Wife, is desiring your husband a curse? (Genesis 3:16)

"Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee." -Genesis 3:16

In chapter 3 of Genesis we read of the fall of mankind after eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, casting all the world into the darkness of sin. From verses 14 through 19, God details the curses due to the fallen state, first addressing the serpent, then to Eve (and all women) and then to Adam (and all men). While addressing Eve, in the midst of the curses of painful childbirth and how she will be under her husband's authority, God says "and thy desire shall be to thy husband". So, is a woman's desire for her husband a curse?

We have all heard it preached how a wife should have desire for her husband (and no other man), and that is a good thing, but is this verse really talking about a wife wanting her husband? Given it is sandwiched in among verses of curse, there is a more likely explanation. After all, if a wife has desire for her husband, why must he rule over her?

The literal translation of this piece of scripture is "to your husband your desire". Additional words are added in an attempt to provide clairity to the wording but the literal passage is vague. Many translations render it similar to the King James wording above, but others are similar to the following:

"Your desire shall be contrary to your husband" -ESV

"And you will desire to control your husband" - NLT

That is quite a difference, "contrary" as opposed to "desire shall be to" or even "desire to control", wow! It has been said by many women how they want to change their man but let's not digress. Could these renderings be closer to the intended meaning?

While Adam and Eve enjoyed perfect harmony with the environment around them and with each other while in the Garden of Eden, scripture is clear that after the fall they and all mankind would have to endure constant struggle and conflict. All the curses God put forth reflect this. God will detail in other passages what His perfect will is for the family relationship hierarchy so I will not detail that here. But it is this writer's contention that the curse of Genesis 3:16 is not desire as we tend to think of it, but rather the power struggle men and women have with authority over the family. That her desire is not for her husband but for his position. So her desires would be better understood as "contrary" to her husband. Does she desire to control him? Well, I'll let the reader ponder that one.

God is our strength, not the world!

 When I tried to understand all this,

    it troubled me deeply

till I entered the sanctuary of God;

    then I understood their final destiny.

-Psalm 73 16-17 NIV

Do you ever look at the world around us and wonder why non-believers prosper the way they do while we as believers continuously struggle.  The writer of Psalm 73 wondered the same thing.  Take refuge in God's house among his people.

Did Jephthah set fire to his kid?

All the following scripture is from Judges 11:29-40:

29 Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Jephthah. He crossed Gilead and Manasseh, passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from there he advanced against the Ammonites. 30 And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord: “If you give the Ammonites into my hands, 31 whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the Lord’s, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.”

The Bible introduces us in this chapter to Jephthah as a mighty warrior but context is everything, so let's start with that. Jephthah is the only son of his father to be born of a prostitute. Due to this blemish, his other brothers forced him to flee so he would not receive any part of his father's inheritance. He then settled in the land of Tov, likely with other people of similar circumstance. The elders of Gilead must have heard of Jephthah's reputation and invited him back to help fight the Ammonites. While he was still bitter about being exiled, the elders eventually made him an offer he could not refuse, that changing his status from exile to a normal member of society.

As mighty and cunning as Jephthah was, there is a lot riding on this victory, so he turns to God for aid and makes a vow, should God bless him with such a victory. To make vows is not a bad thing but we are not to approach God with an attitude of deal making. Also, one is to be wise in vow making in order to avoid unintended consequenses, which in this case, is going to impact whatever or whoever walks through that door. But how are we to read that impact?

Hebrew scholars point out the vow consists of two parts, that the one who comes out shall belong to God and Jephthah will offer he/she/it up as a burnt offering. Important to point out here is ambiguity in the Hebrew of whether these two parts are connected by "and" or "or". It is reasonable to suggest that depending on what came out the door, either it is to be dedicated to God, or sacraficed as an offering.

A key thing to remember for the rest of this passage of scripture, the Holy Spirit has come upon Jephthah, thus he will not be guided in such a way that his actions and God's blessing upon them will not contradict the commands of scripture. God will not set down instructions to not do human sacrifice as the pagans did and then tell Jephthah to do a human sacrafice.

32 Then Jephthah went over to fight the Ammonites, and the Lord gave them into his hands. 33 He devastated twenty towns from Aroer to the vicinity of Minnith, as far as Abel Keramim. Thus Israel subdued Ammon.

