God’s Provision for the Temple

In the seventh chapter of 2 Samuel, we learn that David has a desire to build the Lord a house to dwell in, he states to the prophet Nathan that "…I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent" (2 Sam 7:2). Although the reasoning behind David's thought is not explicitly stated in the Bible, it is safe to deduce that David felt that a tent was not a place fit for the God of Israel, when he (David) the king lived in a house of cedar. A few verses down we learn that God speaks to Nathan the prophet and charges David with the task of building the temple, a task that is later removed from David and placed upon Solomon because of the bloodshed David caused before the Lord on earth (1 Chro 22:7-8).

In 1 Chro 29:2-5 David speaks of his offering for the construction of the Temple out of his kingdom's riches, and especially out of his own personal wealth. He challenges the people of Israel to give and to give joyfully and wholeheartedly (1 Chro 29:6). The people give and give abundantly, David rejoices and praises God for his greatness and gives God the recognition for all their blessings (1 Chro 29:12-15). You see, David realized that all we are and all that we have comes from God. He blesses us so that we can be a blessing, not so we can hoard wealth for our own family's enjoyment alone. God set David apart to build his Kingdom; throughout David's reign he protected and blessed David. Much of the wealth David had acquired was provided through plunders of war, just as God provided gold and silver for the people of Israel when they left Egypt (Exodus 11:2-3). When God calls us to serve him (regardless of the capacity), He is faithful to provide so that we can accomplish what we were called to do (whether it be financially or with abilities). All that we are and all that we have comes from Him alone. God takes pleasure in uprightness and our uprightness is displayed when we freely and joyously give onto the Lord out of His blessings to us (see 1 Chro 29:16-17).

Who are the Sons of God in Genesis 6?

When reading the story of the Genesis account one comes to a rather awkward passage at the beginning of Genesis 6 that has led to debate for many centuries. The passage follows the thoughts of Chapter five, providing a chronological bridge between what had transpired in the Garden of Eden and what would occur during the flood judgment. Here we find the story of the “Sons of God” marrying the “daughters of man” and producing a race of children which many believe grew into a race of giants (nephilim).

The problem arises from the enigmatic use of the phrase “Sons of God.” We see this somewhat ambiguous phrase used several ways in the scripture and it begs the question of how to interpret this difficult passage. Whenever one is dealing with a passage which is so difficult to understand the first course of action must be to let Scripture interpret Scripture.

There are basically three interpretations which have been proposed for who these Sons of God are. The first is that they are angelic or possibly even demonic spirits which came to earth and married. The second is that they are a dynasty of evil kings. Finally we have the theory that this refers to the descendants of Seth. When we examine scripture it appears that the “Sons of God” most likely refers to humans not angels. Remembering that it is best to interpret Scripture through Scripture we find the theory of Angelic beings facing problems when we read in Matthew that Angels do not marry. Everywhere we see the Angels in Scripture they are represented as asexual beings. It would therefore be rather odd for there to be a segment of angels which would be so attracted by the beauty of the daughters of man (which the Old Testament gives as their motivation) that they would inhabit the earth and marry them. Also the fact that the punishment for the action was directed to mankind solely ,seems to argue against this belief.

This leaves us with the evil kings and the sons of Seth. Both options are preferable to the idea of angelic beings. The benefit of believing it was the Sons of Seth is that it most easily explains why this type of marriage would enrage God so much, since God strongly prohibits the mixing of his people with pagans in the Old Testament. The benefit of believing it was a group of evil kings is because it most easily explains why these people could take whomever they wanted as wives. Also upon examination we find that the phrase “Sons of God” is used to refer to nobility at times and that even though the Hebrew uses the name Elohim, this is not always exclusively of God. Finally, while the Nephilim are sometimes thought of as giants it is probably more proper to think of them as mighty men who conquered and possessed much. This would make sense if their fathers were rulers as well.

When digging into Scripture the signposts of this passage seem to point us to an understanding of these “Sons of God” as a group of tyrants, who lived as their own gods, doing whatever they wanted and angering a Holy God in the process. We cannot say definitively whether these men were tyrants or descendants of Seth. However, it certainly appears that to believe there was some race of half-man, half-angelic beings which wrought havoc throughout the earth is superfluous.

The Immutability of God in the Old Testament: Does God Change His Mind?

[Even though we’re finished blogging, this topic raised an interesting discussion in class the other day; and I had just been discussing this very topic with the ladies in my community group the night before- thus, a blog!]

We’re given several examples in the Old Testament of God “changing His mind”; but I will limit myself primarily to Exodus 32 and 1 Samuel for the purposes of this discussion. Read Exodus 32: 10-14:

Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.”

But Moses implored the LORD his God and said, "O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?

Why should the Egyptians say, 'With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth'? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people.

Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, 'I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.'"

And the LORD repented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.

And here is 1 Samuel 15:10-11:

The word of the LORD came to Samuel:

"I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments." And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the LORD all night.

On both of these occasions, God ‘repented’ of an action that He had previously taken. While it would seem that he desired to change his course of action, there is no indication that he intended to change his plan entirely. The Exodus passage tells us that God still wanted to make a great nation of Israel; the Samuel passage reverses a decision God was already displeased about making. Even with the ‘repenting’ or ‘changing his mind’, the Lord’s plan would still be carried out. God said he would destroy the grumbling Israelites, not Moses- there would still have been a remnant to build on, so he would have been able to keep his promise to Abraham. While Israel had been given instructions for kings long before they had them’ specifically that their kings would be from the tribe of Judah; appointing Saul the Benjamite seemed to be contrary to these instructions. So did God change his mind by appointing Saul in the first place; and was Saul’s house of kingship temporary from the beginning? Or did the change of mind come when Saul failed to obey? David was of the tribe of Judah and there was no covenant between God and Saul that was in danger of being broken. So it may be more accurate to say that God changed a detail in the plan rather than the outcome of it. It seems that all the occasions where God ‘changes his mind’ fall into that category- God said he would send Israel into exile for her idolatry, but he pushed back the timetable time and again because there was a righteous person to stem the tide. But he did eventually allow them to be carried off, and then he kept his promise to gather them back to Judah.

While this tends to agree with the camp that says God can change his mind, I can’t emphasize strongly enough the fact that these instances don’t alter the master plan- they in no way detract from covenants he made with people or the things that are to come.

The real question though, seems to be whether or not God’s actions are influenced by our prayers. If they are, does that diminish his authority? and if they are not, then why pray? The discussion I mentioned earlier- the one with my community group- addressed this question. We wrestled with it for over an hour, and finally ended up finding some peace with the answer I gave to the ‘does God change his mind’ question. God does as he pleases- there is no doubt about that. His plans will come to fruition in his timetable. But it does seem that God will choose to alter the means because of our prayers, as long as that alteration does not change the end. In plain language, yes- God does change his mind and can be influenced by our prayers. But again: only when the means don’t change the end, and only when it doesn’t diminish his glory in that action.

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.