REFLECTIONS 1.Genesis 1.1 I will start posting my reflections on the Bible book of Genesis one after another Reading chapter 1 is one of the most controversial chapter in the Bible because it says the following 1. Our material world has a beginning 2. God started the material world 3. The sequence of creation is basically identical to what science has revealed Just reflecting on chapter 1 opens up a wealth of knowledge of its own category. What were the views on this account? 1. Moses was rejected as the author and instead it was compiled and edited by so many others 2. Bible critics claimed Genesis could not have been written in the time period claimed because people don't know how to write at the time 3. There is no God therefore Genesis is a myth Where would Moses or even the so-called compilers derived the concept of the Genesis beginning of the universe and the correct sequence of the appearance of life forms? There are many ancient creation myths. ( http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/creationmyths/tp/090808CreationMyths.htm ) But none is as simple as the Genesis story. None comes close with the simplicity Genesis presents. Moses was schooled by the Egyptians. The Egyptians believed that everything started from an egg from two gods! The other neighbor, the Babylonians believed that earth and heaven were from a goddess who was killed by another god and split in two (earth and heaven). Scientists acknowledge at least the parallelism in Genesis and in science with respect to the appearance of life forms. The Genesis story is rejected because it has been popular to claim in the scientific field that there is no God. Surprisingly, many so-called hard atheists turned to be agnostics at worse. What is the difference? Agnostics don't care if God exists or not. Atheists are solid in their belief that there is no God.
Transcript
REFLECTIONS
1. Genesis
1.1I will start posting my reflections on the Bible book of Genesis one after anotherReading chapter 1 is one of the most controversial chapter in the Bible because it says the following
1. Our material world has a beginning2. God started the material world3. The sequence of creation is basically identical to what science has revealed
Just reflecting on chapter 1 opens up a wealth of knowledge of its own category. What were the views on this account?
1. Moses was rejected as the author and instead it was compiled and edited by so many others2. Bible critics claimed Genesis could not have been written in the time period claimed because people don't know how to write at the time3. There is no God therefore Genesis is a myth
Where would Moses or even the so-called compilers derived the concept of the Genesis beginning of the universe and the correct sequence of the appearance of life forms? There are many ancient creation myths.
But none is as simple as the Genesis story. None comes close with the simplicity Genesis presents. Moses was schooled by the Egyptians. The Egyptians believed that everything started from an egg from two gods! The other neighbor, the Babylonians believed that earth and heaven were from a goddess who was killed by another god and split in two (earth and heaven).
Scientists acknowledge at least the parallelism in Genesis and in science with respect to the appearance of life forms.
The Genesis story is rejected because it has been popular to claim in the scientific field that there is no God. Surprisingly, many so-called hard atheists turned to be agnostics at worse. What is the difference? Agnostics don't care if God exists or not. Atheists are solid in their belief that there is no God.
But the study of DNA and information theory have driven many atheist scientists to tone down their rhetoric. A very famous atheist, Anthony Flew, made headlines when he announced that DNA study made him renounce his atheism and published a book about it (http://www.amazon.com/There-Is-God-Notorious-Atheist/dp/0061335304)
Also, archaeology disclosed that writing was already known at the time Moses is supposed to be writing Genesis. The document hypothesis has now been shown to be defective in its position that instead of Moses there were other compilers who wrote the books very much later when supposedly writing has become known.
For those who would like to investigate further about the reasonableness of Creation based on the Bible, I invite you to check the two publications
1. The Origin of Life - Five Questions Worth Asking (http://www.jw.org/download/?output=html&pub=lf&fileformat=EPUB%2CPDF%2CBRL%2CRTF%2CMOBI&alllangs=0&langwritten=E&txtCMSLang=E&isBible=0)
2. Was Life Created?(http://www.jw.org/download/?output=html&pub=lc&fileformat=EPUB%2CPDF%2CBRL%2CRTF%2CMOBI&alllangs=0&langwritten=E&txtCMSLang=E&isBible=0)
But, what about supposed contradictions in Genesis? Let me explore that in the next posting.
1.2
What about supposed contradictions in the book of Genesis? Let us take two examples
1. Critics claim there are two contradicting stories of creation (chapter 1 and chapter 2) to support multiple compilers rather than Moses2. Where did Cain get his wife?3. How could all the animals fit into the ark?
The book, "The Bible- God's Word or Man's?" offer this explanation on item 1:
"Additionally, the way a narrative is constructed can lead to an apparent contradiction. At Genesis 1:24-26, the Bible indicates that the animals were created before man. But at Genesis 2:7, 19, 20, it seems to say that man was created before the animals. Why the discrepancy? Because the two accounts of the creation discuss it from two different viewpoints. The first describes the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them. (Genesis 1:1–2:4) The second concentrates on the creation of the human race and its fall into sin.—Genesis 2:5–4:26.
18 The first account is constructed chronologically, divided into six consecutive “days.” The second is written in order of topical importance. After a short prologue, it logically goes straight to the creation of Adam, since he and his family are the subject of what follows. (Genesis 2:7) Other information is then introduced as needed. We learn that after his creation Adam was to live in a garden in Eden. So the planting of the garden of Eden is now mentioned. (Genesis 2:8, 9, 15) Jehovah tells Adam to name “every wild beast of the field and every flying creature of the heavens.” Now, then, is the time to mention that “Jehovah God was forming from the ground” all these creatures, although their creation began long before Adam appeared on the scene.—Genesis 2:19; 1:20, 24, 26."
