Isaiah 49-57: The Prince of Peace

Introduction

The ultimate gift God gives us is the Prince of Peace, the Messiah, Yashua/Yeshua/Jesus. Between Isaiah 49 and 57, Isaiah gives us a ton of prophecies, many of which deal with the Messiah. The most important prophecy concerning who Christ was (in my opinion) is Isaiah 53. Often referred to as "The Suffering Servant," the chapter gives a clear picture of the Messiah as a servant who must suffer at the hands of His own people to bring about salvation. This was the crucial prophecy that the Israelites neglected, as they expected the Messiah to be a triumphant warrior who would overthrow Rome instead of the servant described by Isaiah. Overall, however, these chapters paint the picture of the salvation brought by the Prince of Peace.

Calls to the People

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Pavan Trikutam

The first three chapters in this series deliver specific calls to God's people.

Called From the Womb

Isaiah recognizes that his calling came from the time he was in the womb. In fact, most of God's people were called before they took their first breath. Other examples include Samson and Samuel from the Old Testament, Jesus and John the Baptist from the New Testament. Isaiah explicitly states that his purpose is to call the people of God back to God. God tells Isaiah that this is a simple task, so He is also entrusting him with being a light for the Gentiles. Even during Isaiah's time, Israel was to be a light for the Gentile nations; it was never God's intent that they should stay in darkness. We know that the ultimate light that Israel brought into the world was the Messiah. How does that relate to Isaiah being called as a light to the Gentile nations? Well, someone compiled a list of 365 Messianic prophecies[1] (there are more, but this is a good sampling) and 133 of them are from the book of Isaiah. That's about 36%. The book in the Old Testament with the next largest number of Messianic prophecies is Psalms with 96. So while Jesus might be the ultimate Light God gave to the Gentiles, it is Isaiah that gives us the path to identify the light (the light switch, if you will).

Prophecies About Christ

In Isaiah 49:7, Isaiah jumps right in to Messianic prophecy as if to confirm that he has been given light to point us to the ultimate Light. First, he tells us that the Holy One of Israel (the Messiah), will be despised by men. If Christ's crucifixion does jump into mind as clear evidence of that, just scour message boards online today. There are many atheists or agnostics, who while tolerant of other religions, have a deep-seated hatred for Christ.

Isaiah goes on to tell us that Christ will be worshiped by kings and princes. Even the most powerful people in our world have to answer to Christ. In Christ's kingdom, everyone will come to bow down to Him and all will be provided for. As Isaiah explains this, he mentions a land called Sinim, which scholars believe is meant to reference a far off nation, likely China.[2]

As Isaiah continues to point out how God (and the Messiah) feel about the people, he lays out a third prophecy. God promises no to forget about His children, and points out that He has a mark in the palm of His hands to remind Him of us. That mark is from the crucifixion.[3]

Prophecy About Israel

Isaiah also prophesies the captivity and scattering of Israel. The people of Israel were driven from The Promised Land after the siege of Jerusalem in 70ad and have been intermingled with the Gentiles ever since. However, in the end the people who were tearing apart the families of God's people and who were mistreating them, will be bowing before them.

Called to Follow

In the beginning of Isaiah 50, we are presented with metaphorical questions about our relationship with God as our Father. God did not abandon His children, His children stopped following Him. When there is separation between us and Him, it is not because He "divorced our mother" or sold us, but be cause we have chosen sin over obedience.

The beauty in this situation is that God is the all powerful God. He can redeem us and reconect with us if we let Him. His choice is to deliver us from a fate of separation and disconnect, but we have to let Him. Throughout the Bible, it talks about people who have ears but can't hear, or eyes and can't see. We close our senses to God, and block His Spirit sometimes. When Isaiah chose to listen to God, God opened His hear that He might understand. When we choose to listen and see, God reveals Himself, wisdom, and His plan to us. The key, is that we have to choose to follow Him first.

Called to Action

If you make a decision, but you never act on it, what good is it? God gave us a law. If we are truly following Him, if we have truly surrendered to His Will, we will also do our best to follow this law. The Israelites often confused this concept by thinking that if the just did what God had specified in the law, they were doing good. However, just because you do what someone says doesn't mean you love or respect them. Obedience can also come from fear or habit. The key thing to remember is that we are compelled to follow the law because we love God, however following the law is not a means of salvation and is not the starting point of our relationship with Him.

Fear

Many times, when we are doing right, the people around us will try to discourage us. In a moment of peer pressure, we often deny Christ and the Father to appease a human. Peter did this when He denied Christ. God asks us think about why we afraid of people? They do not have power over their own lives and die just like us. Therefore their thoughts and opinions should have no power over us.

Endtime Prophecy

In Isaiah 51:6, Isaiah prophesies that Heaven and Earth will be demolished and rebuilt during the final judgment. During this time, all who did not follow the Lord will perish. This prophecy is echoed in the New Testament (2 Peter 3:10-13 and Revelation 21:1).

Awakening

God makes a plea for Israel to wake up. It is time for them to return to our Father, to open our ears and heart. The devision to follow should always be followed with the action of following. This consists of opening our hears and eyes, just as Isaiah did. If we don't, we suffer the same fate as the pagan nations.

The Suffering Servant

If you weren't sure that Jesus is the Messiah, Isaiah 53 is the scripture you need to read. I have read that this chapter is intentionally glossed over or "forbidden" in Jewish synagogues for exactly this reason.[4]

Isaiah prophesies about a suffering servant, the prophecy really begins at the end of Isaiah 52, where we are told that this person would become disfigured for us. The disfiguring Isaiah references is the punishment Jesus endured before and on the cross. As we continue into Isaiah 53, we learn that despite suffering for us, people would reject him (obviously fulfilled both by the Jews rejecting Him and choosing to crucify Him, as well as the continued rejection of His gift by people throughout time). Isaiah tells us that the Messiah would be brought to "slaughter like a lamb" indicating that he understood that the purpose of this sacrifice was to fulfill the required sacrifices once and for all. Take note that while God is pleased with the suffering of the Messiah, it is not because He enjoys seeing the Messiah suffer. God is pleased because this suffering allows Him to intercede for all of God's children. It is only though His suffering that the rest of us can ever be reunited with God. It is also through Him that Satan will eventually be defeated. This is what pleases God.

The Deception

Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good,Isaiah 55:2 KJV

The business model of the world matches the battle plan of Satan: create a problem that doesn't exist and sell the solution. If you were around in the early 2000s, you remember black and white flip phones that barely had the ability to text. Of course, if you grew up during my parent's era, you remember when we didn't have cell phones at all. If you grew up in my grandparents' era, you remember when phones were a luxury. If you grew up before then, you would remember when phoned didn't exist. For the majority of our existence, people lived just fine without them. Now, kids are getting them at 5 and 6 years old! People have been convinced that a child needs a $400 - $1000 object. How? Why?

In the beginning of Isaiah 55, it is point out that we chase things that don't benefit us. We spend money on things that are not in our best interest, and work hard for things the world tells us we need, but they don't fill the empty void that is meant to be filled with God. We will work extra hours to have extra money to see the latest concert or movie, to buy the latest trends, etc., but we don't invest that money in God's people— remember the bread is His body; God's body is the Church (1 Corinthians 12:12–14) and we aren't investing in the people of the church. I don't mean building funds and jet planes for pastors. I mean supporting single parents. I mean supporting the poor. I mean taking care of the elderly. Consume the Bread of Life (the Word of God) and actively engaging in the work of God is what will satisfy our soul. The things of this world only bring us distraction. They keep us busy, but we never find that contentment that God has for us.

A Futile Effort

Isaiah 55 follows the famous quote "no weapon formed against you shall prosper." Even though it's the last verse of Isaiah 54, it summarizes the whole of both chapters' point. God has made a covenant with His people so for as long as we have (be it our death or the death of this world), we can seek Him out. However, we see in God's call to seek Him while He can be found that this timeline is finite; there will come a point where we've lost our chance (because we're dead, or the judgement has arrived). Once we seek Him out, we're on the winning side. God will stand for His people, and He is the creator of even the smallest molecules men use to build weapons. There is nothing a man can create that does not have to obey God first. Thus, the only power our enemies have over us is convincing us not to rely on God.

God's Thoughts and Ways

The end of Isaiah 55 could easily be paired with the concept of growing from thinking and speaking like a child, to thinking and speaking as an adult. It is a reminder that although we grow up and learn more, we can't fully comprehend God. My dad has a saying about understanding crazy people; he said if you can understand the thought process of serial killers, or racists, or whomever, that means you think like them and you're crazy too. You have to be tuned in to the same frequency to understand and empathize with those feelings. Similarly, if any of us could fully comprehend God, we'd have to be God.

I used to wonder if sin was the culprit of why we can't understand. After all, sin is a degenerative disease. However, when I started thinking about the angels, I realized that they must not be able to fully comprehend God either. If so, Lucifer never would have rebelled. He would have understood the perfect order God created and abided in it. Not only that, but other angels wouldn't have sided with him. It proves that like us, they only know so much.

