that’s god more or less commanding slavery, rape, and murder.
What makes you automatically assume Numbers 31:18 means "rape"; or even that it means to have sex with these girls?
There is no indication in the passage that they had sex with these girls. Matter of fact; if you read the rest of the passage, you would know by that fact that they were instructed to purify themselves, their captives and everything that had been taken in the war. They were to put all the utensils and implements through the fire; wash the clothing and wash the people and wait seven days before they came into the camp. According to law; if you have sex, you are unclean again!
These girls eventually became part of the households of Israel.
Now there are other passages in the Old Testament that say not to oppress the stranger within your gates. As well as other passages that instruct a death sentence for rapists.
Exodus 22:21
Exodus 23:9
Deuteronomy 24:14
Deuteronomy 22:25-27
Deuteronomy 21:
10 When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it.
11 And it shall be, if it make thee answer of peace, and open unto thee, then it shall be, that all the people that is found therein
shall be tributaries unto thee, and they shall serve thee.
That same Hebrew word is used in 1 Kings 5:13 where Solomon "levies" a labor force to build the temple and (probably) the king's house. Do you think Solomon's captains walked through Israel and "abducted forced labor" for this task from among the people of Israel?
Although I would agree that their "tribute" was likely compulsory upon those able bodied; this wasn't permanent either. That's why it's called a "tribute". This is the "payment" of their "service" to the "state". We would call this a "draft".
They did this with military service too; although there were parameters around who could be drafted. Men who'd just gotten married and men with small children were actually exempt from war.
So the same word "tribute" is used for those who've surrendered. Now go back to the verses quoted about not oppressing the stranger within your gates.
It’s extremely intellectually dishonest to call this anything other than rape and slavery.
No it is extremely intellectually dishonest to say that it is. It is extremely intellectually dishonest to not take the instructions of the entire Bible as a whole. All you've done is picked verses where with to levy accusations against God that are but what reveals the wickedness of your own heart.
Don’t passages like that at least make you uncomfortable?
No they don't; because I know what the entire Bible says.
If they don’t mean what they seem to say, why didn’t god explain it better?
To trip up people like you. "It is the glory of God to conceal and the honor of kings to search a matter out." Proverbs 25:2
I focused more on Greek when I was a Christian, but I’m acquainted with Hebrew. I’m pretty sure it plainly means not to make sculptures and drawings.
The term "graven image" implies worship.
I don’t see where the text allows the context to be restricted to images for worship.
"Thou shall not bow down to them or serve them."
Now do you know why that law existed?
I'll give you a hint. Who was Jesus Christ? If God was to come in time incarnated in human flesh; what would making a graven image back in the OT mean? You are not to make a graven image and call something God because you have no idea who He is.
Now when that image has been made manifest in human flesh; that law becomes redundant because God is manifest; He is no longer an unknown. He is no longer an "image". Man is made in God's image; so if they were to correctly understand not making a graven image; they would not be making statues of animals, angels, or what ever. The "image of God" existed in them. This is why they were not to make representations of God.
But now that God is made manifest in human flesh; this law is done away with. Even if someone has a picture, statue or some other representation of Jesus; If the individual has a proper understanding of God; that is not any different than having a picture of your mother or father. I have lots of photographs of my son. I know those photographs are not my son.
Do you think that after Jesus went back to heaven that the disciples and all the people who knew Him in the flesh suddenly forgot what He looked like? Don't you think that if Jesus was walking the earth today in the flesh that people would take photos of Him, or you'd see Him on TV? So why would it not make sense that people would make drawings or statues of Him? I see no violation of any command in people making Jesus the subject of artwork.
To set an impossible standard and keep sheep populations down? I’m familiar with all 613 laws so don’t even start with the ‘perfect standard’ stuff. The laws of the Torah aren’t that hard to follow, they’re just stupid.
So you were "Jewish" or under some "law keeper" type religious system?
LOL - as far as "perfect standard" stuff; I don't even know what that means. I was never in a "law keeper" religious system.
The "letter of the law" is not impossible to keep externally, but they are impossible to keep as a whole; unless of course you have no sin. Of which none of us qualify. This is why "by the law is the knowledge of sin". Yet "the law" is revealed to all humanity both by it being written on the conscience, but also what is witnessed of God in creation.
"The Law" is far broader than you assume.
I do, but I think invading neighboring cities and killing them when they refuse to be slaves qualifies as murder. So does killing someone for picking up sticks, killing people who sleep with foreigners, killing girls who can’t prove virginity etc.
Again, this shows forth your own intellectual dishonesty and ignorance of the Scripture; for apparently you have no idea why those laws mean.
In regards to salvation; if your "sabbath rest" is God, what does it mean to "pick up sticks on the sabbath"? By the law is the knowledge of sin. If you are working for your salvation, you are condemned.
I know what scripture says better than most Christians. I can quote entire chapters from memory in 3 languages... how much more studying should I do before I’m no longer “ignorant”?
LOL
Matthew 23:23
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin,
and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
Obviously your phariseeism got you to the point of seeing the futility of "law keeper" religious systems. The Scripture has done its job in demonstrating that to you.
The law is spiritual but to be carnally minded is death. And this is why I still say you are ignorant of the Scripture!
