Protesting that this stuff didn't happen... taking away from the word of God??
Did a man literally go down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fall among thieves? Was this same man's plight subsequently ignored by both a priest and then a Levite, each in turn? Was this same man then literally rescued by a "Good Samaritan?"
What was the Samaritan even doing on a road between two "clean" Jewish cities? The priests and Levites would take this route to deliberately avoid traveling through "unclean" Samaria, but why would a Samaritan avoid Samaria?
Do you even take this story literally? Why not? It doesn't really say that it's a "parable" anywhere.
Did "Lazarus" literally find himself within Abraham's literal bosom? The list goes on. Why not just accept the Bible on its own terms?
Did a man literally go down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fall among thieves? Was this same man's plight subsequently ignored by both a priest and then a Levite, each in turn? Was this same man then literally rescued by a "Good Samaritan?"
What was the Samaritan even doing on a road between two "clean" Jewish cities? The priests and Levites would take this route to deliberately avoid traveling through "unclean" Samaria, but why would a Samaritan avoid Samaria?
Do you even take this story literally? Why not? It doesn't really say that it's a "parable" anywhere.
Did "Lazarus" literally find himself within Abraham's literal bosom? The list goes on. Why not just accept the Bible on its own terms?
Pel the things you presented, the Bible presents AS PARABLES. The things were discussing the Bible presents AS EVENTS, big difference.
Did the walls of Jereicho literally fall down when some people shouted?
Did lots wife really turn into a pillar?
Did God really destroy Sodom & Ghommorah with fire?
Did Moses really recieve the 10 commandments written by God himself?
Did the sun really stand still in the sky?
Did David really kill a lion and a bear with his bare hands?
Did Samason really defeat 3000 phillistines?
Why stop in the old testament, once you doubt something?
Did a VIRGIN really have a baby?
Did a dead man really get up out of his grave?
Did people really come out of the graves at Jesus crucifiction?
There are some things in the Bible hard for me to fathom, but I've seen the miraculous in my life, and I have no reason to doubt seeing how the Bible has worked in my life. I haven't seen a blind man see, and I haven't seen a dead man get up, but I have seen demons cast out, and miraculous healings.
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"Resolved: That all men should live to the glory of God. Resolved, secondly: That whether or not anyone else does, I will." ~Jonathan Edwards
"The only man who has the right to say he is justified by grace alone is the man who has left all to follow Christ." ~Dietrich Bonheoffer, The Cost of Discipleship
"Preachers who should be fishing for men are now too often fishing for compliments from men." ~Leonard Ravenhill
Pel the things you presented, the Bible presents AS PARABLES. The things we're discussing the Bible presents AS EVENTS, big difference.
Did the walls of Jereicho literally fall down when some people shouted?
Did lots wife really turn into a pillar?
Did God really destroy Sodom & Ghommorah with fire?
Did Moses really recieve the 10 commandments written by God himself?
Did the sun really stand still in the sky?
Did David really kill a lion and a bear with his bare hands?
Did Samason really defeat 3000 phillistines?
Why stop in the old testament, once you doubt something?
Did a VIRGIN really have a baby?
Did a dead man really get up out of his grave?
Did people really come out of the graves at Jesus crucifiction?
There are some things in the Bible hard for me to fathom, but I've seen the miraculous in my life, and I have no reason to doubt seeing how the Bible has worked in my life. I haven't seen a blind man see, and I haven't seen a dead man get up, but I have seen demons cast out, and miraculous healings.
__________________
"Resolved: That all men should live to the glory of God. Resolved, secondly: That whether or not anyone else does, I will." ~Jonathan Edwards
"The only man who has the right to say he is justified by grace alone is the man who has left all to follow Christ." ~Dietrich Bonheoffer, The Cost of Discipleship
"Preachers who should be fishing for men are now too often fishing for compliments from men." ~Leonard Ravenhill
Pel the things you presented, the Bible presents AS PARABLES. The things were discussing the Bible presents AS EVENTS, big difference.
Did the walls of Jereicho literally fall down when some people shouted?
Did lots wife really turn into a pillar?
Did God really destroy Sodom & Ghommorah with fire?
Did Moses really recieve the 10 commandments written by God himself?
Did the sun really stand still in the sky?
Did David really kill a lion and a bear with his bare hands?
Did Samason really defeat 3000 phillistines?
Why stop in the old testament, once you doubt something?
Did a VIRGIN really have a baby?
Did a dead man really get up out of his grave?
Did people really come out of the graves at Jesus crucifiction?
There are some things in the Bible hard for me to fathom, but I've seen the miraculous in my life, and I have no reason to doubt seeing how the Bible has worked in my life. I haven't seen a blind man see, and I haven't seen a dead man get up, but I have seen demons cast out, and miraculous healings.
I'll have to re-order the list, Jason. I mean no reflection on you. You simply made a list of these things just as we've all done at times right off the top of our heads. However, these events and accounts (and even "stories") are embedded within a body of literature that was complied over many centuries of time and for different reasons. To understand each account you really need to look at the context, the writer and the purpose behind what the writer was saying.
