Biblical Contradiction

 

[1]

2 Chronicles 17:6 and 20:33 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

⁶ His heart was courageous in the ways of the Lord; furthermore, he removed the high places and the sacred poles (or Asherah) from Judah.

 ³³ Yet the high places were not removed; the people had not yet set their hearts upon the God of their ancestors.

  

Since January I have been following a plan to read the Old Testament this calendar year. Today, May 31, I read 2 Chronicles 17-20. I don’t think I ever read these four chapters together in one sitting before. 2^nd Kings and 2^nd Chronicles trace the history of divided kingdom of Judah, amongst other things. There were two classes of kings of Judah. One class did right in the eyes of the Lord, and the other class did evil in the sight of the Lord. For those kings who did right, a phrase is usually added stating that although they did right, they did not remove the high places.

My thoughts have always run like this when I read these books. “High places” were common and had existed from the days of Abraham and his offering of Isaac on Mt. Moriah when God substituted a ram for his sacrifice. Solomon, following his worship of God at the high place in Gibeon, received the famous promise by the Lord to be made wiser than any other king. So high places were the traditional places to worship God in those days. However, they often became corrupted, and false gods were also worshipped there.

Most good kings did not take any action against these high places. However, Hezekiah and Josiah did make concerted efforts to remove them. I began to feel that ancient scribes in Hezekiah’s or Josiah’s time who copied the Bible and preserved it for future generations added the criticism that each “good” king was guilty of not removing these high places, to accentuate the reputation of Hezekiah or Josiah, as “better” kings.

Somehow it escaped my notice that in describing the reign of Jehoshaphat, the text indicates that he removed the high places in 17:6, but in 20:33 the standard criticism was attached that he had not been able to remove them. One way to handle this obvious contradiction is to postulate that some scribe had indeed amended the text like I suggest above, but it had escaped his/her notice that what is written in chapter 17 contradicts the later generic statement.

Ellen White comments: “I saw that God had especially guarded the Bible; yet when copies of it were few, learned men had in some instances changed the words, thinking that they were making it more plain, when in reality they were mystifying that which was plain, by causing it to lean to their established views, which were governed by tradition. But I saw that the Word of God, as a whole, is a perfect chain, one portion linking into and explaining another. True seekers for truth need not err; for not only is the Word of God plain and simple in declaring the way of life, but the Holy Spirit is given as a guide in understanding the way to life therein revealed.”[2]

God has preserved His Word with its messages to us to lead us unerringly into His kingdom. And now He is seeing to it that His Word is being provided to everyone who wishes to read His offer of salvation.

Thank You, Lord, for preserving Your Word from antiquity until now.

 

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[1] https://www.bibleplaces.com/blog/2013/04/picture-of-week-high-place-of-dan/

[2] . E, G, White Early Writings, p. 220.2.  (1882)

 

Do Not Forgive!

 

[1]

John 20: 23 Good News Translation

³ If you forgive people's sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

 

For 27 years I worked with a man who remembered every mistake or imagined mistake I had ever made and freely reminded me of all of them every time he took me to task about another imagined transgression. He often spent 40 minutes and more recounting everything I had done, or he had at least accused me of doing. At times I would leave the office, blood pressure sky high, shaking with rage. I began to fear that I would die of a heart attack from his merciless accusations.

In the Lord’s prayer He admonishes us, 

“Forgive us the wrongs we have done,
              as we forgive the wrongs that others have done to us[2].”

Then He elaborates on this, lest people think that by giving us the power to forgive or to retain people’s sins we actually have the power to save or condemn them. Instead, He is pronouncing judgement on the person who refuses to forgive. He makes that crystal clear in his caveat immediately following the prayer:

“If you forgive others the wrongs they have done to you, your Father in heaven will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive the wrongs you have done.”[3]

Throughout the centuries the Christian church has chosen to not forgive people their sins and to torture them mercilessly, even burning them alive or locking them in foul dungeons for years. Its leaders have claimed that Christ gave them that power in John 20:23. They have ignored Christ’s statement about not forgiving those who are unforgiving—those who abuse that power.

And now, the rest of the story of my merciless accuser. I started seriously praying for the salvation of my accuser. As time went by, he left off his accusations and became my strong supporter. I didn’t realize it at the time, but by praying for his welfare, I was indeed forgiving him for his accusations. This resulted in my having a much more tranquil, healthy, and productive life. Christ never did say, “You don’t need to forgive them!” in spite of the accompanying picture.

Dear heavenly Father, give me the grace to forgive others.

 

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[1] https://rockchurchfargo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/You-dont-need-to-forgive-them.jpg

[2] Matthew 6:12 GNT

[3] Matthew 6:14, 15 GNT

Peace During Stress

 

[1]

 

John 11:25 Contemporary English Version

²⁵ Jesus then said, “I am the one who raises the dead to life! Everyone who has faith in me will live, even if they die.”

 

It has been 18 years since my prostate cancer was diagnosed. The cancer has subsided and then reared its ugly head several times over those years. Currently it is in remission, for which I am very thankful. If there is one thing the cancer has taught me, it is that when cancer goes into remission it will return. So, I don’t use the word “Cure.”

