Part 13
They cried, but there was none to save them; even unto the Lord, but he answered them not. (Ps. 18 : 41.)
God is Peaceful.
The God of peace. (Rom. 15 : 33.)
God is not the author of confusion, but of peace. (1 Cor. 14 : 33.)
God is Warlike.
The Lord is a man of war. (Ex. 15 : 3.)
The Lord of Hosts is his name. (Is. 51 : 15.)
Blessed be the Lord, my strength, which teacheth my hands to war and my fingers to fight. (Ps. 144 : 1.)
God is Kind, Merciful, and Good.
The Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy. (James 5 : 11.)
For he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men. (Lam. 3 : 33.)
For his mercy endureth forever. (1 Chron. 16 : 34.)
I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God. (Ezek. 18 : 32.)
The Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works. (Ps. 145 : 9.)
Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. (1 Tim. 2 : 4.)
God is love. (1 John 4 : 16.)
Good and upright is the Lord. (Ps. 25 : 8.)
God is Cruel, Unmerciful, Destructive, and Ferocious.
I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them. (Jer. 13 : 14.)
And thou shalt consume all the people which the Lord thy God shall deliver thee; thine eye shall have no pity upon them. (Deut. 7 : 16.)
Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not, but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling. (1 Sam. 15 : 2, 3.)
Because they had looked into the ark of the Lord, even he smote of the people fifty thousand, and three score and ten men. (1 Sam. 6 : 19.)
The Lord thy God is a consuming fire. (Deut. 4 : 24.)
The Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon them, ... and they died. (Josh. 10 : 11.)
God's Anger is Slow, and Endures but for a Moment.
The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy. (Ps. 103 : 8.)
His anger endureth but a moment. (Ps. 30 : 5.)
God's Anger is Fierce, Frequent, and Endures Long.
And the Lord's anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the Lord was consumed. (Num. 32 : 13.)
And the Lord said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the Lord against the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel. (Num. 25 : 4.)
For ye have kindled a fire in mine anger which shall burn forever. (Jer. 17 : 4.)
God is angry ["with the wicked," interpolated by the translators] everyday. (Ps. 7 : 11.)
And the Lord met him and sought to kill him. (Ex. 4 : 24.)
God Commands, Approves of, and Delights in Burnt Offerings, Sacrifices, and Holy Days.
Thou shalt offer every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement. (Ex. 29 : 36.)
On the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement; it shall be a holy convocation unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord. (Lev. 23 : 27.)
And thou shalt burn the whole ram upon the altar; ... it is a sweet savor; an offering made by fire unto the Lord. (Ex. 29 : 18.)
And the priest shall burn all on the altar to be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the Lord. (Lev. 1 : 9.)
God Disapproves of, and has no Pleasure in, Burnt Offerings, Sacrifices, and Holy Days.
For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices. (Jer. 7 : 22.)
Your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet unto me. (Jer. 6 : 20.)
Will I eat of the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? Offer unto God thanksgiving, and pay thy vows unto the Most High. (Psalm 50 : 13, 14.)
Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.... To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord. I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts, and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand? (Is. 1 : 13, 11, 12.)
God Forbids Human Sacrifice.
Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them [the Gentile nations;] ... for every abomination to the Lord which he hateth have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters have they burnt in the fire to their gods. (Deut. 12 : 30, 31.)
God Commands and Accepts Human Sacrifices.
No devoted thing that a man shall devote unto the Lord of all that he hath, both of man and of beast, and of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed; every devoted thing is most holy unto the Lord. None devoted, which shall be devoted of men, shall be redeemed, but shall surely be put to death. (Lev. 27 : 28, 29.)
The king [David] took the two sons of Rizpah, ... and the five sons of Michael; ... and he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the hill before the Lord.... And after that God was entreated for the land. (2 Sam. 21 : 8, 9, 14.)
And he [God] said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering. (Gen. 22 : 2.)