On item 2
"Often, apparent inconsistencies can be resolved if we just look at the context. Consider, for example, the often-raised problem about Cain’s wife. At Genesis 4:1, 2 we read: “In time [Eve] gave birth to Cain and said: ‘I have produced a man with the aid of Jehovah.’ Later she again gave birth, to his brother Abel.” As is well known, Cain killed Abel; but after that, we read that Cain had a wife and children. (Genesis 4:17) If Adam and Eve had only two sons, where did Cain find his wife?
The solution lies in the fact that Adam and Eve had more than two children. According to the context, they had a large family. At Genesis 5:3 we read that Adam became father to another son named Seth and then, in the following verse, we read: “He became father to sons and daughters.” (Genesis 5:4) So Cain could have married one of his sisters or even one of his nieces. At that early stage of human history, when mankind was so close to perfection, such a marriage evidently did not pose the risks for the children of the union that it would today."
On item 3, one reference work states this
"These estimates may seem too restrictive to some, especially since such sources as The Encyclopedia Americana indicate that there are upwards of 1,300,000 species of animals. (1977, Vol. 1, pp. 859-873) However, over 60 percent of these are insects. Breaking these figures down further, of the 24,000 amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, 10,000 are birds, 9,000 are reptiles and amphibians, many of which could have survived outside the ark, and only 5,000 are mammals, including whales and porpoises, which would have also remained outside the ark. Other researchers estimate that there are only about 290 species of land mammals larger than sheep and about 1,360 smaller than rats. (The Deluge Story in Stone, by B. C. Nelson, 1949, p. 156; The Flood in the Light of the Bible, Geology, and Archaeology, by A. M. Rehwinkel, 1957, p. 69) So, even if estimates are based on these expanded figures, the ark could easily have accommodated a pair of all these animals."
1.3
1. Genesis tells us that the human race came from one common ancestor- Adam and Eve. Is this idea scientific? At least the concept is. There is a field of research in fact among evolutionists in this field of common ancestry of all humans.
2. How about Eve being created from Adam's rib? Humans via cloning technology can actually do something similar today.
3. A talking serpent? Today ventriloquists do this with their puppets as if those puppets have vocal cords. The last book of the Bible calls God's chief enemy Satan as the "original serpent". He is the spirit person doing the talking unseen by Eve.
1.4
1. Genesis tells us that the human race came from one common ancestor- Adam and Eve. Is this idea scientific? At least the concept is. There is a field of research in fact among evolutionists in this field of common ancestry of all humans.
2. How about Eve being created from Adam's rib? Humans via cloning technology can actually do something similar today.
3. A talking serpent? Today ventriloquists do this with their puppets as if those puppets have vocal cords. The last book of the Bible calls God's chief enemy Satan as the "original serpent". He is the spirit person doing the talking unseen by Eve.
1.5
What is noteworthy about the size of Noah's ark? It is 300 cubits (length) by 30 cubits (width or beam), a ratio of 10:1.
A check on wikipedia on the ratio of big ships, it says this measure
"Using the formula beam (width) = square (cube root (length))
For a 741 ft (226 m) long ship: the cube root is 9, and 9 squared is 81, plus 1. The beam will usually be around 82 ft (25 m), e.g. Seawaymax." That ratio is 9:1.
How about the ship Titanic? 9.5 (c. 882ft (L) and c. 92 ft (W)).
1.6
One important feature to understand with the first chapters of Genesis is the misunderstanding that a creative day is a 24-hour day. No it is not.
Examine how the word 'day' is used in the first chapters and see how the meaning is different each time
Gen 1: 5 "God called the light Day" - a 12-hour day
Gen 1: 5 "And there was evening and there was morning, a first day" - the first creative day which let us keep the meaning undefined for now
Gen 2: 4 "in the day that Jehovah God made earth and heaven" - Earth was already existing before the six creative days began (Gen 1:1) and so 'day' here summarizes a long period of time
From just these verses alone, there is no definite or dogmatic assertion that can be made that each Creative day is a 24-hour day. As a sanity check, the apostle Paul or also known as St. Paul was talking about the 7th day, in his letter to the Hebrews. The way he explained it, the 7th day has not yet ended in his time. Note his words
"Therefore, since a promise of entering into his rest remains ..." (Hebrews 4:1)
This would mean the 7th day has been going on almost 4,000 years by St. Paul's time. Therefore, there is no basis to assert that each Creative day is a 24-hour day.
1.7
Some important highlights in the first chapters of Genesis that is of value to us are
1. Change in human diet from vegetarian to carnivorous with the exclusion of blood as food. Filipinos are apparently unaware of God's forbidding blood as part of the diet
"Only flesh with its life - its blood - you must not eat." (Gen 9:4)
2. The Lord Jesus pointed to Noah's time as a warning. The people of Noah's time ignored the warning Noah sounded to them because they were so busy with their ordinary lives. The lesson here is that it will happen again in our time. "For just as the days of Noah were, so the presence of the Son of man will be." (Matthew 24: 37) A classic case of history repeating itself.
3. There are about ten instances of the word "this is the history of" in Genesis. In Hebrew, the word used is toledoth. Bible scholars believe that these might refer to tablets of data passed on to Moses from records of the patriarchs which he compiled to be part of Genesis.