God's Word is Never Void: A Sign

¹¹So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth:
it shall not return unto me void,
but it shall accomplish that which I please,
and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
¹²For ye shall go out with joy,
and be led forth with peace:
the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
¹³Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree,
and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree:
and it shall be to the Lord for a name,
for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.Isaiah 55:11-13 KJV

God's Word is powerful. Unlike us, He doesn't say things casually or without thought, so everything He tells us will come to pass. This is great news for those who surrender to Him and horrible news for those who rebel.

I spent quite a while on this particular passage, trying to figure out what the everlasting sign would be. Some commentators suggest a bountiful Earth, some suggested fertility, and others suggested the actual Word of God.[8] I can see how all three of these are possible, and actually are intertwined. To have high fertility rates, the people must be eating well and consuming the proper nutrients, therefore the Earth must be bountiful. The only way for the Earth to be bountiful is that the people have found favor in the eyes of God, and that will only happen when we surrender to His Word.

Preservation of Justice

God's people will have God's desire for justice. This means that in a kingdom that truly serves Him, the people in charge will actively seek justice. They will not be taking advantage of people, or favoring this group over that group. God's people will do the best they can to wield honest, appropriate, and merciful judgements so that justice prevails.

Sabbath

In Isaiah 56:6 brings the attention of the Israelites to the importance of keeping the Sabbath without defiling it. Note that there were two types of Sabbaths prescribed by God. The original Sabbath (referred to as the Sabbath) was instituted in the very beginning, to end the creation week. After the fall and when God established Israel, He instituted holy days (where we get thee word holiday), some of which were to be observed in the same manner as the Sabbath. These became knows as sabbaths or sabbath days (plural). Because God is referred to a singular Sabbath, we know He is referencing the one from creation.

Saved Against the Odds

The Israelites, as well as modern Christians, are quick to judge who can and can't be saved, but that judgement is reserved for God. In Isaiah 56, we see God explicitly make provisions for the salvation of two groups of people you wouldn't expect: foreigners and eunuchs.

Foreigners

The Israelites are God's chosen people, everybody else (at the time) was pagan. The Israelites were constantly told to set themselves apart and not to intermarry with these people. So it's easy to develop the opinion that those people were hopeless and unable to gain salvation. However, that was never the case. From the beginning, anyone who was willing to submit to God, could join Israel and become part of God's people. In Isaiah 56, God reiterates this point. Today, we should remember that "foreigner" can apply to people of the same nationality and/or race, but of a different religion. We have to remember that all it takes it repentance and submission to God for a person to be saved, regardless of their background.

Eunuchs

Eunuchs were men who had been castrated. Since this would be considered a deformity, it was regarded as unclean in Israel; thus, eunuchs were not well received. The Israelites would have been shocked to hear this message.

I've seen many quote this verse along with Matthew 19:12 to support the LGBT community, so I want to take a deeper look.[7] Matthew 19:12 identifies 3 types of eunuchs: those who were forcefully castrated, those who were born that way, and those who chose to be.

The reason men were forcefully castrated was—aside from being a grotesque show of power—to provide "trustworthy" protection for the queen and concubines of the king.[5] The women (and children) required guards, but an able bodied solider was a threat to the king. Remember, these marriages were not based on love and most kings had many wives, so there was plenty of spare time for the wives to get distracted. Also, since DNA testing wasn't a thing back then (that we know of), the king would have felt obligated to protect the throne from illegitimate heirs. So, to ensure that soldiers tasked with keeping the women safe did not betray the king by sleeping with the women, the king had them castrated. Note, this didn't mean that the men became women and/or began living their lives as women. It also doesn't mean they were gay.

The men who were "born that way" were men who were born with out a penis; this condition is called Penile Agenesis. They still have a male physiology and are considered men, they are just unable to have sex.[6] Once again, there is no Biblical or historical evidence that these men behaved as women or engaged in homosexual relationships. (In fact, they would have had the same dilemma in trying to have a homosexual relationship as they would having a heterosexual one).

The final group of eunuchs mentioned in Matthew 19:12 are those who chose that life. These men were not born that way, nor were they forced into the predicament. Because the passage in Matthew 19:12 is talking about marriage, I don't think it's meant that the literally disfigured themselves, but rather they chose not to get married—like Paul. If anything these men would have been considered asexual.

Were there gay or transgender eunuchs? I don't know. However, the word eunuch does not mean gay or transgender.

References

1. 365 Messianic Prophecies". Bible Probe; visited May 2019
2. "Sinim, Land Of. Bible Study Tools; visited May 2019
3. "When Jesus was nailed to the cross, did the nails go through His hands or His wrists?". GotQuestions.org; visited May 2019
4. "Forbidden Chapter of the Tanakh". Jewish Voice. June 2, 2016
5. "Eunuch". Encyclopædia Britannica. February 11, 2019
6. Aeron Charline. "Penile Agenesis and Testicular Agenesis". October 25, 2011
7. Matt Slick. "In Matthew 19:12, is being born as a eunuch a support for homosexuality?". Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry; visited May 2019
8. "Isaiah 55:13". Bible Hub; visited May 2019

A Review of Greenleaf

This comes a little late, as Greenleaf is coming to the close of it's second season in real time. As a Netflix watcher, I'm a little behind the times. Nonetheless, after watching the show I wanted to express my opinion. In short, I feel like Greenleaf is a show about God, in which God never appears...

Introduction

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.Philippians 4:8 KJV

Lately, I've really been cutting back on "entertainment." I've been paying close attention to what I'm feeding my soul, and that includes what I hear and what I see. I started cleaning out my iTunes library last year (I have way too much music), and I've been re-evaluating the shows I watch on TV. I was particularly convicted by Phillippians 4:8. Were the shows I watched honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report? Did they have virtue or praise God? My DVD collection is quite bipolar; it consists of cartoons (mostly Disney & Studio Ghibli) and action movies. If it isn't a cartoon, you can bet that in the first 5 minutes either someone dies or something gets blown up. X-Men, The Fast and the Furious, Lord of the Rings, Underworld, and Transformers were my favorite franchises. I was thoroughly hooked on How to Get Away With Murder, The Originals, The Vampire Diaries, Pretty Little Liars, and Star Crossed... But I started to think about what this said about me.

I always hated the saying "you are who your friends are," but who you choose to associate yourself with does say something about you. The same way what I consider entertaining says something about me. In the Dark Ages, Romans found it entertaining to watch people be fed to the lions.^[1] Less than 100 years ago, people found it entertaining to visit "zoos" that kept humans as side show attractions.^[2][3] Don't we find this disturbing?

The TV shows I watched all dealt with themes that are completely against God's way of life. The Vampire Diaries, The Originals and Underworld feature vampires and werewolves (Deuteronomy 12:23, Acts 15:20), witches (Deuteronomy 18:10, Galatians 5:19-21), excessive drinking (Proverbs 23:21, Ephesians 5:18), premarital sex (1 John 2:16), communing with the dead (Deuteronomy 18:10-12), and more. Why should I enjoy watching these things?

Think about it, Jesus died on the cross so we could be forgiven of all sins, including murder and adultery. It pains Him to see us commit these sins, so why would we think it could be entertaining to watch someone pretend to commit these sins?

After coming to this realization, I started applying Philippians 4:8 to everything I watch. Sometimes, it's necessary to show sin to convey a good point (after all, the Bible gives us plenty of examples), but many times, this behavior is not used to make a Godly point. In the latter case, I stay away from the show. So when Greenleaf appeared as a suggestion on Netflix, I was pretty excited. I thought here was the show I'd been looking for.
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Premise of the Show

Photocredit: OWN/Greenleaf

For those who haven't seen the show, it follows a megachurch operated by the Greenleaf family. The main family consists of the Bishop, his wife (the first lady), their four children, and the spouses of those children. As with most families, there are secrets, lies, and drama. The show touches on major issues that plague churches such as infidelity, rape/pedophila, the LGBT community, greed, and corruption.

General Conclusions

I'll start with what I like about it. First, the actors are great. At the end of the first episode, I definitely felt compelled to see how the story would play out for each member of the family. Second, I'm always happy to see a show/movie where they show Black people that aren't charaicatures of stereotypes.

Most of the negative reviews about the show I've read deal with the image of the church. I don't mind the church being shown as imperfect, because it's true. I don't mind serious issues and topics being tackled, because that's real life. We don't expect our pastors to preach unicorns and rainbows when a hurricane is happening outside! I think the premise and the acting talent set the show up perfectly for addressing how hard it is to stay faithful in today's society as individuals, and comment on how we can improve our churches.

What I don't like about the show is that it's devoid of God. The solutions and resolutions have nothing to do with God. Most of the church leadership is unlikeable. They exemplify the "church people" no one wants to be associated with. I imagine many lost souls will describe similar characters as why they left the church. The main character is assumably who we are rooting for, but her faith is completely shook. She's come back to town to "fix" her family, but she doesn't even know if she believes in God! Is this who we are supposed to be rooting for? The one person on the show that seems to have a heart for God and be doing ok morally is pretty much tossed to the side... (Of course, this pretty much describes our world in truth: the corrupt are leading, the lost are trying to dethrone the corrupt, and the true believers are struggling to be heard). When God is brought into the conversation, the theological viewpoints held by the characters aren't always Biblically sound. As I said earlier, it's a show about God, but God doesn't seem to be present in the show.

