The God we didn't know..
When Layering Verses Doesn't Quite Work
(By the way, if anyone is wondering why in some of my posts I put NIV and others ESV, it's because my personal Bible is an NIV, which I am hoping to replace soon since its not a very good translation, and my favorite version is ESV)
The other morning I opened by Bible to 2 Samuel and my eyes lit on an underlined verse in 24:1
"Again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, 'Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.' NIV
Now that is amazing. It simply blows the box we pea-brained humans try to put God in. But there is something even more amazing - what the book of Chronicles says about the same event:
"Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel." - 1 Chronicles 21:1 NIV
Um, speaking of layering verses (see a previous post)...does this work?
I do not believe that the Bible contradicts itself, and certainly do not believe that God and Satan are one and the same! So what shall I think of this?
Interpret Scripture by Scripture.
In the account of Job, Satan asked God for permission to afflict Job's body...
..."And the Lord said to Satan, 'Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.'
So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes. Then his wife said to him, 'Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.' But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?”' Job 2:6-10 ESV
Now isn't Job supposed to say: "You are talking like a foolish woman - this is an attack of the enemy! Satan is the king of sickness and death. God is the great healer. Why do you want me to curse God, when this is obviously of Satan?"
But he didn't say that. He attributed it to God - Job, how dare you blame God?
No - the inspired author said this:
"In all this, Job did not sin with his lips" - Job 3:10 ESV
For every single action - whether of
fish, (Mat. 17:27, John 21:6, Jonah 1:17)
bird, (Mat. 10:29)
beast, (Gen. 7:9, Matt. 21:7)
insect (2 Chron. 7:13)
man, (Acts 16:14, 2 Sam. 24:1, Esther 6:1)
or Satan - God is behind it all. He is terrifyingly sovereign. Terrifying, that is, unless He's on my side. Consider this passage from Romans 8:
(By the way, if anyone is wondering why in some of my posts I put NIV and others ESV, it's because my personal Bible is an NIV, which I am hoping to replace soon since its not a very good translation, and my favorite version is ESV)
The other morning I opened by Bible to 2 Samuel and my eyes lit on an underlined verse in 24:1
"Again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, 'Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.' NIV
Now that is amazing. It simply blows the box we pea-brained humans try to put God in. But there is something even more amazing - what the book of Chronicles says about the same event:
"Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel." - 1 Chronicles 21:1 NIV
Um, speaking of layering verses (see a previous post)...does this work?
I do not believe that the Bible contradicts itself, and certainly do not believe that God and Satan are one and the same! So what shall I think of this?
Interpret Scripture by Scripture.
In the account of Job, Satan asked God for permission to afflict Job's body...
..."And the Lord said to Satan, 'Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.'
So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes. Then his wife said to him, 'Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.' But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?”' Job 2:6-10 ESV
Now isn't Job supposed to say: "You are talking like a foolish woman - this is an attack of the enemy! Satan is the king of sickness and death. God is the great healer. Why do you want me to curse God, when this is obviously of Satan?"
But he didn't say that. He attributed it to God - Job, how dare you blame God?
No - the inspired author said this:
"In all this, Job did not sin with his lips" - Job 3:10 ESV
For every single action - whether of
fish, (Mat. 17:27, John 21:6, Jonah 1:17)
bird, (Mat. 10:29)
beast, (Gen. 7:9, Matt. 21:7)
insect (2 Chron. 7:13)
man, (Acts 16:14, 2 Sam. 24:1, Esther 6:1)
or Satan - God is behind it all. He is terrifyingly sovereign. Terrifying, that is, unless He's on my side. Consider this passage from Romans 8:
No one! Not even Satan. The God who preserved Job throughout the very afflictions that He allowed will preserve us His beloved children throughout every situation that He allows in our lives.
"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? - Romans 8:28-31 ESV
"For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 8:38-39 ESV
posted by Alyssa Faith at 7:25 AM
4 Comments:
I loved this:
He is terrifyingly sovereign. Terrifying, that is, unless He's on my side.
A very astute observation on the sovereignty of God. I also love how you use scripture to interpret scripture. A very sound method of bible study that I fear has been forgotten by many.
I am curious as to your choice of the ESV. I have never used it personally and was wondering why you would name it as your favorite. I always appreciate your thoughts!
~Annemarie
Thanks for the comment Annemarie!
The ESV is my favorite for several reasons 1) Two of my favorite Bible teachers, John Piper and Nancy Demoss use it (you'll see that if you click on the ESV hyperlink on the post) 2) It is reportedly excellent in both being literally accurate and literarily beautiful. Of course I agree with any good translations such as NASB or NKJV, but I think the ESV is just a bit nicer in that while it is accurate, it is also more beautiful and simple in its language.
Right now I am eagerly awaiting a new ESV copy of God's word that we ordered and a visiting couple brought down to Guyana for us. I can hardly wait to quit my NIV. Some mornings I've just given up on it, and gone to read the ESV online (www.gnpcb.org)
Hope that satisfies your curiosity. :o)
Alyssa
Alyssa: Where do you get your Bibles from? Maybe I can help you get a copy of the ESV.
Hi Deb. I ordered my Bible from www.gnpcb.org. The way we order things down here is by ordering them online and having them shipped to someone who is coming down to Guyana, and then they bring them in their luggage. My new Bible is, as far as I know, here in the country, paid and delivered. Now I'm just waiting for the next person who goes to town to collect it and bring it back for me. I can hardly wait! :o)
Have a blessed weekend. Thanks for the thoughtful offer!
Alyssa
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