Bible Study Seattle

Despite some appearances, the world is getting better.  Here are ten charts showing this: http://singularityhub.com/2016/06/27/why-the-world-is-better-than-you-think-in-10-powerful-charts/

It appears that the world is in the seven years of plenty with Joseph on the throne.  The truth is definitely rising, just as the 150 days(years) of rising water (Noah’s flood) would suggest.  Also, knowledge and travel have increased dramatically in the last 150 years.

“But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.”  Daniel 12:4

This last prophecy is so obvious, that many conclude we must be right at the end.  We’ve still got a way to go.

One of the great side effects of studying and researching is the corollary truths them emerge in the process.  One popped out at me from the last post.  That is that war deaths in the U. S. are at least double homicides over 240 years.  This show that decentralized evil at the family and friends level is less harmful than the centralized evil that comes from aggressive kings and presidents making war.   It’s easy to see where Satan concentrates his efforts.  The most spectacular example of this is yet to come:

“And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.”  Revelation 19:19

“When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them.  And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and ^[f]brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”  Revelation 20:7-10

Every once in a while, you come across information that is startling and jarring.  Recently I was looking up issues between men and women, and I came across data that moms abuse their own kids more often than fathers.  I was shocked.  I’ve always assumed that most abuse came from fathers.  At least that’s how media and feminist organizations portray it.  But look at the data: (on page 71): http://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/cb/cm2014.pdf#page=77      (page 48): http://archive.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/pubs/cm06/cm06.pdf   Several years data:  http://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/research-data-technology/statistics-research/child-maltreatment

Here are aggregates from DHHS data:

The following is an analysis of data aggregated from the abuse and fatalities tables from the DHHS Child Maltreatment reports from 1999 and 2012.

Victims by Parental Status of Perpetrators, Child Maltreatment 1999–2012

The excuse is that moms spend more time with their kids.  But am I more likely to murder my child just because I’m around them more?!  This got me thinking.  Especially about an obscure scripture that you probably won’t hear in church:  “‘When a woman gives birth and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean for seven days, as in the days of her menstruation she shall be unclean.  On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.  Then she shall remain in the blood of her purification for thirty-three days; she shall not touch any consecrated thing, nor enter the sanctuary until the days of her purification are completed.  But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean for two weeks, as in her menstruation; and she shall remain in the blood of her purification for sixty-six days.”  Leviticus 12:2-5

Also, there is the phenomenon of voting.  Women consistently vote more liberal.  Regardless of the reason, this is theft through the ballot box.  Then there is murder.  At first thought, men appear to have this one.  Think of all those millions dead because of war.   Since 1775, the United States has had just under 3,000,000 war deaths.  Let’s attribute that to men: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_military_casualties_of_war

Next we add homicides.  The U. S. has averaged between 2 and 10 per 100,000 murders per year, currently just under 16,000 per year.  But population was much smaller in the past.  This means total homicides since 1776 are no more than 1,300,000.  Let’s say most of these are due to men.  That’s 4,300,000 war deaths and homicides in 240 years.

But since 1973, the United States has had over 50,000,000 abortions!  (Thankfully the number is going down)  That’s mainly women’s ‘choice’.   Perhaps this is why Peter says:  “You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.”  1 Peter 3:7   Peter was not only referring to physical strength, but mental and moral as well.

It is interesting that only males could be priests.  Priests are all about sacrifice.  We’re supposed to believe that with more and more women in positions of leadership, the world will be a kinder, more nurturing place.  But wait:  “O My people! Their oppressors are children, And women rule over them. O My people! Those who guide you lead you astray And confuse the direction of your paths.”  Isaiah 3:12

Isaac and Rebekah had twins Jacob and Esau.  The question comes up: since Jacob already bought Esau’s birthright, why did he deceive Isaac to get the blessing?

“Now it came about, when Isaac was old and his eyes were too dim to see, that he called his older son Esau and said to him, “My son.” And he said to him, “Here I am.”  Isaac said, “Behold now, I am old and I do not know the day of my death.  Now then, please take your gear, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me; ⁴ and prepare a savory dish for me such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, so that my soul may bless you before I die.”

