When Dad Says No

That's a picture of my daughter Michaela.  Before you call DCFS, I'll fill you in on a secret: The picture is totally photoshopped.  I love her with all my heart and I delight in her.  I'm happy when she smiles and it makes me sad to see her upset.

This morning, I was holding her and eating my breakfast.  She is at the point now where we are feeding her the standard mushy baby food but also giving her a few small solids like Cheerios.  So every time I brought my English muffin up toward my mouth, she would reach out to grab it and try to eat it.  I'd lovingly look at her and say, "No, no, no, this is for Daddy."  She'd stare at me with her pretty eyes and start playing with the tablecloth.  I'd take another bite and she would reach out again.  This happened the whole time I ate.

Apparent Contradictions: God or Satan?

 First order of business, I apologize for my lack of updates lately.  I took a trip to California two weekends ago with family and was busy before and after prepping and catching up.  Now I'm back and hope to resume my normal Tuesday, Thursday, Friday routine.

You guys have voted in the next apparent contradiction for me to debunk today and it is the one found in the following verses.

Again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, "Go, number Israel and Judah."  -- 2 Samuel 24:1

Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel.  --  1 Chronicles 21:1

Both of these passages are telling the story of the same exact event.  So the question is "Who incited David to number Israel?"  2 Samuel says that God did it.  1 Chronicles says that Satan did it.  Is the Bible calling God and Satan the same person?  Did the author of Samuel (likely Samuel) and the author of Chronicles (likely Ezra) disagree?  What's the deal?

Apparent Contradictions: God sends an evil spirit

How many demoniacs were there in the region of Gerasene... one or two?  If God can't change, knows the future, and is never wrong then how did the prayers of Abraham and others change God's mind?  Was Jehoiachin eight or eighteen when he became king?  If God cannot be tempted, then how was Jesus tempted three times by the devil?  Who incited David to number the people... God or Satan?

There are a number of things that are quite confusing at first glance in the Bible.  One such category of confusing parts are the apparent contradictions.  As Christians, we have to be honest and open about these.  We can't cover our eyes and shout at the top of our lungs whenever someone brings them up.  We have to be ready to respond with a reason for our faith as 1 Peter 3:15 tells us.  There are statements made in the Bible that do indeed look like contradictions.  But I believe when you examine the original languages, culture, context, and study hard, you will find that they are not truly contradictions.  I'd like to spend some time examining these individually and will begin tossing them up on the poll for you to vote on.

The first apparent contradiction we will look at involves these two verses.


Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the Lord our God is holy!  --  Psalm 99:9


The next day an evil spirit from God came forcefully upon Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the harp, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand.  --  1 Samuel 18:10

The conflict arises when we understand what the word holy means.  To be holy is to be apart from sin.  When the Bible says that God is holy, it means that He is sinless and separated from sin.  If this is true, then how can God send an evil spirit to Saul?  Is this not an evil or sinful action that incriminates God?


What is the Evil Spirit

"Evil spirit" comes from the Hebrew ruwach-ra’a.

The word ruwach means spirit. It refers to the immaterial part of life that moral creatures have such as humans or angels. Whenever the Bible refers to a spirit sent from God, it always means some sort of divine agent like an angel.

This word ra’a can be translated as both evil or harmful. But it does not mean evil in the sense of sinful but in the sense of bad. For example, the word ra’a is used in Hebrew to describe spoiled fruit or the Chinese food you left on the counter for three days with no refrigeration. That food is now evil, ra'a, harmful, bad. So this spirit is not necessarily “evil” in the sense we normally think of with that word today.  Just as we would not call the spoiled Kung Pao Beef sinful, this word ra'a is not always referring to a moral quality.  Instead its referring to what sort of effect something has on a person.  Its better to translate ra'a using the word harmful as the ESV Bible does.  

So, in the context of this passage, it is best to translate this as a harmful spirit or angel. This is a divine agent sent by God with the purpose of harming Saul.

Is it Sin for God to Harm Someone?

 Actually, no. Its very natural for us to think of harm or pain as a bad thing.  But harm can be a good thing and often it is.  It is a pain in your hand as you reach out to a fire that tells you not to touch the flame. It is pain when a parent smacks the bottom of a toddler who keeps trying to run into the street that teaches them not to take that dangerous action anymore.  Harm can be a good thing and there is no reason not to believe God was using this harmful spirit for good. In fact, Romans 8:28 tells us that God uses all things for the good of those who love Him.  

