Two Birds with One Stone

In the book of Judges we find that Israel still had not claim all the land promised to them. Within a generation of Joshua’s death they turned away from God to worship the Baal of the people around them. God responds to the sins of Israel by rising up the nations stilling living among them and using these people to persecute the people. In turn, the people of Israel cry for relief and turn back to God. God hears the cry of Israel and rises up Judges to battle the enemies of the people. Some of the battles are so intense that there are accounts where whole cities are wiped out and burned to the ground as in Judges 9:49. And with the defeat of their enemies comes peace in the land.

The only problem is that a cycle occurs with Israel when the Judges bring peace, people again turning their back to God and start worshiping the Gods of the other Nations. It is an endless cycle in the book. With nearly every introduction to a new Judge starting with; “Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord” (ESV). Israel is in such a bad shape that it even seems as if even the Judges become slim pickings.

God’s actions in Judges seem to fit the old saying “to kill two birds with one stone”. God raises the enemies of Israel forces two things to happen. The first thing is, it gets the people to seek him and turn back to him and second thing that happens is in rising up Judges to battle in military campaigns the land of Israel is cleared of enemies leaving solely for them as God has promised.

When God makes a promise he will keep it. He will not allow the sins and setbacks the people stop him from fulfilling his word. One of the best examples of this is in book of Judges.

Leadership concept in the Old Testament

The book of judges is a great sample of how God set the stage for mighty men to take over the leadership of the nation of Israel but every time, they stumbled. From Othniel, Israel’s first Judge to Samson the last judge, they all led Israel's army and fought their enemies especially the philistines but the maximum peace they obtained was only forty years and then after a while there would be other violations that would make them go into war again. This is how God was revealing His mighty plans for raising mighty men to lead His nation into the glory and gratefulness He intended them to. The book of Judges sets the stage for David or King Solomon the wisest man ever lived_ to come and take over this nation that has proved they can and will stumble and the only thing that can keep them from that is God moving through them with Kings that He raised from among them. Even these kings sinned like King David that committed adultery or king Solomon who valued his wives or gold more than he should have but at the end, these were the kings that fulfilled what God meant for His nation. These men had the element of God in them and by helps that they received from God they were able to do what God asked them to and that was leading God’s people where He wanted them. This could be a fact that still applies to church these days too. God most assuredly did not stop raising great men to lead His church and take over from the people that stumble or miss their chances to lead the church. There are still king Davids or Solomons who were raised by God and will take control of His church and turn the suppression into Glory and victory for it.

Who receives God’s bless?

Through Genesis, we can see God’s bless only does not stay first son and stay second son or others. Where is standard of the God’s blessing? For example, in the case Cain and Abel, Isaac and Ismael, Esau and Jacob, Joseph and His brothers, we can see God’s blessing did not stay only on first son and stay second son or others. How do we take a decision? Does first son not take God’s blessing because of receiving bless in the world?
I think God’s bless does not stay because of not only first son but also second son and others. In the case Cain and Abel, God thought it is important who give right worship to God and how worship to God. Of course, they would receive education to Adam and Eve about God. If watch in Genesis 4: 6-7, God speak why he does not take Cain’s worship to us and through Hebrew 11:4, God explains the reason.

Also, the reason is same in the case of Isaac and Ismael. God promised to Abraham that Sara’s son would receive his inheritance. Nevertheless, Abraham distrusted God’s promise and he took Sara’s maid and then Ismael was born. He was sinned to God. Because of that, if we think another sense, Isaac is first son of Abraham.

Thirdly, in the case Esau and Jacob, before they were born in the world, God spoke to Rebecca that first son would serve second son. Because of that, Jacob could receive Isaac’s blessing pray. And also, when we watched Jacob’ sons, could know to be in the God’s good plan that Joseph could receive blessing of Jacob after Jacob was died.

Accordingly, God’s bless exist in his good plan and his predestination, not receiving God’s bless because of first son.

We must not forget God’s bless exist in his good plan and his predestination. God’s bless and selection is only in his will. Because of His will, we are saved. This is God’s love and grace.

Eli's sons vs. Samuel's sons

Before the time of undivided monarchy, there were the periods of judges. The last judges were Samuel and his sons. We heard about the greatness of Samuel. He was a faithful servant of God and obeyed God’s commands to anoint Saul and David. Also, we cannot skip the prayer of Hannah, Samuel’s mother. He was raised by a faithful mother and brought to the priest Eli.

We do not have that much of background story about Eli, but about his two wicked sons, Hophni & Phinehas, and about the brutal deaths of him and his two sons in a same day. Eli’s two sons were wicked in the sight of God that “they had no regard for the LORD” (1 Sam 2:12 NIV). They took the portions from the offerings in an unlawful way and slept with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Eli rebuked them but they did not listen. Two sons sinned against God and they all faced the disastrous end.

After Eli’s death, Samuel was the judge who led the Israelites. He was a great leader. When Samuel was old, he appointed his sons as judges of Israel. Yet, Samuel’s sons, Joel & Abijah, did not follow the way of their father. They “turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice” (1 Sam 8:3).
Both Eli’s sons and Samuel’s sons were wicked. Yet, one family faced disastrous ending and the other family was used by God (The Bible does not really mentioned about Samuel’s two sons). Isn’t it unfair? Why dedicated Samuel’s children gone astray? He didn’t teach them right?