Characters & Examples

The following summaries contain spoilers. While I don't particularly recommend watching the show, if you have plans to do so, I am giving you fair warning that the text below contains many spoilers for the first season.

Grace

Grace is the main character. She is the eldest daughter of Bishop and was once a "prolific" pastor at the church. She leaves home when her parents refuse to listen to her about a family member raping another family member. The premise of her return is to right the wrongs she left behind and avenge the family member who has since committed suicide due to the rape. I guess she's the character we're supposed to be rooting for. Except, she doesn't seem to be a Godly person at all. When she shows up questioning her faith and unsure of what she believes, I thought the show would follow her road to being reintroduced to God. Instead of seeking out God and cultivating personal growth, she mostly just uncovers problems within the church. These problems don't really lead her closer to God; instead, the viewer is left to believe the "Christians" are bad people and the one who questions the existence of God is the good person. If that wasn't enough, Grace takes the position of associate pastor knowing she doesn't believe. As associate pastor, she knowingly and willingly has sex with a man who is engaged to be married to another woman! We would expect this to be her breaking point of redemption, where she realizes her mistake and repents—nope, she has zero remorse...

Jacob and Kerissa

While Grace was gone, her brother Jacob has stepped up as a pastor in the church. Jacob has a wife and a child...and a mistress. When we meet Jacob's wife (whom I'll get to later), it isn't surprising that he's unfaithful. Jacob's mistress is a secretary in the church. You would think when the Bishop found out, there would be prayer and condemnation but it plays out like a business deal gone wrong. The secretary is fired and Jacob is "benched"—in other words, he isn't allowed to preach on stage until the talk dies down. Jacob doesn't take this as time to reflect on what he's done or his relationship with God or even his relationship with his wife. Instead he becomes angry that Grace's return is getting in the way of his desire to become senior pastor. To him, leading the church is a political strategy and has nothing to do with God or who God called to fulfill this purpose. Knowing Jacob must impress his father to achieve this role, Jacob tries to arrange a TV slot for the church. When this falls through, Jacob gives up on his father's church and moves his membership to the church's rival megachurch. Yes you read that right: rival megachurch. Since when are churches in competition with each other? Are we not all part of the same Body of Christ? The answer to that is a resounding no, but it should be a yes.

Kerissa is Jacob's wife. You know you're not going to like her from the first time you meet her in the first episode. She launches into a tirade against the Grace about her church attendance. She takes on a holier than thou attitude, professes that the Bible commands us to attend church, and suggests that Grace doesn't follow the doctrine of the Bible. Kerissa seems unaware of Matthew 18:20, which states that where two or three are gathered in God's name, He is there. The Bible never commands us to go to church, it commands us to fellowship with believers and to keep the Sabbath holy. Despite what many people teach, this has nothing to do with a building. Fellowshipping with believers is a task for every day; they help us to stay accountable, encourage us, and are walking on the same path as us. Keeping the Sabbath holy covers a lot more than simply showing up to listen to someone talk. Yet, none of this was brought up in response to the character's aggression. Instead, Grace gives a wishy-washy, agnostic type of response.

Kerissa's overbearing and aggressive nature extends to her husband, whom she bosses around like a child. Like I said, it's fairly easy to see why he was cheating on her. I wasn't particularly bothered that they included this storyline. In fact, I wanted to see how it played out. How does the Bishop handle this? As Jacob's father and the head of the church, what would he say to get Jacob back on track? Would Kerissa exercise her right to divorce him (after all, adultery is the only acceptable reason given for divorcing a spouse)? As I mentioned earlier, the fall out of this revelation isn't spiritual, at all. Kerissa seems more interested in ambition and becoming a First Lady than whether Jacob is faithful to her or not.

Jacob doesn't realize his wife's importance to him until they're invited to do some swinging to gain the church a TV slot. Yes, you read that right, too. The producer of a Christian TV channel approaches the pastor of a Christian church and suggests they have a night of mischief. What's more, Miss Holier-Than-Thou agrees to it! Talk about doctrine? When did Jesus pimp Himself out to get an audience? That's not in my Bible... Despite coming to the realization that he didn't want to lose his wife, Jacob doesn't grow a backbone out of this. He wants to be senior pastor, but he isn't even wearing the pants in his own home.

I know the producers probably want to stretch the series out over many seasons, but there is absolutely no growth in these characters. The closest thing we see to growth is Jacob's realization that his wife is important to him. However, this revelation isn't grounded in God. In fact, it seems more like territorial instinct. He hasn't paid his wife any attention in quite awhile, but he doesn't want some other man doing so. It isn't necessarily rooted in love or Godliness, so much as jealousy and possessiveness.

Mac

Every family has someone named Mac in it. This family's Mac is the Bishop's brother-in-law. I'm not sure what he does at the church, but he holds a top position and is buddy-buddy with the Bishop. In fact, it took me a while to realize Mac was the first lady's brother and not the Bishop's brother. Mac is also a rapist and a pedophile. Just when you thought it couldn't be any worse, Mac raped the Bishop's daughter—his own niece! The reason Grace has been gone is because when she told her parents Mac was raping her sister, they did nothing about it. After damaging his niece to the point of suicide, Mac continues to rape other girls at the church and pays them hush money. He even gets one pregnant and pays for the abortion... We never see repentance from Mac, and in the end, the Bishop allows Mac to return to their home because Mac knows a secret of the Bishop's that he threatens to reveal. Tell me, what secret is more important than the girls Mac has raped and will likely continue to rape?

Charity and Kevin

The Bishop's youngest daughter, Charity, and her husband Kevin, seem to be the best example of Godly people on the show, but of course, there has to be something wrong there too. Charity was probably my favorite character on the show, but she's really more of a background character. She wants to take on a more active role in the church but her father seems to think she's better suited for singing. She has ideas for sermons, but the Bishop is more interested in allowing Grace, who doesn't believe, and Jacob, who is struggling with fidelity, to preach instead.

Charity opens a can of worms by hiring an openly gay choir director, which is generally glossed over—especially in reference to theology. Charity comments on the congregation's disdain but she doesn't acknowledge the issues at stake here. Instead of addressing the problem of willingly committing sin without repentance or explicitly tackling this issue of discrimination of one sin over another (re: her brother's infidelity vs. the new choir director's sexual orientation), she just argues that we should all love each other. While it's true that we should love everyone and the doors should be open for everyone, her response shut down a conversation on a very complex issue of the day. In fact, the show is seeming to take the stance that homosexuality shouldn't be considered a sin.

I'm sure the writers glossed over the issue because they knew a few episodes later we would find out Kevin is secretly gay. He claims to love the pregnant Charity but he's clearly not in love with her because he's having thoughts about men.

We're Only Human

I think what I hate about the show is that it carries the narrative of being "only human" too far. In one of the reviews on IMDB someone talks about how even though the characters see Jesus as being real and are believers, they're only human and often mess up.^[4] The problem is that people today lean on this idea so heavily they forget about the repentance part. People like Moses, Abraham, David, and Peter all made mistakes. Yes, David committed adultery then committed murder to cover up the adultery. His problems are on par with the ailments that plague the Greenleaf family. The difference between David and the members of this family is that David actually has a relationship with God. When David is made aware of his actions, he is repentant. The same is true for the other believers in the Bible. I understand it takes time and that the road to redemption may span several seasons. However, given the very realness of the issues presented in the show, I wish there something that alludes to this and provides guidance to an audience who maybe oblivious. Ultimately, I feel that the show is more about the drama and the intent is not to show salvation, but to simply entertain us with disfunction. As seen in some of the reviews, instead of sparking dialogue on the importance of repentance, how to fix megachurches, or even showing an alternative more biblical church, the show simply reminds people why they dislike "church-folk." Perhaps Lecrae's "Church Clothes" should be the theme song. This is why I did not tune in for season 2 and why I would not recommend the show.

References

1. Damnatio Ad Bestias. Wikipedia; visited April 2017
2. "Deep Racism: The Forgotten History Of Human Zoos". Popular Resistance. February 18, 2014
3. Hugh Schofield. "Human zoos: When real people were exhibits". BBC. December 27, 2011
4. Charles Herold. "a fascinating world somewhat hampered by a conventional narrative". IMDB. October 30, 2016

Job 4-14: First Responses

Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar give their initial take on Job's situation. As you choose your friends, this is the scene you should remember. Will these people sit in ashes with me? Is their relationship with God intact? Can I trust their advice?

Introduction

Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar are Job's trusted friends. After sitting in ashes and humility with Job for 7 days and listening to Job pour out his heart, they offer advice to their friend. Unfortunately, their theology isn't sound. They believe that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. Essentially they believe that as long as you do right by God, you will only experience good,that if something bad happens to you, it is a result of your sin.
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Flawed Theology

Before we get in to what they say to Job, I want to discuss why their theology is flawed. In general, yes, we are rewarded for following God and punished for disobeying. However, once sin entered the world, it became a pervasive force. Not only are we affected by our sins, but we are affected by other people's sin as well.