Jephthah goes off to battle and God blesses him with a great victory.

34 When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter, dancing to the sound of timbrels! She was an only child.Except for her he had neither son nor daughter. 35 When he saw her, he tore his clothes and cried, “Oh no, my daughter! You have brought me down and I am devastated. I have made a vow to the Lord that I cannot break.” 

It was common in Jephthah's day that upon return from a great battle, the women would exit their homes in an attitude of celebration to greet the returning men. It is unlikely Jephthah would not have known this when he made his vow. He now realizes the unintended consequences of hasty decisions, but he knows that what was solemnly vowed to God, must be performed, even though it may be grievous to everyone concerned.

36 “My father,” she replied, “you have given your word to the Lord. Do to me just as you promised, now that the Lord has avenged you of your enemies, the Ammonites. 37 But grant me this one request,” she said. “Give me two months to roam the hills and weep with my friends, because I will never marry.”

May we all have the humble spirit displayed by this young woman. She gives no indication of bitterness or of any desire to avoid the vow. Make no mistake, this will be of great cost to her but she obediently submits to her father and to God. She asks only to mourn for her future with her friends. Notice the focus here is not on her life, but rather her never going to be married, thus to remain a virgin. Something that would seem trivial if her life was to be sacrificed. But in a society where women are valued for their ability to have children, this for her is quite the sacrifice, and not just for her. There will be no family line for Jephthah to pass anything to as his daughter is an only child.

38 “You may go,” he said. And he let her go for two months. She and her friends went into the hills and wept because she would never marry. 39 After the two months, she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed. And she was a virgin.

Jephthah grants his daughter her request and true to her word, she returns and his vow is carried out. She lives a life of seclusion, dedicated to God, never to know a man. Again, a focus on remaining celibate, not on death.

From this comes the Israelite tradition 40 that each year the young women of Israel go out for four days to commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.

This tradition is never mentioned again and was likely something done only during her lifetime.

The story of Jephthah is a tragic one, but also an example faith and holding true to one's word.

And the land had rest from war...

Near the end of Joshua's life,  Israel had conquered much of the land that God promised them.  The land had been long dominated by people who lived lives far from God, immersed in paganism and idolatry, enjoying to excesses every aspect of their lives.  But God can even use unbelievers and their desires and ambitions to accomplish His will.

For it was the Lord's doing to harden their hearts that they should come against Israel in battle, in order that they should be devoted to destruction and should receive no mercy but be destroyed, just as the Lord commanded Moses.  -Joshua 11:20

 There is a season for all things, a time for war and a time for rest.  During Joshua's time of rest, there is a beautiful moment.  The people of Reuben, Gad and half-tribe of Manasseh grew concerned that over time, they would be forgotten by those living west of the Jordan river, and would be denied access to worship at Jerusalem.  Their solution was to build a monument in the form of an altar, not to be used for worship, but to be used as a witness, a reminder that they also believe the Lord is God.  The western tribes, believing this was erected for sacrifices, were offended and afraid of God's judgement coming down on them all, so they set out to correct the issue, one way or the other, but peace and wisdom prevailed.

When Phinehas the priest and the chiefs of the congregation, the heads of the families of Israel who were with him, heard the words that the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the people of Manasseh spoke, it was good in their eyes. And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the people of Manasseh, “Today we know that the Lord is in our midst, because you have not committed this breach of faith against the Lord. Now you have delivered the people of Israel from the hand of the Lord.”

Then Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the chiefs, returned from the people of Reuben and the people of Gad in the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the people of Israel, and brought back word to them. And the report was good in the eyes of the people of Israel. And the people of Israel blessed God and spoke no more of making war against them to destroy the land where the people of Reuben and the people of Gad were settled. The people of Reuben and the people of Gad called the altar Witness, “For,” they said, “it is a witness between us that the Lord is God.”  -Joshua 22:30-34

Today, according to the media, we live in tumultuous times.  Fear and dread are always before us.  The future is uncertain but have peace that all is working according to God's perfect will.  Take some time to rest and remember, the Lord is in your midst as well.  Trust Jesus to be your witness that the Lord is God!

No, Jesus is not accepting of other religions.