We do not have all the answers for the rising questions. However, there were couple things that were definite: (1) Eli’s two sons’ sin was “very great in the LORD’s sight, for they were treating the Lord’s offering with contempt” (1 Sam 2:17); (2) Eli knew about his two sons’ sin, but “failed to restrain them” (1 Sam 3:13); and (3) all the elders of Israel complained to Samuel about his son and wanted a king (1 Sam 8:4-5). When Samuel anointed Saul as a king, his two sons lost their ruling sovereignty over people as judges. All of them paid their prices for their wickedness.But, there were definite differences between the sins of Eli’s sons and Samuel’s sons.

Jepthah...not such a good guy

Jepthah killed his daughter. The question which surrounds this ancient text is did he really kill his daughter in order to keep his promise to God? To add context to this story of antiquity, God had promised to Jepthah that they would be victorious in battle. However Jepthah made a vow in addition to God’s promise of victory in battle. It is my opinion that Jepthah made the vow out of fear and insecurity of the approaching battle. Jepthah made the vow which was not required, nor did God demand it. He made the vow because he lacked confidence in God’s promise. That is at the heart of the issue. Jepthah’s faith was lacking. Jepthah vowed that should they win the battle, he would offer God a sacrifice of the first thing that comes out of his home. Jepthah goes on to win the battle, and upon returning to his home his daughter comes out of his house. This is where the debate begins. Some who try and romanticize the text, also try and draw specific implications from it as well. These people argue that Jepthah would never have offered his daughter as a human sacrifice, and therefore in order to complete his vow she would have lived in a state of perpetual virginity. However to come to this conclusion one must warp the text to the point where it is nowhere near the author’s original intent. Jepthah lived in a society which was richly populated with pagan culture, and it is my belief that his view of God was affected by this. Jepthah was a “Paganized Yahwist” which I believe is why he did kill his daughter. Had Jepthah really loved God his true desire would have been to honor God. He would have known that human sacrifices would not have been honoring to God (Deut 12:31). Had he been sincere about his commitment to the Lord he could have redeemed his daughter (Lev 27:1-8). It is therefore my conclusion that Jepthah dishonored God by sacrificing his daughter as a human sacrifice.

What is the most honorable blessing given by God? What is the difference between the priest in the Old Testament and a royal priesthood in the New Tes

What is the most honorable blessing given by God? What is the difference between the priest in the Old Testament and a royal priesthood in the New Testament?



God blessed us to subdue and rule over all the creatures. This blessing covenant of God is never ending. God’s word is truth. Truth is never changing, but keeps going until being accomplished. In the Old Testament Israel people abandoned all the blessing and rights of being sons of God, brides of God, and priests of God by disobeying the Old Testament law. Israel people did not know how precious blessing was. They never recognized that they lived temporary home and they were given eternal life. Again, the most biggest and glorious blessing given by God is to be priests of God and of Christ, and to reign with him for a thousand years (Revelation 20:6).

Jesus Christ came not to abolish the Law or the Prophets but to fulfill them (Matthew 5:17). Jesus completed His mission through coming to earth and by dying on the cross to save, resulting in restoring our identities in God, which are identity of son of God, of bride of God, and a royal priest of God.

Original sin from Adam and Eve is removed by Jesus’ love, so that we, who are sons of God, are not judged anymore. This is different concerning the Israelites of the Old Testament who could not set free from the law of sin and death (Exodus). In Old Testament, the sons of God, the Israelites, abandoned their identity by showing love to the betrayer. Also, the book of Hosea said the bride of God, the Israelites, were punished by the adulterous and the unfaithfulness. As 1 Samuel wrote (1Samuel 2), the curse of prophecy against the House of Eli, a priest, occurred due to not observing God’s Law.

The Purpose of the Law: Choosing between Life and Death

When I was young, my pastor taught me how important tithe and offering were, quoting Malachi 3:10 so I gave offering to God, thinking that it was my duty as a Christian. However, I was wondering if I would have to obey to other laws in the Old Testament as well. Recently, I read Deuteronomy in my daily devotional time, and reflected on the purpose of the Law rather than focusing on its application.

Deuteronomy 30:15-16 states, “See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decree and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.” This Bible passage reminded me of Genesis 2:16, and I found out that two passages have some similarities. Genesis 2:16 states, “And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.’” God commanded the people to choose between life and death in both passages. Adam and Eve who were prohibited from eating the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil refused to obey to God, and they rather chose independent lives apart from their creator. The Israelites also fell into idolatry, ignoring the Word of God. What they chose was death not God—Deuteronomy 30:20 states that God is life.

One of the reasons why God gave His Law to Adam and Eve, and the Israelites may be to teach them how to revere God as their real king, and further bless them as He promised. Indeed, when the Israelites despised the Law of God, “they did whatever seemed right in their own eyes,” being a king by themselves (Judges 17:6). Likewise, idolatry does not mean only to worship other gods; one of the idols can be “I” to be a king. I believe that God reveals who He is and teaches how to live a life as God’s chosen people through the Law. In that point, knowing the purpose of the Law is more important than its application.