4. Archaeology has vindicated Genesis a lot. In 1933, in Tell Hariri, 20,000 clay tablets were dug. The details from the tablets talked about life that covered the time period of the lives of Abraham and his family:
a. adopting sons to be heir in the case of childless couple like Abraham (Eliezer)
b. selling of birthright as in the case of Bible's Esau
c. the keeping of family gods as title deed for property as in the case of the teraphim that Rachel kept hidden (31: 19)
d. camels were already domesticated at the time of Abraham (12:16)
e. The Egyptian life as depicted in the story of Joseph are all attested to by Egyptian records as accurate as reported in New Light on Hebrew Origins, by J. G. Duncan (1936), something a writer in a much later period of time would find difficulty to present as claimed by believers of documentary hypothesis
This means the Genesis account is truthful and accurate. It is not myth or fairy tales.
5. The most important message from Genesis is how Jehovah God responded to the falling away of man from him. That set the tone for the story of the entire Bible.
a. God made a promise in chapter 3 verse 15 about the appearance of an "offspring" who will destroy the enemy, Satan, as represented by the serpent
b. Satan already knew then his future - death
c. What Satan organized was a rebellion against God's sovereignty over man, God permitting his enemy to expand his authority and rule the world
d. Fallen man chose to be independent of God; God is no longer a factor in their lives or decisions
c. As this promise or prophecy unfolded, God has used Abraham and his family to be the conduit through whom this "offspring" will appear
d. God repeated this promise to Isaac and then to Jacob
e. We now know today that that "offspring" is the Lord Jesus Christ
f. The Lord Jesus will undo everything that the enemy Satan has built against God and God's sovereignty will once again dominate the Earth as reflected in the prayer "Thy kingdom come".
6. To comfort us, Genesis offers to us examples of faith from Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. It presented Jehovah God as someone who is always there with us whether in our joys or sorrows. He is someone who keeps his word and promises. If we wait on God who sees what is happening, in his own schedule, God will act on our behalf.
Genesis presents to us Jehovah as a communicating God. He is never remote, aloof, nor a snob. During the days of the patriarch, God used his angels a lot to transmit those messages. Jehovah God dealt with imperfect men and reading the Bible offers us a glimpse of how God worked out his purpose despite the imperfections of these men and their families.
But, in all of them, he simply asks what he asks of us today - to obey. God told Abraham to leave Ur, he left Ur in his old age. Although Isaac preferred Esau, Isaac obeyed God's will that His choice is Jacob. And so Isaac blessed Jacob. God reassured Jacob that He will bring him back to the land He promised Abraham and Isaac. And he did. All these men suffered injustice but they waited on God to right things. The most dramatic is Joseph.
Genesis is a wonderful record of God's loyal love to his loyal servants. It is a comfort to us in these difficult times that although life sometimes throw at us a curve ball, making obeying God a difficult thing, God takes notice and those of us who persevere in obeying, receives the blessing of God's loving care.
Isn't that what Jehovah God wanted to bring across to us?
1.8
These are some technical notes on my readings of Genesis comparing the changes across 1984 NWT and 2013 NWT versions.
It is evident to us as readers why the 2013 NWT was revised with these changes. The effort is to make the Bible easier to understand and more accurate in its rendition.
Take the case of Ishmael who was 19 years old at the time of 21:9, 15. He was no longer a child. He was a teen-ager. So a boy is more appropriate. And what Ishmael was doing to Isaac is no child's play. It was mean. He was mocking.
'Offspring' is definitely easier to grasp than 'seed' because the reference is to a son. Other English Bibles already use that word in that verse.
I am already enjoying this new journey.
2. JOSHUA
Reflections on the book of Joshua. Part 1.
We take for granted that what we read in the Bible book of Joshua is true history. Yet, in the field of Biblical archaeology, there are two camps that opposed each other with respect to the historicity of Biblical accounts such as the one we read in Joshua.
One camp is called Minimalist. They belong to the group that believe in the Documentary Hypothesis. They believe that the Bible was written during the time the Greeks were the world power, long after the events it narrates. Hence, they conclude it is not true history but a literary invention.
The other camp is called Maximalist. These are Bible believing archaeologists.
The differences lie in how they date what they find in the places the Bible book of Joshua said things happened. Minimalist promote the "Low Chronology" theory while the Maximalist promote the "High Chronology" theory. The difference in their dating is about 200 years. And that is a wide gap.
For a while, for lack of data, the Minimalist have had a good time trouncing the Bible especially the fall of Jericho and Ai, and the claim that Joshua and the Israelites conquered Canaan. Their position was that no such event happened. No such places existed at the time the Bible said it did.^^^^^^^If you search the Internet that is what you will find. Their glory days peaked during the 1980's. But, new finds raised issues against what seemed to be a very strong position. It now appears that Maximalists have the upper hand with the archaeological discoveries supporting the existence of King David on the time the Bible said it did. The Bible is proven to be true after all.
The question is not whether what the Bible describes ever happened. The sites of Jericho reflect the kind of destruction mentioned in the Bible. The issue is the timing of the event. How did they determine that? By looking at surviving potteries and other artifacts.