Throughout this period, I have had an almost strange calmness. I have told myself several times, Wil, you have lived a good life! You have many promises from God’s word that after you die you shall live again. I think this has been a continuing reassurance to me. However, I am fully aware that I shall die.

The Word has promised that before Christ comes, there will a time of trouble “such as never was since there was a nation”.[2] I invite you to look back over the times of trouble that have occurred. Millions have been driven from their homes and had their homes destroyed. They have suffered with no clothes in the severest of weather. They have had little or nothing to eat or drink. They have been totally homeless with no one who cares for them. Many times, their corpses have lain where they have fallen. Remember the killing fields in Cambodia and the gas chambers of Auschwitz.

Being an old man, I shall not endure the time of trouble for long, not long enough to see the coming of Christ. That is why I treasure Christ’s promise that he will raise me to life!

I invite you, dear Reader, to accept Christ’s offer of life and salvation that is offered to us free and without any merit of ours. You may ask, “Do you have any concrete evidence of the validity of his promise?” Yes, the evidence that He has stood by me for these long years and fulfilled my every need upon request. If you choose to remain skeptical, you not only lose out, but you also fulfill prophecy that there will be scoffers in the last days.[3]

 

Dear Lord, grant Your Peace to each person who reads this blog  knowing that they, too, are included in Your promise.

 

 

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[1] paradise images - Bing images

[2] Daniel 12:1

[3] 2 Peter 3: 3-4. But first you must realize that in the last days some people won't think about anything except their own selfish desires. They will make fun of you ⁴ and say, “Didn't your Lord promise to come back? Yet the first leaders have already died, and the world hasn't changed a bit.”

"I AM"-- God's Name or Dog Food?

 

[1]

 

1 Chronicles 29:11

Good News Translation

¹¹ You are great and powerful, glorious, splendid, and majestic. Everything in heaven and earth is yours, and you are king, supreme ruler over all.

 

I was walking down the dog food aisle in Walmart when I felt the hair on the back of  my neck suddenly stand up at the blasphemy directly in front of me. Immediately John 8 58-59 flashed across my mind: “I am telling you the truth,” Jesus replied. “Before Abraham was born, ‘I Am’.”  Then they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and left the Temple. Here was dog food blasphemously bearing the very name of Almighty God. It is so sacred that people were willing to stone Jesus for simply saying it.

When David prayed to God, he used the most descriptive words he knew to describe God. Now, in American English these words have had their very guts torn out of them. Consider:

Great[2]     

 

Powerful[3]   

 

 Glorious[4]

 

Splendid[5]

 

Majestic[6]

 

King

 

Supreme[7]

 Now drop all these trivializations and think of God as He is. He created not only you and me, but also the earth we live on and the Sun that warms us and creates hurricanes on pleasant ocean currents. He created the vast universe that we see all about us. He defeated the arch-enemy, Satan, who aims to destroy all we see about us and that we delight in. He is infinitely more than we can possibly imagine.

Thank you Lord that You are vastly greater than we can possibly comprehend, and yet You love us are personally interested in our success and salvation.

 

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[1] Iams http://walmart.com/ip/IAMS-High-Protein-with-Real-Chicken-Dry-Dog-Food-for-Large-Breed-Adult-Dog-30-lb-Bag/23370273

[2] Great https://reallyintothis.com/small-great-things-jodi-picoult/

[3] Power https://pristine-sales.com/products/power-seasons-1-2-dvd

[4] Glorious https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9248740/

 [5]Splendid  https://prettybirdkitchen.com/honest-splendid-spoon-review/

 [6] Majestic https://www.facebook.com/MajesticTheatreDallas/

 [7] https://shop.supremenutritionproducts.com/endo-supreme/

 

The Universal Conundrum

 

2 Corinthians 5:21

Holman Christian Standard Bible

²¹ He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

 

I was talking with someone recently about sin in the world and our individual sin. The conversation came around to the fact that God made a plan for sinners. That plan was that Christ would assume our sin. Since He had no sin of His own, He was not alienated from God. Since we have sinned, we have earned exactly one thing—death. There was no way around this. Sin is simply rebellion against God. Since God has given us life, our rebellion means we automatically reject the life God equipped us with. We must automatically die.

Christ—Who is God—decided before there was any sin and before man was created, that man was His responsibility and that He would actually bear our sin and take our just reward—death—if man were to sin. Since He took our death, we don’t have to die.

Because of this gift, Christ—God—considers us to be righteous in His eyes. Therefore, this gift has actually made us righteous. We have only to accept the decision God made in our case before we existed.

My friend responded that there was no way he could accept this. It defied logic. He had sinned; therefore, he must reap the result, namely death. The Apostle Paul faced this same logical conundrum. He exclaimed in Romans 11:33:

³³ Oh, the depth of the riches

both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God!

How unsearchable His judgments

and untraceable His ways!

God, the cosmological supreme court, has made this decision. We cannot do anything else but accept it with gratitude and not die or suffer the consequences of refusing to accept His gift.

Thank You, Lord, for the infinite grace You extend to us!
 