Hanna's prayer

Hanna is a familiar person in the Bible as a woman of prayer. Her prayer is good example to many women.  She prayed to the Lord with sincere heart for getting baby. Her background (1Sam 1:2-7) shows that how she had earnest heart about her prayer request. It was not just for having the baby. The situation which she had no children attracted her social position as an Elkanah’s wife, loneness and her life condition.  Her prayer started with grief. Finally, she vowed to the Lord. 1Sam 1:11 says it “…I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come on his head.” That is afraid vow to many married women. Parents are just physical parents to the children. Real parent is only God. However, most women ignore that fact, because the children are bear with mothers’ suffering for ten months. Hence, the Hanna’s prayer was not easy. It was confession of faith. More amazing thing was the grief prayer changed Thanksgiving prayer. Her prayer is not just knowledge of life. The prayer showed that she gain wisdom that she got painful moment over. The Lord listen her prayer then, He gave the son who named Samuel to Hanna. Samuel means that I have asked him of the Lord. She actually brought Samuel up as she vowed. She bore the great prophet Samuel by her sincere prayer.

Why the Lord did not give her a baby? Although she was a rightous woman, she had to pray with grief because of no children. The answer is that was his will. Human cannot know his will. People have many moments with not understandable. Nevertheless, God always gives good to us. He wanted Hanna prayed through her situation, she learned His will through her prayer and she had more sincere faith His will.      

Family in the Old Testament

Our typical modern western understanding of family is predicted on the nuclear family—parents with their sub-adult children living in a single domicile. Though this is our ideal, we find this family type is less the norm in the beginning of the 21st century. Furthermore, we find that our understanding of nuclear family has required modification (often by the addition of adjectives) to express the realities of contemporary culture. We now have single parent families, dual career families, empty nest families, blended families, etc. It seems that the term “family” has to be modified by one or more adjectives in order to understand it in a given context. Even the common designation “nuclear family” employs an adjective to modify the noun “family.”

Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, most of these same patterns are also known from the Old Testament. While this article will focus on the primary Old Testament usage of family at the extended or intergenerational family, we must note the existence of other patterns as well. For example, the Book of Ruth apparently begins with a nuclear family, that of Elimelch and his wife Naomi and their children Mahlon and Chilion, who leave their extended family in Bethlehem and immigrate to Moab because of famine in Judah(Ruth 1:1-2). After un undisclosed time, the family becomes a single parent family with the death of Elimelech(Ruth 1:3). Then it becomes an extended family as both Mahlon and Chilion take Moabite wives(Ruth 1:4). But then both sons die leaving there women, Naomi, Orpha and Ruth (Ruth1:5). Naomi returns to her deceased husband’s home (the text doesn’t tell us if Naomi was also from Bethlehem). Orpha returns to her mother’s house. Though also urged to return to her mother’s household, Ruth remains with Naomi and returns with Naomi to Bethlehem (Ruth 1:6-22), ultimately marrying a near kinsman of Elimelech(Boaz) by levirate marriage(Ruth 2:1-4:12). Their first son is Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of David (Ruth 4:13-22).

The term “blended family” would probably best describe Jacob’s family in the book of Genesis: he has two wives, Leah and Rachel; each of the wives has a maidservant, Bilhah and Zilpah respectively, and all four of these women have sons by Jacob who are counted among the twelve sons of Jacob? Israel, and become the core of the twelve tribes of Israel (Gen.29-30). Although our usage of the term “blended family” usually designates one where divorce or death and remarriage bring together family members who share only one or both parents, polygamy results in similar kinship patterns.

One might be more hard-pressed to discover many dual career families in the Old Testament, though Isaiah’ wife is designated at the “prophetess,” quite possibly indicating she had her own career as such(Isaiah 8). Also Deborah judged Israel (Judg.4). In addition, the woman/wife/mother described as having a full career alongside her husband. She purchases fields (31:16), she produces and sells textiles(31:24), etc.
There are several examples of the empty-nest family, often due to barrenness rather than the departure of children from the parental home. Prior to the birth of Samson, Manoah and his wife have an empty nest (Judg.13). Likewise, Jephthah’s family was an empty nest family after his rash vow and the killing of his only child, his unnamed daughter (Judg.11).

God’s mercy and believers’ purifying (Joshua 7:13)

God wanted Israelites to apart from unholy things in Jericho and to show them only God was the greatest one. God commanded Israelites that they should not take any things from Jericho. However, Achan who was son of Carmi took some of them. God was angry because of his disobedience. After Achan’s disobedience, Israelites’ spies reported Joshua about A.I. It seemed that Israel did not remember what God did on the battle of Jericho. Israelites were defeated and they had to run away from A.I. God had let them go to the battle but He did not allow to win the battle. God expected each individual of Israelites to follow God’s word continually and to be holy like God. The lifetime of Human being is the process of struggling from temptation. There are some kinds of temptation revealed in Joshua 7:11.

“Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; the have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions.”(Joshua 7:11, NIV)

First of all Israelites had been against God’s command. Achan stole the devoted things. He might have thought that there was no body to realize his disobedience. However, God saw what he had done before Him. Few years ago, I have heard a sermon about what I am doing the time in presence of God when I am alone in a room. No body is with me. I can do what I want. What Achan had done reflects what I can do by being alone. However, God is always watching over me and He will be glad when I am doing what He wants me to do.