And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the Lord, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into my hands, then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the Lord's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering. So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the Lord delivered them into his hands.... And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house and behold, his daughter came out to meet him.... And he sent her away for two months; and she went with her companions and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains. And it came to pass at the end of two months that she returned unto her father, who did according to his vow which he had vowed. (Judges 11 : 30, 31, 32, 34, 38, 39.)
God Tempts No Man.
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man. (James 1 : 13.)
God Does Tempt Men.
And it came to pass after these things that God did tempt Abraham. (Gen. 22 : 1.)
And again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go number Israel and Judah. (2 Sam. 24 : 1.)
And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God and escheweth evil? And still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause. (Job. 2 : 3.)
O Lord, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived, [marginal reading, enticed.] (Jer. 20 : 7.)
Lead us not into temptation. (Mat. 6 : 13.)
God Cannot Lie.
God is not a man, that he should lie. (Num. 23 : 19.)
It was impossible for God to lie. (Heb. 6 : 18.)
God Lies; He Sends Forth Lying Spirits to Deceive.
Ah, Lord God! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people. (Jer. 4 : 10.)
Wilt thou be altogether unto me as a liar? (Jer. 14 : 18.)
For this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie. (2 Thes. 2 : 11.)
Now, therefore, behold, the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil concerning thee. (1 Kings 22 : 23.)
Then God sent an evil spirit. (Judges 9 : 23.)
And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the Lord have deceived that prophet. (Ezek. 14 : 9.)
Because of Man's Wickedness God Destroys him.
And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.... And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created. (Gen. 6 : 5, 7.)
Because of Man's Wickedness God will Not Destroy him.
And the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every living thing. (Gen. 8 : 21.)
God's Attributes are Revealed in his Works.
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead. (Rom. 1 : 20.)
God's Attributes Cannot be Discovered.
Canst thou, by searching, find out God? (Job. 11 : 7.)
There is no searching of his understanding. (Is. 40 : 28.)
There is but One God.
The Lord our God is one Lord. (Deut. 6 : 4.)
There is none other God but one. (1 Cor. 8 : 4.)
There is a Plurality of Gods.
And God said, Let us make man in our image. (Gen. 1 : 26.)
And the Lord God said, Behold the man is become as one of us. (Gen. 3 : 22.)
And the Lord appeared unto him [Abraham] in the plains of Mamre.... And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and lo, three men stood by him; and when he saw them he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, and said, My Lord, if now I have found favor in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant. (Gen. 18 : 1, 2, 3.)
For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. (1 John 5 : 7.)
MORAL PRECEPTS.
Robbery Commanded.
When ye go, ye shall not go empty; but every woman shall borrow of her neighbor, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver and jewels of gold, and raiment; and ye shall put them upon your sons and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians. (Ex. 3 : 21, 22.)
And they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment.... And they spoiled the Egyptians. (Ex. 12 : 35, 36.)
Robbery Forbidden.
Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbor, neither rob him. (Lev. 19 : 13.)
Thou shalt not steal. (Ex. 20 : 15.)
Lying Commanded, Approved, and Sanctioned.
And the Lord said unto Samuel, ... I will send thee to Jesse, the Bethlemite; for I have provided me a king among his sons. And Samuel said, How can I go? If Saul hear it he will kill me. And the Lord said, Take a heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the Lord. (1 Sam. 16 : 1, 2.)
And the woman [Rahab] took the two men and hid them and said thus: There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were; and it came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out; whither the men went I wot not; pursue after them quickly, for ye shall overtake them. But she had brought them up to the roof of the house and hid them with the stalks of flax. (Josh. 2 : 4, 5, 6.)
Was not Rahab, the harlot, justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had them sent out another way? (James 2 : 25.)
And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men-children alive? And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them. Therefore God dealt well with the midwives. (Ex. 1 : 18-20.)
And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said, I will persuade him ... I will go forth and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him and prevail also; go forth and do so. (1 Kings 22 : 21, 22.)
Ye shall know my breach of promise. (Num. 14 : 34.)
For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory, why yet am I also judged as a sinner? (Rom. 3 : 7.)
Being crafty, I caught you with guile. (2 Cor. 12 : 16.)
Lying Forbidden.