Take the first family for instance. Adam and Eve chose to eat the forbidden fruit. When Cain and Abel were born, they were automatically born in an imperfect world; they inherited a sinful nature from their parents. Two imperfect creatures cannot bring forth a perfect creature; so we are all doomed to inherit a sinful nature. Of their first two sons, Cain was the one who allowed himself to succumb to sin. After Cain committed the first murder, he was given a punishment by God, just as one would expect. "Bad things happen to bad people." However, Abel, Adam, and Eve, were innocent in the situation. We don't know the extent to which these three committed sin after the garden, but since Abel was favored between the two brothers, it's likely that these three genuinely repented after committing sins and were considered good people by God. Yet, they didn't escape the ramifications of Cain's sin: Adam and Eve lost a son, Abel died.

The closer we get to the end of time, the more pervasive sin becomes. The actions of those around us wantonly sinning and acting out against God affect us. This is why the New Testament warns us that God's people will be persecuted. Remember, the disciples and apostles all ended up martyrs or in jail. They were good people. There are two main reasons why sin still affects good people.

Who is Good?

The first reason is that no one is truly good but God (Mark 10:18). Take Paul, for instance, as Saul, he was a very crooked man and transgressed against the people. He repented, accepted Jesus and became a new person, but does that mean he's no longer able to be punished for what he has done previously? If we commit a crime, then repent of the crime, are we suddenly exempt from jail? No, but we will probably get a lighter sentence. Justice requires we atone for that which we did. Jesus atoned for our sins with His own blood, so that we could still enter Heaven. This means we don't receive the death penalty for our actions. We are then exempt from the spiritual consequences of our actions, but that doesn't mean we are exempt from the physical consequences of our actions.

Free Will

The other reason deals with freewill. If we couldn't choose to sin, God would be a dictator and we would be mindless slaves. God doesn't force us to choose Him because He wants us to love Him and choose Him of our own free will. For us to have this choice, we have to be able to choose wrong as well as right. That's the entire reason the Tree of Knowledge was in the garden. If Cain chose to kill Abel but God stopped him, Cain really didn't have the choice. Evil is essentially the absence of God or turning away from God. If God kept evil from existing in our lives, we wouldn't know good and evil and we couldn't have a choice.

Think of it like this: when your child begins to walk, there's a pretty good chance they'll fall. If you swoop in a save them from falling every time, or prevent them from trying to walk, will they ever learn? Will they ever grow? You know that they have to learn to fall and get back up before they can walk, so instead of interfering with their progress, you watch from a distance. If they hurt themselves in the fall, you're there to comfort and heal them. You also serve as the cheerleader, cheering them on to succeed. As our Father, God is the same way.

Eliphaz's Response

Photocredit: ShutterStock.com/auremar

Eliphaz is the first of Job's friends to speak. His first response is recorded in Job 4 and 5. After listening patiently to his friend, Eliphaz follows Job's lament with an important question. Can God's creation claim to be more just and more pure than God? While Job doesn't say that he is more just or pure than God, he does accuse God of unjustly condemning him. Eliphaz was asking Job if a man really had the power to claim moral integrity.

I have often heard people question events in life and accuse God of unfairness. People lose faith and suggest that God unjustly judges us or allows tragedy to occur. The truth is, God is perfect; He knows everything and we only know a sliver.

While Eliphaz is right that we have no right to question God's judgments, he uses this to accuse Job of committing an unconfessed sin. Eliphaz's logic isn't just that we shouldn't question God, but that obviously God is punishing Job for something he did. In Eliphaz's mind, it's impossible for Job to be suffering without having done something wrong.

This very thought is common, even today, in our world, but it needed to be addressed before the Messiah came. If no one believed one could suffer without sinning, no one would ever accept a Messiah who died on the cross for our sins. We're even given a glimpse of how this scenario will play out with Jesus in Job 4:4-5. Eliphaz essentially mocks Job by commenting that Job's words had helped countless people out of that exact predicament yet Job couldn't help himself. A similar sentiment was expressed to Jesus at the cross (Matthew 27:40-42).^[1]

Paul quotes Eliphaz's statement from Job 5:13 in 1 Corinthians 3:19. He uses Eliphaz's words to remind us that no man really has wisdom; we must be made a fool to gain wisdom. What Eliphaz doesn't understand about his own statement is that sometimes God allows us to experience hardship to learn from it, not because we have done something wrong and deserve a punishment.

Job Replies to Eliphaz

Job doesn't take so kindly to Eliphaz's suggestion that he is a closeted sinner. Now, Job not only feels attacked by God, but by his friend as well. Job confesses that the weight of his grief is heavy and he doesn't know why he's experiencing this. Job's desire is to speak to God directly to learn why this is happening. In Job 7:21, Job basically asks how long the punishment should last if he had in fact sinned. Job is basically saying the punishment doesn't fit the crime. If Job had sinned, but didn't know that he had sinned, how big of a sin could it be that it warranted the loss of his family, wealth, and health?

While I completely understand Job's sentiment, how bad was it that Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree that we should all suffer? Job asks why God hadn't forgiven him, yet he still maintains that he is innocent. We can only be forgiven of our sins when we repent. Repentance requires acknowledging and confessing our sin. Job, in his insistence that he was right, hasn't acknowledged or confessed to a sin yet.

It is interesting that throughout the book, Job also asks for death, yet when his wife tells him to curse God and die, he does not. I believe Job's desire for death and animosity toward God were both "false" feelings. Have you ever gotten mad at someone and said "I never want to speak to you again," but less than an hour later you miss that person? Similarly, when we are jealous of someone, we often act and feel as though we don't like the person, when in truth we want to be just like that person. Emotions are weird that way. Job knew that if he spoke against God or rejected God outright he would be struck down. Yet, Job never does so. Even as he questions why God allowed these calamities to occur, he never falters in belief or suggests that God isn't worthy of following. In his heart, Job knows that God is justified.

Have you ever noticed that "happily ever after" is generally synonymous with riding off into the sunset? After sunset comes darkness. Sunset represents the end (i.e. death). Wouldn't happily ever after come with a sunrise? *shrug*

People today are quick to shed their belief in God for exactly this point of contention. So many people I know assert that God can't exist or can't be good if He allows evil to exist (this is called Theodicy). They renounce their belief in God and trot off into the darkness. Something stops Job from doing this: faith. Job is described as righteous and blameless. The whole reason this ordeal befell Job was because God pointed at him as an example of true faith. Job proved God's point because even though he tells his friends he has lost hope, he doesn't deny God as his Creator and King.

Bildad's Response

Bildad speaks in Job 8. I often see videos on social media suggesting "best friends" are more crass when speaking to their friends. Examples are often the contrast of a regular friend saying something encouraging and a best friend "telling it like it is." In these videos, Bildad would be the best friend. Eliphaz was subtle in his suggestion that Job had committed a sin, but Bildad flat out says Job's children probably got what was coming to them.

³Doth God pervert judgment? or doth the Almighty pervert justice? ⁴If thy children have sinned against him, and he have cast them away for their transgression; ⁵If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Almighty; ⁶If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.Job 8:3-6

Despite being a friend of Job's, Bildad is convinced Job has sinned. Bildad's reaction is something like "yeah, whatever, just repent and move on with your life." It comes across as though Bildad thinks Job is both over reacting and being dishonest. Again, in the minds of Job's friends, God would never allow such things to happen to a man who was truly upright.

Job's Response

Just as Job responded to Eliphaz, Job responds to Bildad in chapter 9 and 10. Job frames his reply as though he wishes to settle the matter in a court of law. However, even Job is aware that he would never win the case. The transformation of the book is that in the beginning, Job longs for this trial and is disheartened because the deck is stacked against him. God is the Supreme Judge and controls all things; no man can bring a case against Him. Really, who would you bring it to? At this point in Job's life, he believed this was unfair. By the end of the book, he realizes that he shouldn't win a case against God because he doesn't know much.

Zophar's Response

Zophar follows up with the same bluntness Bildad has expressed and accuses Job of being all talk (Job 11:2). Zophar asks if everyone else should sit quiet based upon Job's ostensibly false claim that he is innocent. Although we know the theology of Job's friends is not sound, Zophar poses a good question in Job 11:3. Zophar is basically asking if Job's lies trump reality (of course in this case, Job isn't lying and "reality" is Zophar's opinion). Zophar also accuses Job of mocking God and suggests they have a right to make him ashamed of his behavior.

I feel that Zophar's sentiment directly relates to modern day. Many Christians are asking these same questions in light of the rise of transgenderism (the LGBT community as a whole, actually). Should we respect people's choice to switch genders? Should we call them by their new names and refer to them by the pronoun of their choice? Or should we be speaking out?

