I received the following question regarding a sermon I recently preached:

Please explain how the death of Jesus affected his authority in Heavenly places? In a recent sermon, you mentioned that he took his rightful place of authority after he rose from the dead, over those of demonic sphere or influence on the earth.

This is a great question.

Let’s begin in the Garden of Eden. When Satan sinned, he convinced man to sin. Man essentially gave in to Satan, and we turned our back on God and chose Satan and his words over God and His word. This is the same thing Satan tried to do with Christ at His temptation in the wilderness. God’s intention in creation was for Him, man, and angel to dwell together (which they did in Eden) and both man and angel were to rule as His vice-regents. Sin corrupted all of that. And since we (man) chose Satan we were expelled from God’s presence, and because of our choice we were now subject not just to God, but to the angels (Satan and the powers of darkness included). This is part of the reason that God turned us all over to the rule of angels at Babel.

Now if we follow the course of history from there, we have the calling of Abraham, then Isaac, then Jacob. Through the checkered history of God’s chosen people, they wound up with a monarchy. A kingdom of God’s people. And continuing on in history, Israel turned their back on God in favor of the elohim of the nations. So they were expelled from God’s presence. The kingdom was no more. In other words, all of mankind was now back to being subject to the rule of angels, now fallen (see Psalm 82).

Six-hundred years later, Christ appears preaching the kingdom. Remember there had been no kingdom for God’s people for over 600 years. After winning His battle against Satan in the wilderness, Christ comes preaching: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). Christ’s preaching is replete with kingdom language throughout His ministry. When He sends the Twelve out, He tells them: “And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons’” (Matt 10:7-8). He then sends out the seventy – representing the seventy nations listed at the Babel event – as a figure of calling the nations back. And He tells them: “Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near’” (Luke 10:8-11). And when they return after a successful mission, this is their conversation with Jesus: “‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!’ And he said to them, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you'” (Luke 10:17-20). As proof that the kingdom has come, Jesus points to His authority over the powers of darkness. In Matthew 12:25-28, Jesus speaks of the two kingdoms at war – the powers of darkness and the kingdom of God. He says that if the power of God has begun to overcome the powers of darkness, then the kingdom of God has indeed come.

For Christ, the kingdom is very much tied to the overcoming of the kingdom of darkness by God and His people.

When Christ came as one of us, He fought against the powers of darkness not just as God, but as a human. In His temptations, He reversed for man what we did in Adam. In His death, He paid the price for what we did in Adam (see Romans 5:12-19, 1 Cor 15:21-22). Through His work, Christ began to reverse what happened in Eden. And He subjected the powers of darkness to regenerate man, as a man. He bound the strong man so we could plunder him. And to do so, He had to come as one of us, die, be raised to life, and ascend to His throne. This is what’s pictured in Revelation 12:5-12 and Revelation 20:1-6.

This is what the writer of Hebrews says when he points to Psalm 8 as speaking of Jesus:

For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. It has been testified somewhere, “What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under his feet.” Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.” And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Behold, I and the children God has given me.” Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

Hebrews 2:5-17 (ESV)

And this is why Paul tells those of us who have been born again have been given authority over the powers of darkness in Ephesians 2:1-6. They and Satan once had power over us, but now, through Christ’s work, we are pictured as in heaven, above the air where Satan rules. All because Jesus came as a man and succeeded where we failed. He undid our subjection to the powers of darkness by defeating them through His temptations and perfect life, then paid the price we earned through His death, then overcame death through His resurrection, then took His place as ruler over the creation at His ascension.

And at His return, this will all be brought to completion

Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.

1 Corinthians 15:24-28

He already reigns, but not every enemy is yet fully defeated. That’s why the church is here. We are to take back the nations in the authority of Jesus (Matt 28:19-20) and the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). And what we do through that is defeat the kingdom of darkness (Eph 6:10-18).

I received the following question based on a message where I used parts of Psalm 82 and Genesis 6:1-4:

Please describe the Sons of God referenced in Psalm 82. I don’t understand how these spiritual beings were able to come into the earth and mate with humans! How is that possible? Did they take on the form of flesh and blood to do so? Why aren’t they (or are they) able to do so today? It’s a frightening thought. Did they stay in human form or were they half man half angel? What is their role in the fall of mankind? How much power do they have? Is there any record of their offspring continuing until the days of Jesus Christ?

These are all fantastic questions!

Let’s begin with the “sons of God.” The term “sons of God” (Hebrew: בְנֵי־הָאֱלֹהִים, beni Elohim) is used six times in the Old Testament: Gen 6:2, 6:4, Deut 32:8, Job 1:6, 2:1, 38:7. In each case, the reference is to what we would in our time call “angels.” In fact, the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) uses the word “angel” in a few of these verses. They are created, heavenly, spiritual beings. Jesus uses the same terminology in Luke 20:36 when He promises that we will be like the angels when we are resurrected (see below). The other major term used for the heavenly beings in the Old Testament is “gods” (Hebrew אֱלֹהִים, elohim). This is used in the Old Testament to refer to pagan gods or the idols that represent them. This is the term used in Psalm 82. It refers to the same beings. This word is used of YHWH (the plural use being a method of showing honor to the ultimate being of any class) most often, but it is also used of these other heavenly beings. The elohim that God reprimands in Psalm 82 are the “gods” of the nations (see Deut 32:8) that became corrupt. So the term, when not applied to God, appears to always refer to what we would call “fallen angels.”

As I said, angels are spiritual beings. However, we will be like them at our resurrection. And our resurrection will be physical. We will not be what we are now, but there will be a physical element to our “spiritual body.” Paul explains this in 1 Corinthians 15:35-49. In the same way, these angels (that we will be like at our resurrection) are spiritual, but there is also a physical element to them. This is how they were able to mate with humans (Gen 6:1-4).

Now, there is an alternative interpretation to Genesis 6:1-4 that became popular in the 4th century AD (it was championed by St. Augustine). This alternate view believes the “sons of God” here are the godly offspring of Seth, and the “daughters of men” are the ungodly offspring of Cain. There are too many problems with this view. First, it doesn’t explain why the children born to these women were giants (the Nephilim). Second, it ignores the older Greek translation of the Old Testament. Third, verse 4 tells us that this happened again (see also Num 13:33), but Cain’s line was destroyed in the Flood. Fourth, this interpretation ignores the Jewish interpretation of this event. In Jewish belief, these beings (a class of heavenly beings called “Watchers” – see Dan 4:17) left their proper place, descended Mt. Hermon, defied God through this act, and were banished to hell (Tartarus). The book of 1 Enoch has much to say about this, and that is where Peter (2 Pet 2:4) and Jude (Jude 6) pull from in their epistles. This means Peter and Jude believed, and wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that these “sons of God” were angels.

As Jewish writings explain it, the Nephilim had human/angel hybrid bodies (hence the giants) and spirits. When the body died, the spirit (being angelic) did not go to Hades, but remained on the earth. These are the “demons” that possessed people (because remember, all the angelic beings already had a physical element to their existence). Jewish literature through the time of Christ is pretty consistent in this belief. It would stand to reason that these spirits still exist today, and will until the final judgment. That idea is so foreign to many, even Christians, because we dismiss the spiritual so readily. To the world, the idea is ridiculous. Anyone unsaved reading this has now dismissed me as insane or extremely stupid. The powers of darkness are good at what they do. Go look up the Babylonian myth of the Apkallu and the Greek myth of the Titans. Nothing like taking the truth and putting it in various myth forms to convince people the Bible is full of myths…

As far as whether this can happen today, the Bible doesn’t explicitly say one way or the other. In my opinion, the answer is yes and no. Yes, spiritual beings (“angels”) could theoretically still mate with humans. But those that did have been condemned to hell. Not all “angels” fell for the same reason. Satan turned man against God, the wicked Watchers mated with humans, and the other elohim became corrupt in their rule over mankind (Deut 32:8 and Psalm 82). And Christ, I believe, draws a contrast between the condemned Watchers and righteous angels in Matthew 22:30 when He says we will not marry or be given in marriage like the “angels in heaven.” The righteous angels would not do what those particular Watchers did. In addition, the whole storyline from Genesis 6, to Genesis 11, through the Old Testament, Christ’s ministry, the mission of the church, and the vision in Revelation leads me to believe that our struggle is against the established powers of darkness. In other words, sides have been chosen. So, no, this cannot happen again.