Secondly Israelites lied to God. God is holy and pure. However, believers lie sometimes whether they realize or not. Whether they want to lie about good things or bad things, God always wants us to be sincere.

Joshua prayed to God for escaping from the emotion of depression (Joshua 7:6-7). I think he was so depressed because he lost the battle. He must have heard complaining from Israelites. He was a wise and godly leader. Believers need to learn his attitude to solve some problems in their lives. God tried to notify Joshua Israelites were against God. God is trying to say something to believers through problems even though the problems are not caused from believers. Believers must open their spiritual antenna to receive God’s signal. Joshua knew that God wanted to say something and then he waited God’s voice.

God told Joshua finally, “Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, tomorrow; for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel says: That which is devoted is among you, O Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove it.”(Joshua 7:13, NIV) God heard his pray and encouraged him to rebuild the relationship between God and Israelites. God said, “Go, consecrate the people.” God gave Joshua the solution of problem and wanted to make his people purified again. To consecrate means literally to state officially in a religious ceremony that something is holy and can be used for religious purposes (the essential English-Korean dictionary). Believers should look around to find what God dislikes. If believers confess his sins, God forgives their sins (1 John 1:9).

In conclusion I realize that God loves His people forever even though they are against God because He is merciful. God endures long time and gives a chance to overcome the obstacles. As God called Israelites, “O Israel.” (Joshua 7:13), He also calls believers as His own people now.

Hindsight VOW

Two questions to answer: 1) Did Jephthah need to make a vow? 2) Did he really sacrifice his daughter? First we know that the vow Jephthah made in judges 11:30 was after we read Judges 11:29a that states: then the Spirit of the LORD came on Jephthah. Why would someone need to make a vow when the Spirit of the LORD was upon him? The Spirit of the LORD came on certain judges throughout the book of Judges (6:34; 11:29; 13:25; 14:6, 19; 15:14). It is hard to see a theme of why the Spirit of the LORD came to some and not others. The term Spirit of the LORD apparently is a common Old Testament expression, which consistently signified a unique act of God that granted power and wisdom to ensure victory. However it did not guarantee that the will of God would be carried out in every decision by those whom the Spirit of the LORD came on. We can see that this is the case three times in the book of Judges: Gideon (8:24-27, 30), Jephthah (11:34-40), and Samson (16:1). In each case that the Spirit of the LORD came on someone, victory was given regardless of their actions or in this case a vow. Therefore there was no need for Jepthah to make a vow to the LORD.
Secondly, did Jephtah really sacrifice his daughter? Many seem to speculate that due to Deuteronomy 12:31 there would be no way he would have sacrificed a human being to the LORD. However looking at all things considered, he may have really sacrificed her Judges 11:39. Things to consider in building a case for Jephthah’s sacrifice of his daughter is as follows: 1) the era in which Jephthah lived was an era of disarray. 2) A Promise of a simply animal or dedication of his daughter would not have been sufficient for this situation. 3) The mention of the first thing that comes out of my house implies that it would be a human being.4) Judges 11:31 states the word, “and,” not “or.” 5) Human sacrifice is seen as a last ditch effort (2 Kings 3:27) and was a common practice among other surrounding nations. 6) Jephthah responds to his daughter being the first out the door in Judges 11:34 with, tearing his clothes and saying Alas, which could indicate pain or distress. Therefore I believe he truly sacrificed his daughter. Again this was a rash vow either way, but was never needed in the first place.

Law and Love

Deuteronomy chapter 4 God's people can feel that God has a personality showing His love through light rebukes. Especially, verse 7-8 shows God’s deep love to His people. In order to catch the love believers need to confirm the proof of the fundamental attribute. Make turn to Psalm 18 and 29. God is the creator of the heaven and earth. It is possible for Him to make all exist and make all nothing. He commands and dictates to the whole world. God of His people hears their prayer. The almighty God hears His people. God’s love, which is revealed to His people with the holiness of the Law, is the sign showing that the love of God is beyond the understanding of people. This love is also revealed at the cross of Jesus Christ. Romans 3:21-24 shows that God revealed His own method to make His people saved by the cross of Jesus Christ. The nation declared by the Law shows the justice in light of regulations and rules. The regulations mean the direct commandment of God, and the rules mean a living courtesy and system. God’s Law is the path showing the perfect character of God. This nation ruled by the Law is God’s kingdom. God’s justice is fair and righteous. Then, what is the standard of God’s justice? That is the very existence of God, God’s will and decision, and the God’s unique character, ‘perfection of the Holy.’ Then, how can the Law connect with the Love of God? Romans 3:21 explains that God’s love has been revealed to save His people powerfully. Apostle Paul demonstrates that the cross of Jesus Christ should be connected with the Law. He says, “But now, apart from the Law, God’s righteousness has been revealed –attested by the Law and the Prophets” What is the description of Paul to introduce Jesus? It is the ‘righteousness of God.’ The cross of Christ represents the figure of the righteousness of God. Jesus has completed the Law, not abolish. Through making the completion of the Law Jesus obeyed perfectly God’s demand concerning sin of humans and the Holiness of God. The Love of God revealed by the Law was the principle that the death of Christ at the cross was regarded as His people’s death. It is the most important thing to realize that both the Law of God and the cross of Jesus make His people know the way to save His people and the depth of the method to save His people.

