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Angry Psalms
This is really mean. Psalms are like honest prayers perhaps, but it is surprising that this made its way into the cannon...especially when Jesus said we should pray for our enemies and do good to those…
Created 9 days ago
Psalm 109:6 (ESV), Psalm 109:7 (ESV), Psalm 109:8 (ESV), Psalm 109:9 (ESV), Psalm 109:10 (ESV), Psalm 109:11 (ESV), Psalm 109:12 (ESV), Psalm 109:13 (ESV), Psalm 109:14 (ESV), Psalm 109:15 (ESV)
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A Troublesome Law
A troublesome law. Kill a rebellious child. How old are these condemned children? Are they adults? Teenagers? Adolescents? All of the above (the law seems not to care)? Also, is there any evidence that…
Created 13 days ago
Deuteronomy 21:18 (ESV), Deuteronomy 21:19 (ESV), Deuteronomy 21:20 (ESV), Deuteronomy 21:21 (ESV)
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Strange law
Another strange law about captives, this one also incorporating divorce.
Created 13 days ago
Deuteronomy 21:10 (ESV), Deuteronomy 21:11 (ESV), Deuteronomy 21:12 (ESV), Deuteronomy 21:13 (ESV), Deuteronomy 21:14 (ESV)
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Question
What was the motivation for this law? Early environmentalism? Symbolism for mercy? I'd love to know what you think!
Created 13 days ago
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Question
Why do these laws seem so harsh? "If a city surrenders, enslave everyone. If they fight instead, kill the men, rape the women, and enslave the kids," says God. Hardly seems like the words of a loving…
Created 13 days ago
Deuteronomy 20:10 (ESV), Deuteronomy 20:11 (ESV), Deuteronomy 20:12 (ESV), Deuteronomy 20:13 (ESV), Deuteronomy 20:14 (ESV), Deuteronomy 20:15 (ESV), Deuteronomy 20:16 (ESV), Deuteronomy 20:17 (ESV), Deuteronomy 20:18 (ESV)
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Why We Worship
This, I feel, is a profound statement about why we worship. Recently, I had the pleasure of viewing a convention of skeptics talking about evangelism strategies to use on the religious. They seemed to…
Created 2 months ago
Isaiah 44:9 (ESV), Isaiah 44:10 (ESV), Isaiah 44:11 (ESV), Isaiah 44:12 (ESV), Isaiah 44:13 (ESV), Isaiah 44:14 (ESV), Isaiah 44:15 (ESV), Isaiah 44:16 (ESV), Isaiah 44:17 (ESV), Isaiah 44:18 (ESV), Isaiah 44:19 (ESV), Isaiah 44:20 (ESV)
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Question
This passage describes what Hebrew kings were supposed to be like. Did any of them actually keep these rules?
Created 2 months ago
Deuteronomy 17:14 (ESV), Deuteronomy 17:15 (ESV), Deuteronomy 17:16 (ESV), Deuteronomy 17:17 (ESV), Deuteronomy 17:18 (ESV), Deuteronomy 17:19 (ESV), Deuteronomy 17:20 (ESV)
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Question
I'd like to know more about Asherah poles...what are they, and why does God hate them so much?