Rebekah was listening while Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game to bring home, Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Behold, I heard your father speak to your brother Esau, saying, ‘Bring me some game and prepare a savory dish for me, that I may eat, and bless you in the presence of the Lord before my death.’  Now therefore, my son, listen to me as I command you.  Go now to the flock and bring me two choice young goats from there, that I may prepare them as a savory dish for your father, such as he loves.  Then you shall bring it to your father, that he may eat, so that he may bless you before his death.”  Jacob answered his mother Rebekah, “Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man and I am a smooth man.  Perhaps my father will feel me, then I will be as a deceiver in his sight, and I will bring upon myself a curse and not a blessing.”  But his mother said to him, “Your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get them for me.”  So he went and got them, and brought them to his mother; and his mother made savory food such as his father loved.  Then Rebekah took the best garments of Esau her elder son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. And she put the skins of the young goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. She also gave the savory food and the bread, which she had made, to her son Jacob.”  Genesis 27:1-17

Then Esau comes in:

“Isaac his father said to him, “Who are you?” And he said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.”  Then Isaac trembled violently, and said, “Who was he then that hunted game and brought it to me, so that I ate of all of it before you came, and blessed him? Yes, and he shall be blessed.”  When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me, even me also, O my father!”  And he said, “Your brother came deceitfully and has taken away your blessing.” Then he said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob, for he has supplanted me these two times? He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.”  Genesis 27:23-36

The answer about the deception probably comes later:

“Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am tired of living because of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob takes a wife from the daughters of Heth, like these, from the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?”  Genesis 27:46

The deception was Rebekah’s idea.  She probably saw it as a way to get rid of Esau’s Canaanite wives.  What a merry band of schemers!

Ishmael was born out of desperation.  Sarai had passed menopause, and YHWH didn’t seem to be moving on his promise to give Abram an heir.  When they took matters into their own hands, things turned out badly.  24 years after the promise, YHWH spoke again to Abram reiterating his promise of an heir.  He also made the covenant of circumcision:  “Then Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all the servants who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s household, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the very same day, as God had said to him. Now Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.”  Genesis 17:23-24

This did not happen before Ishmael was born.  Paul explains that these two represent two different covenants:  “For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bondwoman and one by the free woman.  But the son by the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise.  This is allegorically speaking, for these women are two covenants: one proceeding from Mount Sinai bearing children ^[t]who are to be slaves; she is Hagar.  Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.  But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother.  For it is written,

And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise.  But as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now also.  But what does the Scripture say?

So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, but of the free woman.”  Galatians 4:22-31

Paul also quotes Isaiah 54 about who is the mother, but that is a different post.  Circumcision is detailed in the Torah of Moses:  “So circumcise ^[b]your heart, and stiffen your neck no longer.”  Deuteronomy 10:16  And,

“The Lord your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers.

“Moreover the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live. The Lord your God will inflict all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, who persecuted you.”   Deuteronomy 30:5-7

In Christian circles it is common to ‘forgive’ someone their sins in absentia, or without repentance.  “But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”  Luke 23:34

Jesus said this as they were crucifying him!  We must note that he says they knew not what they were doing.  This is important.  Jesus would not say that if he thought they knew what they were doing.  He also committed judgment to YHWH.  And yet the day will come, when they do understand what they did:

 ^“And in that day I will set about to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.“I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.  In that day there will be great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the plain of Megiddo.”  Zecheriah 12:9-11

The Me here probably represents YHWH, and the Him represents Jesus.  It’s important to note that the actual Jews that killed Jesus are resurrected and present in this scene.  Here they will realize the whole history and repent truly.  And YHWH will forgive them.  This is beautifully illustrated in the story of Joseph.  After the eleven brothers dealt treacherously with Joseph, Joseph deals harshly with the eleven in their distress.  He refuses to comfort or forgive them until they repent:  “When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, he was still there, and they fell to the ground before him.  Joseph said to them, “What is this deed that you have done? Do you not know that such a man as I can indeed practice divination?”  So Judah said, “What can we say to my lord? What can we speak? And how can we justify ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; behold, we are my lord’s slaves, both we and the one in whose ^[c]possession the cup has been found.”  Genesis 44:14-16

After this true repentance comes:  “Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried, “Have everyone go out from me.” So there was no man with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.  He wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard of it.  Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence.  Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come closer to me.” And they came closer. And he said, “I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt.  Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.”  Genesis 45:1-5

Can you imagine saying you’re going to meet Senior Software Specialist for coffee at Starbucks next Tuesday in order not to malign a friend’s name?  That’s the position of some Jews refusing to use YHWH’s name to not break the third commandment:

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.”  Exodus 20:7

Even if we substitute Senior Software Specialist for a friend’s personal name, we can still malign their name even though we are not using it.  YHWH accused Israel of this: “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went.”  Ezekiel 36:22

Whether they directly profaned the NAME or not, their actions profaned the NAME.  This is the distinction between knowing the spirit & letter of the law and just the letter.