The role of heavenly beings in the Fall of mankind is significant. To an ancient Jew, there were three major events that led to the corruption of creation: the first sin in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3, the sin of the fallen Watchers in Genesis 6, and the sin of mankind in Genesis 11 (the Babel event). Note that these all involve the fall of angels. Satan in the Garden, the Watchers incident, and the unrighteous rule of the angels given authority over the nations at Babel. In addition, 1 Enoch (and other Jewish literature) states that offspring of the fallen angels (the Nephilim) taught humans how to do black magic and practice things like fortune telling, enchantments, and necromancy (all really the deceit of the powers of darkness). But they also taught humans how to make war against each other. Note that in Genesis 6, the Nephilim are called “mighty men” (Hebrew: גִּבּוֹר gibbor). In the Table of Nations in Genesis 10, we are introduced to Nimrod (Gen 10:8) who is the first human to be a “mighty man” (gibbor). In modern Christianity, we look solely at Genesis 3 as the reason for the corruption of the creation. While that is the start of it, it isn’t the whole story. There are many ways I can illustrate this, but I will offer one. After the flood, Noah is given the same commission as Adam, but now animals are part of the human diet. Why? Go back and read Genesis 6:9 and see what the Nephilim taught us.

So the power of these Nephilim is in their physical strength and instruction in sin. The powers of darkness behind them are capable of deceit through all types of “magic” and making themselves false gods. The spirits of the Nephilim are behind “demonic possession.” All of this is real (black magic, other “gods,” demonic possession) but even Christians by-and-large don’t believe it, except maybe in theory. The world doesn’t, and the powers of darkness are not about to prove themselves to be real.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 6:10–12 (ESV)

I preached a few weeks ago on Acts 1:8 and how God’s program for the church is to reverse the rejection of sinners by God and reclaim what He has disinherited. Here is a question I received:

You mentioned in your sermon about how the Jesus told the apostles once he was raised from the dead to go into Judea and Samaria (Northern & Southern kingdom) to reclaim those who were lost. You also mentioned Babel ( or Babylon). Would you please explain this passage that I think was recorded by Luke.

This is a good question. I will try to summarize my sermon.

If we look at the history of mankind and their rejection of God, we see that God forsakes or disinherits mankind when they reject Him. The first rejection was in Eden. There, because of their sin, God threw Adam and Eve out of His presence – He exiled them. They did not heed their mandate to fill and subdue the earth (Genesis 1:28), but instead disobeyed God. They rejected God, so He rejected them, and the whole creation was affected by sin.

Then, at Babel (Genesis 11), the whole of mankind rejected God. Rather than fill and subdue the earth (commanded again in Genesis 9:1), they came together in one place and sought their own glory. So God sent them away and scattered them over the earth. He exiled and disinherited mankind as a whole (see Deuteronomy 32:8).

Then God calls Abraham (Genesis 12). Out of all the world, Abraham and his offspring are God’s inheritance (see Deuteronomy 32:8-9), and He is theirs. The chosen offspring become the nation of Israel. Then, Israel splits into the northern kingdom (Israel) and the southern kingdom (Judah). Israel becomes an idolatrous nation, and they reject God, so He disinherits them and sends them into exile (2 Kings 17:7-23). Then Judah does the same, so God disinherits them and exiles them (2 Kings 17:19-20 and 24:1-3).

So we have all of mankind rejecting God in our federal head Adam, then all individual men together at Babel, then Israel, then Judah. God’s plan is to undo this Himself, in reverse order. With the completed work of Chrst (life, death, resurrection, ascension, sending of the Spirit) God has begun to do so. This is done through His church, starting in Judea (undoing the rejection of the southern kingdom), in Samaria (undoing the rejection of the northern kingdom), and then to the end of the earth (undoing the rejection at Babel). This is the command given by Jesus in Acts 1:8.

Then, when Jesus – the federal head of the church – returns in glory and completes His work (final judgment and salvation) He will undo the rejection of Adam and restore the church and the world to God’s very presence. At that point, those who have rejected him will be disinherited finally and forever, and those who have not will inherit Him forever even as He inherits us forever.

Here is the pattern:

The important thing to remember is that we are in stage B1 right now. We, the church, are called to restore individuals to God in the power of the Spirit.

I received this question after discussing Acts 2:1-11 this past Sunday:

On the day of Penetcost, thousands from many nations heard the Apostles speak in their own language. How does that relate to people who speak in tongues today in certain denominations? Is there a heavenly prayer language that some believers are given that allow them to communicate with God and Satan cannot understand what they’re saying?

Great questions!

To begin, let me say that I find no Biblical or historical evidence that speaking in tongues is not possible today. Hard cessationists, in my opinion, are basing their beliefs on questionable Biblical inference in part, and on their own experience (or lack of experience of tongues) most of all. However, the same is true of the other side of the argument. Many are raised in traditions where speaking in tongues is the norm, and is even considered a “higher” Christian experience than conversion alone. Again, their church experiences have the largest influence on why they believe as they do.

When we come to the Bible, “speaking in tongues” is addressed in only two books: Acts and 1 Corinthians. Some include Mark 16:17, but almost nobody, including me, believes Mark 16:9-20 is authentic. Many who want to find Biblical warrant for heavenly languages, snake handling, baptismal regeneration, and healing ministries hold on to this passage as authentic, some a little dishonestly.

The Greek word for “tongues,” glōssa, can mean simply the organ of the tongue, a specific language, a particular manner of speaking, or it can refer to a purposefully obscure manner of speaking that requires explanation. In the Bible, it can also mean to speak an existing, known language by someone who does not themselves know that language.

In the book of Acts, we have the coming of the Spirit (Acts 2) where the phenomenon happens for the first time. Very clearly here, the “tongues” refer to the existing languages of the people of the nations present. It would probably be better to translate the word “language” here. Note that this happens in Jerusalem, in Judea.

In Acts 10:46, when the Holy Spirit is given to Gentiles who were Jewish proselytes, the Apostles and those with them hear them speak in tongues and exalt God. Since the Jews hear them and know that what they are saying is magnifying God, this would appear to be Gentiles speaking Aramaic so that the Apostles understand them. This happens in Caesarea, which is in Samaria.

In Acts 19:6, when some Ephesian proselytes hear the Good News of Jesus, the Spirit falls on them and they speak in tongues and prophesy. This happens in Ephesus, outside of Israel. While this does not expound the tongues, I do not see any reason to assign to the phenomenon any difference from the first two times tongues are spoken. This is done in Asia Minor.

What we have here is the undoing of the Babel curse, first in Jerusalem of Judea, then in Samaria, then to the Gentile nations. This is the program laid out in Acts 1:8.

The only other place in the New Testament that speaking in tongues is addressed is in 1 Corinthians (12:10, 28, 30; 13:1, 8; fifteen times in chapter 14). Paul was writing to a congregation that had a lot wrong. Much of what he writes is in response to a letter they wrote to him. He addresses issues of church discipline, sexual sin, secular legal action, marriage, celibacy, eating food offered to idols, using our Christian freedom, head coverings, and abuses of the Lord’s Supper.