What is a Christian to do with these competing positions and developments? The research web site WOL.jw.org has this to say on the subject of Jericho:
"For this reason numerous scholars date the fall of Jericho on circumstantial evidence, and suggested dates span a period of about 200 years. In view of such uncertainty, Professor Merrill F. Unger fittingly observes: “Scholars also must be extremely wary of attaching undue authority to archaeologists’ estimates of dates and interpretation of data. That the fixing of dates and the conclusions drawn from archaeological findings often depend on subjective factors is amply demonstrated by the wide divergences between competent authorities on these matters.”—Archaeology and the Old Testament, 1964, p. 164
3.1 Reflections on the Bible book of Judges. Part 1.
How long was the history recorded in the book of the Judges? According to one reference, this is how it is calculated
"How long a period does Judges cover? This can be calculated from 1 Kings 6:1, which shows that Solomon began to build the house of Jehovah in the fourth year of his reign, which was also “the four hundred and eightieth year after the sons of Israel came out from the land of Egypt.” (“Four hundred and eightieth” being an ordinal number, it represents 479 full years.) The known time periods included in the 479 years are 40 years under Moses in the wilderness (Deut. 8:2), 40 years of Saul’s reign (Acts 13:21), 40 years of David’s reign (2 Sam. 5:4, 5), and the first 3 full years of Solomon’s reign. Subtracting this total of 123 years from the 479 years of 1 Kings 6:1, there remain 356 years for the period between the entry of Israel into Canaan and the start of Saul’s reign. The events recorded in the book of Judges, extending largely from the death of Joshua down to the time of Samuel, cover about 330 years of this 356-year period."^^^^^^Archaeologists divide the timeline where the Bible events have happened from the time of Moses to the period of the Judges to be in the Bronze Age period, followed by the establishment of the kingship with David in the Iron Age period. The on-going debate is whether Joshua and the Judges record took place in the Middle Bronze age or in the Late Bronze age. This is where the term "High Chronology" and "Low Chronology" is derived.
Since the period of Joshua and the Judges introduced a change of culture in Canaan by the wiping of the existing Baal culture with the Israelite culture, archaeology should be able to show through their diggings and the artifacts excavated (pottery for example) that there was indeed a transition in culture.
Several reports found on the internet show this transition.
The book is rich with examples of men who made themselves available in the service of their God Jehovah. Each men, despite their frailties and imperfection, were used by Jehovah God to accomplish his purpose.
Of all the judges, the most poignant story is with Samson. Judges 16: 20 reports
"But he didn’t realize that the Lord had left him" (The Living Bible)"But he did not know that Jehovah had left him." (The New World Translation)"But he did not know that Yahweh had left him." (Lexham English Bible)
With his hair cut off, his Naziriteship was defiled. His love for Delilah who was willing to sold him for 1,100 silver pieces or for USD 1,000 ruined him spiritually. That must have been a painful realization for Samson and he suffered the unhappy consequences. Not only did he lose his super-human strength. But that he lost his precious relationship with God.
But, knowing the kind of God Jehovah is, Samson worked on recovering his relationship with God. He prayed for Jehovah to remember him who gave him once more the super-human strength he once had.
We can picture Jehovah as described in the book of the Judges his feelings for his repentant servants, Judges 2: 18
"for Yahweh was moved by their groaning because of their persecutors" (Lexham English Bible)"for Jehovah was moved to pity over their groaning caused by those who oppressed them" (New World Translation)
Samson must have groaned to Jehovah with his broken heart. And Jehovah who loved Samson from infancy responded.
3.3
Reflections on the book of Judges. Part 3.
The book ended with an extra-ordinary story that inspires reflections at many layers. This was the case of mass rape in the city of Gibeah. The punitive action taken by the rest of the Israelites met defeat twice, with the loss of 40,000 faithful Israelites, apparently without getting any blessing from Jehovah God, despite seeking His guidance. Finally, Jehovah granted them victory against the perpetrators of the crime, leading to the burning of the city of Gibeah.
Sometimes, we don't understand how God acts in certain instances and they don't map neatly with our understanding of justice. With our limited knowledge and insight, we are perplexed by such developments.
Was it truly just to allow the loss of 40,000 faithful Israelites to the wicked of Gibeah? I can relate to the weeping that took place among the faithful Israelites for their loss. The loss is actually temporary if we recall God has the power of resurrection.
But the loss did not discourage the Israelites to pursue justice and righteousness. Though the wicked were more capable warriors than they are, Jehovah finally blessed their zeal and led to the burning of Gibeah.
To do the right thing sometimes incur cost, great cost to ourselves. But just like the Israelites, on the book of the Judges, there is no turning back. In the end, God sees everything. He steps in to do what we cannot do ourselves.
4. SAMUEL
4.1 Reflections on 1 Samuel. Part 1.
Bible critics consider the two books of Samuel as part and parcel of the same author/redactor who wrote/compiled the books from Genesis-Joshua-Judges up to this book after the Babylonian exile. Bible critics call this author/redactor a Deuteronomist.
My previous note showed the weaknesses of this theory and variations of this theory have already been abandoned.
Textual analysis in the body cited by these critics as proof are commented by this online Bible-based encyclopaedia
"The fact that Hannah and an unnamed “man of God” used the expressions “king” and “anointed one” years before a king actually ruled over Israel does not support the argument of some that these passages date from a period later than indicated in the book. (1Sa 2:10, 35) The idea of a future king was by no means foreign to the Hebrews. God’s promise concerning Sarah, the ancestress of the Israelites, was that “kings of peoples” would come from her. (Ge 17:16) Also, Jacob’s deathbed prophecy (Ge 49:10), the prophetic words of Balaam (Nu 24:17), and the Mosaic Law (De 17:14-18) pointed to the time when the Israelites would have a king."
http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200003825
4.2Reflection on 1 Samuel. Part 2.
The characters in the first book of Samuel offer lots to reflect on - their lot in life, how they coped with it, how their relationship with God played a role in their success or failure as individuals, and puts divine action in a context that we can relate to.