Created 2 months ago
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Question - Generational Consequences
These verses, though perhaps intended to be taken figuratively, seem to indicate that God will punish or reward children for their ancestors' actions. Isn't this forbidden elsewhere in the Bible? And…
Created 6 months ago
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Questions: A passage I don't understand
What does John mean when he says "there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood"? And what is the difference between a sin that leads to death and one that does not? Why are we…
Created 11 months ago
1 John 5:6 (ESV), 1 John 5:7 (ESV), 1 John 5:8 (ESV), 1 John 5:9 (ESV), 1 John 5:10 (ESV), 1 John 5:11 (ESV), 1 John 5:12 (ESV), 1 John 5:13 (ESV), 1 John 5:14 (ESV), 1 John 5:15 (ESV), 1 John 5:16 (ESV), 1 John 5:17 (ESV), 1 John 5:18 (ESV), 1 John 5:19 (ESV), 1 John 5:20 (ESV), 1 John 5:21 (ESV)
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Question: Angry Psalms
Some Psalms seem so angry. They can be filled with requests for God to maim and destroy others. And come to think of it, many of them don't seem anything like Jesus' example in the gospels. Some are just…
Created about 1 year ago
Psalm 74:9 (ESV), Psalm 74:10 (ESV), Psalm 74:11 (ESV), Psalm 74:22 (ESV), Psalm 74:23 (ESV)
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Question: Killing Nations
Sometimes I am troubled by the commands God issued in the Old Testament regarding international relations. Often, it seems like he is very interested in killing nations rather than converting them. Sometimes…
Created about 1 year ago
Numbers 25:1 (ESV), Numbers 25:2 (ESV), Numbers 25:3 (ESV), Numbers 25:4 (ESV), Numbers 25:5 (ESV), Numbers 25:6 (ESV), Numbers 25:7 (ESV), Numbers 25:8 (ESV), Numbers 25:9 (ESV), Numbers 25:10 (ESV), Numbers 25:11 (ESV), Numbers 25:12 (ESV), Numbers 25:13 (ESV), Numbers 25:14 (ESV), Numbers 25:15 (ESV), Numbers 25:16 (ESV), Numbers 25:17 (ESV), Numbers 25:18 (ESV), Deuteronomy 2:26 (ESV), Deuteronomy 2:27 (ESV), Deuteronomy 2:28 (ESV), Deuteronomy 2:29 (ESV), Deuteronomy 2:30 (ESV), Deuteronomy 2:31 (ESV), Deuteronomy 2:32 (ESV), Deuteronomy 2:33 (ESV), Deuteronomy 2:34 (ESV), Deuteronomy 2:35 (ESV), Deuteronomy 2:36 (ESV), Deuteronomy 2:37 (ESV), Deuteronomy 3:1 (ESV), Deuteronomy 3:2 (ESV), Deuteronomy 3:3 (ESV), Deuteronomy 3:4 (ESV), Deuteronomy 3:5 (ESV), Deuteronomy 3:6 (ESV), Deuteronomy 3:7 (ESV), Deuteronomy 3:8 (ESV), Deuteronomy 3:9 (ESV), Deuteronomy 3:10 (ESV), Deuteronomy 3:11 (ESV)
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Question: Satan
I was taught that Satan fell from Heaven as a result of pride. Isaiah 14 was one passage used to back this up (along with 1 Timothy 3:6). But as I read Isaiah, I see that this passage refers to the King…
Created about 1 year ago
Isaiah 14:12 (ESV), Isaiah 14:13 (ESV), Isaiah 14:14 (ESV), Isaiah 14:15 (ESV), Isaiah 14:16 (ESV), Isaiah 14:17 (ESV), Isaiah 14:18 (ESV), Isaiah 14:19 (ESV), Isaiah 14:20 (ESV), Isaiah 14:21 (ESV)
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Question: Signs from God
I don't fully understand what's going on here. God tells King Ahaz to ask for a sign, and he refuses because of one of God's earlier commands. Perhaps God wants people to ask for "signs" only if they…
Created about 1 year ago
Isaiah 7:10 (ESV), Isaiah 7:11 (ESV), Isaiah 7:12 (ESV), Isaiah 7:13 (ESV), Isaiah 7:14 (ESV), Isaiah 7:15 (ESV), Isaiah 7:16 (ESV), Isaiah 7:17 (ESV), Isaiah 7:18 (ESV), Isaiah 7:19 (ESV), Isaiah 7:20 (ESV), Isaiah 7:21 (ESV), Isaiah 7:22 (ESV), Isaiah 7:23 (ESV), Isaiah 7:24 (ESV), Isaiah 7:25 (ESV)
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Question: Jesus' baptism
Why does Jesus need to be baptized? What does it mean when he says it is necessary "to fulfill all righteousness"? As God incarnate, isn't he already righteous? And wasn't John's baptism a baptism of…
Created over 1 year ago
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Questions: Genesis
"The man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil..." - what do you suppose this means? Did the first two humans not have the ability to distinguish between right and wrong? If so, how could they…
Created over 1 year ago
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A practical law
I think this is one of the most practical laws I have ever read. If you are taking security for a loan, make sure you don't bankrupt your debtor in the process or impair his ability to pay you. It makes…
Created about 3 years ago
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How sweet!
