So the more I started to read the old testament and find myself utterly depressed by reading it. Each time I read something, I read things that sound strange. I pray to God for help but I feel as if he is hiding or just not there. Unfortunately I am cursed for life as a skeptic and there is no way for me to change that. I just try to trust that God knows what he is doing. But reading these things makes me think...
Numbers 14:18
The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.
Now, if you think about this, to me, it sounds like I'm hearing..."God has alot of mercy and forgives everything and everyone, but because of this, the generations later on shall suffer for it."
I really see no other way to look at that. Thats not very forgiving. I have no children, but lets assume I have a 15 year old son who does a sin against me, like lies, or steals something from me, and then asks me to forgive him. I would forgive him, but I would probably punish him for it. I would hope he learns a lesson from it. But I would NOT wait until he has his own child and make that child suffer for what my son did. Can someone clear this up?
Another one is Numbers 15:32-36
Then he asked them, If one of you has a child or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?
If Jesus just confirmed that it was alright to heal on the sabbath and then asked about what would the people do in this situation, which seems to be an ok thing to do.
These things just dont make sense to me and God doesn't seem near at the moment. Can someone help me understand what I'm reading please?
Numbers 14:18
The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.
Now, if you think about this, to me, it sounds like I'm hearing..."God has alot of mercy and forgives everything and everyone, but because of this, the generations later on shall suffer for it."
I really see no other way to look at that. Thats not very forgiving. I have no children, but lets assume I have a 15 year old son who does a sin against me, like lies, or steals something from me, and then asks me to forgive him. I would forgive him, but I would probably punish him for it. I would hope he learns a lesson from it. But I would NOT wait until he has his own child and make that child suffer for what my son did. Can someone clear this up?
Another one is Numbers 15:32-36
And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day.
And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation.
And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him.
And the LORD said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp.
And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the LORD commanded Moses.
So let me get this straight. Because the man gathered sticks...for whatever reason...was supposed to be stoned? How can anyone derive morality from such a thing? I dont mean to make it sound like a joke but are we still expected to do this ourselves? The sad part is, Jesus said in Luke 14:5And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation.
And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him.
And the LORD said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp.
And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the LORD commanded Moses.
Then he asked them, If one of you has a child or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?
If Jesus just confirmed that it was alright to heal on the sabbath and then asked about what would the people do in this situation, which seems to be an ok thing to do.
These things just dont make sense to me and God doesn't seem near at the moment. Can someone help me understand what I'm reading please?