Then, in 12:1, Paul turns his attention to spiritual gifts. He begins by contrasting the gifting of the Holy Spirit to the mute idols of pagan worship. The gifts of the Spirit are used by God to quite literally communicate to His people through His people. This is done in a variety of ways, some of which Paul lists in 12:4-10. The majority of the gifts here are about communication: utterances of wisdom, utterances of knowledge, prophecy, the distinguishing between (true and false) spirits, tongues, and interpretation of tongues. Paul’s focus is the communication of God’s truth and love to each other.

Paul then explains how each and every gift is important. We and our gifts are all vital to the proper function of the church. Yet Paul does place priority on some gifts. There is a pecking order:

1. Apostleship
2. Prophecy
3. Teaching
4. Miracles
5. “Then” he lumps healing, helps, administration, and tongues all together

Then in chapter 13, Paul speaks about why we use these gifts. We are to use them out of mutual love (which the Corinthians were not). He says that prophecy, knowledge, faith, and tongues (all gifts listed in 12:4-11) are useless if not used out of love. And he begins with tongues. And when he says “even if I speak in the tongues of men and angels,” he is not saying there are angelic languages that men are gifted to speak or interpret. He is using a rhetorical device similar to what he says in Galatians 1:8. He is using absurdity to make his point. Even if angels preach a false Gospel, don’t believe it. Even if I speak in angelic languages, if not done out of love, it is useless. 1 Corinthians no more proves angelic languages than Galatians proves angels preach the Gospel.

But why does Paul single out the gift of tongues to make his point? Because the Christians in Corinth had an unhealthy obsession with the gift. This is evident by what Paul addresses next in chapter 14. Clearly, the Corinthians desired the gift of tongues above the others. But Paul would rather they prophesy (speak forth the revealed Word of God – 14:1), because this is done for mutual upbuilding, encouragement, and consolation (14:3), whereas the one who speaks in tongues that others cannot understand helps no one but himself (14:2, 4). It is clear that some of the Corinthian Christians were speaking in tongues that nobody understood. This is why Paul does not forbid tongues, but only if there is no one who can interpret for everyone else (v. 5). This is about communication.

He expands on this notion in the following verses. He again places things like prophecy and teaching above tongues. And he makes it clear in 14:10-11 that these “tongues” are known languages of the world. The gift is meant to bring people from other nations and languages together, but misusing the gift actually separates people (14:11). When Paul says God is not a God of confusion in 14:33, I think he has the Babel incident and its reversal in mind.

Note also that the person speaking in tongues does not necessarily himself/herself understand the language being spoken (14:13-14). And once again, Paul explains that the other gifts of communication are more important than the gift of tongues within the church (14:18-19), because the gift of tongues is meant to be used as an evangelical tool for outsiders (14:22). This can hardly be the case if the tongues are not languages known to others. In addition, tongues are only to be used in the church if there is an interpreter who understands the foreign language (whether supernaturally or not) and can interpret for the church (14:27-33).

All of this taken together, in my opinion, means that tongues is a spiritual gift that allows someone to speak a known language they do not themselves know. The gift is intended to expand the kingdom of God to the ends of the earth by calling all nations back to the one true God. I see nothing in the Bible – and relatively little in history before a hundred years ago – that would point to tongues being anything other than this.

So what is the modern-day phenomenon of tongues as we understand it in America? I can’t say. I do, however, know that there are those who have come out of the charismatic movement who say, simply, that it is all being faked. By some because they want to build themselves up in the eyes of others (see 1 Cor 14:4); by others because they have been taught that speaking in tongues means you have achieved a higher spiritual reality and they genuinely want a closer relationship with God and don’t want to be looked down upon by others who have that.

Others attribute it to demonic activity. Others to a psychological “group-think” kind of phenomenon. I don’t know for sure. But what I do know is that basing our doctrine on experience and felt needs is extremely dangerous if we can’t find Biblical warrant to confirm it.

On the other hand, there are reports of speaking in tongues, healings, and other miracles being done in largely unreached areas of the world, like places in Africa and Asia. People are coming to faith through these miracles. I see no reason to doubt these reports, because that is how these miracles are used in the Bible. God is still using such gifts to call the nations back. But even in the Bible, outside of Jesus Himself, these gifts (tongues, healing, etc.) are momentary and given situationally. I see no reason to believe that has changed.

As far as a heavenly prayer language, many will point to Romans 8:26-27 as evidence that such a language exists. I don’t see how the context of Romans allows for that. 1 Corinthians 14:2 is also used, but based on the above, that is also out of context. And there are those (including those who have come out of the charismatic movement) that believe this “heavenly prayer language” claim is a loophole to get around what Paul says in 1 Corinthians – that only two or three should speak in tongues, and even then only if there is an interpreter. If one or two (or fifty) are praying to God, then they are not using tongues for the church, so they can do it without interpretation being offered; it is between them and God. But such a gift fails to meet the purposes laid out in the Bible: love for others and the building up of the church.

And there are smarter, more sanctified, more loving Christians than I am who claim to pray in a heavenly language or to speak in unknown tongues. The difference between them and me is the experience of it. I have had nothing close to these experiences. They have. But we need to let the tie-breaker go to the Bible in such cases. Even our interpretation of our own experiences need to be held up to the scrutiny of the Bible. I am willing to be shown any errors in my view. But I would need to hear a consistent and Biblical case made for such things before I can consider changing my view. I have yet to read or hear one. It all tends to come back to experience.

I received this questions, one that has been asked throughout the entire history of Christianity:

Is it ever OK for a Christian to lie? I am thinking about Christians who hid Jews during the Holocaust and lied to the Nazis about it.
Also Rahab lying to protect the spies also comes to mind.

This is a good question. These two examples are often used when the question is asked. So is it sinful to lie to save a life?

I think that the Bible states emphatically that lying is wrong in all its forms at all times, in the sense that it is not part of God’s design and falls short of His perfection. He does not lie.

The Bible talks the most about a specific kind of lie: lies about God. The first lie was Satan in the Garden. This is why Jesus calls him the father of lies (John 8:44). The prophetic books are full of condemnations for false prophets who distort God’s truth. The New Testament condemns false teachers. Lies about God and His truth are unequivocally sinful.

There are also lies to God, like Adam and Eve’s dishonest deflection of what they had done (Gen 3:11-13), or Cain’s lie to God (Gen 4:9). These are also sinful. However, there are not many examples of this in the Bible, as the relationship between God and man becomes less direct for most of history. However, when the Law is given, swearing falsely is condemned (see Numbers 30). This would be tantamount to lying to God and is expressly forbidden. This is part of what the third commandment forbids (Ex 20:7).

The other kind of lying specifically condemned in the Law is deception or falsehood that perverts justice. This is the spirit of the ninth commandment (Ex 20:16). This is forbidden multiple times in the Bible. This also applies to unfair business practices or the treatment of another’s property, as in Leviticus 6:1-7. God’s concern for righteousness and justice is controlling: lies that pervert either are sinful in every case.

There are also many examples of lies that are not specifically condemned in the Bible. The facts are just recorded. Abraham lied about Sarah being his wife, and Isaac followed suit. Jacob lied a bunch. Rahab lied to her own people. David lied often, and even Jonathan was less than truthful in order to protect him. The Bible neither condemns nor condones these falsehoods explicitly. That doesn’t mean they are not sinful, of course. But it doesn’t mean they are, either.

