What to do with the tough stuff - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

What to do with the tough stuff

Part

2Slide2

Manasseh

Let’s look at our “homework” material from the last session.We have before us two different accounts of the reign of King Manasseh son of Hezekiah.

Manasseh ala Kings

Manasseh ala ChroniclesSlide3

Manasseh

Before we begin, we need to get a few things nailed down.Recall from last week that there are five questions we need to answer before we begin our study.

Who wrote each of the books?

When were they written?

To whom were they written?

Why were they written?

Where were they written?Slide4

Manasseh

Before we begin, we need to get a few things nailed down.Recall from last week that there are five questions we need to answer before we begin our study.

Who wrote each of the books?

Kings: Written by the world famous author Anon E. Mouse

Technically ,that’s not totally true. Jewish tradition holds that Jeremiah

was the author. Modern scholarship does not accept this as likely. The bottom line is “we don’t know” who wrote Kings.Slide5

Manasseh

Before we begin, we need to get a few things nailed down.Recall from last week that there are five questions we need to answer before we begin our study.

Who wrote each of the books?

Chronicles:

Jewish tradition ascribes Chronicles to Ezra. While this is possible, it cannot be established with any certainty. The author(s) drew heavily from Samuel and Kings with frequent references to other sources.Slide6

Manasseh

Before we begin, we need to get a few things nailed down.Recall from last week that there are five questions we need to answer before we begin our study.

When were they written?

Kings:

Again we cannot be certain. Most, but not all, experts say it was written sometime during the exile (586-538BC).

Chronicles: Most scholars place its writing in the latter half of the fifth century before Christ (450-400BC).Slide7

Manasseh

Before we begin, we need to get a few things nailed down.Recall from last week that there are five questions we need to answer before we begin our study.

3. To whom were they written?

Kings:

Written to the Jewish community in exile in Babylon.

Chronicles: Written to the Jewish people in Israel after the return from Exile.Slide8

Manasseh

Before we begin, we need to get a few things nailed down.Recall from last week that there are five questions we need to answer before we begin our study.

4. Why were they written?

Kings:

To recount the history of the nations of Israel and Judah with the idea of understanding why they were in exile – covenantal history.

Chronicles: To address the need of the restored community of faith to answer the question, “Is God still interested in us?” Provides a much “softer” view of the nations of Israel and Judah.Slide9

Manasseh

Before we begin, we need to get a few things nailed down.Recall from last week that there are five questions we need to answer before we begin our study.

Where were they written?

Kings:

BabylonChronicles:

IsraelSlide10

Manasseh

When you read about Manasseh in Kings, what is the overall impression that you get?He did evil – such as: Rebuilt the high places

Erected altars to Ba’al

Carved Asherah poles Bowed down to starry hosts

Built altars in God’s temple Sacrificed his son in the fire Lead the nation astray

Shed a lot of innocent bloodSlide11

Manasseh

When you read about Manasseh in Chronicles, what is the overall impression that you get?He did evil – such as: Rebuilt the high places

Erected altars to

Ba’al

Carved Asherah poles Bowed down to starry hosts Built altars in God’s temple Sacrificed his son in the fire

Practiced forbidden arts Lead the nation astray Shed a lot of innocent blood

He also did evil – such as:

Rebuilt the high places

Erected altars to

Ba’al

Carved

Asherah

poles

Bowed down to starry hosts

Built altars in God’s temple

Sacrificed his son in the

fire

Practiced forbidden arts

Lead the nation

astray

But he did do some good:

Humbled himself before God

Rebuilt the city wall

Cleaned up the temple and its practicesSlide12

Manasseh

Which one of these accounts is true? Was Manasseh a total reprobate or did he have some redeeming qualities?Let’s begin at verse one (that’s always a good place to start).

2 Kings 21:1 -

Manasseh was twelve years old

when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. Manasseh

probably began ruling as a co-regent with his father Hezekiah at age 12.Slide13

Manasseh

Which one of these accounts is true? Was Manasseh a total reprobate or did he have some redeeming qualities?Let’s begin at verse one (that’s always a good place to start).

2 Kings 21:1 -

Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned

in Jerusalem fifty-five years. Manasseh probably

began ruling as a co-regent with his father Hezekiah at age 12.In Jewish theology, long reigns were typically associated with righteous and benevolent kings. Manasseh ruled for 55 years – a pretty long time. In fact, Manasseh ruled longer than any other king in Judah.

That Manasseh was taken prisoner to Babylon is only recorded in Chronicles and is not found in extra-biblical writings. This may be a reference to a rebellion against Assyria which took place in 652-648BC.Slide14

Manasseh

Which one of these accounts is true? Was Manasseh a total reprobate or did he have some redeeming qualities?It’s hard to tell from the two accounts we have of him.

On the one hand, and argument from silence (Kings) is not in and of itself persuasive. It could be that the author(s) of Kings simply did not want to tell the rest of the story.

