Today’s posting was inspired by my niece and
three colleagues from my Facebook account. I have known my niece about the same
time as my three colleagues. The only difference I went to high school with my
colleagues over 35+ years past. My niece is getting close to that age. My time
flies when we are having fun. The key words are violence and all that is
happening in the world today as well as interpretations dealing in the Bible.
That is what this paper is about today—interpretations. However, I would like
to state that all four of these people are devoted Christians, like myself, we
are all infants in learning about the correct way that God wants us to live
that so many before us have encountered and to those after us that will
encounter the same.
What
is truth? What may be true to one is not true to another. (Think about it.)
We used to play a game in my younger years in
school. The game is a very valuable lesson. One that can be applied in
adulthood. The next time you are at a party, do this as a social experiment.
The Game
For
this to be effective at least 10 + people need to participate.
Line
the participants in a single line.
Whisper
in the first persons ear a phrase.
The
first person tells the second and the second tells the third and so on.
By the time the last person hears the phrase,
they must say it out loud.
It
will be an entirely different phrase.
Word of mouth can be an interesting concept.
It can be truthful as told or perceptional as heard. Both of them are correct.
With the advancement of social media, the
internet highway, the increase in population, life is moving at the blink of
the eye. Children are no longer even safe enough to be born. Yet life goes on
with all the woes of death or destruction, war or peace, negative and positive,
soothsayers, conspiracy theorist, and the list continues. Life will be in
existence before and after we are gone from this world. As long as something is
growing life will continue. We might not like the way it continues but it does
go on. It is called adaptability.
In addressing violence, we think
evil, terrorism, homicide, war destruction, etc. Well there are variant
degrees. Let’s use homicide as an example. I took a class (yes, another
undergrad class) and in the many notes I made there is a sentence: “The
majority of homicide victims knew their killer.” [1]
While researching on this particular paper, I discovered supporting
documentation for this statement. “80%
of the murder victims knew their killers and 16% were related to their
killers…more than half of the victims had a romantic or social relationship
with the murders…Female murder victims were about twice as likely as were male
victims to have been killed by a family member (31% percent of the female
victims versus 12% of the male victims.)” [2]
This is just an example of how murder can be
considered evil and take the life of someone we know by someone we know. Why does
God allow this evil to happen? Evil
depends on how it is perceived. What may be evil may not be evil but something
incorrect or unsatisfactory. We should be able to understand the context in
which the word is used. Perception. A really great helpful example is a
biblical verse.
“I am from the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create the evil: I, the
Lord, do all these things.” (Isaiah 45.7)
So, you are thinking about now, God really
makes evil happen to good people. Isn’t that the whole premise of the book of
Job? I, personally, was under the impression that God uses everything at his
disposal to make a point. Sometimes we get the point, and sometimes we don’t.
We keep making the same mistake over and over again.
The world of apologetics looks at it a little
differently.[3]
CARM published, “…the Hebrew word for evil, rah, is used in many different ways
in the Bible. In the KJV Bible it occurs 663 times. 431 times it is translated
as evil. The other 232 times it is translated as wicked, bad, hurt, harm, ill,
sorrow, mischief, displeased, adversity, affliction, trouble, calamity,
grievous, misery, and trouble…. We can see the word does not require that it be
translated as evil. This is why different Bibles translate this verse
differently. It is translated as calamity by the NASB and NKJV; disaster by
NIV; and woe by the RSV.” [4]
In Isaiah 45, God was introducing himself to
Cyrus and reading him the fatherly riot act—mess up and your butt is the grass
and I am the lawn mower-- a type parental speech. It is just like I would tell
my children, “God loaned you to me to bring into this world! Pull that stunt one
more time and I will take you out!” Well,
why should God be any different, after all are we not made in his image
according to the book Genesis?
But in studying this work, let’s look at the
culture of the time of Isaiah. What was going on? I will try to work through
this in my own version from studying the word. Isaiah was sent as a prophet by
God because there was a lot of improper worship and social injustice going on.
Some wars were lost, a few natural disasters, and the government was just poor,
piss poor to be exact. All of this is centered around the society and kingdom
of Jerusalem. (Our society could really learn from the book of Isaiah.) It is a
book of poetry and prophecy. God did use all means necessary to make his point.