 

Joe Corson

 

Hebrews 11:1

Holman Christian Standard Bible

11 Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.

 This summer we stopped in to see my former college roommate, Joe Corson. I had last seen him about 2 years earlier. When we left him at that time, he was unable to walk due to his weight. It seemed that every organ was shutting down, but his faith was strong. He knew that Christ had died to save him.

 I said with sadness to Sylvia when we left: “This is the last time we will see him! He has deteriorated so much!”

 Then he got medical help. He received both physical therapy and occupational therapy. When we saw him this August, he had lost 93 pounds. He was full of vim, vigor, and vitality. He had plans to resume his quilting, at which he had to stand for fairly long periods of time. He showed me a movie he had taken of three bears—a mama and two cubs—attacking his backyard bird feeder.

 Then he got a urinary infection, and it took him. His son found him dead last Sabbath morning. But he died and full of belief in his salvation and the soon coming of the Lord!

 It is nearing our time now. I'll be 80 in January; but I too believe that in spite of all my inadequacies, Jesus has saved me.

 Thank You, Jesus Christ, for Your marvelous unexplainable love and mighty power. Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

 

The Gethsemane Battle

 

[1]

1 John 4:9

Good News Translation

⁹ And God showed his love for us by sending his only Son into the world, so that we might have life through him.

 

After many years, last night I again read the chapter in The Desire of Ages entitled “Gethsemane”. In eloquent and deeply emotional prose, Ellen White describes how Christ wrestled with God. He knew that He had come to earth for exactly one purpose—to save the world and its inhabitants from sin. I have seen many definitions of sin: some glorify it, some condemn it, some try to lay out boundaries for it. But in the end, sin is only one thing—rebellion against God. Sin declares puny man’s attempt to deny his Creator and become independent from the only Source of Life.

In the Garden of Gethsemane Christ’s divine nature headed steadfastly forward to the only possible act of redemption for rebellious man. Christ’s human nature, however, sensed the presence of every sin in the world. It felt the eternal separation from God, the terror and despair of inevitable annihilation, the horror of the wrath of God. It buckled and crumbled under this huge weight. His human nature pled with God to find another way of salvation. “If it be possible, let this cup pass from Me!” a cry wrenched from His very heart. Then in total submission to the divine within Him, He gave way to divinity: “Never the less, not My will but Thine be done!” Three times he sought reprieve but then acquiesced to His great love for sinners.

To His human view, (that was all that He could see at this point in the struggle), all mankind had turned their backs on Him. Even His chosen disciples had fallen asleep when He asked them to pray for Him. His chosen race, His favored people were bent on His destruction. Why? He had taught them, healed them, encouraged them, blessed their children, even fed them and raised their dead. He had expressed His love to them in every action. Was this why they turned away?

Of course not! When sin comes in touch with purity, divinity, perfection, it has but one response—rebellion. This rebellion was the only thing Christ sensed. Fortunately for us, His vast, unending love drove Him on to yield to the divine will and rescue His creatures in spite of their absolute rejection of Him.

When it became completely obvious that Christ was going through literal hell for us, the mightiest angel in Heaven materialized at His side, driving away all the demons that were clustered around Him and crushing out His very life. The angel strengthened Him for this, the greatest battle of the universe.

Thank You, Jesus, for fighting the battle for me, the battle that I had no hope of winning without You. I love You.

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[1] https://www.deseret.com/2019/6/12/20675446/taylor-halverson-why-did-jesus-suffer-in-an-olive-garden-called-gethsemane#olive-trees-in-the-gethsemane-garden-at-the-foot-of-the-mount-of-olives-in-jerusalem

 

Saved in Childbearing

 

1 Timothy 2:14-15

King James Version

¹⁴ And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. ¹⁵ Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing. . .

 

It was in November of 1968 when Sylvia suggested that she was getting old—26 years old—and it was time to have a child. The thought had never entered my head. After all my parents had been married for 10 years before I came along. At that point we had been missionaries at Ikizu in Tanzania, Africa for two years. I was teaching more than a full load and was responsible for maintaining all the machinery on campus: the tractor, a vintage lawnmower, the electricity generator, flour mill, and water pump. It was also my duty to provide the kitchen with wood to fire their stoves. When anything went wrong anywhere on campus, I was the first person they called. I was too busy to think about raising a family.

Sylvia was warming to her subject: “Even the Bible says a woman would be saved by having children.”

I laughed: “Oh?”

Then she read from first Timothy, “Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. ¹⁵ Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing” . . .

She stopped, and let the words sink in. Then she added, “You don’t want me to be lost, do you?” All the other missionaries, the Dunder, Martinsen, Johnson, and Dobias families had children. Only the Kings (who probably couldn’t have children) had none.

The discussion went on. I did want children, of course. Then why not start now? Two or three weeks later I left to go a three week long mathematics teachers’ conference at the University of Dar es Salaam. When I returned from the conference, Sylvia was glowing. I thought she was happy to see me home. “I’m pregnant!” she beamed.

“Well, whom do you want to tell?”

“Oh, let’s keep it secret until I really start to show.” Which we did.

 

What a joy it is to participate in Your creating, Lord! Thank You!