Why inspire?

[Mallon]

This question could probably be asked elsewhere, but I'm most interested in hearing answers from those who've spent some time thinking about origins theology, since this question has much relevance to the issue.
My question is this: Why did God inspire people to write the Bible, rather than physically delivering the book straight from heaven, and He did the Ten Commandments?

 

[pgp_protector]

This question could probably be asked elsewhere, but I'm most interested in hearing answers from those who've spent some time thinking about origins theology, since this question has much relevance to the issue.
My question is this: Why did God inspire people to write the Bible, rather than physically delivering the book straight from heaven, and He did the Ten Commandments?

Maybe he remembered what happened to the first copy of the Ten Commandments ?

 

[juvenissun]

This question could probably be asked elsewhere, but I'm most interested in hearing answers from those who've spent some time thinking about origins theology, since this question has much relevance to the issue.
My question is this: Why did God inspire people to write the Bible, rather than physically delivering the book straight from heaven, and He did the Ten Commandments?

So you think people believe in the Ten Commandments more so than Books in the Bible?

 

[Mallon]

So you think people believe in the Ten Commandments more so than Books in the Bible?

Please, just answer the question instead of trying to muddy the waters. You know that's not what I said.

 

[juvenissun]

Please, just answer the question instead of trying to muddy the waters. You know that's not what I said.

I was answering. Sigh.

 

[Assyrian]

So you think people believe in the Ten Commandments more so than Books in the Bible?

I have come across a lot of creationists who seem to do just that. They interpret the reference to creation days in Exodus 20 literally, and back it up by saying it was God who wrote it.

 

[juvenissun]

I have come across a lot of creationists who seem to do just that. They interpret the reference to creation days in Exodus 20 literally, and back it up by saying it was God who wrote it.

Interesting and thanks. (and tell Mallon that you do not agree with him in the OP).

Are you suggesting that Ex 20:11 is a figurative interpretation in the Commandments? If it should not be taken literally, then why should the fourth commandment be followed? If we live by a calendar which does not run on a 7-day cycle, then we violated the Commandment. Right? Or is this one up to interpretation?

 

[MrSnow]

C.S. Lewis had some words about this very subject. I'm not saying his view is right or wrong. Just that it's a view, and an interesting one at that. At times I even like it myself (and . . . sometimes I don't).

 

[Assyrian]

Interesting and thanks. (and tell Mallon that you do not agree with him in the OP).

Where did I disagree with the OP

Are you suggesting that Ex 20:11 is a figurative interpretation in the Commandments? If it should not be taken literally, then why should the fourth commandment be followed? If we live by a calendar which does not run on a 7-day cycle, then we violated the Commandment. Right? Or is this one up to interpretation?

No I am saying the illustration given for the commandment is figurative. Look at the same commandment when it is given in Deuteronomy.
Deut 5:12 "'Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you.
13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you.
15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

Are we talking literal hand and outstretched arm here? But a figurative description of God's mighty work freeing the Israelites does not mean the commandment was not binding on them. Neither would a figurative description of God's creation mean they didn't have to keep their Saturdays holy.

They are both anthropomorphisms, describing God work in human terms. Exodus goes on to describe God being refreshed after his rest. Exodus 31:17 It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.'" This cannot be taken literally. God does not get tired.

Anyway, this is getting off topic.

 

[Mallon]

Interesting and thanks. (and tell Mallon that you do not agree with him in the OP).

All I did in the OP was ask a question. How can one not agree with a question?

Anyone care to take a crack at actually answering the question?

 

[ClearSky]

My question is this: Why did God inspire people to write the Bible, rather than physically delivering the book straight from heaven, and He did the Ten Commandments?

This is an interesting and justified question. I think the answer lies in the time the Bible was written.

Most parts of the Hebrew Bible were written between 900 and 400 BC, and the New Testament was written around 100 AC. However God's direct acts, like the delivery of the 10 commandments and the killing of Israel's enemies, ended around 1200 BC. After that time, God acted mostly indirectly, through inspiring humans in dreams and visions. Consequently the Bible was also inspired and not directly delivered.

 

[crawfish]

The further question is, why did God require that Moses stick his staff in the ground to part the red sea? To strike a rock to loose waters? Why did Moses have to raise his hands for the Israelites to win the battle with the Amalekites? Why did the Israelites have to march around the walls of Jericho for them to fall?

The answer is, God uses a human vessel in which to perform His actions, who gives God the credit for said action. It is the way God works.

 

[Paul365]

The answer is, God uses a human vessel in which to perform His actions, who gives God the credit for said action. It is the way God works.

Yes, but the question is why God used a human vessel only for some actions and not for others. God didn't need a human vessel for carving the stone tables with the 10 commandments, or for killing the firstborn Egyptians. Sometimes he used the Israelite warriors for killing some tribe, sometimes he killed directly. Time is not the answer. There is no real answer in scripture of when he needed a human to perform the act and when not.

I think the obvious answer is that God didn't perform most of those acts. They didn't really happen, they were just legends. Anything what happened in human history, including writing the bible, was done by humans who sometimes were inspired by God and sometimes not.

 

[LittleNipper]

Yes, but the question is why God used a human vessel only for some actions and not for others. God didn't need a human vessel for carving the stone tables with the 10 commandments, or for killing the firstborn Egyptians. Sometimes he used the Israelite warriors for killing some tribe, sometimes he killed directly. Time is not the answer. There is no real answer in scripture of when he needed a human to perform the act and when not.

I think the obvious answer is that God didn't perform most of those acts. They didn't really happen, they were just legends. Anything what happened in human history, including writing the bible, was done by humans who sometimes were inspired by God and sometimes not.

GOD wrote the LAW in order to prove that no fallen human is capable of keeping GOD's LAW perfectly. If man wrote the LAW it would have been assumed that someone simply misunderstood or that the writer was holy (only GOD is HOLY). Man was used to write the Holy Scriptures in order that GOD might apply the human perspective of men who were in fact witnesses to the events unfolding, and also in hope of the fulfillment of any promises GOD made that they too would grow spiritually.

 

[crawfish]

Yes, but the question is why God used a human vessel only for some actions and not for others. God didn't need a human vessel for carving the stone tables with the 10 commandments, or for killing the firstborn Egyptians. Sometimes he used the Israelite warriors for killing some tribe, sometimes he killed directly. Time is not the answer. There is no real answer in scripture of when he needed a human to perform the act and when not.

I think the obvious answer is that God didn't perform most of those acts. They didn't really happen, they were just legends. Anything what happened in human history, including writing the bible, was done by humans who sometimes were inspired by God and sometimes not.

For each of those items, there was still a human intercedent - Moses. Take a look at the list of miracles shown in the bible, the ONLY "miraculous" events that do not have a human connected to it are creation, the flood, and the ass that spoke to Baalam. The first two, I believe are only representations of actual events, the last is different than most because there is no direct connection to a Hebrew.

I believe that the reason there was no "set" way that miracles were performed is for a very simple reason - God didn't want to give any importance to the method.

Obviously, I don't agree with your assertion.

 

[MrSnow]

Look up C.S Lewis and Transposition.