Thou shalt not bear false witness. (Ex. 20 : 16.)
Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord. (Prov. 12 : 22.)
All liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone. (Rev. 21 : 8.)
Killing Commanded and Sanctioned.
Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor. (Ex. 32 : 27.)
So Jehu slew all that remained of the house of Ahab.... And the Lord said unto Jehu, Because thou hast done well in executing that which is right in mine eyes, and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in my heart, thy children of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel. (2 Kings 10 : 11, 30.)
Killing Forbidden.
Thou shalt not kill. (Ex. 20 : 13.)
No murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. (1 John 3 : 15.)
The Blood-Shedder Must Die.
At the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man. Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed. (Gen. 9 : 5, 6.)
The Blood-Shedder Must Not Die.
And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. (Gen. 4 : 15.)
The Making of Images Forbidden.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that in in the earth beneath. (Ex. 20 : 4.)
The Making of Images Commanded.
Thou shalt make two cherubims of gold.... And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another. (Ex. 25 : 18, 20.)
Slavery and Oppression Ordained.
Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. (Gen. 9 : 25.)
Of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy.... They shall be your bondmen forever; but over your brethren, the children of Israel, ye shall not rule with rigor. (Lev. 25 : 45, 46.)
I will sell your sons and daughters into the hands of the children of Judah, and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a people afar off; for the Lord hath spoken it. (Joel 3 : 8.)
Slavery and Oppression Forbidden.
Undo the heavy burdens.... Let the oppressed go free, ... break every yoke. (Is. 58 : 6.)
Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him. (Ex. 22 : 21.)
He that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death. (Ex. 21 : 16.)
Neither be ye called masters. (Mat. 23 : 10.)
Improvidence Enjoined.
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin.... If God so clothe the grass of the field ... shall he not much more clothe you?... Therefore, take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or what shall we drink? or wherewithal shall we be clothed?... Take, therefore, no thought for the morrow. (Mat. 6 : 28, 30, 31, 34.)
Give to every man that asketh of thee, and of him that taketh away thy goods, ask them not again.... And lend, hoping for nothing again, and your reward shall be great. (Luke 6 : 30, 35.)
Sell that ye have and give alms. (Luke 12 : 33.)
Improvidence Condemned.
But if any provide not for his own, especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. (1 Tim. 5 : 8.)
A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children. (Prov. 13 : 22.)
Anger Approved.
Be ye angry and sin not. (Eph. 4 : 26.)
And he [Elisha] turned back and looked on them and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she-bears out of the wood and tare forty and two children of them. (2 Kings 2 : 24.)
And when he had looked round about on them with anger, ... he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. (Mark 3 : 5.)
Anger Disapproved.
Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry; for anger resteth in the bosom of fools. (Eccl. 7 : 9.)
Make no friendship with an angry man. (Prov. 22 : 24.)
The wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. (James 1 : 20.)
Good Works to be Seen of Men.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works. (Mat. 5 : 16.)
Good Works Not to be Seen of Men.
Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them. (Mat. 6 : 1.)
Judging of Others Forbidden.
Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged. (Mat. 7 : 1, 2.)
Judging of Others Approved.
Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? And if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? How much more things that pertain to this life? If, then, ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church. (1 Cor. 6 : 2, 3, 4.)
Do not ye judge them that are within? (1 Cor. 5 : 12.)
Jesus Taught Non-Resistance.
Resist not evil, but whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn him the other also. (Mat. 5 : 39.)
All they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. (Mat. 26 : 52.)
Jesus Taught and Practiced Physical Resistance.
He that hath no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one. (Luke 22 : 36.)
And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple. (John 2 : 15.)
Jesus Warned his Followers Not to Fear Being Killed.
Be not afraid of them that kill the body. (Luke 12 : 4.)
Jesus Himself Avoided the Jews for Fear of Being killed.
After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him. (John 7 : 1.)
Public Prayer Sanctioned.
And Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord, in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven. [Then follows the prayer.] And it was so, that when Solomon had made an end of praying all his prayer and supplication unto the Lord, he arose from before the altar of the Lord, from kneeling on his knees, with his hands spread up to heaven.... And the Lord said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication that thou hast made before me. (1 Kings 8 : 22, 54, and 9 : 3.)