Take the couple Elkanah and Hanna. Hanna remained childless, a very negative and painful lot in Israelite culture. Add to that the maltreatment she gets from Peninnah, the other wife. It went on for years but that has not stopped Hanna from performing her obligations to Jehovah her God by joining the entire family when going to Shiloh. Worse was, when she arrived in Shiloh, the high priest there, Eli, mistook her for a drunkard while praying. Think of adding insult to injury.
Would your sad lot in life stop you from clinging to God and His people because some of your peers are discouraging you? Would you consider God has left you in your sad plight? Would you think that God is the source of your problem? That's where we are encouraged by the example of Hannah. She brought her problem to Jehovah God and offered God a deal. Once
she gave the problem to Jehovah, she was no longer sad.
How Jehovah God must have appreciated from the heavens how loyal Hannah was. And when she prayed, it must have warmed Jehovah's heart. Here is someone He loves to help. And so God did.
How about me? What if a similar painful lot falls on my lap down the road? How will I handle it? What if the source of that pain are from my fellow worshipers of Jehovah? How will I cope? It is a good thing to reflect on the example of Hannah because folks like her gets Jehovah's favor.
4.3Reflection on 1 Samuel. Part 3.
If you want to get to know God with clarity, you have to reflect on how Samuel, Saul and David interacted with Jehovah God and how God interacted with them.
Jehovah is an appreciative God. We saw this in his choice of Samuel to be his prophet or representative. God has seen how as a young boy, separated from his parents at an early age, without the nurturing of loving parents, and surrounded by evil adult examples right in the holy place, Samuel was strong and whole enough not to absorb the evil around him. Unlike other adults, he did not say that when he arrived at the sanctuary this is the way it is and that everybody's doing it. He stood his ground and God took noticed. When he grew up, he maintained that devotion to God's righteous standards and was no respecter of persons in that regard.
Jehovah God does not practice favoritism. We saw this in how he interacted with Saul and David. In the beginning, Saul has positive qualities of humility, diligence and industriousness. Physically, he was like no other in appearance - height, build, and attractiveness. Yet, he did not manifest any conceit for having such gifted physical appearance. God chose him as the first king of Israel. (My initial curiosity here the first time I read the Bible was why God chose someone from the tribe of Benjamin rather than someone from the tribe of Judah as first king when it is clearly the prophetic line of kings.)
Saul's serious flaw was that he lost his humility when he became king. When he made a mistake, he could have ask God's forgiveness. Instead, he tried his very best to excuse himself, minimizing the mistake, blame others for it, but not him making the mistake. For an imperfect human, pride has replaced humility and Saul should have known God hates proud folks. And in the end, Saul was more concerned what people would thought of him rather than how he stands before God over the mistake. Jehovah God saw no further reason to continue supporting King Saul. All that physical attractiveness did nothing to appease God. And how sad it is that Saul never worked back to regain that friendship.
In contrast was a young, equally good-looking man, David. David showed how strong his relationship is with God and how much he appreciated it. It was very customary for David to inquire of God before taking any actions on matters. He was zealous for his God Jehovah, unwilling to bring reproach to the name of his God, and not even from someone like Goliath.
David's humility is astounding considering how many times he had the opportunity to kill King Saul who chased after him, to have him killed, but he recognized that King Saul's is God's responsibility. He deferred to God's time table when to remove King Saul. He patiently worked
with his Jehovah God and took evasive measures to avoid confronting the king. And God blessed David's humble efforts.
David was also open to corrections. When a woman met up with him to expose his error, giving way to anger, to do a violent act, David allowed himself to be corrected by a woman at that. David praised Abigail, in fact, for taking such bold action. He listened to the counsel of a woman.
David's strong relationship with his God prevented him to blame God for having the city of Ziklag burned down and his family and the family of his fellow 600 soldiers kidnapped. Of course, David and his men wept out of frustration. They lost everything - their properties, their family, and the city where they lived. David accepted what God permitted and inquired from God of his next steps or actions to take. Jehovah God must have appreciated David's reactions that Jehovah restored to David and his 600 men everything that was lost to them and more.
Yes, in the lives of these three men we see a God who cares, who watches over, who takes notice of our reactions, decisions, and flaws. He is also a God who sticks to us if we stick to him and who will abandon us if we choose to leave him. We need God and not the other way around. We cannot be like Saul who after losing God's friendship, pride stood in the way to his reconciliation. We should be more like David, always dependent on God, humble and open to correction, and trusting that his God although He permits bad things to happen, He is always there to help out.
For some of us, especially, the young folks, there is Samuel to emulate who started young in serving God and maintained loyalty to his old age. His service record is possibly one of the longest service record in the Bible.
5. Second SAMUEL
5.1Reflections on the second book of Samuel. Part 1.
Many supposedly intellectual folks sneer at reading the Bible, dismissing it as a book of myths and legends. Many of these so-called intellectuals simply parrot what others say and has never read the Bible for themselves. They presume that these Bible critics know what they speak of. Unfortunately for them, relying on human wisdom, they deny to themselves the better wisdom of God.
For years, personalities in the book of Samuel has been considered legends and myths. Archaeologists who have never believed the Bible has jumped to the conclusion that there never was a king called David. He was legend like king Arthur.
Then, in the late 1980's, two different stone fragments of monuments were dug by archaeologists (these are called stela), containing the name of a Jewish king, David. All of a sudden, what was myth and legend was true after all!