The Image of God and the Poor and Needy

The first chapter in the book of Genesis contains a description of how God created the universe and all things in it. Genesis 1:26-27 speaks specifically of the creation of man and his purpose:

"²⁶Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. ²⁷So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."1

This passage has caused much debate as to what does it mean to be created in the image of God. According to W. Grudem, the word for image (tselem) and likeness (demût) in Hebrew "…refer to something that is similar but not identical to the thing it represents or is an 'image' of,"2 in other words, it does not mean that we "look" like God. It simply means that we have attributes of God given to us by Him at creation. Because we were created in His image, we have worth and a purpose. A concept that is entirely foreign to the poor and needy.

The poor see themselves as devoid of any worth. They usually have no education, no marketable skills, and no hope; they seek solace in drugs and/or alcohol as a means to cope with their hopelessness. In the 1990s the World Bank3 compiled a series of books containing quotes from the poor and needy around the world. One of those interviewed expressed that "For a poor person everything is terrible – illness, humiliation, shame. We are cripples; we are afraid of everything; we depend on everyone. No one needs us. We are like garbage that everyone wants to get rid of."4

As followers of Christ, we are to reach out to them and teach them that because God loves all of His creation (Psalms 145:9, 17), He loves them. We must teach them what it means to be created in the image of God, that God created them to have dominion over all of creation, therefore they are valuable to Him and He wants them to fulfill the purpose for which they were placed on this earth. Their value is not found in what they produce or achieve, but in the image they bear.

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1 ESV

2 Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), 442-443.

3 World Bank is an institution that seeks to alleviate poverty.

4 As quoted in Deepa Narayan with Raj Patel, Kai Schafft, Anne Rademacher, Sarah Kock-Schulte, Voices of the Poor: Can Anyone Hear Us? (New York: Oxford Univ. Press for the World Bank, 2000), 65.

Different creation accounts in Genesis

It seems that there are two different creation accounts in Genesis chapters 1-2. In fact, they describe the same creation. The Genesis 1 describes “six days of creation”, and the Genesis 2 mainly covers one day of that creation week, the sixth day. So there is no contradiction.

There are two mainly contradictions been mentioned between Genesis chapters 1-2. The first one is the plant life. Genesis 1:11 says God’s creation of the vegetation on the third day. Genesis 2:5 says “and no shrub of the field had yet sprung up, for the lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground. ” so which one is right. Did God create the man first or the vegetation? One response to the question is the different words of the “vegetation” in Hebrew. The term in Genesis 1:11 is referring to vegetation in general. And Genesis 2:5 uses a much specific term for vegetation, it needs agriculture from human beings. So there should be no contradiction at all. The Genesis 1:11 tells the story of God creating vegetation, and the Genesis 2:5 is saying the “farmable” vegetation starts after man is created.

Another contradiction is the animal life. Genesis 1:24-25 records God creating animal life on the sixth day, before the creation of man. And Genesis 2:19 mentions the creation of animals is after the creation of man. However, in Genesis 2:19-20, it says “Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air…” The text uses “had” (already) for the creation of animals. So there is no contradiction too. God created the animals in the sixth day, then he created man, then he brought the animals to the man and let the man name the animals

Therefore, the creation account in Genesis I describes the main line of creation while the Genesis 2 comes with more details. There is no contradiction between the two different creation accounts.

Why Did King Solomon Devote a Thousand Burnt Offerings to God?

We can know that King Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings to God through 1 Kings 3:4: “The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.” It is not clear if a thousand burnt offerings means the amount of time or the quantity, but it must be a massive amount of offerings. Solomon wanted to establish a relationship with God before he begins reigning over Israel.

Consequently, Solomon devoted a thousand burnt offerings on that altar with his officials and leaders in order to display to God their faithfulness at the high place at Gibeon. In addition, he prayed that God would bless him and the Israelites. A burnt offering is one that is consumed by fire and regarded as ascending to God while being consumed. Part of every offering was burnt in the sacred fire, but this was wholly burnt to God. Therefore, they devote to God this burnt offering when they want to have a good relationship with God or want to give themselves to God. In this way, Solomon sacrificed on that altar at Gibeon for himself and Israel at the beginning of his reign.

However, the most notable fact is that there is no record of a thousand offerings in the Bible except this story, so this proves not only the devotion of the Israelites but also Solomon’s obedience and enthusiasm. However, some scholars comment that the thousand burnt offerings take a minimum of seven or eight days in order to devote to God. Nevertheless, some scholars claim that Solomon devoted his thousand burnt offerings over a thousand days; however, the former seems to be right when we interpret this story in this sense. In any case, it considers that a sacrifice offering means devotion and service to God like an official devotes present to a king. In conclusion, we can assume that the thousand burnt offerings signify the faith and confession of King Solomon and the Israelites in order to serve God as their real king.

How Shall We Live

The American dream is what we live for right, well some of us. The big white house with the white picket fence. This is not a bad thing it is actually pretty cool if this is what the Lord gives you, but is this really what we should be focusing on? Are our lives about what we have or is it is about a way of life that will give God glory. We can take a look at how the people of the Old Testament lived, or were supposed to live, and learn a lot about how our lives are to be lived now.

