When I read these scriptures, I think back to one of my favorite scriptures. Isaiah 1:18 - "Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord". (One of the few instances I prefer the King James version because of the words the translators chose, it resonates more deeply with me.)
Galileo Galilei said it best. "I do not believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use."
I believe that God wants us to look at this topic, logically. After all, God put his law in our minds and wrote it on our hearts according to Jeremiah 31:33. Note: Psalm 37:29-31 also mentions this. Hebrews quotes it too. Hebrews 8:10 and Hebrews 10:16. Even Paul spoke about it in Romans 2:15. Gentiles have the law written on their hearts, it's not just Jews.
With this mindset, let's look at some of these hard scriptures.
Genesis 19:8 - ZOIKS. Really, Lot?
Do you feel in your heart that this is a good idea? Regardless of the hospitality customs. Be honest.
I say, "NO". Lot is a bad dad. Don't be like him. I'm grateful that the angels stepped in and stopped him from doing something so awful.
I believe scriptures like this are in the bible to show what happened, or to highlight our need for God's grace. Here, it's obvious that Lot had fallen so far from God, he began to embrace the attitudes of the people around him. Do not be misled: "bad company affects good character". We see that sentiment in several proverbs, as well.
I believe this scripture about Lot is a blatant example of how our hearts can be corrupted when we hang out with people we know we should not be with.
(Aside: I'm surprised that the daughters conspiring to get pregnant from their father isn't talked about more... Those people were weird. With strange priorities. Even his daughters had fallen far from a godly mindset. But with this kind of role model, are you really surprised?)
After that, most of the difficult scriptures are from the law that Moses gave.
| Scripture reference | My Synopsis | My Commentary |
|---|---|---|
| Exodus 21:20-21 | It's ok to beat your servants if they survive the beating for a few days. | Beatings were started by Cain. That didn't work out for him very well. The Israelites had just left their own slavery in Egypt, they probably wanted to order some people around for a while. Lack of compassion! |
| Leviticus 25:44-45 (1 Peter 2:18) | Yep. Slavery is fine. | But slaves weren't made until Genesis 9. Not an original plan. Again, this shows the nation had a lack of compassion. Jesus had lots of compassion. |
| Deuteronomy 22:20-21 | Be sure to stone any non-virgins. | We all make mistakes. This only happens when the guy hates the girl? No fair. Sexist generation. Jesus didn't condemn these girls like this. Jesus did not condemn the woman caught in adultery. |
| Deuteronomy 22:20-21 | Anyone you rape, you get to marry. | I think Moses meant this as a deterrent. Basically, "guys, don't overpower girls, you won't like the consequences, and we'll try to make sure the girl is with you for the rest of your lives. You don't get off scott free". I wish Moses had chatted with some of these girls. |
| Deuteronomy 23:1 | Eunuchs need not apply, you make us feel icky | Um... Anyone remember Daniel and his friends? How about the first non-Jewish convert? God had a significant place for eunuchs in his kingdom. |
| Deuteronomy 25:11-12 | It's ok for men to fight, even injure a pregnant woman, but not for a woman to grab male privates? | The guys were definitely owning this political party. I think the US Congress would agree with this policy. Doesn't make it right. |
| Leviticus 21:18-19 | God doesn't love the handicapped? | That's a good study. Look up how many handicapped people Jesus healed. Jesus loved them, just as he loves healthy and whole folks. |
| Leviticus 20:9 | Don't disrespect your parents, teenagers, if you want to see 20. | There is a rebellious stage, but let's not think about that. Jesus was even a little snippy when Mary exasperated him, but he didn't sin. He understands what it feels like. |
And I would argue that Jesus himself addressed all of these. I find his comments on divorce in Matthew 19:8 and Mark 10:5 are most instructive.
In these scriptures, Jesus points out that Moses allowed these things because the people had hard hearts. And Jesus points us back to how it was recorded in the beginning. Men and women were created equal in Genesis 1:27. There was no slavery here. There was no rape. There was no abuse. There was no maiming each other.
And then, I was STUNNED by this ode to happily smashing babies scripture. But when I look at the whole psalm, I see that these people were REALLY bitter about what they had just gone through. I don't think it means that God agrees, the people were bitter and angry. They wrote a song about it. That painful and bitter and angry emotion was recorded.
When we see Elisha called down the wrath of God, that was very harsh.
As I reflect on this one, I would argue that even the best of us can misuse the power we have, especially when tempted under pressure, in the moment. I don't think this reflects on God, as much as it points out that Elisha had been given lots of power when Elijah left, and yet he still had the power to make bad choices. Just like Lot made bad choices. Moses made bad choices too. And Abraham... the father of faith, he made some real dooseys of poor choices.
I'm in good company, you should see some of the choices I've made.
We all need God's grace to make it thru this life into the next. I think we should give the bible grace for recording things as they were, and not covering it up. This honesty allowed Christ to shine with God's grace more vividly, not only to the generation he visited, but ours as well.
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