There are two examples of lies in the Bible that show us that lying is not always sinful. First, in 1 Kings 22, God explicitly allows deception in order to bring about His will (1 Kings 22:22). God does not lie, but allows a heavenly being to deceive the false prophets and Ahab. This is, of course, to bring about ultimate justice. This would seem to indicate that deceiving the wicked in order to preserve justice and righteousness is allowable. Second, the Egyptian midwives lie to Pharaoh (Ex 1:15-19). They lied because they feared God. And we are told outright that God rewarded them for their actions (Ex 1:20). But what actions were being rewarded? The lies, or the protection of the innocent children and preservation of justice? The whole witness of the Bible would tell me that it is not the deception being rewarded, but the concern for justice. This again seems to indicate that lying to the wicked to protect the innocent from sin is allowable to a point.

I believe that Jesus’ words about divorce are instructive here:

And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.” (Matt 19:3-9 ESV)

Jesus states three things here. First, God’s design was for there to be no divorce. In this sense, divorce is wrong. Second, God allowed divorce because of the sinfulness of man’s heart. The laws about divorce (like those about multiple wives, concubines, etc.) were put in place to protect the weak and those offended by sin. Third, there are specific sins that make what is against God’s original design allowable for a person. Divorce is not sinful in certain cases where one has been sinned against, all in the interest of justice and righteousness.

Now let’s apply this to lying. God’s design was for there to be only truth. In this sense, lying is wrong. But, because of the Fall and the sinful nature of man, God allows it in certain cases where the weak or those offended by sin need to be protected. Where there is wickedness and sin (Pharaoh, Ahab, the people of Jericho, the Nazi’s), lying is not sinful if it is done in the interest of justice and righteousness. This view seems to me to be consistent with everything the Bible says about lying – both the condemnations and the allowances/approvals because of the hardness of man’s heart.

I received a two part question based on my sermon on 1 Samuel 19 this past Sunday:

How is it that David allowed idols in his home? Is Michal and David’s marriage not God’s will as they seem to be unequally yoked?

These are great questions.  I think there are a few elements to this.

First, from the start, Israel was a syncretistic people.  Not all of them, but many of them.  They worshiped YHWH, but also kept rituals and traditions of paganism, and even partook in the worship of other gods.  They needed to be told over and over again to cease their use of idols and their worship of false gods (Josh 24:14, 23, Judg 10:16, 1 Sam 7:3, 1 Kings 15:12, 2 Kings 23:24, 2 Chr 15:8, and many times in the prophetic books).  The reason God forsook Israel (2 Kings 17:6-18) and then Judah (2 Kings 21:10-15) was because of idolatry and the worship of other gods.  It is a theme throughout their entire history.  They worshiped YHWH, but they also worshiped the gods the world worshiped.

This is not very different in the church.  We all worship God, but many of us worship the idols of the world.  There are even sects of Christianity that have statues and images they literally bow down to.  I do not believe that everyone who worships idols is reprobate.  Many are Christians that are weak in faith and/or ignorant of what the Bible really teaches.  Many are those that worship God on Sundays, then worship the idols of the world other times.  They wouldn’t see it this way, of course, because their idols aren’t necessarily physical images they worship, but in practice they worship money, pleasure, status, etc., in addition to God.

When it comes to Michal, I can’t say with certainty that she believed in YHWH, but I can’t say she didn’t.  She was definitely an idolater, but her syncretism doesn’t necessarily speak to her salvation or reprobation.  She may have just been a very immature, ignorant, confused believer who mixed paganism in with her worship of God.

As far as David allowing this to happen in his home, there are two possibilities.  First, he may not have known.  Marriage relationships then are not what they are today.  Actually, many marriages today – even Christian marriages – are far from ideal.  Many husbands and wives are not connected emotionally, physically, or spiritually.  One often has no idea what the other is doing.  This is how affairs happen so often and why even in the church divorce is common.  In the Ancient Near East circa the 11th century B.C., that would be the norm.  Wives and husbands were not equal, even in Israel.  The couple were not even seeing each other every day, necessarily.  The average husband certainly didn’t know what his wife did in her down time.  David was without a doubt a believer, but he may not have known or cared what Michal did.  Second, David may known, and may have even condemned her actions, but that doesn’t mean she did not continue to be an idolater.  She could have kept it a secret from David.  He is already gone by the time she pulls out the idol (1 Sam 19:12-13).  Again, the norm would not be for David to know what his wife was doing on any given day.  And as a commander in the army, he may have spent very little time at home with her.

As far as whether or not David and Michal’s marriage was God’s will, I would say that it was more God’s will than David’s other marriages, since she was his wife first.  While God gave Israel laws about multiple wives and about concubines, His original design was for one man and one woman to be married and exclusive (see Gen 2:24).  God also gave laws to regulate divorce, but as Christ said, that was because of the sinfulness of man (Matt 19:8).  God gave laws to protect women in a patriarchal society.  They were given to protect them from the results of sin: polygamy, adultery, and frivolous divorce.  In addition to that, the only commands God gave to Israel about intermarriage were about not intermarrying with those of other nations.  David and Michal were both Israelites.  While not all of physical Israel were truly saved, the physical nation typifies the spiritual people of God.  

Now we come to the “unequally yoked” part.  This expression is often used by Christians to refer to the marriage between a believer and an unbeliever.  It comes from 2 Corinthians 6:14.  Many Christians point to this as an injunction against a believer marrying an unbeliever.  But that is not what Paul is talking about here.  Marriage is not in view at all.  Paul is expanding on what he began back in chapter 2.  This is part of his defense of his apostolic authority that runs throughout the letter.  The unequal yoking he is warning against is about believers and unbelievers in the local church.  The believers in Corinth are not to align themselves with unbelievers, like those who deny his authority and seek their own glory.

When Paul speaks about marriage, he talks about marriages between believers and unbelievers and assumes they exist (1 Cor 7:12-16).  Of course, he may just be speaking practically to the first generation Christians who converted after already being married to someone who remains in unbelief, which I believe he is, but that doesn’t mean there is not application for us to be found here.  Regardless, the only possible express command against marrying an unbeliever is given to Christian widows (1 Cor 7:39), and even then there are multiple interpretations and of what Paul is saying here.  But even assuming he is forbidding intermarrying with an unbeliever, does that apply beyond widows? Paul earlier talks about unmarried virgins and widows together (1 Cor 7:8-9).  Some point to this and conclude his command in verse 39 therefore applies to both, others point to it and say Paul is speaking only to widows in verse 39 since he expressly includes the unmarried in verses 8-9 and excludes them here.  

Does this mean I personally believe believers and unbelievers should marry?  No.  God forbade Israel from intermarrying with the nations around them because they would lead Israel into idolatry (Deut 7:1-4 and elsewhere).  And that is exactly what happened.  This is typological of the church and the world.  Marrying an unbeliever will result in temptation for the Christian to compromise with the world (1 Cor 7:28, 32-35).  I personally would not knowingly perform a marriage between a believer and an unbeliever.  I would counsel a believer not to marry an unbeliever.  But we need to be very careful about saying the Bible outright forbids this (with the possible exception of Christian widows).  The command in Deuteronomy 7:1-4 includes the complete destruction of the nations in the land and an injunction to show them no mercy.  Yet no Christian would say we should not show mercy to an unbeliever.  Neither would we say that close friendships with unbelievers is forbidden.  We are not to be friends with the world, but that doesn’t exclude relationships with the unsaved.

All that to say, God’s prescriptive will for marriage between believers and unbelievers is only drawn by inference from the Bible and good, Godly people have inferred different things.

I received two similar questions regarding my message on 1 Samuel 19 this past Sunday. They are about the prophesying that is done by Saul and his servants in verses 20-24:

Then Saul sent messengers to take David, and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. When it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied. Then he himself went to Ramah and came to the great well that is in Secu. And he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” And one said, “Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah.” And he went there to Naioth in Ramah. And the Spirit of God came upon him also, and as he went he prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. And he too stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and lay naked all that day and all that night. Thus it is said, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” (1 Samuel 19:20-24)

Ramah was where Samuel lived. Naioth was where it is believed he had a school of prophets where he trained others in the prophetic ministry. But how can you train someone to be a prophet? Doesn’t God have to give you that gift?