God's word tells us to love our fellow man and treat them with kindness. Therefore, it is a given that we are not to abuse people. Although there a so-called Christians who don't seem to understand this, there shouldn't be a question of whether we treat people like people or not. Notice that even though Job's friends are accusing him of sin and Zophar is calling him a liar, they are sitting in the ashes with him trying to be supportive. Zophar's question is about supporting a lie. In Zophar's opinion, Job was lying about having not sinned. If Job had sinned, it wouldn't help Job for Zophar to pretend he hadn't and go along with Job's false reality. Do we help those who believe they are the opposite gender by allowing them to become their gender of choice?

When we ask this question, another question is are we right and them wrong or are they right and us wrong? When Zophar asked this question it turned out Job was right (in maintaining his innocence) and Zophar was wrong. Had Zophar acknowledged this and began thinking from Job's point of view, perhaps they would have gotten to the answer quicker. Further, he might have actually provided comfort to Job. I'm not saying that this is the case in conversations with those who claim to be transgender, rather I'm pointing out the deeper truth from Job that as humans we are fallible. We often believe that we are wise when we know nothing. We must be diligent in seeking God's help before trying to comfort or advise those around us.

Job's Response

The Wicked

Job can disprove his friends claim that misfortune equates to a bad person and fortune equates to a good person. He points out that there were thieves enjoying the life of luxury while he suffered. People who did wickedly weren't suffering either. Job wanted to know why.

These people often suffer eventually, and sometimes are already suffering internally. We see this among celebrities—despite being successful, they often struggle with drug addictions and depression. Social media today allows people to put their best face forward all the time, when secretly, many of these people are struggling and suffering more than we could ever guess. Just because we can't see someone suffering doesn't mean God hasn't punished them.

Another reason we don't necessarily see the wicked suffer is because it doesn't serve the devil to torment them. The reason Job was chosen to endure such torment was because the devil wanted to prove God's people weren't actually loyal to Him. God held up Job as the perfect example of a loyal servant. The devil didn't need to torture someone who was clearly not loyal to God to prove his point, he needed to take the person God claimed was loyal and turn him against God. Converting a believer to a non-believer is a victory for the devil. Thus, it stands to reason that the devil seeks out the faithful to torment.

Inferiority

Job felt as though his friends were talking down to him. He states that he isn't inferior to them in Job 12:2 and 13:2, which tells us this conversation was definitely not going well. Job wants to speak to God, because he knows God to be reasonable, but he has determined his friends are nothing but liars. Job accuses them of lying on behalf of God and points out that this doesn't help God. This problem is in full effect today. People justify false doctrine and even true doctrine with lies. When we don't know the answers, it is better to admit we are unsure rather than attach God's name to something false.

Life Is Short

Job reminds us that the simple fact that we are born of a woman (i.e. born from the fallen state of man, and thus born in sin), we are destined to have our days numbered. Our lives are but a blink of an eye to God. Job's take on life is quite interesting when you really think about it. Given that Job lived during the era of the patriarchs, the average age of mankind was just under 200 years, but previously, people had been living for almost a thousand years. Compared to his ancestors, of course Job would feel human life was short. This is ironically, the same thing scientists tell us about life.

Both science and the Bible agree that there will come a point when life on Earth ends, and neither can tell us exactly when that point is. From a scientific viewpoint, when life ends on Earth, it could be the end of life period. If an asteroid took out the Earth tomorrow, humanity would be gone and the universe would continue without us. However, from a Biblical standpoint, when life ends on Earth, those listed in the Book of Life will live on in Heaven with God for eternity. Job's take on life being but a blink of an eye is in reference to our Earthly life. Even if God prolongs judgement for a million years, that is nothing compared to eternity. My point, is that from a Biblical stand point the idea that our lives are but the blink of an eye will always be true because there is a set end to life on Earth, but no end to God's kingdom. Thus any suffering we endure during this life is but a blink of an eye, too.

We aren't told Job's age at death or his age during his tribulation, but we are told that Job lives 140 years after the tribulation. Considering the fact that Job had 10 kids, even if he had begun fathering them in his mid-teens (which is unlikely), he had to be at least 25 at the time of his suffering. Another 140 years would place his age at 165 when he died. Job's children all died in 1 day and his conversation with his friends started 1 week after he was struck with boils. No one knows exactly how long Job suffered (the death of his children probably haunted him forever), but most scholars estimate the events in the book could have took place in as little 2 weeks, but definitely took place in less than a year. Job 7:3 suggests the ordeal lasted a few months.^[4] In comparison to Job's life, this is the blink of an eye!^[2][3] We often feel as though our problems will last forever or until they consume us, but like Job, we only suffer for a short while before God brings us a reprieve.

Choose Your Friends Wisely

Like Job, most of us seek council from our friends. Whether we are experiencing a true crisis like Job or we just want to know which pair of shoes compliments our outfit better, we trust those we surround ourselves with to a) tell us the truth and b) give us good advice. This means it's important we select these people wisely.

I often hear people say things like "Jesus hung out with the worst of them" to justify friendships with people who are buried in sin. What they neglect is context. Jesus healed people who were considered unclean and gave hope to a prostitute. However, Jesus also told those people not to sin anymore. He welcomed the prostitute as she was, but he told her to change. He healed the lepers, he didn't leave them in a state of sickness. We all have committed sins, and continue to commit sins, but as long as we repent, God welcomes us back into the fold. However, when we choose to sin and continue to sin, we push God away. People who live their life contrary to God's Will are not the people we need giving us advice. Their truth will not be the same as God's truth and their advice will not be holy advice.

The frustration Job experienced with his friends was due to their bad theology. They meant well, just as most people we meet today will mean well. However, their relationships with God weren't quite in the right place. Note that no one is perfect; your friends will never be able to comfort you or give you absolute truth the way God can. In the end, Job's friends seek forgiveness and likely improve. It speaks volumes that they were willing to sit in shame in the ashes with him during this ordeal. As you choose your friends, this is the scene you should remember. Will these people sit in ashes with me? Is their relationship with God intact? Can I trust their advice?

References

1. William MacDonald. Believer's Bible Commentary, pg. 520-521. 1995
2. "How Long Was Job's Suffering". GotQuestions.org; visited May 2017
3. "How Long Did Job Suffer". The Amazing Bible Timeline. February 6, 2012
4. "Question and Answer". La Vista Church of Christ; visited May 2017

2 Samuel 1-4: After Saul's Death

The death of a leader often brings about chaos, especially in a monarchy.

Introduction

It isn't a surprise that after Saul died, David became king, because we know that God had already chosen David to be king. If we paid close attention in 1 Samuel, we probably could have guessed the kingdom would be divided over this issue. Unlike countries today, which have lengthy succession plans, Israel didn't have a law for how to handle the death of the king. The closest thing to a law for who should take over the throne was the idea that God would appoint a rule. Of course, as we saw when the Israelites were in the wilderness and even in Saul's behavior, the Israelites didn't always recognize or believe God when someone was appointed.
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David's Reaction to Saul's Death

It is an Amalekite who brings news of Saul's death to David. The nameless Amalekite has his own version of what happened to Saul, which loosely follows the narrative given in 1 Samuel. According to the Amalekite it is he who kills Saul, which isn't necessarily a conflict, though it doesn't seem entirely truthful. We are told that Saul begs his armor bearer to end his life; these words match what the Amalekite says was asked of himself by Saul (1 Samuel 31:4 vs 2 Samuel 1:9-10). We know that the Amalekite can't be Saul's armorbearer because the armorbearer kills himself (1 Samuel 31:5). If Saul didn't immediately die, he may have asked the passing Amalekite to kill him, but it seems more likely the Amalekite found the dead Saul before the Philistines and raided his body hoping to get a reward from David.^[2] Half-truths about Saul and David's broken friendship probably plagued the kingdom the same way the rumor mill churns out stories about celebrities today. Some people likely believed there was truth to Saul's paranoia, or that David harbored ill will towards Saul because of all that had transpired. In the Amalekite's mind, proof of Saul's death to David would earn him a reward.

Unknown to the Amalekite, however, was David's respect for Saul. Not only does David (and his men) mourn the loss of the king and his sons, he has the Amalekite executed for killing God's anointed king. This sent a message to the surrounding kingdoms including Israel, that David had nothing to do with the king's death and was an ally to Saul. It proved that David had not been trying to kill Saul as some people believed.

During this time, David offers a lamentation on the death of his king and his friend Jonathan. I discussed the misconception of David's words in 2 Samuel 1:26 when I discussed the "bromance"/friendship of David and Jonathan a few posts ago, but it is worth noting again that in this passage David is not saying he loves Jonathan in a sexual manner. He was saying that the love of their friendship was more powerful than the romantic loves he had with women. This makes perfect sense given that David's original wife was given away (or left him) and he shared his affections with multiple wives. Jonathan's friendship was more stable, more sure, and more important than romantic love. People have different purposes in our lives and thus impacts. In today's society we often romanticize the idea of marrying our best friend, however in David and Jonathan's era, men and women weren't really friends. The truth is, it's likely that David's wives were just pretty to look at and fun to sleep with; he probably didn't have deep philosophical conversations with them. This placed Jonathan in a much more important role; David could find new wives that fit those criteria, but he couldn't replace Jonathan so easily. This is what he meant by a love greater than women.

