Yes, but there are things that actually do contradict. For example Jer 29:11:
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Some think this verse applies to Christians today and some think this only applied to the Jews at the time. Two different interpretations of the same scripture, how do you determine who is correct if any. They cannot both be correct.
Thank you for giving us a specific example, something which I did not do for you! . . . with my generalizing.
This is an example of what I mean by two "sides" making it seem it is one or the other.
My short answer is > how God meant it for the Jews then is not how He means it for Christians, today. And how He means that scripture for us now is not how He used it with Jews way back then. However, there is what is common for both the Jews then and us now.
Therefore, it is not a clearcut one way or the other thing.
Now, in case you dare to go through a longer answer > here you are >
How God meant it for the Jews, then, indeed is not for Christians today. At that time, His promise was mainly for the Jews who were expected to live in the Promised Land with a national family culture who kept the Law of Moses. But now God means all Christians, worldwide and in eternity, who are God's one
"holy nation" (1 Peter 2:9) and one family, and this in keeping with our New Covenant of Jesus Christ's shed blood for us . . . not what was for the Jews then.
Therefore, there are not two simple sides, for this.
And here I offer a l-o-n-g answer . . . in case you have made it, thus far
>
We can see how the prosperity, of the Jews then and us Jesus people now, has had common elements > our great prosperity includes God, Himself, whom the Jews did have, also. Plus, we have a love family culture, which the Jews were supposed to have. God and family caring and sharing love are included in the greatest blessings of true prosperity.
But it seems there is more attention given to material things and activity, in the Jewish Law and the prosperity it talks about . . . while in the New Testament there is more attention and emphasis with spiritual prosperity.
Even so . . . there is material prosperity detailed in our New Covenant >
For one example, about possessions and family > each Jewish family usually had their own land property, but Jesus says if a person leaves one's land (and other things and one's own family), for the sake of Jesus, he will receive
"a hundredfold now in this present time" of
"lands" (among other things > see Mark 10:29-31). So, Jesus is guaranteeing . . . for your personal prosperity, how if you leave your own land for Christ, He will prosper you with a hundred times as many lands as you have left. Prosperity preachers aren't saying this, to my knowledge, by the way
So, this is different than how Jews would keep and stay on their own families' lands.
But . . . like I have offered . . . there is the love meaning to God's word. Do I now have a hundred times as many lands in my personal possession and control? No. But by adopting more and more people with my love, I have adopted what they have; and I can enjoy what they have . . . without taking it from them and controlling what they have . . .
and without trying to use them to get or use what they have. But I said "enjoy" . . . not use and exploit. God
"gives us richly all things to enjoy." (in 1 Timothy 6:17)
This, of course, includes how I enjoy that
they pay the bills. That's prosperity!!
So, then - - my understanding is, that I have so much . . . but this in sharing as family with others.
Now, here's another example of how the prosperity of the Jews could be different than our prosperity in Christ >
"the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." This is in Philippians 4:6-7.
In case, anyone contests that peace of heart and mind is very highly valuable prosperity > how much money and time has been invested in trying to have peace in the hearts and the minds of humans? People have invested money and much time of their lives in drug research, in paying for study to become counselors and priests and preachers and psychologists and psychiatrists and mental health nurses, and others. But Jesus guarantees us this peace, free of charge >
"freely you have received, freely give," He says in Matthew 10:8, and
"My peace I give to you," in John 14:27.
This is in our New Testament. But if you know God's word, I hear you or someone now thinking to me, that in the early scriptures . . . it also is written >
"'You will keep him in perfect peace,
. Whose mind is stayed on You,
. Because he trusts in You.'"
. . . . . . . . (Isaiah 26:3)
But the New Testament presentation shows a much more clear connection of God's peace with how He wants us to pray >
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7)
Also, I note how the Isaiah version says
"perfect peace", while our Apostle Paul says
"the peace of God". For me, personally, saying directly that it is God's own peace can help me see how therefore this peace is of God who is Almighty, and therefore this peace is almighty to easily guard our hearts and our minds from any kind of chaotic and cruel and confusing stuff . . . and any anti-love stuff such as unforgiveness and how I can give in to paranoid self-righteously condemning imagination tripping, by the way; and this peace of God's all-loving love will have us all-loving, instead.
And the New Testament version addresses us as God's family . . . as a whole . . . not only some individual
"him" who will have peace . . . though it can be readily understand that Isaiah means all God's people of that time.
Now we have more clear emphasis that God wants us to care in prayer for all of us, and even for any and all enemies of God. Having His peace is connected with this prayer all-loving. So, our requests being made known to God are not only for our own prosperity, indeed.
And 1 Timothy 2:1-4 can help us see this, I would say. The Jews back then were not given such a clear blessing of how God wants us to pray with hope for any and all people. So, our prosperity of God doing us good and giving us a hope includes how our Father all-loving has us personally sharing with Him in His all-loving love which has us so praying for any and all, not only for our own selves.
"For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?" (in Matthew 5:46)
So, while I may listen to and read what people say, on different sides of an issue, I am noticing their "therefores".
Do they have an all-loving context and message in how they present what they demand that all accept?
Or, are they mainly congratulating themselves and/or some group and/or some religious leader of the past, or a big-namer of the present??
But yes I can be mistaken; so most of all I need however God will really correct me so I get things correct. I can be my own main problem, then. And the way I can be wrong has mainly to do with immoral and self-righteous stuff that can be going on in my mind; so whether or not my beliefs are wrong is not my main concern.
Immoral and self-righteous stuff is clearly anti-love; how I might be mistaken in a belief, I would say, is not necessarily such a love issue. So, my main emphasis I would say needs to be to how I need deep correction so I love for real while pleasing our Father and Jesus.
So, I can be doing wisely not to get decoyed with only trying to prove my ideas to be right. But I trust God to have me doing well . . . since I am capable of fooling myself and not even knowing it. And you're right > since I too am not perfect, like everyone else, what I do can be what does not work. This is why we need Jesus. He can make sure we get all He desires for us . . . not only the correct ideas.