To understand what might be happening in 1 Samuel 19, we need to understand that the word “prophet” (Hebrew: נָבִיא navi) has a very wide range of meaning (as does the associated verb “to prophecy” – Hebrew: נבא nava). First, we must dispense with the idea that prophecy is strictly foretelling the future. That is a very small part of the ministry of a prophet. God uses that part of prophecy as the litmus test for a true prophet (Jer 28:9) and to warn His people of judgment and promise future salvation, but the primary responsibility of the prophet is the forthtelling of God’s Word. The word has etymological roots that mean “interpreter” or “one who speaks on behalf of another.” The prophets were God’s mouthpiece. Even the Greek word προφητεύω (propheteuo) from where our English word comes (and which is used in the Septuagint in 1 Samuel 19) was used to speak of those who interpreted the will of the Greek gods.

Second, a prophet does not need to be given direct revelation from God. The three-fold division of the Hebrew Bible is contained in the name of their Scriptures: Tanakh. The name uses the first letters of the different parts: torah (law), navi’im (prophets – plural of navi), and khetuv’im (writings). In the prophetic portion are included not just Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc., but the historical books such as Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, etc. Those that simply wrote the historical books were, of course, inspired by the Holy Spirit and God superintended the writing, but they were not given direct revelation like Moses or Isaiah were. But they are considered prophets because they spoke (wrote) the words of God.

If we think of the prophets in the Bible (Moses, Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc.), we see that future-telling was only part of their ministries. In some cases, a very small part. Primarily, they communicated God’s truth to people. They gave revelation from God. Additionally, they acted as God’s prosecutors and pointed out what His people were doing wrong. They pointed out the sin of the people and called them to repentance. This is no different than the ministry of the superlative Prophet, Jesus Christ. This is also no different that what He calls His church to do in the present age (Luke 24:47). The Gospel we bring to the world is a prophetic message. We speak the words of God on His behalf. And even we, in part, foretell events when we warn of the coming judgment.

Now, back to 1 Samuel 19. The school of prophets would be for those who wanted to interpret and speak forth the revealed word of God. It is very possible that some, many, or all of them were gifted by God to give direct and new revelation, but that doesn’t have to be the case for them to be considered navi’im. And interpreters are split here on 1 Samuel 19, because they were all prophesying together, and yet none of their words are recorded. So were they merely “practicing” the preaching of their prophetic message? Were they given direct revelation that has been omitted from the Bible? We cannot know for sure.

Now, when we read that the Holy Spirit came upon Saul’s servants, we read that they “also” prophesied like the school of prophets (v. 20). Saul “too prophesied” in the same fashion (v. 24). So whatever the student-prophets were doing, Saul and his servants appear to be doing. But we don’t know what that is. That we aren’t told would appear to me to mean that this is not important to the point of the story. Would God give Saul new direct revelation? I would think not. Did Saul and his servants declare the already revealed word of God (like in preaching)? Perhaps. Did they declare the sins of God’s people? That would be cosmically ironic. But the truth is this is just speculation and we should not be dogmatic about it.

It is similar to wondering what exactly Jesus wrote on the ground in John 8:6. That we aren’t told tells me it is not important to the point of the account. Yet, there are commentators that emphatically state that Jesus must have been writing down the sins of the people he was about to address in verse 7. That’s possible, but to say we know for sure goes too far. The same applies here in 1 Samuel 19. The verb nava can mean a variety of things. The Bible tells us neither what it means here, nor the words actually spoken. What we do know is that God sovereignly made Saul and his servants prophesy (whatever that means in this case), and this gave David time to escape from Saul (1 Samuel 20:1).

I preached on 1 Samuel 18 this past Sunday, and I received this question:

In today’s society, in corporate life, government, advertising and even some churches there is a push to accept homosexuality as a person being true to themselves and how they were made, which is not what the Bible teaches. Unfortunately, I’ve had individuals point me to 1 Samuel 18:1-3 and the relationship between David & Jonathan as an example of such a relationship. Would you please explain what the scriptures mean when it says that they were “knit together” and it speaks of Jonathan’s love for David and why this is definitely not an example of the Bible condoning a gay relationship.

This is a great question. 

The Jonathan and David relationship has been used as a pro-homosexual argument for a long time.  While the word used for “love” (Hebrew: אהב ahav) can be used to mean romantic love (as in Gen 24:67), it is also used of other relationships: parent and child (Gen 25:28 where it has a connotation of preference), a slave for a master (Ex 21:5), love for God (Ex 20:6), the love God’s people are called to have for each other (Lev 19:18), the love God has for His people (Deut 10:15), and human love of sin (Isa 1:23).  It is also translated as “friend,” “like,” and “dear.”  It is a very versatile word, just like our English word “love.”  I love my wife. I love the Giants. I love soup. Please don’t take me to mean love the same way in each of these statements. The context needs to dictate what the word is communicating, and it is no different in the Bible. And the “knit to” of 1 Samuel 18:1 is very helpful in this regard to understand what it means for David and Jonathan.

The word for “knit” (Hebrew: קשׁר qashar), I believe, refers here to the covenant David and Jonathan make, which is previewed in 1 Samuel 18 and then detailed in 1 Samuel 20.  In the Bible, qashar is used to speak of plotting together or joining together in league against someone.  This is the only place the ESV translates the word “knit.”  Here are some examples of how the word is used elsewhere:

And his servants qashar against him and put him to death in his house. (2 Chronicles 33:24)

His servants qashar a conspiracy and struck down Joash in the house of Milo… (2 Kings 12:20)

For our purpose here, It is most telling that it is the same word Saul uses to describe those who have joined David and Jonathan in a conspiracy against him:

…all of you qashar against me?  No one discloses to me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse… (1 Samuel 22:8)

…why have you qashar against me, you and the son of Jesse… (1 Samuel 22:13)

The word is translated variously as “conspire,” “bind,” “tie,” “join,” “plot,” and “make a conspiracy.”  This is a spot where translation contains interpretation.  Using the words “knit to” (ESV) can be understood to imply that it speaks of the love they have for each other, and can make it seem as if a romantic love might be in view.  I like the NASB here where it is translated “committed himself to.”  

The issue is what the Bible does not say.  It nowhere says there is any kind of romantic relationship between them.  And of course, it does not say that there is not.  But the burden of proof would be on proving some kind of homosexual relationship.  They are nowhere said to have sex together, and the Bible doesn’t shy away from talking about sexual sin (see Gen 19:30-38) or about David’s sin (see 2 Sam 11).  Of course, arguments from silence can never prove anything, especially a universal negative.  “David and Jonathan were not homosexuals because the Bible doesn’t explicitly say so” in no way proves the point.  But saying they were because they ahav each other very much and are qashar together is offering no proof at all in favor of a homosexual relationship.

I can speak from experience. I have a couple of very good male friends, and every time I talk to them or see them, we tell each other “I love you” when we depart from each other.  One of them is not a Christian, so it isn’t only Christian love in view.  I don’t see why the descriptions of Jonathan and David would need to point to homosexuality any more than these relationships I have do.  In addition, that Jonathan “loved David as himself” no more implies a romantic relationship than the Leviticus 19:18 or Matthew 22:39 commands to love our neighbor as ourselves imply romantic love.

In addition, in 1 Samuel 20:41 where we are told David and Jonathan kissed each other (another verse often used as supposed proof of a homosexual relationship), the same word for “kiss” (Hebrew: נשׁק nashaq) is used in Gen 29:13, Ex 18:7, Ruth 1:9 and other places where men kiss men and women kiss women in a completely non-romantic way.  