David teaches this lamentation to the people and records it in the Book of Jasher. The Book of Jasher, mentioned in Joshua 10:13 as well, is a missing book of the Bible. Scholars have not been able to locate the original Book of Jasher, though there is a forgery from the 18th century in circulation.^[1] The original book is thought to have contained poetry and songs, like the lamentation David wrote for Saul.
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Israel and Judah

Eventually, Israel permanently becomes two kingdoms; it is the southern kingdom of Judah that the Jews of today from which both descend and receive their name. At the end of 1 Samuel, we see that David favored Judah because it was to Judah's elders that he sent the spoils of war. This favoritism likely stemmed from where his supporters were, because it is the people of Judah that crown David king after Saul's death. The northern part of Israel chooses Saul's son Ishbosheth.

Ishbosheth is 40 years old when he becomes king of Israel and reigns 2 years. David is crowned king of Judah at 30 and reigns 7 years. Once the two kingdoms are united, David rules another 33 years.
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Who is Ishbosheth

When I read 2 Samuel 2:12, I was quite confused. In 1 Samuel 14:49 we are told that Saul has three sons and given each of their names. We are told all three of these men died during Saul's last battle, at the end of 1 Samuel (1 Samuel 31:2). Of course when I went back to look at the two verses, I saw that different people are listed. Jonathan and Melchishua are listed in both verses, but the third son in 1 Samuel 14:49 is Ishui and in 1 Samuel 31:2, it is Abinadab. Now we come to 2 Samuel 2:12 and find the mysterious Ishbosheth has taken the throne. Someone somewhere has probably logged this as a contradiction of the Bible, but there are a couple reasons why this isn't a contradiction and why it makes plenty of sense.

The first thing we should note is that 1 Samuel 14:49 doesn't say Saul only had 3 sons. Saul had 3 sons at that time. Thus we know Saul's oldest sons were probably Jonathan, Ishui and Melchishua. 2 Samuel confirms that Saul had a concubine (2 Samuel 3:7), and assumably he had multiple wives, which means he probably had a lot of children.

The second point to be made is that 1 Samuel 31:2 could be referring to Saul's legitimate sons. We know Saul had a concubine and some of his sons were likely born to a lower station than their brothers. Jonathan was the son Saul wanted to succeed him, Abinadab and Melchishua were probably Jonathan's full brothers and next in line. Ishui may have already been dead or the son of concubine. We don't know what happened to Ishui, who was by this theory probably should have taken the throne in the absence of Jonathan, Melchishua, and Abinadab. Maybe Ishui died in battle or sided with David; he is only mentioned the one time.
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Warring

Naturally, there would be some animosity between the two kings. Ishbosheth places Abner, a relative and confidant of Saul's, in a position of power, while David's army is captained by the bothers Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel is killed by Abner, sparking a bitter rivalry between the remaining brothers and Abner. As the war between the two kings continued, God strengthened David, while Saul's son grew weaker.

During this warring, Ishbosheth accuses Abner of trying to sleep with one of Saul's concubines. This action seems to be indicative of Abner attempting to usurp the throne from Ishbosheth.^[2] We learn that the whole time Abner defended Ishbosheth, he knew that God had appointed David to be king. Perhaps Abner's outburst is proof of his loyalty to Saul's house. After the accusation, Abner becomes angry and seeks an alliance with David. Ishbosheth fears Abner, so he does not speak up and seemingly goes along with Abner's plan.

The terms of the alliance required David's wife, Michal, be returned to him. Although we are not told how Michal felt about her new husband, we are told that when she is taken from him, he weeps. With the treaty in place, it seems that Abner (and Ishbosheth) are ready to reliquinish their claim to the throne, making David the official king. However, Joab still doesn't trust Abner. Without consulting David, Joab and Abishai kill Abner.

Despite the warring, David laments and mourns Abner's death. David even fasts until the evening. When the news reaches Ishbosheth, he is troubled. Ishbosheth feared Abner, and from his point of view, Abner went to strike a deal with David only to end up dead. This would have given Ishbosheth justifiable cause to fear David, too.

While Ishbosheth is processing all of this, his captains kill him! The captains take his head to David, thinking it will bring them favor, just as the Amalekite did with Saul. In 2 Samuel we see a lot of wishy-washy people. By this, I mean people who jump ship to accommodate the person they think will win. These men had no loyalty to Ishbosheth; they followed him because he had power. Once Ishbosheth's power waned, they decided to follow someone else. We should be wary of people like this; no one should to be surrounded by shifty characters such as these. We should also be mindful that we do not become like the captains. We should follow people we believe in and when times get tough, we should be ready to fight by their side. After all, that is exactly how Jesus describes the time of His second coming. Like with the Amalekite, David puts his foot down that this is wanton murder. The captains are sentenced to death for the murder of Ishbosheth.

Initially, I wondered why they were punished but Joab and Abishai were not. Part of me thought it was typical that the victors where not punished for their crimes while the losers were; however, as I thought about the situation, it made more sense. Israel's law allowed for people to avenge the death of their kinsmen by killing the murderer. Since Abner killed Joab and Abishai's brother and was not in a city of refuge, it was perfectly legal for them to kill Abner. The captains, however, committed an unjust murder in addition to treason. David was able to put them to death simply for breaking the law, but it also stands to reason that he wouldn't want such turncoats in his presence.
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References

1. "What is the Book of Jasher/Jashar and should it be in the Bible?". GotQuestions.org. 2016
2. Holman Bible Publishers. Holman KJV Study Bible. pg. 528-529. 2014

Judges 19-21: A Call To War

Israel finally comes together against a great evil...when it's their own people.

Introduction

Judges 19 introduces us to another Levite living in Ephraim. This Levite is never given a name throughout the passage discussing his ordeal. I think the reason he remains nameless is to revel in the fact that this man could have been any man and his situation could have been anyone's situation. The purpose of the of this narrative is not only a reminder to us, but was a message to the Israelites living at the time Judges was written. The author wanted to remind them that they had an obligation to their community to treat people well because anyone could become a victim.

This Levite has a concubine, whom we are told left him to return to her father's home in Bethlehem. Again, this is probably something that was common back then. While people weren't allowed divorces, it seems unlikely that arranged marriages always brought happiness. Since women couldn't own property or divorce and remarry (if there was no adultery), it stands to reason that they would end up back at home. After 3 months, the Levite journeys his father-in-law's home to reclaim his wife. The father-in-law is quite delighted at this turn of events and welcomes the man with hospitality for 5 days. The Levite was eager to be on his way, but since it was considered rude to refuse the hospitality, he obliges the man's hospitality each day. On the final day, this causes the couple to take a late start traveling back home. When they reach Jerusalem, which was only a few miles away, darkness is starting to fall. However, the Levite does not want to take chances on foreign hospitality with the Jebusites, so he presses on to Gibeah.
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Sodom & Gomorrah Part 2

Photocredit: FreeImages.com/Jyn Meyer

Contrary to the unnamed Levite's mindset, in the Israelite city of Gibeah, hospitality is short. They probably would have been better off in Jerusalem with the Jebusites... Eventually an old man comes to offer them lodging and what follows is almost an exact replica of what happened in Sodom and Gomorrah. Men approach the house to have sex with the man and are offered the host's daughter and concubine instead. This time there are no angels present to defend the household and the concubine is abused the whole night. While Sodom and Gomorrah is a famed narrative, this one has been buried in the text, despite it's more tragic outcome.

Strangely, the Levite's reaction is to carry on like nothing has happened. Either this is why the woman left him in the first place, or there was some reason he was powerless in the situation, thus choosing to react apathetically. When he calls for his wife to "come on," she is unresponsive and has collapsed upon the floor. Her death is not specifically recorded, but when the man gets home he divides her body into 12 pieces and sends one piece to each tribe in a call to war.

This is a strange, morbid, and tragic story. The man had just gotten his wife back only to lose her. Of course, we also can wonder why there was not more of a reaction from the man. Perhaps this anger was his reaction. It's unlikely that he could have fought the men alone and the host was too old to fight. If anything would have made Israel jump into action, this should have been it. Not only would it breed compassion for the poor woman, but the recognition of the parallels between Sodom and Gomorrah should have been a huge warning.
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Unification

The Israelites come together to flush out this evil, drawing 400,000 men to fight. The tribe of Benjamin asks why the Israelites are gather against them, to which the Levite recounts his experience. Since Gibeah was a city within the boundaries of Benjamin, the Israelites who banded together would have been gathering against the tribe of Benjamin if the tribe didn't turn against the city. We've already been told that the Levite sent the scattered pieces of the woman's body to all 12 tribes so unless the author was including Levi but excluding Benjamin (note the only place Levi is counted as a tribe is in Revelation), the Benjamites would have been in the know of what happened. The Israelites request the Benjamites turn over the culprits of the crime, but surprisingly, the Benjamites refuse. Instead the Benjamites rally 26,700 men to fight for them. Does this not sound like an issue of nationalism? Even though they were wrong, they wanted to fight for the honor of Benjamin.