Old Testament saints lived by a book, well, actually, books of laws. God, The Lord Almighty, loved them dearly and wanted the best for them as well as to bring glory to Himself. Because of this He gave laws that were to set His people apart and to protect them so that they would not live like the nations around them and through their lives nations would know the Lord of the Israelites and worship Him alone. It worked until the Israelites were in trouble for breaking the laws that were intended for their good and turned and worshipped other gods. One might say they blended in the society and became part instead of set apart. God was very merciful to the Israelites and wanted them to live in such a way that the true God was known to everyone. God showed His faithfulness, His mercy, His grace, His wrath as well His glory and power to the Israelites and the nations around them.

How shall we live as New Testament believers is in a sense the same as the Israelites. Some New Testament believers look at the Israelites as if they were no good foolish people. They saw the miracles of the Red Sea, not to mention the delivery from the Egyptians and yet they kept on sinning and living in disbelief and not trusting the God. Yeah, that rights and we are not very different are we! But we should be! What I mean by this is God never changes. His purposes for us as believers have not changed. He wants all people to know Him, that is including all nations and all peoples groups in the world, that He is God alone and deserves all honer and glory and He wants to do that through us - His people.

We should be able to obey the Lord even more now because we have the whole Bible in writing. There is one more supernatural Being that New Testament believers have that enables us to live holy lives that are set apart for God. It is the person of the Holy Spirit. Because of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence in our lives we have the ability to live holy lives and to love God and others. With this truth known we must examine our lives to see if who we are allowing to lead us. If we are consumed with the things of this life, for example, the American dream and only living for ourselves and not for God and others, we need to question if we are allowing the Holy Spirit to lead or if we are His to start out with. New Testament believers have the privilege to live holy, set apart, sacrificial, and absolutely sold out lives to the message and life of Christ Jesus our Lord.

Tension between God’s moral purity and His love

According to Erikson, at various times the characteristics or attributes of God may conflict. The example used in the text was love and justice. This may happen if one is viewing the characteristics of God and for some reason they do not view them correctly such as love and moral purity one may come to this conclusion; however, where there is no confusion and the characteristics of God are viewed correctly then one would see the unique aspects of God’s love and his moral purity. God’s moral purity consists of his justice, holiness, and righteousness. This has to do with the absence of any wicked or evil thing as it pertains to God.

God is a righteous God which means his biblical word, decrees, statues, and commands which illuminates on his existence. God’s characteristics are very distinct because there is no one like him. He is in a category all by his self. He is the Alpha and the Omega. God’s love consists of his persistence, grace, mercy, and benevolence. When viewing God’s moral purity and His love it is very important to know the various dimensions of love and how it relates to benevolence, mercy, and grace.

God’s love is the reason or action that causes the reaction to manifest in these various forms. If we are viewing the characteristics of God correctly and we understand his attributes, there will be no tension among understanding his moral purity and his love. Therefore, the best means to decipher correctly the attributes of God is to study the scriptures, read, meditate on the word of God day and night so that one may learn more about him, who he is, his attributes, love, and moral purity.



Reference
Erickson, Millard. Christian Theology. 2d ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1998.

Prostitution in the Old Testament

God is the Holy God. He regarded sex as fornication except between a married couple. However, in the Old Testament, prostitution was prevalent. For example, Gen. chapter 38, Judah slept with a daughter –in- law, because he thought her as a prostitute. Despite this, God did not comment about prostitution itself in the Old Testament. Literally, God had not given any direct warning against prostitution. For instance, There was no evidence that any people were punished because of prostitution in the Bible. Has God allowed prostitution or not especially for male?

It is written that “you shall not commit adultery” in the 7^th commandment. Adultery means sex with a person who is not your spouse. In the beginning, God gave only one spouse to Adam. However, it had changed to polygamy in Israel. Many things had been spoiled with human’s will. For example, the meaning of adultery also had been spoiled through time. Actually, it is clear that prostitution belongs to adultery. However, In the Old Testament, it seemed that people regarded prostitution for male was not so sinful even though it was not good. Jesus defined adultery that “whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Mat 5:28). In this standard, it is very hard not to commit adultery.

In Joshua chapter 2, prostitute Rahab was saved by her faith in God. Although adultery was a serious sin which was punishable by death, Rahab became an ancestor of Jesus by God’s grace. The story of Rahab showed that in God’s viewpoint, faith had moved God even through her past adultery. God did not judge what Rahab had done before, even though she was a Gentile and a wretched prostitute. It shows one of God’s viewpoints in that God’s purpose of law is his love for his people rather than punishment for sin. In the New Testament, we can see another example through the story when Jesus forgave an adulterous woman.

In summary, God did not allow prostitution; it was also the sin which was punished by the death penalty. However, God had delayed until Jesus was sent because he loves his people. Finally, God gave the way we are able to be free from the Law which judges all kinds of sin including adultery by the grace of God. This is God’s concern. So, modern people also have the same desire as ancestors. However, God has given a new ability to overcome adultery since the Holy Spirit came.