But here is the real point. Even if we assume that the Bible is describing Jonathan and David as romantically involved, that is not the same thing as the Bible condoning it.  David committed adultery and then tried to cover it up by killing his lover’s husband.  The Bible clearly does not condone adultery or murder.  There is no good reason to believe the Bible is presenting David and Jonathan as homosexuals, but even if it does, that in no way changes the fact that the Bible teaches that homosexuality is a sin just like adultery, fornication, or lust.  Even if someone interprets their relationship as romantic, that does not further their argument that Christianity should accept homosexuality.

I was asked this question about the events of 1 Samuel 17:

In 1 Samuel 17:55-57, Saul seems to be unfamiliar with David and who he is, even though he was played the harp to give him relief from the evil spirit that was from God. He was clearly told by his servant in 1 Samuel 17 who David’s father is. Would you please clarify why Saul seem so confused about David’s and his family after he killed Goliath?

This is a good question, and one that has been asked often throughout the centuries. Out of all the solutions to this “problem” that I have seen, these seem to me the three best possible explanations:

Option #1 is that 1 Samuel 16:18-23 is an example of time compression, which is used in the Old Testament in places. The most famous example is Genesis 1 and 2. In Genesis 1:26-30, God creates man, and the details or chronology is compressed into those few verses. Then, in 2:4-24, the Bible gives us details of the creation of man.

So, in 1 Samuel 16:18-22, we are told that Saul sought someone to play for him, and David was suggested. We are told that Saul loved David and he became his armor bearer, etc. Then we are told that Saul told Jesse that David would remain in his service. Then, in 1 Samuel 18:2, we are told that Saul kept David in his service permanently after the events of 1 Samuel 17. If this is time compression, then though Saul was told in 1 Samuel 16:18-19 who David was, and though David played for him, he did not take notice of him until the events of 1 Samuel 17. 1 Samuel 16:18-22 compresses time. 1 Samuel 17:1-18:2 gives details of what happened that led Saul to promote David to armor-bearer and tell Jesse that David was to stay in his service. In this case, 1 Samuel 16:23 is just a description of David in his initial service as Saul’s harp player, when Saul didn’t care who he was.

Option #2 is that parts of chapters 16, 17, and/or 18 are the work of a redactor who added to the original author’s work to fill in details of David’s life. Maybe the explanation at the end of chapter 16 is a later addition, or maybe the end of chapter 17 and the beginning of chapter 18 are the addition.

Option #3 is that this is all written chronologically by one author, and Saul’s question in 1 Samuel 17:55-58 is about David’s ancestry (“who’s son is this?”), not David himself. Saul knew who David was because he served him, but after seeing him in battle, he wondered about his lineage. The problem with this view is that David would have most likely already been with Saul at the battle since he was his armor-bearer (literally “weapon carrier”).

I think each of these views have their strengths and weaknesses, but they are all plausible to me.

Here is a multi-part question I received about my sermon on 1 Samuel 16:14-23 from Sunday:

In today’s sermon, 1 Samuel 16:15 speaks of a “harmful spirit from God.” I thought I heard Pastor Lee say that this was an angel sent by God to do harm. My questions are as follows:
1. Aren’t all harmful spirits actually angels, some in the fallen state and others not?
2. I’m not sure why the harmful spirit wouldn’t be any different than demons or fallen angels that God gives Satan permission to harm those he chooses, such as in the book of Job? Why would it be an angel assigned to do harm?
3. How did Saul’s servant recognize that this harmful spirit was from God?
4. Does the Bible teach us how to recognize harmful spirits today, and if so, would our response be any different if it were from God or a direct attack from the enemy?

This are some great questions!

First, we use the term “angel” in English differently than what the word would mean in the Old Testament. The spirits in question are all heavenly beings created by God. I said in the sermon that this spirit would be what we would call an angel in our day. However, in the Old Testament, there are different types of created heavenly beings: watchers, princes, seraphs, cherubs, messengers, etc. The “messenger” is where we get our word “angel” because it is a transliteration of the Greek word for messenger (angellos). Created heavenly beings are even called gods in the Old Testament. The Hebrew word elohim is usually used of God in the Old Testament. But it is a plural word. In the Hebrew, a plural can be used of a single person or thing to assign special honor to it (called, not surprisingly, an “honorific plural”). That’s how elohim is used with God. But elohim is also translated simply as “gods” in the Old Testament, whether referring to angels or pagan deities. We rely on our English translators to decide for us what the word means in any given situation. We should realize that there are always other translation options.

So, there are righteous heavenly beings (“good angels”), and unrighteous heavenly beings (“fallen angels”, including Satan).¹ And even using the term “heavenly being” (which I usually do) is inexact, because, first, God, man, and angel were meant to all dwell together according to God’s original design (where heaven and earth are the same place), and second, the “fallen” spiritual beings are fallen because they are no longer allowed in heaven (heaven and earth are not the same place yet). These beings now dwell on earth.

Regardless, to answer the first question, all “spirits” – whether righteous for unrighteous – are what we would today call angels. And God uses righteous (obedient) angels to carry out temporal judgments and temporal salvation, and He allows fallen angels to torment men for His purposes, as well. To answer the second question, because of the way the Hebrew is written in 16:14: “a harmful spirit from YHWH,” I believe it is a righteous angel willingly doing YHWH’s bidding. It was sent by YHWH. Note that we are told in verse 14 that a harmful spirit from YHWH tormented Saul, but in verse 15 his servant calls it a harmful spirit from “God.” This is our word elohim. This can just as easily be translated as “a harmful spirit from the gods.” So when he says elohim, he can be referring to angels, pagan deities, or God. It may just be that as many would assume in the 11th century B.C., that a mental or emotional issue was caused by a spirit sent by the person’s deity or deities. Or, he may be saying it is a “harmful spirit of (from among) the gods.” The preposition “from” is in verse 14 (“from YHWH”) but is not in verse 15. Hebrew also has a word that serves no purpose other than to identify the direct object of a preposition. This direct object marker is in verse 14 (connecting “from” with “YHWH”), but not verse 15. Verse 14 makes explicit that the spirit is from YHWH. But what the servant is saying is ambiguous. Even if the ESV gets it right: “a harmful spirit from God,” that doesn’t mean the servant knew what we are told in verse 14.

Now the practical question: how can we identify “harmful spirits” today and how to we deal with them? In the New Testament – including Jesus’s own teaching – righteous angels are held up as protectors of the elect and as agents of God’s salvation for us. This has, of course, always been the case. God does not use righteous angels to do anything harmful to His spiritual people. However, the powers of darkness remain a very real threat for us. They will tempt us to sin, and they may even cause us physical or emotional harm. But they cannot do us spiritual harm. The Holy Spirit resides in us and has all the power. But if there is a supernatural harm (physical, emotional, etc.) being done to a believer, it is not one of God’s righteous angels, but a fallen angel. And it is done with God’s permission. And our response should be prayer and reliance on God.

We do not get instructions for exorcisms in the Bible, or details on how to overpower the powers of darkness in a one-on-one battle. But we have been given authority over them. And we know that even righteous angels rely on the power of God to battle the powers of darkness (Jude 9). When Paul tells us how to fight our spiritual war (Eph 6:10-18), don’t miss that the sword of the Spirit is the Word of God along with prayer (” the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication”). What we do to battle the powers of darkness personally are more preventive than offensive (the faith, truth, etc. that is our armor). Our offensive is done as the church in the expansion of the kingdom through the preaching of the Gospel. When we gain ground (even one soul!), the powers of darkness have permanently lost that ground.