Despite being out numbered by the rest of Israel, Benjamin achieves several victories before God is called upon by the Israelites. Thanks to God, this marks a turning point in the battle. The Israelites consult Phineas—the high priest—and fast before heading back into war. The Lord promises to deliver Benjamin into the hand of Israel. This time, the Israelites employ an ambush to defeat Benjamin and are successful at annihilating the city of Gibeah.

The Benjamites flee toward the wilderness and 18,000 of their men are killed when the Israelites close in on them. The Israelites continued capturing and killing the men who escaped. This brings the total up to 25,000 men killed. Only 600 men survive. Those 600 flee to Rimmon for 4 months. Meanwhile, the Israelites set fire to all the cities of Benjamin. It's odd that the Israelites failed to follow God's commands about the strangers but were ready to execute their own people almost to extinction. This parallels our ability to get angry with those closest to us even though we may not be able to express this anger toward strangers.
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The Issue of Wives for the Tribe of Benjamin

The Israelites make a vow not to let their daughters marry Benjamites—again, they are eager to shut out the tribe of Benjamin despite eagerly intermarrying with the Canaanites that God told them not to marry. I think this says a lot about our tendencies as human. The Israelites eventually feel sorrowful about the tribe being cut off from Israel and wish to fix it. The Israelites weep before God and offer sacrifices to God in search of a solution for the near extinct tribe of Benjamin. They come up with the idea that whomever didn't fight with them would be destroyed. So the Israelites rise up against Jabash-gilead. They kill all the men and non-virginal women. They then gather 400 virgins. These women were given to the survivors of Benjamin. They also tell the Benjamites to take wives from Shiloh. At this time Shiloh was likely under Canaanite control. The Benjamites take these women as wives and begin to rebuild their cities.
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#PrayForOrlando

If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? --1 John 4:20 KJV

I have a habit of checking the news on my phone as soon as I wake up—it's almost like I fear all heck has broken loose overnight and I will awake to find out we're in one of these post-apocalyptic movies. So when I woke up Sunday morning and saw the news about the shooting in Orlando, my first thought was not again. It didn't matter to me whether the people who were attacked were old or young, black or white, Christian or not, gay or straight... What I saw was the news that someone took lives that were not theirs to take, and I was sad for the victims and their families. Since then I've seen so much foolishness on social media, I'm tempted to finally delete my Facebook account once and for all. From people who claim to know God, people who claim to be preachers and representatives of God, spewing hate to anti-Christians pointing the blame at those who have chosen to follow God (of course I know that despite their word choice they're really pointing the finger at these same preachers who are saying the victims deserved to die).

I want to clear things up. You can like it, love it, hate it or ignore it, but homosexuality is listed as a sin. So, is premarital sex, adultery, dishonoring your parents, murder, stealing, lying, and a bunch of other things. The logic that a sinner deserves to die for their sin concludes that we should all deserve to be dead. You know, that time when I was 10 or 11 and screaming at the top of my lungs for my mom to "just go away and leave me alone?" Dishonoring my parents = death. That party I went to and had one too many shots? Drunkeness = death. The glory and beauty is that Jesus died for exactly this purpose. So that I could grow up and realize how dumb I was for yelling at my mom; where would I be without a loving mother who always wanted the best for me? So, that I could wake up the next morning and know that I should never drink that much again. But most importantly, so that I could find my way back to God. God gave us all a choice, some people will choose to follow Him, some people will reject Him. Whether we agree with another person's choice or not, it is their choice to make.

No where in the Bible does it say Jesus got frustrated with the Pharisees, so He went to the Temple and shot them up (well, I guess stabbed would be more appropriate since guns didn't exist yet). No where. Jesus preached to those who chose to listen. Not only did He not go out attacking those who were not obeying God, He preached that we should be abundant in love.

He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.1 John 4:8 KJV

Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.1 John 4:11 KJV

If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?1 John 4:20 KJV

None of these quotes put qualifiers on neighbors or brothers. It doesn't leave any room for you to assume that because your neighbor commits a sin different than the sin you commit you are free to hate him. It says explicitly that if you hate someone you don't love God. All of these people claiming to represent God but spewing hate are false prophets showing their true colors. I don't expect people who are not believers to know this and be able to separate out the weeds from the flowers because they aren't necessarily studying the word to know that it isn't God who is wrong, but man. It is these people that turn people away from God because they're preaching false doctrine and a false god. It's partially their fault people like the shooter think it's ok to commit such a heinous crime.

I do find it interesting that people are saying it's not Islam's fault but are saying it is Christianity's fault, despite the shooter claiming to be Muslim. Obviously, he doesn't represent all Muslims, just as those idiot pastors do not represent the God of the Bible. What I see on my timeline is the passing of blame and the pointing of fingers—I guess this is the anger phase in the stages of grief. The fault lies on the man who pulled the trigger. The fault lies in the people who go to church but never read their Bible (or whatever religious text supports their religion, for non-Christians). The fault lies in the hypocrite that thinks they are better because their sin is more acceptable by society. The fault lies in the person that has drifted so far away from humanity that while watching all of these people on the news crying, frightened, and frantically looking for their friends/family, has a reaction of hate instead of compassion. The fault lies in the person who thinks two wrongs make a right.

Photocredit: ShutterStock.com/Creativa Images

Jesus died for each and every one of the souls that passed Sunday morning. I don't know them personally, but even if I did, I wouldn't know what their relationship was with God and it wouldn't matter. There's a reason Judgement Day is at the end of all things and why only the omnipotent God can carry out the judgement. The shooter had no right to murder a single person. Those so called pastors have no right to pass judgement on a single person. At a time like this love and compassion should be the prevailing emotions across society. Arms should be open, hands ready to wipe away tears, and ears ready to listen. We, as servants of God, should be heartbroken.

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.Matthew 5:4 KJV

Whoever you are, wherever you are, whatever you've done, whatever you believe, I love you. I pray that God will take away your pain, and I'm sorry you lost someone special to you.
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Shedding the World

Sometimes you have to give up the things you love to protect your mind. This post details me coming to the conclusion that a franchise I used to love (X-Men) is not something God wants me relishing in.

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?Mark 8:36 KJV

Introduction

The Bible is constantly telling us that we are to be separate from the world. The stronger our relationship with God, the more this principle begins to manifest in our lives. From what we listen to or what activities we participate in, we start to notice how anti-God the world really is. Once you see it, you have to make a decision. Watching a movie was one of those times I realized, I had made the wrong decision.

Last night, a group of friends and I went to see X-Men: Apocalypse. I hadn't watched the trailer, but I'd seen the movie posters and I knew it was coming out. I know a little about the comics, but I never read them, and I liked the other movies in the X-Men series so I assumed I'd like this one too. When my friends expressed interested in going to see it, I didn't even think about watching the trailer, I just assumed it would be action packed with great CGI. Well, it was definitely action packed and it definitely had a lot of CGI, but from the opening scene until the end I got the feeling I shouldn't have been there.

Movies are supposed to be harmless fun. You and I (and the whole world) know that the X-Men series is fantasy—none of these people exist and none of this can happen. Under that line of thinking, most us watch TV shows and movies without the slightest inkling of the subconscious thoughts the content of the movie may trigger. If movies are, in fact, "harmless fun," why do you think so many minorities are fighting to have credible roles in mainstream movies? Why was it such a big deal for Disney to have a Black princess in it's line up? Why are body issues found more often in people who aren't portrayed on TV? Because consistently watching a few hours of "harmless fun," actually shapes how we see the world, how we see ourselves, and sometimes even how we think.

Now, there are some pastors who say we should forgo all movies (yes, I've actually seen/heard pastors say this), but that's not what I'm trying to say in this post. I'm saying that we have to be extra conscious as we watch movies and learn to make good decisions on which movies are actually "harmless" and worth supporting verses movies that are leading our subconscious away from God. Some shows and movies are clearly promoting ungodly lifestyles and behaviors, but it's the seemingly harmless, good fun we really have to be mindful of.
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X-Men

I've always been a fan of the X-Men franchise. Out of all of Marvel's comics, X-Men is probably my favorite. While there are lots of positives about the series, there are also controversies that came well before the latest installment. One thing that probably draws someone like me in to the story is the fact that the primary characters Professor X/Charles Xavier and Magneto/Eric Lensherr are not so much enemies as they are opposites sides of the same coin. Professor X is often likened to Martin Luther King, Jr. He desires a peaceful solution to the conflict between mutants and humans, and is seen as the leader within the mutant community. Magneto, also seen as a leader, is more rebellious in nature and prepared to do whatever is necessary to protect his own people, more like Malcolm X.^[1] I find this relationship to add a nice layer of complexity to the storyline; it makes Magneto the perfect villain because, honestly, sometimes you hope he wins.
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X-Men & Homosexuality

X-Men has been criticized by many conservatives for "supporting the gay agenda."^[2] The parallels and allegories as the X-Men as members of the LGBT community are pretty obvious if you think about it. Especially, Bobby's coming out scene as a mutant in X2: X-Men United. There's also a reference to "don't ask don't tell" in X-Men: First Class (which not coincidentally involves a closeted mutant working for the government). Sir Ian McKellen, the actor who plays Magneto, is an openly gay, LGBT activist who rips pages out of the Bible.^[6] The director of the movies, Brian Singer, is also openly gay—rather he identifies as bisexual with a preference toward men.^[3] He was accused of raping a child actor, however the actor plead guilty to fraud (concerning his money, not the accusation), which lead to him dropping the case.^[4] The screenwriter of X-Men: First Class has even confirmed that there is a "gay subtext" in the movies, on purpose.^[5]. Basically, there is no doubt that X-Men promotes and supports homosexuality.