Why Did God Want to Harm Saul?

The harmful spirit came after Saul began growing jealous of David.  Saul knew God had removed him from being king but instead of stepping aside he clung to the throne.  As David rose in popularity, Saul wanted him dead and would even throw spears at him.  This harmful spirit may have been a way God was trying to rebuke and discipline Saul to get him off of his violent path. God allowed David’s music to ease the harmful spirit on Saul. This gives more reason to believe that God was using this whole experience to try to break Saul of his jealousy and get him to embrace David.

Conclusion

God does not sin.  At first glance this may look as if God is guilty of doing evil, but, when we look closely and carefully, we see that God is still holy and good.  The passage is best translated with the words "harmful spirit."  God uses this harm to bring about repentance and good like a father might lovingly discipline a child.

Please send me any apparent contradictions you've found in the Bible, vote at the top right of the site for the next one you'd like me to cover, and be sure to look deeper when you think you've found a contradiction in God's Word!

Ephesians 1:4 Chosen Long Ago

Some time ago, I began a study through Ephesians on my day off (Monday) and I put up my notes and commentary on Mondays.  But, being my day off, I quickly got tired of typing it out and tossing it on the internet.  But I have decided to make those notes available to you again.  Here are my notes on Ephesians 1:1-2 and here are my notes on Ephesians 1:3.  Without further ado...


even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.  -- Ephesians 1:4a

Feature Friday: Its Elementary My Dear Watson

Christy and I went out to see the second Sherlock Holmes movie on Wednesday at the two dollar show in La Grange (which is actually now the $5.50 show, but that's another story).  It was actually quite entertaining and a pretty fun ride.  Like the last movie, Holmes is a substance abuser with questionable morals.  Overall though, I'd recommend it.  Just make sure you watch with discernment.

What I love about these movies and the old school Holmes books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is the crazy deductive skills of Sherlock Holmes.  Nothing escapes him.  He can look at you and tell you what you ate for your last three meals based on some crumbs on your shirt, a stain on your collar, and a scent on your breath.  He can enter a room and tell you how many people have come and gone over the last 24 hours.  My favorite from this movie though is when he and his hyper intelligent brother try to out deduce each other.  They take one look at each other and start saying things like, "I see you bought a new bow for your violin."

Theology Thursday: Proving God Exists - Part 5

Your votes are in and today's theology topic will be taking another look at the evidence we have for God's existence.  Up until now, we have been covering general arguments that show that some sort of divine being or beings do exist.  Today, we are going to take a look at evidence that takes that one step further and shows that the God of the Bible is real.  We will be looking at many of the fulfilled prophecies within the Bible.

Declaring the Future is Strong Evidence

If I told you that you were going to trip today and fracture your left femur, you would probably look at me strangely.  But what if it then happened?  Maybe at first you'd be in too much pain to think straight.  But after the doctors had done their thing and you were laying in a hospital bed with a big cast on your leg, it would hit you.  Mark told me this was going to happen!  What would you do?  How would you feel?  What would you want to say to me?

One reason I love Psalm 145

When I'm driving the speed limit and I get tailgated, sometimes I think to myself, "I should just slam on my brakes and it will go down as their fault...that'll teach them!"

When I got home from the airport last week, Michaela was crying and everyone was talking while grandma was trying to buckle her into her car seat.  We were parked for too long at the pickup curb and the lady came up and told us to move.  I snapped at her quite rudely.

I got a huge and unexpected bill yesterday.  When I went in to dispute it and things didn't go my way, I thought about throwing my documents in the lady's face for a second... just for a second. On the outside, I smiled and thanked her.

Do you get angry?  Do you punch walls?  Do you lose your temper?  Do you yell at people?  I'm not the only one right?

Feature Friday: Buying Dinner for a Mugger

If you read the news or listen to the radio, you've probably heard this story.  Julio Diaz (above) was approached after getting off the train by a teen with a knife.  After he handed over his wallet, the teen turned around to leave.  If I were Julio, at that point I probably would have taken out my cell phone and called the police while walking away.  I would be upset that my day had been ruined by such a scary thing and I would want that no good teen caught and punished and I would want my wallet returned.  I think that is how most of us would feel.

Theology Thursday: Proving God Exists - Part 4

What makes something good and other things evil?  Why are some actions right and other actions wrong?  Why do almost all of us agree that stabbing someone out of jealousy is wrong but shooting someone in self defense and in defense of others is not?  Who decided how we ought and ought not act?  Are certain things right or wrong just based on our opinion?  Is it based on a certain set of laws?  Where does morality come from?