The overcoming of the powers of darkness is a primary function of the church. It is, along with God’s salvation from sin and death, the overarching theme of the Bible. Many people miss this, especially in an age where the supernatural is discounted, even sadly by many Christians. We need to take this responsibility – and the war we are in – very seriously.

¹ There is also a distinction in some Ancient Near East writings between demons and unrighteous spiritual beings, or what we call fallen angels.

Here is a question and some thoughtful insight I received based on this Sunday’s sermon on 1 Samuel 16:1-13:

In today’s sermon, Samuel anointed David as the next king of Israel. How much time transpired between Samuel’s anointing and David ascending to the throne? I’m asking because very often when we believe that we’ve heard from God about a decision or next step in our lives, and then nothing happens, we can become discouraged and or begin to doubt. Pastor Lee pointed out that David was anointed and went back to tend his sheep, but operated from that new anointing from that point forward. It’s Interesting that the Bible didn’t say that the anointing or rush of the rush Holy Spirit was delayed or postponed UNTIL he was crowned king! How often did God equip us immediately for a specific ministry or calling and we operate under that new anointing, sometimes for years, before we actually obtain the very position He has ordained for us.

We don’t get an exact answer in the Bible as to how long David waited. The entire timeline of Saul’s reign is sketchy and offers no help here. Regarding the start of his reign, we have 1 Samuel 13:1. However, the only existing Hebrew texts are missing words, making it difficult to translate. The Greek Old Testament skips that verse entirely. We also don’t get an age at his death. The only information we have is in Acts 13:21 where Paul says he reigned 40 years. Even that, though, is not necessarily literal, as “40 years” is used non-literally in Hebrew writings, like the idiom “40 days and 40 nights.” Regardless, there are no chronological markers given to know exactly when during Saul’s reign David was anointed.

So we have to put it together from other information. We know that David was the youngest of Jesse’s sons, and that he was not in the army of Israel like his three oldest brothers when he was anointed. That means that he was under 20. How many brothers were there between him and those in the army? Here again, the information is sketchy. 1 Samuel 17:12 tells us David was the youngest of eight. 1 Chronicles 2:15 tells us he was the youngest of seven. This could be due to a scribal error in 1 Chronicles. If we assume the children were all pretty close together (as they were back then), then David was somewhere around perhaps sixteen years old when he was anointed in 1 Samuel 16. He was 30 when he began his reign (2 Samuel 5:4). So my best guess is that he had to wait about 14 years to receive the kingdom. That’s a long time to wait for anything, from a human perspective. Especially considering what he had to endure during those years.

But the history of salvation is a history of waiting. From the first promise of the Redeemer (Genesis 3:15) to His coming was thousands of years. And we see even in Seth (Genesis 4:25) and Noah a few generations later (Genesis 5:29) that there was expectation for the promise to be fulfilled pretty quickly. Then, Noah was building the Ark for years or even decades before the flood came. How much doubt do you think he experienced in that time? Then we have Abraham and Sarah, who had to wait 25 years for the promise of a son to be fulfilled. And we know they doubted and got discouraged.

And it doesn’t end there. Israel had to suffer for 430 years in Egypt. They had to wander 40 more years in the wilderness (and think about Moses who never even got to set foot in the Promised Land after all of it!). They had to suffer 70 years in captivity. They had to wait 400+ years for God to speak to them again between the Testaments.

Christ Himself had to wait 34-36 years before His public ministry began, knowing all the while what awaited Him. The New Testament church suffered persecution for nearly 300 years, and in many places still does. Not to mention, here we are almost 2,000 years later and we are still patiently waiting for Christ’s promised return.

God does not work according to human timelines.

And I can speak from experience, as well. I knew in 2005 that God was calling me to be a pastor. I prayed and prayed for Him to make a way for me to leave the secular world and become a full-time pastor. It was all I wanted. I waited 5 years before I got the opportunity to pastor part-time, remaining bi-vocational. I did not become a full-time pastor until 2021. I waited 16 years for God to make a way for me to do what He made clear to me was His will for me. And there were times I got discouraged and thought maybe my own desires were clouding His will for me, but He did not waiver even when I did.

God often anoints us for a task or vocation, gives us the desire and the gifting, but then withholds the opportunity for a time – maybe a long time. I believe that God’s timing is always right, and that the time we are made to wait is used to prepare us for what we will face when we get the opportunity. Our faith will be stronger and our own fulfillment in God’s gracious gift will be greater.

David trusted God through those 14 years, even refusing to take matters into his own hands to expedite his kingship. That is the kind of faith and patience we should strive for.

If you are a reader of our blog, you know that last year I posted every day as we walked through the entire Bible in one year. If you did not join us for that, the posts are still available and you can do it this year! If you did join us, what is the next step? How do we expand upon our detailed walk through the Bible?

Well, there are a number of things I like to do to go deeper into the Bible while at the same time keeping the Bible exciting and fresh. For example, I spent a few years reading through the Bible in a year using different English translations. That is a great and easy way to expand your Bible knowledge. The English Standard Version, the New American Standard Bible, and the Christian Standard Bible are all great translations. It is also helpful, and sometimes easier, to read a somewhat looser translation, like the New International Version or the New Living Translation. You’d be surprised at the things you realized you’ve been missing in your usual translation. I highly suggest that you avoid paraphrases like the Message, because they change the meaning of the text in many places. I also would steer clear of the King James Version (and New King James Version) for a number of reasons, including the fact that the manuscript used is very outdated and the translation philosophy is lacking.

Another good resource are translations of the Bible that exclude the headings and even the verse markers This makes it read more like it was written. It can help you to see things you haven’t seen before, because we tend to break up the narratives or letter subheadings according to the headings and verses in our Bibles. These are not original to the text. It may sound silly, but reading a letter like a letter is eye-opening!

Another way to see the Bible with new eyes is to hear it. Listening to an audio Bible can help you focus on aspects of the narrative you haven’t noticed before. I find that the narrative portions of the Bible (Genesis – Esther in the Old Testament, the Gospel accounts and Acts in the New) are great to listen to. While I personally don’t find it as easy, listening to the New Testament epistles may be rewarding for some, because that is how the early church would have known them: they would have heard them read in a public gathering.

Something else I have done that sounds a little crazy but is so very worth it, is read through the entire Bible as quickly as you can. It is not about getting through it. What happens is you are able to make connections you normally don’t, from chapter to chapter, book to book, and even across the two Testaments. For example, when you read Paul quoting an Old Testament book that you read just a few weeks ago, the context is fresh in your mind and you get more of what Paul is trying to communicate. If you are an avid reader, it is not difficult to get through the whole Bible in two or three months.

What I also like to do, and I highly suggest doing, is read an epistle in one sitting. They were letters, not books. Reading them as they were intended to be read helps us get the big picture of the letter. I have also read the same epistle every day for a week, or even a month. You start to memorize passages without even trying. Even more, you start to anticipate what’s coming, so what you read in Galatians 1 becomes easier to connect with Galatians 6 because you just read it yesterday. You start to see the natural progression of longer letters like Romans or 1 Corinthians, and it really helps us understand Paul’s logical arguments.

Getting a good study Bible is a great way to dig deeper into the Bible. The Reformation Study Bible and the Faithlife Study Bible are two really good ones.

If you want to really go deep, I would suggest a good, and preferably recent, commentary. Why recent? Our understanding of the ancient languages is getting better all the time. We are making new discoveries of ancient texts. Even the extra-Biblical texts we have found in the last few decades have shed so much more light on the language, thought, and worldview of the Biblical writers. Older commentaries are at a distinct disadvantage. However, know that good commentaries can be very cost prohibitive. I suggest the New International Commentary.

