Question about my Study Bible

Adalia · #1 16th August 2007, 08:50 PM

Last night while reading my NIV Study Bible I came across the following passages:

The Escape to Egypt

Matthew 2:13

13When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him."

Matthew 2:16

16When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.

The side question says:

Why would God warn Joseph and not other families? (2:13,16)

Sometimes God dramatically intervenes in human history, but at other times he allows the consequences of sin to play out. People's inhumanity toward one another causes much suffering in this world, and though this grieves God, he permits them to make destructive choices, God allowed Herod's lust for power to run unchecked through Bethlehem, though he protected his Son for the purpose he intended to fulfill.

This doesn't really answer the question to me. One of my biggest peeves with trying to understand God is WHY does He intervene with some things and not others? (Think: The Great Flood) WHY is it ok for Him to help His Son but not Herod? If He is going to be a fair and just God then why does He not play fair himself?

I am not bashing Christianity at all. Please understand this. I am trying to understand but I cannot get past these questions.

Digit · #2 16th August 2007, 09:53 PM

Heyas!

So you are essentially asking us to ask God why He does certain things? Understand that we aren't going to be able to provide an answer. We are not privy to the reasons behind God's decisions. I mean I myself have a great deal of 'why' questions for God when I meet Him.

Hebrews 11 - Gives me faith to realise that the things I don't understand, I trust God in.

Cheers!
Digit

CShephard53 · #3 16th August 2007, 10:15 PM

We're not told that God spared other babies- that doesn't mean He didn't. Flood? Trust what was written- Noah was the ONLY one found to be righteous.

Adalia · #4 16th August 2007, 10:42 PM

Originally Posted by Digit

So you are essentially asking us to ask God why He does certain things? Understand that we aren't going to be able to provide an answer. We are not privy to the reasons behind God's decisions.

Again I say WHY?

Is that not blind faith? Please don't think I am trying to be snarky here. I just do not understand how someone can just accept certain things to be the absolute truth without proof backing it up. Perhaps this is why I struggle to believe in Christianity.

Digit · #5 16th August 2007, 11:31 PM

Originally Posted by silk

Again I say WHY? Is that not blind faith? Please don't think I am trying to be snarky here. I just do not understand how someone can just accept certain things to be the absolute truth without proof backing it up. Perhaps this is why I struggle to believe in Christianity.

Blind faith is when you believe in everything you are told without any evidence whatsoever. The Bible tells us to test everything and hold on to the good, that's in *thinks* wait I'll find it:

1 Thessalonians 5:21
"Test everything. Hold on to the good."

So, God of course wants us to make sure we are not fooled. We are warned against false prophets and people who would lead us away from God. In other things however, God has provided no explanation. I mean lets think about the creation events in Genesis. Why did He do things in that order? I mean He made the plants, before the sun, yet there was still light. Isn't that confusing? Why did He explain it that way when He could of done it better (in our limited opinion) It's in these things, the things we don't understand, that we have faith in God. That He knows best, faith that some things are beyond our scope or reason and faith that no matter what we can trust Him.

Does that make sense?

Cheers!
Digit

ebia · #6 16th August 2007, 11:42 PM

Originally Posted by silk

Last night while reading my NIV Study Bible I came across the following passages:

The Escape to Egypt

Matthew 2:13

Matthew 2:16

The side question says:

Why would God warn Joseph and not other families? (2:13,16)

Sometimes God dramatically intervenes in human history, but at other times he allows the consequences of sin to play out. People's inhumanity toward one another causes much suffering in this world, and though this grieves God, he permits them to make destructive choices, God allowed Herod's lust for power to run unchecked through Bethlehem, though he protected his Son for the purpose he intended to fulfill.

This doesn't really answer the question to me. One of my biggest peeves with trying to understand God is WHY does He intervene with some things and not others? (Think: The Great Flood)

The ideas that God largely leaves the world to its own devices and very occasionally intervenes is deist, not Judeo/Christian. God is involved in everything, all the time.

WHY is it ok for Him to help His Son but not Herod? If He is going to be a fair and just God then why does He not play fair himself?

Um, 'help' the one who is destined to redeem and heal the world through self-sacrifice, or help a meglomanical tyrant willing to commit infanticide to shore up his position? Seems like a 'no-brainer' to me.

Adalia · #7 16th August 2007, 11:45 PM

Originally Posted by ebia

Um, 'help' the one who is destined to redeem and heal the world through self-sacrifice, or help a meglomanical tyrant willing to commit infanticide to shore up his position? Seems like a 'no-brainer' to me.

So why not help Jesus when he was being beaten and put on the cross? If he helped him before why not then? Why doesn't god help all of his children?

ebia · #8 16th August 2007, 11:59 PM

Originally Posted by silk

So why not help Jesus when he was being beaten and put on the cross? If he helped him before why not then?

Because allowing the the worst to be done to himself at that point is the means by which he redeems and heals the brokenness of creation.

Why doesn't god help all of his children?

He is. In fact the cross is the ultimate point of him doing just that; giving himself to save, redeem and heal all that is messed up in the world.

Whitestone · #9 17th August 2007, 02:00 AM

Originally Posted by silk

So why not help Jesus when he was being beaten and put on the cross? If he helped him before why not then? Why doesn't god help all of his children?

Silk you have recieved some good answers here.

Only thing that I can hope to interject is that the Lord uses adversity for Christians to make us stronger and more capable to handle the tasks and obstacles that lay before us.

This is an assumption on my part. The Lord may let adversity, pain, and suffering continue on Earth to remind all us that we are seperated from Him.

Saucy · #10 17th August 2007, 10:11 AM

Jesus was sent to the earth for one purpose...and that is to die on the cross. If God allowed Jesus to die as a baby right there, mankind would not have been saved. It was actually an old testament prophecy that stated babies would be killed because of Herod's jealousy and this is a prophecy fulfilled. God doesn't intervene in the free will of mankind. If you came to my house and shot me, I would probably die and God would not stop it. We have to think of earth as an evil, dangerous place because of the evil nature of men. Earth is not our home...heaven is our home and one day we will all die and spend eternity in heaven with God. Because of that, we need to understand God's point of view. If you die on earth, others will mourn, but in heaven the rejoice as that person is now home in heaven where he's supposed to be. Bad thing will ALWAYS happen on earth. You must get past it. There will NEVER be peace on earth until the end times.