Month: June 2023

Problem: Atheist Richard Dawkins considers the war over Canaan to be one of the most morally atrocious aspects of the OT.[1] In his book The God Delusion, he writes,

The Bible story of Joshua’s destruction of Jericho, and the invasion of the Promised Land in general, is morally indistinguishable from Hitler’s invasion of Poland, or Saddam Hussein’s massacres of the Kurds and the Marsh Arabs. The Bible may be an arresting and poetic work of fiction, but it is not the sort of book you should give your children to form their morals. As it happens, the story of Joshua in Jericho is the subject of an interesting experiment in child morality.[2]
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Problem: Why would God order the destruction of men, women, and children? Several reasons could be offered. First, God has the right to execute all people because all people are, by nature, fallen (Ephesians 2:3). Also, it could be that by destroying people at young ages, they will not grow up to be pagans and would then be saved. Third, in the context of God destroying people, entire groups of people in the Old Testament, it is to guarantee the arrival of the Messiah. Let’s take a look.
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Problem: Different translations render this number differently: The NKJV and AV say it is “one year.” The NASB and ASV say Saul was “forty” when he began to reign. The RSV simply leaves this section blank. Which is correct?
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Problem: God says, “They have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them. 8 Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought them up from Egypt even to this day—in that they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also” (1 Sam. 8:7-8). Why would God say that desiring a king was sinful, if he included instructions for the king in Deuteronomy 17:14-20?
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Problem: Originally, God promised to work through the priestly line of Aaron—Eli’s ancestor (Ex. 29:9; Num. 25:13). However, this passage appears to be stating that God is breaking a promise that he formerly made. God promises to kill Eli’s sons: Hophni and Phinehas (v.34). How does this harmonize with the fact that God cannot break a promise or lie to us (Heb. 6:18; Titus 1:2)?
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Problem: Hannah makes a vow to give her future baby to God if she becomes pregnant. Does God answer prayers based on vows like this?
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Problem: After Boaz lay down, the text says that Ruth “uncovered his feet and lay down” with him. Some critics argue that this is a way of saying that Ruth had sex with Boaz.
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Problem: Naomi tells Ruth, “[Boaz] is a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers” (Ruth 2:20 ESV). What does she mean by Boaz being a “redeemer”?
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Problem: Why did the Israelites kill the people of Gilead? As with so many difficult issues concerning the word of God, context is hugely important. In Judges 19:22-30, the wicked men of Gibeah (a city in Israel of the tribe of Benjamin, 1 Sam 13:15) demanded sexual relations with the Levites who were staying at a house in that city. The owner of the house, to his utter shame, offered his virgin daughter and the Levite’s concubine. Both the man and the Levite should have defended the women even to their deaths, but they both failed miserably in their moral duty. Nevertheless, the men of the city took the concubine, sexually abused her all night, and then released her. She died at the door of the house in which the Levite rested.
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Problem: Suicide is clearly wrong. However, God blesses Samson for committing suicide in this passage by answering his prayer for supernatural strength.

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Problem: The Bible teaches that believers should not marry non-believers (Ex. 34:11-16; Deut. 7:1-4). However, this passage states that Samson’s marriage “was of the Lord” (Judg. 14:4). How can this be the case?
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From Numbers 6:1-21 we see that the Nazarite vow could be for either “a man or woman” (v.1). It included a number of things:

1. No wine (v.3)

2. No grapes or raisins (v.3).

3. No cutting your hair (v.5). This was a symbol for their dedication (v.7).

4. No going near a dead body (v.6).
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Problem: The Bible denounces human sacrifice (Lev. 18:21; 20:2-5; Deut. 12:31; 18:10). However, Jephthah kills his daughter on a burnt offering, and the NT praises him for it (Heb. 11:32)! Regarding this passage, atheist Richard Dawkins writes, “God was obviously looking forward to the promised burnt offering, and in the circumstances the daughter very decently agreed to be sacrificed.”[1] How can this be the case?
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