, with women running away from an empty tomb.  It is almost as if the author was posing a question to the reader: "The tomb is empty.  Now, what do you think happened?"

References

[1] Tacitus, Annals 15.44 (written circa 116 CE)

[2] Suetonius, Life of Nero 16.2

[3] Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews Books 18 and 20 (written circa 93-94 CE)

[4] Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 43a

War Against The Amalekites (Deuteronomy 25:17-19; 1 Samuel 15)

The following quote is taken from evilbible.com:

"Mass Murder - "This is what the Lord of  hosts has to say: 'I will punish what Amalek did to Israel when he barred his way as he was coming up from Egypt.  Go, now, attack Amalek, and deal with him and all that he has under the ban.  Do not spare him, but kill men and women, children and infants, oxen and sheep, camels and asses."   (1 Samuel 15:2-3 NAB)

To get a better sense of what is going on in this passage, it would be helpful to read what the Amalekites did to the Israelites earlier on in their history.  You can read the story here:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+25&version=NIV

            The Hebrew word used in 1 Samuel 15:3 is charam, meaning "the complete consecration of things or people to the Lord, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering" [1].  Only God could decide when this type of devotion occurred, and it was always in response to a grievous sin that the person or people had committed against the Lord.

            For example, when the Israelites were travelling out of Egypt, the Amalekites attacked the weakest and most vulnerable people among them: “Remember what the Amalekites did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt. When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey and attacked all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God. When the LORD your God gives you rest from all the enemies around you in the land he is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you shall blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!" (Deuteronomy 25:17-19, NIV). 

            In response to the Amalekites murdering the weakest of the Israelites who had fallen behind the others (the text seems to indicate that these included the elderly, the sick, and those with young children, although this is not specified), God determined that the Amalekites would be destroyed (1 Samuel 15).  He was, in essence, sentencing them to death for their crime.

            There was another reason that God ordered the elimination of the Amalekites; they were a nation hostile to Israel, who were constantly at war against them, seeking their destruction.  Because Saul did not carry out God's command to destroy them, they continued their raids against Israelites, at one point burning towns and carrying off women and children as plunder before being stopped by David (1 Samuel 30).  Centuries later, Haman, a descendant of an Amalekite king named Agag, plotted to wipe out all of the Jewish people living in Persia (Book of Esther).  God knew that the Amalekites were determined to completely destroy the Israelites, which is why he issued the command for them to be killed.

            As in previous passages, the command to kill the women and children is a difficult issue.  We must remember that the children would have grown up following the same customs and practices as their parents; they would have been taught to hate Israel and seek their destruction, and would have been lost for eternity.  God took their lives in childhood to prevent this from occurring.

References

[1] Footnote in the Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT).  This term (charam) occurs in the following verses: Exodus 22:20; Leviticus 27:21, 28-29; Numbers 18:14; 21:2-3; Deuteronomy 2:34; 3:6; 7:2, 26; 13:15-17; 20:17; Joshua 2:10; 6:17-21; 7:1, 11-15; 8:26; 10:1, 28, 35, 37, 39-40; 11:11-12, 20-21; 22:20; 1 Samuel 15:3, 8-9, 15, 18-21.