Having a slow day at work, I got involved in a discussion about the morality of Trump after a Facebook friend posted a Fox News opinion piece with video.  Trump definitely has issues, but he is certainly not the worst we've had in the White House, as colorful as his issues are.   There are certainly areas of growth and improvement he should consider, but that is a conversation for another day. 

 As is usually the case when having these discussions with Alt-Left folks, to bolster their case they usually bring in other unrelated topics as their primary thrust of argument runs out of steam, like in this case, they turned to bashing the religious right's views on homosexuality.  One writer suggested Billy Graham went to hell because of his preaching against the sin, which is laughable.  Another writer, trying to justify their case attempted to use the passage of Luke 9:51-56, claiming Jesus was accepting of everyone, even other religions and thus would accept homosexuals,  She concentrated on the passage where Jesus rebuked the Apostles for suggesting the village should be nuked.  For reference, the scripture passage is as follows:

 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him.  But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem.  And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”  But he turned and rebuked them.  And they went on to another village.                                                                  -Luke 9:51-56  ESV

 In the above passage, Jesus is making his final trip to Jerusalem near the time of the Passover.  By this point, history had left Samaritans as a mixed race people following religious customs not in agreement with the Jews, thus the two groups would generally not get along.  Samaritans had little tolerance for Jewish religious customs and were particularly hostile to them during the times of the various festivals when travelers would be on the road days at a time. 

In this case, we see that they refused to provide shelter to Jesus and his companions.  Well, this irritated the sons of thunder, James and John, so they inquired of Jesus if they could call down fire from heaven, to punish the village.  It is not that Jesus believed the action was wrong generally, but that the punishment in this case did not fit the crime.  Hearkening back to Elijah, when fire was called down, it was because of a direct challenge of who was sovereign over Israel, Elijah or Ahaziah, and their respective gods.   The Samaritans, while not being hospitable, were posing no such challenge.

Jesus, did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it.  God is a jealous god and we are commanded to have no gods before him.  Accepting of other religions, I think not!  Jesus taught love and I believe we should love all people and I have no problem respecting them and their beliefs, but he also taught repentance, for He is a just god and he will exact his justice on those that do not accept Jesus.

Please don't use this angle to justify your sin and demand my acceptance of it.

It's up to us!

 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God[a] that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules,[b] then you shall live and multiply, and the Lordyour God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them,  I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess.  I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live,  loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”                                                                                                    -Deuteronomy 30:15-20

Next time someone complains about the direction our nation is going, remind them it is of their own doing.  God has not been silent on our morality or lack thereof.  The text is quite clear.  But people more and more are discounting Him, and not just ignoring him but out right denying him.  I've seen it written that it is 2018, why should we follow the teachings of an ancient sky god.  They should open their eyes and look around and behold what a world without God is becoming.

I am continuing my re-read of the Old Testament and my eyes have truly been opened to the wisdom contained on those pages!

A most wonderful blessing!

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord Lift up his countenance uponyou and give you peace.
                                                                              -Numbers 6:24-26 ESV

We believers are chosen by God before the foundations of the world. The only cost we are charged is to obey Him.  To be holy, for He is holy. We are to be different from those around us. We are not to conform to this world.

People make changes all the time to improve themselves, maybe even to improve peoples' lives in their communities and around the world.  Often these works meet with some success.  All too often, without the guidance of solid principles to guide the journey, people just drift from one cause to the next in pursuit of works conforming to the current worldly trend.  Does this bring us closer to God, to reap the blessing of that relationship?  No, for our righteousness is nothing more than filthy rags compared to that of He who created us.  Few have lived a life as dedicated to helping others as did Mother Teresa, but all her works did not bring her closer to God.

“I am told God lives in me — and yet the reality of darkness and coldness and emptiness is so great that nothing touches my soul,” she wrote at one point. “I want God with all the power of my soul — and yet between us there is terrible separation.” On another occasion she wrote: “I feel just that terrible pain of loss, of God not wanting me, of God not being God, of God not really existing.”  -From FOX News

Remember, it is not enough to turn away from your old nature if you are not turning toward a new nature that only God can provide through Jesus Christ.  If you don't have that new nature, you may just be continually turning, spinning in circles never reaching where God wants you to be. 