Meaning, God can control evil and allow it to happen at his command.
“The contents of this chapter are much the
same with those of the foregoing chapter, looking at the release of the Jews
out of their captivity, but looking through that, and beyond that, to the great
work of man’s redemption by Jesus Christ, and the grace of gospel, which
through him believers partake of. Here are, (I) Precious promises made to God’s
people in their affliction, of his presence with them, for their support under
it, and their deliverance out of it. (2) A challenge of idols to vie with the
omniscience and omnipotence of God. (3) Encouragement given to the people of
God to hope for their deliverance out of Babylon, from the consideration of
what God did for their fathers when he brought them out of Egypt. (4) A method
taken to prepare the people for their deliverance, by putting them in mind of
their sins, by which they had provoked God to send them into captivity and
continue them there, that they might repent and seek to God for pardoning
mercy.” [5]
From reading, we can conclude that yes God did
create evil, just like he created man and judgement and trees and redemption
and love and idolatry. Does he allow all these things to happen to us, maybe
and maybe not, but it all depends on the individual.
To get a good idea of understanding, it takes
more elements of study than just praying and reading the Bible. It takes research.
Do you know the period you are dealing with? How is it applicable for you? The
spiritual life of God is a balance between our soul and the life we live.
Should we do and act as God would want us to
act in the Bible? Could you behave in such a manner in accordance with BC 700
in 2017 AD? In 1 Peter, chapter 2 and Romans, chapter 13, we are supposed to
honor the law of the land in which man has made to the best of our abilities. But,
always keep in mind God’s instructions are highly important therefore, a
balance must be adhered to.
If a person goes out and stones another to death
another for committing adultery in New Orleans, Louisiana in 2017, then they
have committed murder.
If a person goes out and stones another to
death for committing adultery in Jerusalem in BC 700, then they have fulfilled to
correct the situation in accordance with their cultural law (law of the land
and man.)
In studying the Bible all, these things must
be considered before applying the scripture to our lives. It is called balance
(there is that word again.) (1) What does the verse say to you? (2) What was
the verbal interpretation and the context in which it was used? (3) What was
going on culturally at the time? Then we learn violence existed then just like
now.
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God
and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly equipped for all
good works.” 2 Timothy 3.16-17
Every single day we try to live and cope with
the reality of life. Why was the grandmother stabbed by her 13-year-old
grandson, whom she loved and cared for from birth? Why was the custodial father
of two murdered in his home by two very calm men that walked in, shot him, and
walked out? Why was a woman killed as a result of a vehicular accident, a week
after being home in the states from serving two tours in Afghanistan without being
injured? Why did that child die 3 days after being born? Why did he kill
himself? How is that drug addict still alive for 62 years when death has
knocked at his door more than once?
We don’t know. A lot of what we have
is purely conjecture, including Bible studies.
“To thine own self be true.” Hamlet Act 1,
scene 3
My truth is in my faith. I believe that God
exist. I believe that he sent his son Jesus (incarnate) to die for us on the
cross in order to save humanity. I believe that the Bible offers a lot of good
incite to living correctly – literally and literarily.
The rest I am playing by ear.
[1] Personal
Class Notes. Charles Copeland Instructor. “Criminology” Jones County Jr.
College, Ellisville, MS. 1993.
[2]
Department of Justice Statistics. “Murder in Large Urban Counties”. 12th
May 1993. (accessed 8th March 2017) https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/press/MILUC88.PR
[3] **
Special Note: I had never heard of apologetics until 2012 although others have.
It is simply in defense of the Christian faith. Why do Christians believe the
way they do? Was it an inherited belief, one told to you, or something you
learned another way. As a Christian, we should be able without a doubt defend
our faith within reasonable means and details. It is support yourself, your
cause, your faith.
[4] Slick,
Matt. “Does God Create Evil?” Christian
Apologetics Research and Ministry. (accessed 8th March 2017) https://carm.org/does-god-create-evil
[5] “Isaiah
45.” Matthew Henry Commentary-Bible Study
Tools. (accessed 8th March 2017) http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-complete/isaiah/43.html
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