This verse is surprisingly modern-sounding to me. The focus is on the woman's happiness instead of the man's, which I don't think is typical for this time period, so far before the era of women's rights.…
Created about 3 years ago
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Question: Punishing Children for Parents' Wrongs?
Is it just me, or is this an example of a person's descendents being punished for their parent's wrongdoings? Given, there are examples of God saying he would do this: Exodus 20:5, Exodus 34:7, Numbers…
Created about 3 years ago
Deuteronomy 23:2 (NIV84), Deuteronomy 23:3 (NIV84), Deuteronomy 23:4 (NIV84), Deuteronomy 23:5 (NIV84), Deuteronomy 23:6 (NIV84), Deuteronomy 23:7 (NIV84), Deuteronomy 23:8 (NIV84)
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Question: No Women's Rights Here?
These verses (Deut. 22:13-29) are difficult ones for many believers. They focus on the husband and his right to marry a virgin. In verses 13-21, there is no thought for whether the husband is a virgin…
Created about 3 years ago
Numbers 30:1 (ESV), Numbers 30:2 (ESV), Numbers 30:3 (ESV), Numbers 30:4 (ESV), Numbers 30:5 (ESV), Numbers 30:6 (ESV), Numbers 30:7 (ESV), Numbers 30:8 (ESV), Numbers 30:9 (ESV), Numbers 30:10 (ESV), Numbers 30:11 (ESV), Numbers 30:12 (ESV), Numbers 30:13 (ESV), Numbers 30:14 (ESV), Numbers 30:15 (ESV), Numbers 30:16 (ESV), Deuteronomy 22:13 (ESV), Deuteronomy 22:14 (ESV), Deuteronomy 22:15 (ESV), Deuteronomy 22:16 (ESV), Deuteronomy 22:17 (ESV), Deuteronomy 22:18 (ESV), Deuteronomy 22:19 (ESV), Deuteronomy 22:20 (ESV), Deuteronomy 22:21 (ESV), Deuteronomy 22:22 (ESV), Deuteronomy 22:23 (ESV), Deuteronomy 22:24 (ESV), Deuteronomy 22:25 (ESV), Deuteronomy 22:26 (ESV), Deuteronomy 22:27 (ESV), Deuteronomy 22:28 (ESV), Deuteronomy 22:29 (ESV)
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Question: Levitical Law
I've heard it said that the commands in verses 9-12 were a sign to the Isrealites that they should not intermarry, for if they mixed themselves with another people, they would polute their bloodline,…
Created about 3 years ago
Deuteronomy 22:9 (ESV), Deuteronomy 22:10 (ESV), Deuteronomy 22:11 (ESV), Deuteronomy 22:12 (ESV)
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Prosecuted as an Adult
This is a tough passage to take in. To the modern reader, it seems that parents were to kill an unruly child biblical child abuse. However, the first time I read this I thought of modern crimes involving…
Created about 3 years ago
Deuteronomy 21:18 (NIV84), Deuteronomy 21:19 (NIV84), Deuteronomy 21:20 (NIV84), Deuteronomy 21:21 (NIV84)
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Question: Levitical Law
What is the purpose of these instructions? Surely they are not for the environment's sake. I don't get it.
Created about 3 years ago
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Questions: women captives
Israel, under divine mandate, attacks Midian, killing all except virgin women, presumably saving them for sex slaves. How is this okay? Also, I thought Midian was Jethro's tribe (Moses' father-in-law).…
Created about 3 years ago
Numbers 31:1 (ESV), Numbers 31:2 (ESV), Numbers 31:3 (ESV), Numbers 31:4 (ESV), Numbers 31:5 (ESV), Numbers 31:6 (ESV), Numbers 31:7 (ESV), Numbers 31:8 (ESV), Numbers 31:9 (ESV), Numbers 31:10 (ESV), Numbers 31:11 (ESV), Numbers 31:12 (ESV), Numbers 31:13 (ESV), Numbers 31:14 (ESV), Numbers 31:15 (ESV), Numbers 31:16 (ESV), Numbers 31:17 (ESV), Numbers 31:18 (ESV), Numbers 31:19 (ESV), Numbers 31:20 (ESV), Numbers 31:21 (ESV), Numbers 31:22 (ESV), Numbers 31:23 (ESV), Numbers 31:24 (ESV)