Regarding the role of archaeology with respect to affirming or denying the truthfulness of the Bible as the content of the books of Samuel, an article from the New York Times writes
"The foregoing discussion shows that archaeological evidence is subject to interpretation just as the Bible is. Archaeology has not yet proved David's historical existence. But it has not disproved it either. The evidence is interpreted differently by different people. The assumption that David was a real person remains a viable and defensible one. The references to his name in inscriptions add some weight to this assumption."
5.2Reflections on the second book of Samuel. Part 2.
Since David is an important personality whose examples Christians today can learn a lot from, this book is an important read. It also teaches us about how Jehovah God interacts with individuals like David.
What did I personally learn from David?
1. Jehovah does not always intervene to stop or prevent us from suffering. He certainly DOES NOT cause human suffering to force us to cling to Him. That is completely opposite to His personality. God is love, the Bible says.
Although David was chosen by Jehovah God as the successor king to King Saul, God did not prevent King Saul from hunting down David his enemy and designated successor. This made life difficult for David. He has to hide in the Judean wilderness, in caves, in mountains, always on the run.
The patience that David exercised all this time, waiting for God to act in His appointed time, and asking God's blessing for his creative ways to evade his enemy, is something I can learn from. David knew and believed that God cares for him.
At one point in his life, when they left their families and properties in the city of Ziklag, and were some place else, marauder bands of Amalekites attacked the city of Ziklag. When David and his 600 men returned, the city was burned down. All their family were missing. No dead bodies around either of humans or animals. Their families were kidnapped and their flock of cows, goats and sheep were taken away.
David must have felt disappointed with Jehovah God that He allowed such a thing to happen. His men were so mad that they wanted to punish David for this tragedy.
In this lowest point in his life, David knowing Jehovah God more intimately, knew that it was not the worse. Their families are still alive. That is the best news. He sought God's help. For his unwavering faith, God rewarded him that he will be able to recover not just their families but their properties and more.
As a Christian, we must think like David. But to think like David, we need to improve our knowledge of God, and dismiss lies that even religious leaders promote about God, such as suffering is from God.
2. Jehovah knowing that we are sinners can quickly distinguish genuine repentance from one that is feigned.
King Saul was rejected by Jehovah for disobedience. King David was not rejected by Jehovah for disobedience. What made the difference?
King Saul when he was confronted for his error, did what most of us imperfect individuals would commonly mistakenly do - minimize our mistake, deny responsibility for the mistake, and save face. Jehovah was not pleased by the failure of Saul to come to true repentance, that is, humbly acknowledge that he made a mistake, not someone else, and is willing to face the consequences of the mistake.
King David was different. The moment he realized the error - he did three things that were completely opposite of Saul. He admitted the error, took the responsibility for the error, and was not concerned about his personal reputation over the mistake but instead, how it impacted his relationship with God.
Jehovah God, who can read human hearts, quickly saw in David genuine repentance. And God forgave him for his grievous error. But, God did not prevent or protected David from the consequences of his mistakes. He suffered from his error until his death.
5.3
Reflections on the second book of Samuel. Part 3.
Besides David, there are many personalities whose conduct we can learn a lot from - either to avoid their mistakes and the attitude that led to such mistakes or copy their positive examples and the reward they got for such examples.
In the second book, we are introduced to the prophets Nathan and Gad. We are introduced to the other women in David's life, primarily Bathsheba, Michal, and her daughter Tamar. We are introduced to sons who perished in his lifetime - Amnon and Absalom. We are introduced to his cousins, the brothers Joab, Abishai and Asahel and their cousin Amasa. These personalities were introduced to us at a time when David was reaping what he has sown - for temporary enjoyment of sin, David paid dearly with turmoil and confusion, not only in his family but in his kingdom as well.
We are introduced to examples of loyalty and betrayal as well. There were loyal Hushai and Ittai the Gittite. The old but wealthy man Barzillai. There was humble Jonathan. Then there is the traitor Ahithopel, David's former adviser.
Notably, in the coup d'etat that Absalom his son orchestrated, David's original 600 men stayed loyal to him.
This was not just a simple issue of political intrigue. The kingship of Israel is not a human kingship. Human kings sit on God's throne in Jerusalem according to the Bible. David was a messiah, God's appointed human representative. Anyone who would de-throne him without Jehovah God's permission is rising up against God himself. This explains why David did not organize a coup d'etat against King Saul. He waited for God to de-throne Saul.
All these personalities teach Christians about loyalty and obedience to theocracy or God's
rule.
This is an important point of reflections by Bible readers because the Lord Jesus is also called in the Bible, as son of David. This is significant because Jehovah God designated the Lord Jesus as the Messiah, or the successor to the dynasty of King David. Jesus has royal blood. But Jesus will not sit on an earthly throne in Jerusalem. His kingdom will be from heaven and it's rule will soon dominate the earth. As its future king, the Lord taught us all to pray, Thy kingdom come.
6. First KINGS
6.1Reflections on the first book of Kings. Part 1.
Just like the other books of the Bible, Bible critics have never accepted this book as containing true history. They dismissed the first five books of Moses as never written in the time it was supposed to be written. The popular view is that the books were produced much later by others and those others promoted the claim that it was from Moses. One of the key proof claimed is as below
"Not only is it true that the Hebrew language did not exist, but it is urged by critics that no written language, as we understand it, existed in Western Asia in the time of Moses. Prof. Andrew Norton says: "For a long time after the supposed date of the Pentateuch we find no proof of the existence of a book or even an inscription in proper alphabetical characters among the nations by whom the Hebrews were surrounded." (The Pentateuch, p. 44) Hieroglyphs were then in use, and it cannot be imagined that a work as large as the Pentateuch was written or engraved in hieroglyphics and carried about by this wandering tribe of ignorant Israelites."