Since the Fall, mankind has been like kids in a house with the parents gone.  Jesus illustrated this in a parable:

“Now listen to another story. A certain landowner planted a vineyard, built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country.  At the time of the grape harvest, he sent his servants to collect his share of the crop.  But the farmers grabbed his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.  So the landowner sent a larger group of his servants to collect for him, but the results were the same.  “Finally, the owner sent his son, thinking, ‘Surely they will respect my son.’“But when the tenant farmers saw his son coming, they said to one another, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Come on, let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’   So they grabbed him, dragged him out of the vineyard, and murdered him.  “When the owner of the vineyard returns,” Jesus asked, “what do you think he will do to those farmers?”  Matthew 21:33-40

The landowner is none other than YHWH!  He is the parent who sent his son to manage things in his absence.  Jesus commands all people, especially believers, to forgive and repent.  But some fear repentance lest the abused return malice instead of forgiveness.  This was the thinking of Joseph’s brothers:

“But now that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers became fearful. “Now Joseph will show his anger and pay us back for all the wrong we did to him,” they said.”  Genesis 50:15

But if we are insulted upon repentance, it is the malicious ones who are now accountable.  When YHWH returns, we will have the constant advice of a nearby parent:

“Though the Lord gave you adversity for food
    and suffering for drink,
he will still be with you to teach you.
    You will see your teacher with your own eyes.
Your own ears will hear him.
    Right behind you a voice will say,
“This is the way you should go,”
    whether to the right or to the left.”  Isaiah 30:20-21

It is intriguing to think about what YHWH will do after his Sabbath of rest.

“On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work.  And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.”  Genesis 2:2-3

We are commanded a similar thing:

“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.  You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you.  For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.”  Exodus 20:8-11

It is clear from these passages that we are to rest from our regular work, not all work.  Jesus clarified this:  “On another Sabbath day, a man with a deformed right hand was in the synagogue while Jesus was teaching.  The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees watched Jesus closely. If he healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath.  But Jesus knew their thoughts. He said to the man with the deformed hand, “Come and stand in front of everyone.” So the man came forward.  Then Jesus said to his critics, “I have a question for you. Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?”  He looked around at them one by one and then said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored!  At this, the enemies of Jesus were wild with rage and began to discuss what to do with him.”  Luke 6:6-11  

“So the Jewish leaders began harassing Jesus for breaking the Sabbath rules.  But Jesus replied, “My Father is always working, and so am I.”  John 5:16-17

YHWH’s regular work is creating.  He has ceased from creation for a total of 7,000 years, which are not complete yet.  But when that’s over, look out!  What will YHWH create in the future?  And, since it found it desirable to create through his son last time, will he not do that with the sons of God the next time?  And aren’t we called sons of God?  Furthermore, we are called:

“What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation.”  Galatians 6:15

The eighth day begins the new creation.  Is that why there is a special day on the eighth day of Sukkot?  “And the Lord said to Moses, “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. Begin celebrating the Festival of Shelters on the fifteenth day of the appointed month—five days after the Day of Atonement.  This festival to the Lord will last for seven days.  On the first day of the festival you must proclaim an official day for holy assembly, when you do no ordinary work.  For seven days you must present special gifts to the Lord. The eighth day is another holy day on which you present your special gifts to the Lord. This will be a solemn occasion, and no ordinary work may be done that day.”  Leviticus 23:33-36

If we will not be a new creation until the eighth day, it begs the question ‘what happens to us now’.  Another interesting question is whether YHWH’s creative action in the first six yoms limited or precluded Satan’s rebellion.  The ‘Fall’ of man commenced at the start of the seventh yom, when YHWH was ceasing from his creative work.

Some think that the time between Yom Kippur and Sukkot was when Jesus was born.