Month: December 2023

Problem: In this passage, Isaiah writes, “So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen” (Isa. 1:15). However, Jesus taught, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Mt. 7:7-8). Will God answer our prayers or not?
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Problem: Moses commanded the use of sacrifices in the worship of the Lord, saying, “And you shall burn the whole ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the Lord; it is a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord” (Ex. 29:18). However, the later prophets seemed to repeatedly repudiate the sacrificial system. Hosea quotes the Lord, saying, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings” (Hos. 6:6). David confessed to God, “You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering” (Ps. 51:16). God declared through Jeremiah, “Your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet to Me” (Jer. 6:20).
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Problem: Isaiah writes, “What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?” says the Lord. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle; and I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats” (Is. 1:11). However, the Pentateuch prescribes these rituals. Are the prophets speaking against the priests? Do the prophets abrogate the need for Temple sacrifices? Some Jewish interpreters argue that the sacrificial system has been abrogated by prayer and good deeds. Is this the case?
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Problem: Does Song of Solomon 8:8 promote child marriage?

Song 8:8, “We have a little sister, and she has no breasts. What shall we do for our sister on the day when she is spoken for?”
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Problem: Solomon’s wife says, “Oh that you were like a brother to me who nursed at my mother’s breasts. If I found you outdoors, I would kiss you; no one would despise me, either” (Song 8:1). What does she mean by this?
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Problem: Solomon writes, “You have made my heart beat faster, my sister, my bride” (Song 4:10). Did Solomon have a romance with his sister.
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Problem: Groups like the LDS (Mormons), the World Mission Society Church of God, and the Swedenborgians argue that we existed in heaven as spirits prior to our physical birth on Earth. One of the most popular arguments among proponents of this view is to point to Ecclesiastes 12:7, particularly where it says “the spirit returns to God who gave it.” If our spirits return to God, so the argument goes, they must have been with God at some point before. They conclude, therefore, that we were once spirits living with God in heaven and we can return to our heavenly home when we die.
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Problem: Solomon writes, “Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart” (Eccl. 11:9). Why would Solomon write this, when elsewhere he criticizes leaning on our own understanding (Prov. 3:5) and trusting in our own immoral intuition (Prov. 14:12)?
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Problem: Solomon writes, “For the living know they will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten” (Eccl. 9:5). Are the dead conscious or unconscious?
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Problem: Solomon writes, “Do not be excessively righteous and do not be overly wise. Why should you ruin yourself?” (Eccl. 7:16) This is given in contrast to being “excessively wicked” (v.17). Should believers not strive for personal righteousness?
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Problem: Solomon writes, “For what advantage does the wise man have over the fool? What advantage does the poor man have, knowing how to walk before the living?” Does Solomon believe that wisdom is worthless?
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Problem: Do Job 1:21 and Ecc. 5:15 teach reincarnation? Job 1:21 and Ecc. 5:15
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Problem: The book of Ecclesiastes is a view of human purpose apart from God. But Christians often use this passage to apply to Christian marriage. Solomon writes, “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. 10 For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. 11 Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? 12 And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart” (Eccl. 4:9-12). Pastors often say that the third cord is God in Christian marriage. But is this a misappropriated vers
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Problem: Solomon writes, “I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime; 13 moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor—it is the gift of God” (Eccl. 3:12-13). Does this mean that hedonism is the purpose of life?
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