It took many lessons over many generations for the Old Testament people of Israel but eventually they obeyed and they were blessed. 

Our God is sovereign!

But Joseph said to them, "Do not fear, for am I in the place of God?  As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good... - Genesis 50:19-20a

If we have complete free will, then God is not sovereign.  But the Bible gives example after example of God's sovereignty.  He created everything from nothing.  The Heavens declare his glory.  His creatures are subservient to Him and they obey.  As for our will, we have what God foreknew and foreordained.  He knows us and works through our desires, albeit whether they are for evil or good, to bring about His will.

Adam and Eve were free in the garden to exercise their will within the boundaries set by God.  I do not believe their desires were evil, but their actions did introduce sin into the world, and God had a plan.  He was not shocked by their actions.   Our saviour  came to this world at His father's appointed time after a long chain of events and people were brought to pass, and it started with jealousy (sin) over a coat, Joseph's coat, and his brothers selling him into slavery (evil).  In the end, their lives were blessed, but not before they did evil.

Think about how God's will, in his sovereignty, has guided your life.

On Easter, what about Mary?

And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.  But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.-Luke 2:18-19 KJV

  When Klara had her son, I often imagine what she and Alois had in mind for how their son would grow into manhood, what aspirations they would have for his future. Would he be a laborer, a skilled craftsman, a professional, perhaps a teacher or professor? Would he be a family man? They would not live to see what their son would become, but the world would see very much what the fruits of Adolf Hitler's life would yield.

There was another mother 2000 years ago, and she was told many things about what the fruits of her son's life would be. She was able to see many miraculous things and hear wisdom from a man who not just spoke the words, but lived them. I can't help but wonder what was going through her mind in those final days, as she watched and could not intervene in what was happening to her baby. She must have asked herself what did my little boy do to be deserving of this?

Two mothers, two very different outcomes, two broken hearts.

God Bless a Mother's heart!

I don't have anything deep or new for today, but as we approach the coming celebration of Resurrection day, keep in mind all those that sacrifice for us!

Exegesis of Matthew 23:10

Recently I was trolling a Facebook group called KJV1611, which is dedicated to the idea of King James Bible Only-ism (KJVO). For those not familiar with this ideology, it is the idea that the King James Version Bible (KJV) is the only inerrant Bible for English speaking people. Extremists hold to the idea that the translation can actually be used to correct the underlying Greek and Hebrew. I’m not joking, just google Ruckmanism. Mainline KJVO believers often believe that one cannot be saved by any other English translation as God’s complete word can only be found in the KJV.

There are many more believers who just prefer the KJV without the heretical KJVO beliefs, and that is fine, they should not be lumped in with KJVOers. I firmly believe that they as anyone should use the version that best speaks to them, and I always encourage anyone to study out how our Bible came to be and the difference in the many versions that are out there. Dr. James White has said we probably have too many and I think there is some truth to that, but we live in a unique time to be able to study God’s word with the plethora of resources we have on hand. We should take full advantage of the opportunity not afforded to our ancestors in the distant past.

Anyway, the KJV1611 group recently posted a graphic attempting to cause confusion over the translation issue. It compared a single verse between the KJV and the NKJV translations, Matthew 23:10, implying that the NKJV translation causes a contradiction in scripture with Romans 12:6-8. The top of the graphic said, “Says DO NOT be called a teacher, then it’s listed as a gift?”, with the following verses quoted:

Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. KJV Matthew 23:10

And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. NKJV Matthew 23:10

Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: If prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. NKJV Romans 12:6-8

A common tactic for KJVO is to pull scripture out of context and concentrate strictly on the translation differences in wording. I will further explain the context in a moment, but Matthew 23:10 has nothing to do with Romans 12:6-8. I was bored and decided to jump into this discussion with the following transpiring. It is how these discussions basically go with KJVOers:

Me: I don’t see the problem. Master means a leader or teacher or guide.

Responder 1: It is a problem to a Bible believer who knows that every word in the KJB has it's own meaning within the context of Scripture, that is why we don't mess with God's words, and accept them as they stand !

The first responder tried the usual tact of the KJV is magically perfect and one should not mess with or question it.

