The Meaning Of Life

https://biblehub.com/nkjv/exodus/18.htm

It has been a few days since I’ve posted because I’ve been struggling with a passage recently, and I’ll explain in just a few paragraphs or so.

In this chapter. we see that Moses is suffering from burnout. God has appointed him judge over all of the people and they’ve been coming to him with all of their complaints, even the frivolous ones. His father-in-law Jethro comes to visit, sees what is going on, and suggests that Moses cannot continue with this routine, and suggests he makes “officer” among the group to handle the minor things, leaving most of the major things, the things the need guidance from the Lord, to Moses

https://biblehub.com/nkjv/exodus/19.htm

In this chapter, the children of Israel are still traveling towards the promised land. The come to the Wilderness of Sinai, and came at the base of the mountain. This is the same mountain where Moses saw the burning bush and talked to God.

And God tell Moses that the people need to bath and wash their clothing, because it is important that they sanctify themselves because they will be on Holy ground. And God tells Moses that on the 3rd Day, He will come down to the mountain and talk to the people. and here is why I have a problem. And I’m going to be bluntly honest.

Scripture says, “‘Take heed to yourselves that you do not go up to the mountain or touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. 13Not a hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot with an arrow; whether man or beast, he shall not live.”

I have a big problem with this. And in the future, we will read about a man named Achan, who disobeys God and God instructs Joshua to take Achan and his family and stone them to death.

I have a copy of the Hebrew Bible which I use to compare to the King James Version, just to make sure the translation is correct, and the Hebrew Bible says the same.

I don’t believe in a vengeful God who punishes and kills people for disobeying him. And there is a lot of evidence to back up my beliefs. If God killed people who disobeyed Him, why did He not immediately kill Cain who committed murder? Why did he not immediately kill Adam and Eve for disobeying Him? Why didn’t God kill David for committing adultery, and for instrumenting the death of Uriah? And there are many more examples as well.

But the biggest evidence for my belief, is that Jesus said, “If you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen the Father.” Did Jesus kill the Pharisees and Sadducees that were sinning against Him? And if God is so vengeful, why didn’t God himself kill them? Jesus was a loving, gentle man, so I therefore believe God is too.

Scripture also says, ““Go down and warn the people not to break through to see the LORD, lest many of them perish.” This and other passages leads me to believe that we are not worthy of seeing the Glory of God, and if we lay eyes on God, being the sinners that we are, His Glory alone will kill us.

Remember when Moses was in the presence of God on the mountain when God gave the Ten Commandments. Just being in His presence caused Moses’ face to shine so brightly that the Israelites couldn’t look at Moses, and he had to wear a veil to cover it.

Another time Moses asked to see God with his own two eyes. God told him “no”, but to turn and face a rock, and God would walk behind him. So the scripture that says that anyone who tries to climb the mountain to see God will perish, I believe it to mean that the brightness of His glory is too great for them, and will kill them.

But I can’t get my head wrapped around the part where He says that if anyone touches the mountain, they will be “stoned or shot through”. That is not the kind of God I worship. And if God is vengeful and kills the people who disobey Him, why are we even alive today?

I don’t have an answer, but I know that in those days, words do not impress the same presumptions we have today. For example, I had a problem with the word “fear”, that we should “fear” God. When I looked it up, the Hebrew language of the word “fear” could also mean “awe”, and I can plainly see where we should be in “awe” of God’s abilities, and His Glory, and his Mercy.

I also believe, that just like Job, when we are outright sinful and are not trying to repent, God may take away the “hedge of protection” against the devil, and let the devil have his way with our sinful hearts. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I hear non-believers all the time, especially after a disaster like a tornado or flood, saying “Where is your God now? Why didn’t He save you?” And, “If there is a loving God, why did He kill those people?” Not for one minute do I believe God causes these deaths, but I believe Satan does to intentionally make us doubt God, to disbelieve in God, to curse God. And if we fall for that, Satan wins.

So, I don’t know what these verses mean, but I don’t believe God is going to stone or shoot an arrow through the disobedient. There has to be another explanation, I just do not know it. And I’ve pray that the Spirit will give me answers, but so far, It hasn’t. And perhaps there is a logical explanation, and God isn’t showing it to me because He is testing my faithfulness.

So I say without hesitation, I can’t being to imagine what the writers of the Bible were going through, what their mindset was when they recorded these words, but I do not believe the scripture isn’t not literal in this case. And there are many things we will not understand, we simply have to pray for God’s interpretation and not man’s.

Amen.