Initially I didn't think it mattered. I didn't really notice the gay undertones at first, perhaps because of my age at the time. When I did realize the subtle promotion of homosexuality, I didn't really think it mattered because I knew where I stood on the issue. I knew that God condemned that lifestyle, so I assumed that watching such a movie known to subliminally support the LGBT lifestyle wouldn't effect my thinking on the matter. Considering I've watched all of the X-Men movies to date and I haven't left behind my belief in the Word of God, including the passages that condemn homosexuality, it is probably true that these movies didn't change me. Whether it was because my relationship with God was always too strong for the media to brainwash me, or because I didn't watch them obsessively, or because it was too subtle, I'm not really sure. However, what I realized last night, was that each ticket to the movie theater I bought and each time I purchased the DVD or Blu Ray, I supported the movie, the message, the studio, and the actors with my money. Indirectly, I'm saying I agree and rubber-stamping their message, the way one does when they donate to a politician's campaign. I don't think Jesus would want me supporting a movie franchise that is purposefully trying to promote the LGBT community.
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X-Men: Apocalypse

X-Men:Apocalypse Movie Poster

So, what was it about this movie that finally made me realize that something wasn't right? I give a lot of credit to the fact that I've been actively reading through God's Word this past year and as a result, formed a closer relationship with God. Each day I understand more and more about what God expects of us, and I think this addition to the franchise fell in the zone where I'm more aware than the previous movies. Below I want to talk about specific points in this latest movie that stood out to me—spoiler warning for those who haven't seen the movie. Remember, we're talking about subtle messages the movie sends our subconscious.
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Violence

A few people have expressed dissatisfaction with the movie allowing the villain to strangle Mystique. One of the friends said she didn't know why people were so unhappy with the movie or why they found that particular scene offensive. In the scene, the villain has Mystique by the neck, dangling in the air, basically about to die, which is definitely violent. However, it's no more violent than Wolverine slaughtering all the people in the lab, complete with blood. It's no more sexist that Beast and Psylocke fighting (she's also female and while Beast never has her at the break point, he gets some hits in). It's an action movie, we expect to fighting, so of all the scenes in the movie, this wasn't one that stood out to me for complaining. Though, I will agree that the movie may have been too violent for some people's taste and I do think normalization and acceptance of such violence could be bad for our subconscious.
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A Little Clue

It was the very first scene in the movie that while I didn't necessarily find it offensive, gave off a major clue of the direction the movie was going to take. It played heavily into the idea that the pharaohs of the ancient Egypt were gods (or in this case mutants who thought they were gods). Naturally, the pyramids possess magical power that aids the mutants, particularly the missing gold capstone of the pyramid. An immensely powerful mutant, who is obviously going to be the villain, is being protected by other mutants and a few Egyptians. Like most Hollywood movies, these Egyptians aren't Arab or Black, they're White (and in the background you'll see that they have Black slaves/workers)—ironically when we flash forward to 1980's Egypt (which is significantly less powerful than ancient Egypt) suddenly the Egyptian characters become darker. I wasn't sure if it was the overflowance of pagan themes or the continued narrative that only Whites built powerful civilizations that was rubbing me the wrong way, but I knew that I was suddenly not as excited to see the movie as I had been.
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Pedophilia?

The next scene to make me cringe had a creepy, pedophile feel to it. In this particular scene, we are being re-introduced to young Storm, who is in 1980's Egypt dressed as though she's in 1990's America, and Storm is meeting the villain for the first time. I'll remind you that the villain is a grown man even at the time of his "slumber" or "pause from the world." By the movie timeline we have a 5,000 year old man and a girl who looks like she could anywhere from 14-16. The scene of them together, while not necessarily meant to be sexual, definitely came off as creepy. It seemed as though he was trying to seduce her. It didn't help that he kept calling her (and all the other mutants) "my child."
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Blasphemy

If you didn't see it coming from the "my child" references, the villain goes on to proclaim that he is god. He says that he's been known by the names of Ra (Egyptian sun-god), Krishna (Hindu god), and Elohim (one of the Hebrew names for God in the Bible). In the theatre I was appalled that this character would claim to be the one true God, down to one of God's names, followed by the assertion that he was there at the beginning of humanity, as though he was the creator of everything. Had I seen the trailer I would have known this was coming; not only would I have known it was coming, but I would have never gone to see the movie because in the trailer the character calls himself YHWH—talk about taking the Lord's name in vain. That's too much blasphemy for me to handle. You can see the trailer here

What was most interesting in that exchange however, is that he didn't call himself Allah. The character could have referenced plenty of mythical gods—Thor or Zeus, perhaps. He could have used the generic word "god," but they came for the Christian God, the God of the Bible. Why? The interesting thing about this is that is reflects the far left's view of the world. I have noticed a number of my uber-left friends, family, and acquaintances make anti-Christian statements, but pro-Muslim statements. It's always been funny to me, because while they're so busy trying to point out hypocrisy in the Christian church they don't even see the hypocrisy in their own statements. They dislike Christians because we follow God's Word and state that homosexuality is wrong, but they like and support Islam, when Islamic countries still stone people to death for being gay.^[7] Where else would the idea that it's ok to blaspheme the name of the God of the Bible but refraining from doing the same for second most popular religion in the world come from? Most movie goers won't even recognize the names of Ra and Krishna (perhaps not even Elohim). The girl I was with (who claims to be Christian) didn't even know Elohim was the Hebrew word for God. Clearly, they didn't insert this line for name recognition, it was meant to be subtle, like most deceptions are.

I thought for a second it might have been based on the time that the villain existed (~3000bc). One could argue that Hinduism was already in practice, and he was masquerading as Ra in Egypt. However, the Hebrews weren't captives in Egypt yet, and they didn't learn of God's name until Moses came to deliver them in approximately 1440bc. Is this why they changed the name of God from YHWH to Elohim? The Israelites would have likely referred to God as Elohim when they interacted with the Egyptians. It still seems out of place—would it not have been more effective for him to say "many nations have called me god?" Either way it doesn't excuse his inference that he was there at the beginning of time.

Add on top of that the use of the four horsemen found in Revelation as the villain's sidekicks and an exchange that suggests the Bible ripped off the idea from the mutant, and you know the movie is attempting to discredit the Bible. Not only are the four sidekicks not horsemen, they don't match the color scheme, and they don't fit the symbology. So they wanted to use four people to make a team of five, that's fine, but why relate them to the horsemen at all? Let alone demean the very real Word of God by suggesting it was copying the very fake life of a mutant? You may ignore it and claim the whole universe is fantasy, but the underlying message is not one you want floating in your head, for sure.
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Defining a Villain

Of course, in the end, it doesn't matter because the X-Men win. As always, humans stop the force that is trying to destroy them. Which made me rethink these type of apocalyptic movies all together. Movies such as Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Transformers: Age of Extinction, The 5^th Wave, and Prometheus, all feature a plot line where someone is attempting to destroy the world; this person is always the villain and they are always thwarted. So what is hollywood trying to teaching us? These movies are training us to think of God as the villain and ourselves as the hero that will defeat Him. That's definitely not what we should be training our brain to think!

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!Isaiah 5:20 KJV

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Conclusions

Had I watched this movie as a teenager, I probably would have loved it. As I believer, I could only think: "I just donated $8.50 to Satan's subliminal campaign." From now on I'm going to actually watch the trailers before I go to see the movie, at the very least. I advise you to be mindful of what you feed your brain. Regardless of where you draw the line for "too much," make sure that you are the one the programming your mind, no one else (not even the pastor). It is our responsibility to keep "viruses" and "bugs" out of the software that is our minds.
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References

1. Hanks, Henry. "The secret to 'X-Men's' success". CNN. June 2011
2. Good Fight Ministries. "The X-Men Movies and the Gay Agenda". YouTube.com; visited June 2016
3. Lewis, Hilary. Bryan Singer Opens Up About His Sexuality. The Hollywood Reporter. May 2014
4. "Brian Singer's Accuser Pleas Guilty to Fraud". TMZ. April 2015
5. Polo, Susana. "X-Men: First Class Screenwriter Confirms LGBT Subtext as Totally Intentional. The Mary Sue. June 2011
6. Miller, Leslie. "Why gay actor Ian McKellen rips pages out of Bibles". USA Today. November 2009
7. Rupar, Terri. "Here are the 10 countries where homosexuality may be punished by death". Washington Post. February 2014