The KJV is a fine translation and I even use it much of the time myself. The old English does take some getting used to. But consider the facts that scholars have learned a great deal about the languages and customs since 1611, more manuscript evidence has surfaced since then, and over time parts of the English language have changed significantly in meaning. The KJV translators themselves stated in their “Translators to the reader” section that their work would likely need revision in the future. That is what Bible versions since 1611 represent, the advance of our understanding.

Responder 2: You have the consider the whole context of this scripture. Jesus was addressing the 3 major religious titles in the world; Rabbi for the Jews... We have one Teacher, God. Father, which becomes the western religions, mainly the RCC and its offshoots... We have one Father, God. Then the eastern religions who use Master... we have one master, God. We are not to be giving the religious title of Rabbi, Father or Master to any but God.

The second responder attempted an exegesis or an explanation of the text but, well, it is what it is. Look folks, scripture has plenty to say if we just let it speak to us. Don’t try to force it into saying something it doesn’t. In this case, responder 2 is trying to make the scripture support their own dogma about Catholicism and Eastern religions. Some believe that the Bible may have something to say about those in texts like Revelations, but certainly not in these verses when viewed in context, as I will show. Our faith is not helped by this kind of manipulation!
To look at verse 10 in context, consider the following:

1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. 5 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries[a] wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others. 8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. -Matthew 23:1-12 NIV

Overall, Jesus is speaking against hypocrisy. To drive the point, he is using the Sadducees and Pharisees as an example (v. 1-2). The Jewish audience is told to follow their religious leaders’ instructions, but to not do as they do (v. 3a), for they say one thing but do another (v. 3b). They foist their burdens on others and when they do accomplish something, it is only done to be seen by others (v 4-5). They have an unhealthy pride in their position and want most of all to be seen by others in both religious and secular circles (v. 6). They want to be called Rabbi (v. 7) and Jesus warns us (v. 8-10) against seeking honorific titles for the sake of pride.

The take away is, Jesus is not making any statement against Catholics or Eastern religions. The exercise of gifts, like teaching, is of course not evil. The self-development required in getting an education and being awarded an earned title is not evil either. Just don’t live a life of hypocrisy and don’t let titles become a source of pride.

Above all, don’t believe everything you read on the internet. Like President Reagan said, “Trust but vierify.”

“… in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” -Acts 17:11

Somebody got a light?

And the people of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and family, and they went out from there every man to his inheritance. In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. -Judges 21:24-25 (ESV)

Just in the past week, the nation has experienced everything from shootings, protests over the shootings (supposedly driven by kids) for and against policies that will result in little more than the erosion of constitutional rights, the passing of abhorrent budget legislation, and tonight the nation is to be treated to an interview on 60 Minutes of a p0rn star that supposedly hooked the president. And the nation continues it's swirl down the proverbial toilet bowl. Anarchy is defined as a state of disorder due to absence or nonrecognition of authority, basically doing what is right in their own eyes. Doesn't the past week give evidence of every increasing levels of disorder?

Surely the nation has seen seemingly perilous times in its past. But I'm not sure the case can be made that those times were in conjunction with what really amounts to an increasing level of anarchy we are seeing today. Authority, secular and religious, is being rejected all over. Often it is with good reason as these institutions have not been immune to those same forces of societal decay that have permeated the country. Greed and the lack of sound education knows no bounds. Past generations provided these institutions so that succeeding generations could receive and build upon those ethical and moral edifices that make for a great society. They were once the fire that spread light throughout the world but are now barely a glowing ember, unable to repel the darkness.

It has been said that the night is darkest just before the dawn. This being Palm Sunday, we need to keep in mind as we enter upon this season of rebirth, that even if it gets darker still before the light, everything is a part of God's divine plan. It is up to each individual to "...not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Romans 12:2 ESV) If we are going to straighten out the country, it starts with each individual. Become the ember that ignites again the fire that spreads light and pushes back the darkness. It starts with us.

It starts with me.

I'm back!

I stepped away from doing any significant studies for quite a while.  In that time I learned a lot about Freemasonry by joining a lodge and working my up through the officer line.  I have also learned about myself being a caregiver to my lovely and ever encouraging wife.  Now I am back in God's word and soon to be resuming various studies in that area.  woohoo! Links to my writings have been fixed as well!