There are also some really great podcasts out there. Some are a little more scholarly than others, but they all offer good Biblical insights. I suggest Renewing Your Mind, Credo Podcast, Reasonable Theology, Reformed Forum, and The Naked Bible Podcast. In addition, there are innumerable blogs about the Bible, monthly periodicals, and theological journals if you like to read.

There is nothing more rewarding than knowing God through His Word. There are so many resources to help us do that. We just each need to find the best way for ourself. So try different things until you hit on something that opens your eyes to the wonder of God’s Word and your heart to the illumination of His Spirit.

This question was asked in the context of the Amalekites that were devoted for destruction by God in 1 Samuel 15:3. Are the Amalekite infants and children who were slaughtered in heaven since they were younger than the age of accountability?

To answer this question, I need to change the question. I do not believe in an age of accountability. I do not see where the Bible teaches it.

The whole idea is a holdover from Judaism.  A person was believed to be innocent until they could discern moral right from moral wrong.  That is why the Bar/Bat Mitzvah would happen.  It literally means “son/daughter of the commandment.”  It was the age that a Jew would take responsibility for their own actions before God.  In the Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic Church added the sacrament of Confirmation to be pretty much the same thing.  Only in the Roman Catholic Church, they believe that baptism washes away original sin, and it is only individual sins that are the basis for judgment.  When someone is “confirmed,” they are confirming their baptism and taking responsibility for their actions.  Neither of these systems (Judaism or Roman Catholicism) believe that grace alone saves; our actions, at least in part, determine our standing with God.

In modern Protestantism, the whole “age of accountability” thing is an Arminian doctrine.  They believe that you have to “accept” Jesus and His salvation in order to be saved.  You have to do something.  So until someone is mentally able to understand the Gospel and what they are accepting, they cannot be held responsible.  They will often appeal to David’s comments about his dead son (see 2 Sam 12:23) and the places the Bible speaks of children as not knowing good from evil (see Deut 1:39, Isa 7:15-16) as proof of the doctrine.  However, David could just as easily be speaking of death.  His child can not come back to the world of the living, but David will eventually go to the place of the dead.  In the case of Deuteronomy 1:39, God is speaking about one particular sin: the unbelief of that whole generation (save for Joshua and Caleb).  God is taking from them what they were promised if they obeyed and is giving it to their children.  Isaiah 7:15-16 is referring to a child not knowing morally right from morally wrong, but that speaks about knowledge, not about guilt before God.

The question really is this: is knowingly committing morally evil acts the basis for reprobation?

While the reprobate will be judged for what they do, this is not why they are excluded from salvation. Revelation 20:11-15 is a popular passage for those who claim it is our moral actions that result in reprobation. But while the reprobate are here said to be judged for their actions, the reason they are thrown into the lake of fire is that their names are not written in the book of life (Rev 20:15). Yes, we are responsible for our actions, but it is our sin – not our sins – that condemn us. It is our very nature as those in Adam – not our actions – that make us guilty before God (Ps 51:5). We are all by nature condemned, and it is only God’s grace that saves us (Rom 5:12-21, Eph 2:1-10). This being the case, our actions at no point determine our standing with God, whether an infant or an adult. In addition, on this side of the cross, discerning good from evil is a spiritual matter; not a matter of physical maturity, but spiritual (Heb 5:11-14, 1 Cor 3:1-3).

Now, to answer the heart of question, if we take the witness of the entire Bible and what it says about the nature of God, I would say that it is not out of the realm of possibility that God in His grace only allows the elect to die in infancy.  The Bible doesn’t say that, but the character of God certainly doesn’t exclude it, and may even lead us to that conclusion.  However, we need to balance that with passages like Romans 9, where God is said to prepare vessels of wrath and vessels of mercy from the womb (and even before that).  In the case of the Amalekites (or any of the people devoted to destruction), they were sentenced to death because of their sin.  The physical death is a type or picture of spiritual death for those outside of God’s chosen people.  But in the Old Testament, God punished people (including Israelites – see Num 16:25-33) along with their children when they sinned.  Does this mean the children were guilty of sin, too?  I don’t think that is a necessary conclusion.

So there are two questions here. First, does the Bible teach an age of accountability? No. Second, do infants and children who die go to heaven? The Bible doesn’t give a definitive answer, but it reveals enough about the character of God to give us a reasonable hope that the answer is yes.

This is a test blog post please ignore it. Thank you very much.

This is a test blog post please ignore it. Thank you very much.

Question: “What does the bible say about Forgiveness?”

Answer: “We can forgive because God forgave first.”

Forgiveness is defined as “the wiping out of an offense from memory; it can be effected only by the one affronted. Once eradicated, the offense no longer conditions the relationship between the offender and the one affronted, and harmony is restored between the two.”¹

The Forgiveness Process

The forgiveness process on the other hand is how we forgive. We often like to jump directly to forgiveness immediately after an offense but it is not that simple. Forgiveness has a process and without this process, I would argue, true forgiveness is not possible. The process of forgiveness is broken into 5 stages. Those stages are

1. Offense
2. Anger (Ephesians 4:26-27)
3. Confrontation (Ephesians 4:28-30)
4. Examination (Ephesians 4:31)
5. Forgiveness (Ephesians 4:32)

The Offense

The forgiveness process has to always start with an offense. Without an offense, there is nothing to forgive, therefore is no forgiveness process. Now the offense could be something as simple as someone forgetting your birthday/anniversary or as complex as someone cheating on you or gossiping about you. The offense is always the first stage of the forgiveness process.

Anger (Eph 4:26-27)

“²⁶ Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, ²⁷ and give no opportunity to the devil.”

The next stage is anger. This is our immediate and human response to an offense. When we find out someone was stealing from us, gossiping about us, or even lying to us we are immediately filled with anger. This is our emotional reaction to an offense and is not necessarily wrong. However, in Ephesians, we see that we should not let the sun go down on our anger. We should not live in our anger and we should not let it grow. Yes, we will immediately feel angry but we should work through our anger and into the other stages of forgiveness.

Confrontation (Eph 4:28-30)

“²⁸ Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. ²⁹ Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

After anger, comes a stage I think most people would like to forget about or skip over. It is the confrontation stage of forgiveness. Now confrontation tends to make some people very uncomfortable and if that is you we can just call this the “Conversation Stage”. The goal of this stage is to make known to the person who offended you that they have offended you. We can very easily rationalize in our minds that “They should know they hurt us” however they may not realize they hurt you or may not know how deeply it has hurt you. No matter what the offense we are still called to bring our hurts and the offense to the offender and make it known to them. This can be a very uncomfortable and vulnerable stage but it is a necessary stage in the forgiveness process. During this confrontation, we must take Paul’s words into consideration “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” (Eph 4:29)

Examination (Eph 4:31)

“³¹ Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.”

The fourth stage of forgiveness is the examination stage. This is the stage where you look in at yourself and out at your relationship with the offender. You will ask questions like

• What is something that is lost due to this conflict?
• What does my relationship look like with this person?
• What do I need to restore this relationship?
• Am I still holding resentment towards this person?
• What does my relationship with the person look like going forward?
• How can I love this person?

The goal of this stage is to recognize and remove the bitterness, wrath, anger, slander, and malice we have against this person.

Forgiveness (Eph 4:32)

“32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

And the last stage is forgiveness. This is not a one-and-done decision but a constant decision we need to make to forgive our offender. As we see in Ephesians we are called to be kind, tenderhearted, and forgive others. How and why should we do this? because God has forgiven us. We can forgive because God forgave first. God gives us the ability to forgive but that does not mean it’s easy. The forgiveness process may take days, months, or even years. We may wish we can go directly to the forgiveness part but forgiveness is a process and we must follow that process.

1. David Noel Freedman, ed., “Forgiveness,” The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 831.