The Moral Argument

In our fourth attempt to prove the existence of God, we will be looking at another age old argument known as the moral argument.  This argument bases itself around the question, "Where does morality come from?"  There are several possible answers to this question, but only one answer makes sense.  The only logical answer to this question is that morality comes from a personal, absolute, transcendent being (God).  To read about this in depth, I highly recommend C.S. Lewis' book Mere Christianity.

Theology Thursday: Proving God Exists - Part 2

As I mentioned in Part 1, I don't really think there is a way to prove 100% that God does exist.  But I do believe there are very strong arguments that can be made to defend the existence of God.  I hope these provide strength for your own faith and aid you in sharing your faith with others.

Today's age old argument is one that has only developed a stronger case over time.  It is the Design Argument.

The Basic Idea

Look at these two pictures.  In the first one, we see lines in the sand.  I have one question for you about the first picture.  How did the lines get there?  Now look at the second picture.  It is also a picture of lines in sand.  How did these lines get there?

Landau, Alladin, and Jesus

Even if you haven't been watching America's Got Talent, you've probably at least seen a youtube clip or heard talk about the Frank Sinatra singer with dreadlocks.  Just a few weeks ago, Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. went from being a full time car washer with a failing music career to nationally famous with a hot new gig in Vegas. I'll be honest, he wasn't my first choice on the show this season.  I was rooting for the Silhouettes at the end there.  But I still find his victory heart warming.  Don't you?

Proving God Exists: Part 1

Does God really exist?  Its a question I've discussed with many people.  Can it be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt with 100% certainty?  To be honest, I don't know.  There have been times in my life where I've answered with a yes and there have been times I have answered with a no.  Right now, I'm just not sure if a person can prove God does or does not exist.

However, I do believe that there is enough evidence for the existence of God that it leaves me certain He does exist.  There is certainly enough evidence for the existence of God that you don't have to feel foolish for believing in Him the way you'd feel silly believing in a unicorn or other fairy tales.

There are some pretty solid age old arguments that give lots of evidence for the existence of God and some modern ones as well.  Today I'll share the first of many.  The first is known as The Cosmological Argument.

Theology Thursday: God, Gods, and the God in Me?

A question presented to me today on Facebook was "What's the difference between deism, pantheism, and panentheism?"  This is actually a huge question, but let me try to give you an answer.  Its important to know these things as Christians because these worldviews are not only present in the religions of some of our neighbors and friends but also in movies and culture.  We need to understand them to be able to communicate the truth of the Bible to those around us.

I'll try to give five main categories along with their definitions, what the Bible says about them, and the negative sides to believing them.

Deism
Deism teaches that the universe was created and then later abandoned by God.  Essentially, God made the world and then left and He no longer answers prayers, does miracles, or really even cares about His creation at all.

Feature Friday: Rolling in the Deep

I really don't think I need to tell you who this is.  Adele has seemingly come out of nowhere and grabbed the spotlight.  I hear her on the radio, covered on America's Got Talent, and featured on commercials.  There is no doubt that she has an incredible voice and loads of talent to sing the way she does.  Her song "Rolling in the Deep" seems to imprint itself deeply on practically anyone who hears it.  The passion and soul you can hear as she sings it have captured all of our attention.

Have you stopped to pay attention to the lyrics?  For the sake of copyright, I won't repost them here.

She is singing from a broken heart.  The fire that's burning in her heart is one of anger at the man who hurt her so deeply.  Examine the lyrics and you'll see that she carries scars from this relationship.  She got played.  She wishes she had never even met this Romeo.  In fact, she is at the point where she hopes he gets what he deserves and she even threatens him a bit herself!

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed, Blessed, Blessing

Its Monday again.  This post will be more of a mix of my own commentary and thoughts than a devotional.  If you like that sort of thing, then dig in.  If not, normal devotionals start again tomorrow.

Ephesians 1:3


Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ

In the previous verses, Paul identifies himself and then prays for a blessing for the saints in Ephesus, namely that they would receive peace and grace from God.  Here, instead of praying for a blessing, He declares "blessed be God".  He isn't praying a blessing over God, He is saying that God is blessed.  The word for "blessed" here is "eulogetos" which can also be translated "praised".  He is saying that God is praised and blessed.  This is a mini declaration of worship from Paul who is honoring God with his words.