Now, ultimately I believe all of the Scripture to be inspired of God and profitable (2 Timothy 3:16). However (just as an example), Luke didn't write Luke 14:1-17:10, with the intention that we believe all of the stories literally. He did however, write other passages like Luke 24 and Acts 1:1-Acts 2:47, with the intention that we do accept them as literal (See Luke 1:1-4 and Acts 1:1-4).
The problem here is how can we be certain of the differences? In the case of Luke's writings, I purposely chose an example that we all probably agree upon already. No one has ever seriously tried to make the case that the parables of Jesus be taken literally; though this particular string of parables is sometimes taken literally at least in parts (The Rich Man and Lazarus, etc.). Nevertheless, the whole account of the Parables at the Pharisee's House (Luke 14:1-17:10) is opened with the the statement made in Luke 14:7, "he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them..." Then the focus swings to different groups of people within the court area until finally, Jesus speaks just to His disciples (Luke 17:1).
For this reason, I see it as more correct to understand all of the "stories" in this passage as parables. Parables are not to be taken lightly just because they "didn't really happen." If anything, we need to pay especially close attention to the parables. By their very nature and the purpose behind their telling, they reveal truths that a straight rehearsal of "facts" would fail to transmit to us.
No one has these tablets for analysis. We are entirely Dependant upon the writer's testimony for the details. The effects of these events was considerable and it is reasonable to infer that something spectacular happened.
This whole issue ends up being a matter of faith. There is certainly no evidence that this DID NOT happen, unlike the matter with the global flood hypothesis of Genesis 6. For that event there are literally "mountains" of evidence that it did not happen. The evidence must be respected and must be used to inform us concerning the things that God has done in this world.
The apparent desire of the writer was to communicate that God did interact with Moses "miraculously" here. We don't really have any other information to elucidate the text. "God gave the Law" to Moses. Even atheists will admit to the fact that at least Moses was probably convinced that this was real.
Did the walls of Jereicho literally fall down when some people shouted?
Did the sun really stand still in the sky?
My answer short and sweet: I don't know.
There are ancient walls around Jericho that are found in a condition of having "fallen" or been toppled somehow with the exception of the northern section where there were some residences built into the walls themselves. The presence of these residences may have reinforced the integrity of the walls in that area and shored them up when the other sections failed.
Jericho is located at the northern fringe of the Dead Sea valley. As we have already learned, this area is subject to repeated earthquakes.
The American Kathleen Kenyon heralded her finds as being "proof" of the Bible's account. Later teams were not convinced that her dating was accurate (She did have a reputation for a bit of carelessness in this area). The dating is disputed, and that dispute is about the only thing that is agreed upon.
My own beliefs are best summed up with Hebrews 11:30. Again, it's a matter of faith. I really don't have enough here to beat someone over the head with.
The matter of the Sun "standing still" has been used in the past. Some have lied and falsely claimed that NASA had found this "missing day." Why do so many liars want to try and "prove" the Bible?
My conclusion: Again, dunno. The language may certainly have an allegorical application to it. Joshua was merely in need of more time to complete his battle plan. Interfering with the movements of celestial bodies wasn't really what he was after.
It was a fortuitous amount of "more time" that allowed Wellington to complete his maneuver at Waterloo, but no appeal to the miraculous was needed.
No one has these tablets for analysis. We are entirely Dependant upon the writer's testimony for the details. The effects of these events was considerable and it is reasonable to infer that something spectacular happened.
This whole issue ends up being a matter of faith. There is certainly no evidence that this DID NOT happen, unlike the matter with the global flood hypothesis of Genesis 6. For that event there are literally "mountains" of evidence that it did not happen. The evidence must be respected and must be used to inform us concerning the things that God has done in this world.
The apparent desire of the writer was to communicate that God did interact with Moses "miraculously" here. We don't really have any other information to elucidate the text. "God gave the Law" to Moses. Even atheists will admit to the fact that at least Moses was probably convinced that this was real.
Not sure I've ever noticed this before, but, in Ex 34:1, God says that He will write (again) on the new stone tables, but in 27-28 He seems to have changed His mind. He tells Moses to do the writing. Any thoughts on why?
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Hebrews 13:23 Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty
Not sure I've ever noticed this before, but, in Ex 34:1, God says that He will write (again) on the new stone tables, but in 27-28 He seems to have changed His mind. He tells Moses to do the writing. Any thoughts on why?
Hmmm. In Deuteronomy 10, Moses recounts the event, and this time he says God did the writing.
__________________
Hebrews 13:23 Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty
Not sure I've ever noticed this before, but, in Ex 34:1, God says that He will write (again) on the new stone tables, but in 27-28 He seems to have changed His mind. He tells Moses to do the writing. Any thoughts on why?
"The LORD" is the subject of the verb "he wrote" in Exodus 34:28.
In verse 27, Moses is told to "write these words" (The Law).
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