But are the assertions above still holds with contemporary archaeological discoveries related to the Hebrew language and its script? The book, "A History of Hebrew: Its Language and Philosophy" by Jeff Benner has this to say about the origin of writing related to Hebrew:
"The early Semitic alphabet existed between the 20th and 12th centuries B.C. However, note that the 20th century date is based on the oldest inscriptions found thus far and it is possible that future discoveries may push the date of the Semitic alphabet back even farther into history. To date, the Wadi El-Hhol inscriptions found in southern Egypt, are the oldest Semitic inscriptions found and date to between the 19th and 20th centuries B.C. The Sinaitic inscriptions from the Sinai peninsula date to about the 15th century B.C.
The middle Semitic alphabet, the Phoenician and old Hebrew, was in use between the 12th
and 4th century B.C. The Gezer calendar, Mesha Stele, Siloam inscription, the Lachish inscription and the Phoenician sarcophagus date to this time period.
The late Semitic alphabet, the square Aramaic script, was in use between 4th century BC and into modern times with the modern Hebrew alphabet that is used to this day."
How do Bible critics react to this development? This news report captures the prevailing attitude.
The Bible wins while the Bible critics wobble into a "maybe or maybe not". Why is this important to reflect on? Every time the Bible is vindicated, the stronger the value it has for us as God's communication to mankind. You can study the Bible and learn more about what it says on the more important things in life.
6.2
Reflections on the first book of Kings. Part 2.
This book is controversial because it tells the story of a united kingdom under David and Solomon. To Bible critics these are legends and mythical personalities. So what happens when archaeology finds some artifacts that bolster the Bible story? Furious debate.
One such archaeological find is the Ophel Inscription. The dating and implication of the find help establish that there was an existing kingdom as the Bible narrated. The report below illustrates the kind of controversy it can generate.
King Solomon was loved by Jehovah God, enough to give him the wisdom that made him famous, famous enough to attract 1,000 women. And that's his fall from grace. He allowed his love for women to be more than his love for his God. There are only 365 days in a year and Solomon has 1,000 women!
His story demonstrates how deceptive our hearts can be. It has powerful motivations that can override our minds. Christians should learn from his fall. We cannot allow our hearts to dictate what we should follow. "Sundin mo ang sinasabi ng puso mo" or "kung saan ka maligaya doon ka" are recipes for disaster.
All the kings that followed King Solomon followed their hearts. And they brought national disaster to Israel.
The book also highlighted that Jehovah God will not allow himself to be disrespected. Those He chose to be kings when they became disloyal to him, He deposed. He gave them the opportunity to be loyal, a privilege that an imperfect man should have valued. But they allowed personal ambitions to cloud their decisions.
Just as Jehovah God was loyal to David because David was loyal to God, Jehovah God did the same for the kings who chose to be loyal to him. This is an important lesson for Christians. God reciprocates our loyalty to him.
The book also introduces us to a powerful prophet Elijah. His life story demonstrated that Jehovah God supports, protects and takes care of His loyal servants. He takes notice of our emotional state, and acts to encourage and strengthen us. What a powerful testimony it was when in the contest between Baal, an idol god, and Jehovah, He demonstrated that He is the only true God.
7. Second KINGS
7.1Reflections on the second book of Kings. Part 1.
The books of Kings mention many international personalities from then world powers - Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon. And the concurrence of archaeology, history and the records of these other powers confirm that the Bible is not a book of legend or myths.
It reports real people, places and events. Here are the names of these personalities
Archaeologist has this to say regarding Pharaoh Shishak
"Levin points out that if the Egyptian Pharaoh’s records on the Bubastite Portal match those from 1 Kings, “this would be the earliest event in Biblical history for which we have a contemporaneous reference in an extrabiblical source.” Moreover, Egyptian records of Sheshonq’s rule between 945 and 925 B.C.E. could be used to date the reigns of Rehoboam’s father, Solomon, and his grandfather, David."
Scholars have found corroborating evidence in the land of Israel of this conquest that led them to conclude that the this pharaoh's attack in Judah is "beyond reasonable doubt."
Regarding the other names, the web site Biblical Archaeology Review, has the archaelogical proof points that history validates the truthfulness of the Bible record
One of the dramatic discoveries in modern times to support the Bible record is the archaeological finds in the land of Nineveh of Assyria which showed many corroborating data on the Sennacherib campaign in the land of Israel.
"Layard found the walls of this room covered with limestone 8 feet tall and 80 feet long wrapping around all four walls. Every inch of the room’s walls powerfully depicted only one scene in history, Sennacherib’s defeat of the southern kingdom city of Lachish. Remember in 2 Kings 18:17, “The king of Assyria sent his supreme commander, his chief officer and his field commander with a large army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem.”"
The leadership of the kings of Judah were mostly by faithless men. Their history is both a blessing and a warning example of how Jehovah responds to our effort to be close to Him.
There are many rich experiences in this book that demonstrated the truthfulness of the words of our Lord Jesus that when we put God's kingdom interest and his righteousness first, God will add or provide for the things that we need.