Public Prayer Disapproved.
When thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are; for they love to pray standing in the synagogues, and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men.... But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret. (Mat. 6 : 5, 6.)
Importunity in Prayer Commended.
Because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.... And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him? (Luke 18 : 5, 7.)
Because of his importunity he will rise, and give him as many as he needeth. (Luke 11 : 8.)
Importunity in Prayer Condemned.
But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do; for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be ye not therefore like unto them; for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask him. (Mat. 6 : 7, 8.)
The Wearing of Long Hair by Men Sanctioned.
And no razor shall come on his head; for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb. (Judges 13 : 5.)
All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head; until the days be fulfilled in the which he separateth himself unto the Lord, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow. (Num. 6 : 5.)
The Wearing of Long Hair by Men Condemned.
Doth not even nature itself teach you, that if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? (1 Cor. 11 : 14.)
Circumcision Instituted.
This is my covenant which ye shall keep between me and you and thy seed after thee: Every man child among you shall be circumcised. (Gen. 17 : 10.)
Circumcision Condemned.
Behold, I, Paul, say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. (Gal. 5 : 2.)
The Sabbath Instituted.
And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it. (Gen. 2 : 3.)
Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. (Ex. 20 : 8.)
The Sabbath Repudiated.
The new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity. (Is. 1 : 13.)
One man esteemeth one day above another; another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. (Rom. 14 : 5.)
Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holy day, or of the new moon; or of the Sabbath days. (Col. 2 : 16.)
The Sabbath Instituted because God Rested the Seventh Day.
For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it. (Ex. 20 : 11.)
The Sabbath Instituted for a Very Different Reason.
And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched-out arm; therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day. (Deut. 5 : 15.)
No Work to be Done on the Sabbath under Penalty of Death.
Whosoever doeth any work in the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. (Ex. 31 : 15.)
They found a man that gathered sticks upon the Sabbath day.... And all the congregation brought him without the camp and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the Lord commanded Moses. (Num. 15 : 32, 36.)
Jesus Broke the Sabbath and Justified the Act.
Therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him because he had done these things on the Sabbath day. (John 5 : 16.)
At that time Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were a hungered, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the Sabbath day. But he said unto them, ... Have ye not read in the law, how that on the Sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? (Mat. 12 : 1, 2, 3, 5.)
Baptism Commanded.
Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. (Mat. 28 : 19.)
Baptism Not Commanded.
For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel.... I thank God that I baptized none of you but Crispus and Gaius. (1 Cor. 1 : 17, 14.)
Every Kind of Animal Allowed for Food.
Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you. (Gen. 9 : 3.)
Whatsoever is sold in the shambles that eat. (1 Cor. 10 : 25.)
There is nothing unclean of itself. (Rom. 14 : 14.)
Certain Kinds of Animals Prohibited for Food.
Nevertheless, these shall ye not eat, of them that chew the cud or of them that divide the cloven hoof; as the camel and the hare, and the coney; for they chew the cud, but divide not the hoof; therefore, they are unclean unto you. And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcass. (Deut. 14 : 7, 8.)
The Taking of Oaths Sanctioned.
If a man vow a vow unto the Lord, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth. (Num. 30 : 2.)
He that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth. (Is. 65 : 16.)
Now, therefore, swear unto me here by God.... And Abraham said, I will swear.... There they sware both of them. (Gen. 21 : 23, 24, 31.)
Because he [God] could swear by no greater, he sware by himself. (Heb. 6 : 13.)
And I ... made them swear by God. (Neh. 13 : 25.)
The Taking of Oaths Forbidden.
But I say unto you, swear not at all; neither by heaven for it is God's throne; nor by the earth for it is his footstool. (Mat. 5 : 34.)
Marriage Approved and Sanctioned.
And the Lord said, It is not good that the man should be alone: I will make him a help-meet for him. (Gen. 2 : 18.)
And God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth. (Gen. 1 : 28.)