Problem: Balaam says, “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near; a star shall come forth from Jacob, a scepter shall rise from Israel, and shall crush through the forehead of Moab, and tear down all the sons of Sheth” (Num. 24:17). Biblical interpreters debate whether this is a biblical prophecy. This excerpt from the prophet Balaam is short, but seems to be predictive of the Messiah. Is this the case?
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Problem: Can Jesus be God if God is not a man (Numbers 23:19)? Context is everything. Let’s first take a look at the verse.
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Problem: Numbers records, “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent” (Num. 23:19). Orthodox Jewish interpreters argue that this passage invalidates the notion that God could ever become a man (Jn. 1:14; Col. 2:9). Is this the case?
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Problem: Originally, God tells Balaam: “Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you” (Num. 22:21). But, in the very next verse, he gets angry with Balaam for going with him. Is this a sign of caprice on God’s behalf?
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Problem: John writes, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; 15 so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life” (Jn. 3:14-15). Why does Jesus claim that the story of the brazen (Num. 21:4-9) serpent prefigures his death on the Cross?
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Problem: Why would God kill someone for something as insignificant as gathering sticks? Does not seem a little excessive? The issue is that God had commanded the people of Israel to be set apart from the pagan ways of the unbelievers. There were many symbolic gestures that God instituted among his people. The Sabbath was a holy day. Ultimately, it represents the sacrifice of Christ in that we rest from our obligation to keep the law in order to be saved. Gathering sticks is work on that day of rest. It is, ultimately, a defiance of the atoning work of Christ. Of course, the person gathering sticks on the Sabbath hundreds of years before Jesus was born would not have known this. But, God set up a system by which salvation could come in the Sabbath is, ultimately, a sample of the work of Christ in our rest in him. So, to violate that is to ultimately deny the cross.
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Problem: In some verses of Scripture, people see God. But, in other verses, it says they cannot see God? Is this a contradiction? It is not if you understand the Trinity and the context of those verses.
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Problem: Numbers 12:3 states “Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.” And yet, he himself was the author of this verse. How could Moses be humble, if he called himself humble?
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Problem: A wave offering was an offering that the priest would “wave” in front of the Tabernacle. For instance, a priest might wave his own food in front of the Tabernacle, but then eat it for his own use. In Numbers 6:20, we read, “Then the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the Lord. It is holy for the priest, together with the breast offered by waving and the thigh offered by lifting up; and afterward the Nazirite may drink wine.” Therefore, the wave offering did involve literal waving. Ronald Allen writes,
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Problem: The Nazarite vow could be for either “a man or woman” (v.1). It included a number of things:
No grapes or raisins (v.3).
No cutting your hair (v.5). This was a symbol for their dedication (v.7).
No going near a dead body (v.6).
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Problem: When a jealous husband suspected his wife of infidelity, the man was supposed to take the suspected wife before the high priest. The high priest would have her drink bitter water to determine her guilt. If her stomach swelled after drinking the water, she was guilty. If it didn’t, then she was innocent. Critics charge that this passage looks very similar to a magical incantation. Is this the case?
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Problem: The context of the “Thou shall not make a graven image” passages is dealing with the worship of false things. Exodus 20:4 states that no one is to make an image of what is in heaven, so that you may not worship them or bow down to them (20:5). This is reiterated in Leviticus 26:1. The Deuteronomy passages, contextually, are dealing with the same thing: an admonition against worshipping a false image. God does not want people bowing down before idols and worshiping false gods.
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Problem: Does the Bible say that it is okay for us to buy slaves? Does it encourage a slave trade? Critics of Christianity claim so, often pointing to passages like Leviticus 25:44. Is this really what the verse is saying? Let’s take a look:
Problem: Leviticus records, “If there is a man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, one who commits adultery with his friend’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death” (Lev. 20:10). Why was adultery met with such a severe punishment?
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Problem: Critics argue that arbitrary laws like this seem quite bizarre. Why would God care about trimming our beards or getting tattoos?
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