Take the case of several women whom Jehovah God blessed and supplied for their needs:
1. The mother at Zarepath2. The wife of the dead prophet3. The rich but childless wife at Shunem
In each instance, Jehovah had ask for a demonstration of faith before the actual blessing was given.
In the case of the mother at Zarepath who was down to the last meal with her child, Elijah asked her to feed him first. Only then will Jehovah God take care of her. That was certainly not looking logical nor reasonable. The mother had to choose between what is practical or faith in God's ability to provide. This mom decided to put her faith in Jehovah God and fed Elijah with their last meal. The Bible reports, "the large jar of flour did not run out, and the small jar of oil did not run dry" all the time the famine was going on around her.
In the case of the dead prophet's wife, she appealed to the prophet Elisha to help her financially, particularly paying off the family's debt. Instead of just granting her wish, Jehovah God asked her to do a practical gesture. She was asked to collect jars from everyone she knew. Then, she started pouring oil from her own jar to the collected jars. Finally, she filled up all the jars that she collected and there were no more empty jars. Her own source jar did not run empty as she used it to fill up the rest. The Bible reports, "Go sell the oil and pay off your debts, and you and your sons can live from what is left."
In the case of the rich wife at Shunem, her generosity was rewarded. The prophet Elisha used to frequent Shunem. This rich wife offered her home as a base for the prophet whenever he visits. She even made an additional room built complete with furnishings for the prophet for his privacy. Jehovah took notice of her hospitality and blessed her with a son.
The experiences of Elijah and Elisha demonstrated God's ability to provide. He knows how to take care of people who serve Him sincerely and with dedication.
One interesting experience that pre-dated the miracle of Jesus feeding thousands, is the feeding of 100 prophets with only 20 loaves. The man who brought the loaves knew that he cannot feed 100 men with 20 loaves. But the prophet Elisha instructed him just to feed them with the 20 loaves and that there will be even leftovers. And that exactly happened. The Bible reports, "and they ate and they had some leftover, according to the word of Jehovah."
That is why I find the books of Kings such a faith strengthening read. In times when the economy appears to tank, the equivalent of famine in Bible times, God knows how to provide for those who trust in Him for as long as we put God's kingdom interest first. How much more will Jehovah God provide for those who make self-sacrifices in behalf of the ministry of the good news of God's kingdom!
7.6
Reflections on the books of Kings. Part 3.
What have I learned about Jehovah from these two books? I learned that Jehovah God, our heavenly Father, is an appreciative God but He does not tolerate disrespect.
Take a look at how much support he gave King Solomon. He granted Solomon's wish for wisdom. Being appreciative, God did more than that. He was willing to give Solomon more. However, it was not a sky's the limit thing. It was tied to Solomon's continued loyalty through obedience to His laws. But Solomon, despite being a wise man, chose to belittle God's laws. He started to disobey them, one by one. It became a habit until it reached a point, obedience no longer mattered. So, Jehovah's feelings changed towards Solomon. He cannot tolerate disrespect.
Jeroboam was a skilled organizer. Jehovah being an appreciative God, He chose him to be the king of the separate kingdom of Israel. God offered to sustain his kingdom if Jeroboam sticks to God's laws through obedience. Jeroboam though once he became king, completely abandoned Jehovah God. He misused his free will to promote apostasy for political reason - ensure the continuity of his kingdom. It was something that Jehovah already promised but he had no faith in God. So, Jehovah declared that he would abort the kingship of Jeroboam.
Jehovah God offered the kingship of Israel to other men. He also offered them continuity for as long as they comply and obey with God's laws. Nearly all of them took the path of Jeroboam. They did what they thought would ensure their continuity. And so Jehovah aborted the kingship of such men.
There was only one special guy, Jehu, who Jehovah rewarded with four generations of kings under him for being obedient to Him initially. Again, being an appreciative God, Jehovah rewarded Jehu generously by allowing four generations of his line to sit as kings of Israel. But his son and grandsons chose the path of Jeroboam. Once His promise was completed, Jehovah aborted the kingship from the family of Jehu.
These books offered us the insight that Jehovah God does not pre-judge a man. He allows individuals to show what was in their heart. Only when they have demonstrated who they really were does God react to remove them or keep them in his favor.
The case of Ahab is an interesting one. Ahab had the baddest reputation of all the kings of Israel. Once Jehovah God sent his prophet to rebuke Ahab for his bad activities. Ahab took the rebuke seriously and repented. Jehovah God recognizing that it was a genuine act of repentance, He was quick to forgive Ahab - despite being the baddest king of the kings of Israel! However, Ahab reverted back to his bad ways. This time around, Jehovah allowed Ahab to be killed during a battle.
A similar case but with a different ending is Manasseh, a king of the kingdom of Judah. Manasseh is the baddest of all kings both from Judah and from Israel. He has no equal in badness. He installed inside Jehovah God's temple idols of different sorts. He caused the death of so many people even his own children. Jehovah allowed Manasseh's kingdom to be defeated by foreigners and he was captured and brought to Babylon. There Manasseh humbled himself before Jehovah. Again, Jehovah seeing the genuineness of his repentance, forgave freely. Manasseh never returned to his former bad ways. But his damage was so extensive that Jehovah required an accounting from the kingdom of Judah. In time, Jerusalem was burned down by
Babylonians.
How do we want Jehovah God to treat us? That depends a lot on what we do with Jehovah God's laws. He entrusts to us privileges and work because He saw in us the will and capability to execute. If we do right with Jehovah, He will reward us generously being an appreciative God that He is.