Judges, Wickedness, and Hollywood

When I think about the book of Judges, my mind is immediately reminded of the movie "The Book of Eli." After an apocalytic disaster, the few people left on earth began anew, without government and society. In the movie, Eli is given the mission of bringing the only copy of the word of God to a safe haven where it can copied and made available to mankind once again. However, Eli faced much opposition including men and woman that lived by the code of "survival" rather than upholding any form of morality. The people took as they wanted, killed others as they needed, and even used women as "traps" on the road for travelers to fall prey to highway gangs.

In the book of Judges, "every man did what was right in his own eyes." After the death of Joshua, the people replaced Yahweh with ideals and such began the horrible dissent into a wicked existence. The perdicament could be described as a vicious cycle in which the spiritual state of Israel spiraled out of control, despite God's provision of the various judges.
The story of the Levites in chapters 17-21 really illustrate how bad things had gotten. One Levite essentially became the personal priest of Micah, not a priest of Yahweh, but of an idol. He then jumped at the opportunity of becoming a priest for the Danites once they took the idol. He was a priest for hire as it were. The other Levite found himself staying the night in Gibeah, with his concubine. The people in this city demanded that they have their way with him, but he gave them his concubine instead. She was raped and killed by the entire city. The Levite then chops her up into 12 pieces and sends them to the various tribes, communicating his anger.

Things had gotten bad! Yet, I can't help but to think about how if we peal back the layers of our world, we might find that we have the same potential for evil. Granted for those of us in Christ, we are new creatures, but our fallen world on whole stands in rebellion against God. Truth be told, our society is truly wicked; just consider the moral travesity of abortion for instance. However, many times we use things like civility, the illusion of control, government, and comfort to fool ourselves into thinking that we are above such practices as that of the people of Israel at the time of the Judges. BUT, if we took away all the structure, technology, and politics, I think we would find that society's "heart" is the same as that of Israel.

Sure things like government, civility, technology, etc are good things, but we must not allow ourselves to be blinded by them. OUR society needs God, just like Israel needed. All these other things are secondary (and possibly the product of the pursuit of God). Ultimately, we are the same as the Israelites because of the human condition; we just have found a new way to package society that is prettier and makes us feel better about it. I think this is what makes "The Book of Eli" such a good movie-- it is frightening because we don't think that it is some fantastical scenario that would never happen. Even Hollywood recognizes that mankind's spiral into a wicked and depraved state is absolutely feasible!

Women as Leaders?

The question I have found myself answering is: What can women of the Old Testament/New Testament teach us about leadership? In some of the most crucial passages of the bible, a woman always appears. Why is this? There has to be a reason for this significance considering that the cultural context of women within the Old and/or New Testament era. In the course of our study, we have learned that ANE documents often validate the classification of women during this period. This also explains some of the passages in scripture why it is more male focused than co-gendered focus. I think this helps clarify some of the ambigutity that may exist surround some of the women mentioned, however it does not negate their importance; even though they were typically viewed as second class or as property.

For instance, let us consider Miriam. Miriam, Moses sister was classified as a prophet and some sort of leader within the nation of Israel. In almost every scenario we learn of Miriam she is leading out in worship or in some other capacity. In Exodus 15:20 says "Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels and dancing." Why is Miriam leader? What do we learn from her? We are able to learn of a leader who rejoiced in the Lord, and possessed the capability to inspire people to follow her actions. We also learn and she was not immune to committing sin. This is a theme that is often repeated with men Like David, Moses, Jacob, Solomon, Peter, and others we consider to be pillars of the bible.

What about women such as Esther and Deborah? Both of these women found themselves in powerful positions to lead their nation. It would not make sense from an anthropological/historical perspective for a women to lead a nation-- nonetheless into battle. I found this particularly interesting in light of learning of the Yhwh (God) of War when we discussed the books of Judges and Joshua. God was a warrior and gave individuals like Joshua and the armies very clear directions to conquer the promise land. And yet... instead of men being raised up to lead, we learn that God used these two women to arouse his chosen people to have faith and to courage to fight against those who wish to destroy them.

What about Naomi? Is it too far stretched to say that she becomes a spiritual leader for her family (for Ruth)? She provides instructions and guidance on the Jewish life. When I look at Naomi, I learn of a women who maintained faith and hope even in the depths of her despair. I learn of a women who was a leader in her own right that had to persevere. The story is not just about two women finding a Kinsman redeemer in Boaz. It is about leader (naomi) and student (Ruth) who was willing to submit not only to a leader, but To God.

Then when I think of the New Testament, I think of the profound influence women had on the ministry of Jesus. I think of the women being Last at the Cross and First at the Tomb. Why did Jesus first reveal himself to the women and not to the disciples? The only thing that I can begin to explain is that throughout the life and Death of Christ, the women never wavered in their faith in their Rabbi -- Jesus-- The Messiah! And for that they were rewarded with the great prize of learning/seeing his Resurrection first. I think this only validates the scripture even more! In a time when women were shunned or oppressed, the Gospel News came from a group of Women. How ironic!!!!!

Throughout the Bible I have found that the theme of women is while they remained in the shadows, the Lord brought them to the forefront so we could learn of commitment, devotion, love, faith and courage from a different perspective..

Is tithing required in today Christians?

In Leviticus 27:30, it state that a tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit the trees, belongs to the Lord. Mosaic Law required to the Israelites that give tithe God. However, it is not required for today Christians. Because we are not under the Old Testament Law anymore but we are under the New Covenant. Many People are arguing and debating about tithing. Some people say that tithing is only an Old Testament Law that does not need to follow as believers under the New Covenant. And some people say that it just a relevant to New Testament Christian as it was in the Old Covenant.

Can person be blessed without tithing?
Some people say that we will not be blessed if you do not tithe. I think it depends on the person. 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 states that “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” Person can be blessed without tithing. But, if person plants few seeds, he will get a small crop and if person plants generously will get generous crop. Also, God loves a cheerful giver, not under compulsion.

The Israelites under the Old covenant, their blessing was a physical one. However, Christians in the new covenant have much better blessings –its spiritual one. We blessed through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ for us and the gift of the Holy Spirit to us. I think we better give tithing more than initial audience did. Because of we have much blessing than initial audience. However, the important thing is that tithe is not required or must but it is willing. God loves a cheer giver.

The Same God from the Beginning to the End

Many Christian say that it is easy to find the fact that God is a loving God when we read through the New Testament. In contrast, they say it is hard to understand that God is a loving God in the Old Testament. They say God in the Old Testament usually seems like an angry, scary, merciless God. I thought like that before too, but I realize God is the same loving God in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Then how can we explain differences of God in the Old and New Testament? I would say the way that God communicates with people could be changed, but His character does not change at all from the beginning to today.
First of all, we need to know circumstances in the Ancient period. In the Ancient period, people did not know who God is, so He had to show that He is the real God among all the pagan gods in a physical and visible way through Israel.
Also, we need to know God’s intention when He punishes people. In the Judges, Israel kept committing sin such as Idolatry, sexual immorality, and other pagan rituals. God allowed other nations to invade Israel, but when they cried out to God, He always brought judges and saved them. We can see here God’s patience, grace, and His intention to punish. It was not because God hated them, but because He wanted them to come back to Him and live by His law and under His blessing. We can see God’s love for other nations, too. God told to Jonah to proclaim judgment to Nineveh. However, when they confessed to God, He gave that nation another chance.
Also, there is one example that people misunderstand about God in general. One of the most popular passages that people think of an unmerciful God is when God commanded to kill everyone when Israel took the promised land. Before we judge God as unmerciful, we need to see Genesis 15. When God made a covenant with Abraham, God told him that Israelites are going to have the promised land, but it will take more than 400 years because the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet complete. At that time, the Amorites’ evilness was more than we think. We can see God’s patience here. God did not judge them immediately, but he gave them a chance which was 400 years, and it was not a short time. Also, we should know God did not command ‘Holy war’ every time. Usually, when Israel had a war, God told them to give a chance to their enemy to surrender. He was not killing people because He was angry. As I mentioned, at that time, God wanted to bless all nations through Israel, but He had to deal with sin in some way because He is Holy God. He waited four generations for the Amorites to repent, but they did not. If they repented of their evilness and turned to God, He would forgive them. We can see that of God’s character in Jeremiah 18:7-10.
Moreover, we should know that God in the New Testament is the same God in the Old Testament who hates sin. God dealt with sin sincerely in the New Testament, also. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ is the best example that shows it. God did not, actually could not, overlook an offense of people because it crosses His character. God is a loving God, but also He is God of justice. He loves us, but He had to deal with sin. Therefore, He sent His son, who is innocent, to die instead of us. It is the cross. We can see God’s love and justice in Calvary.
As we see, God is always the same God through the Old Testament to the New Testament, who is patient, gracious, merciful, but who hates sin.

Genocide in the Old Testament?

In the book of 1 John the apostle whom Jesus loved emphasizes that God is love. This aspect of God's character is a warm embrace to believers across the globe. We delight in this reality daily in our prayers and bask in the mercy and grace that flow from this abounding love. This abounding love is a gift we long to share with the world through the message of the gospel.

However, as Christian's consumed by love we often forget that God is just - an aspect of God’s character that causes believers to cringe and produces reluctance when sharing the gospel with the nations. In Joshua 10:39-41 we see God’s people, the people of Yahweh, destroy everything that breathes. Women…children…animals… We pause and ask ourselves what happened? To many around the globe this type of warfare is labeled ‘genocide’ and a moral abomination. These conquests are labeled by Christians as “Holy War” – a term that is also used to justify the destruction of 9/11, suicide bombings, the Crusades, witch-hunts, etc. So how do we as Christian’s justify the Old Testament “Holy Wars” to a skeptical world? How do we rationalize this type of conquest and convey this rational justification to an unbelieving world? There are three significant points that must be made when addressing this issue:

1) We must maintain the truth that as the only true God of the universe, Yahweh, holds the right to judge. While many claim “Holy Wars” in the name of false religions and false Gods, Yahweh holds the right to rule over and judge his creation.

2) The Canaanites were an evil people beyond that which we are accustom to in our culture today. They performed human sacrifice, drank blood, and were proud of their barbaric sins. There lust for evil was put on display in their art work and literature. Additionally, they were given opportunities to repent but remained evil and faced judgment at the hands of Gods people.

3) The literary style of military victories in the Ancient Near East commonly used strong language about total annihilation when in reality survivors were commonly found. The language used in Joshua is likely reflective of this cultural literary style and is evident in the number of Canaanites that remain in the land, particularly in the book of Judges.