However, with the prevailing Jewish theology that long reigns equals righteousness, it’s equally difficult to believe that Manasseh did only evil. He must, at some point have repented of his wickedness and turned to the straight and narrow (Chronicles).Slide15

Manasseh

Which one of these accounts is true? Was Manasseh a total reprobate or did he have some redeeming qualities?More likely, the author(s) of Kings were writing to an audience dying to know why they were in exile. If they were God’s chosen people, why did God abandon them to the Babylonians. The author(s) are “playing up” the fact that Judah and Israel repeatedly broke covenant with God and the exile was the just rewards for their apostasy. It is important to see Manasseh as a continuation of a long list of bad kings.

The author(s) of Chronicles, on the other hand, were writing to an audience who were looking for evidence that God had not forgotten them. It recounts the “glory days” of the Jewish nations. Therefore,

in their eyes, Manasseh

was not totally bad.I tend to see Manasseh as a bad guy who repented and experienced God’s grace!Slide16

Another possible inconsistency

Genesis 2: 4-8 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created. When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens-- and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground,

but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground--

the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.Now think back to the seven days of creation:

1 Light and dark (Gen. 1:3-5) 2 Sky (Gen. 1:6-8) 3 Dry land and vegetation (Gen. 1:7-13)

4 Sun, moon and stars (Gen. 1:14-19)

5 Birds and fish (Gen. 1:20-23) 6 Animals and humans (Gen. 1:24-31) 7 Day of rest (Gen. 2:1-3)Slide17

Another possible inconsistency

Let’s look at the two passages individually: 1 Light and dark (Gen. 1:3-5) 2 Sky (Gen. 1:6-8)

3 Dry land and vegetation (Gen. 1:7-13) 4 Sun, moon and stars (Gen. 1:14-19)

5 Birds and fish (Gen. 1:20-23) 6 Animals and humans (Gen. 1:24-31)

7 Day of rest (Gen. 2:1-3)The first creation account was never written to be a scientifically accurate description of how the universe was created ex nihilo.

To be sure there is a

certain logic in play.The overarching message is that God created the entire cosmos, it is all good (at least before it was spoiled by sin), and it all belongs to God.

Days of forming

Days of fillingSlide18

Another possible inconsistency

Genesis 2: 4-8 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created. When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens-- and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground,

but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground--

the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.

This is the key word – ACCOUNT – a rendering of the Hebrew word – TOLeDOT. This passage introduces the structure of Genesis as the story progresses from creation through Jacob. It was never intended to be a direct copy or a successor to the creation account given in the first chapter.

The two passages are capable of existing in complete isolation from each other. There was never any intention for the two to be read together as the same story.

From this point forward, the book of Genesis recounts the stories of the patriarchs. Genesis 2:4 forms a turning point.Slide19

Another possible inconsistency

In the Genesis 1 account of creation, humanity is the culmination of the process. In Chapter 2, the story of humanity becomes the focus of the narrative.

Genesis 1 presents an outline or skeleton of creation, whereas chapter 2 fleshes out the account of mankind.

Jesus had absolutely no problem with the two accounts. Matthew 19:4-5 - "Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator

'made them male and female,'

and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife ,

and the two will become one flesh'?

Genesis 1:27Genesis 2:24Slide20

Impossibility or Exaggeration?

1 Chronicles 21:5 - Joab reported the number of the fighting men to David: In all Israel there were

one million one hundred thousand

men who could handle a sword, including four hundred and seventy thousand in Judah.

If there were 1.1 million men of military age in Israel at that time the total population of the land would have been somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 to 12 millions. Today there are only a little more than 8.1 million inhabitants of Israel.Is this a bold faced untruth, or a literary device to say, “There’s a whole bunch of men capable of serving in the army.”Slide21

Impossibility or Exaggeration?

1 Chronicles 22:14

"I have taken great pains to provide for the temple of the LORD a

hundred thousand talents of gold, a million talents of silver

, quantities of bronze and iron too great to be weighed, and wood and stone. And you may add to them.This is a huge amount of precious metal. It’s the equivalent of 3,750 tons of gold and 37,500 tons of silver.

Roughly 2% of all the gold and 2.7% of all the silver ever mined in all the world since recorded history.Is this a bold faced untruth, or a literary device to say, “I’ve saved up a whole bunch of money for you to use to build the temple.” Slide22

Impossibility or Exaggeration?

Revelation 9:16 The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number.This is an incredible number of cavalry soldiers. While no one knows for certain, the most reliable estimates suggest that there is slightly in excess of 58 million horses alive today.

Is this a bold faced untruth, or a literary device to say, “There’s a whole bunch of horse soldiers coming our way and they’re mad as heck.”Slide23

So what did we learn?

First and foremost the Bible is God’s inspired word to us.

The Bible was written by humans in human conditions using language that humans can understand.

Therefore:

The Bible has a historical particularity. The documents that make up our Bible were written to particular people, at a particular point in time, to transmit a particular message. The Bible encompasses all forms of literary genres. It may not be fair to literally interpret poetry for instance. Biblical authors used metaphors, hyperboles and all other literary devices when writing.

Biblical history is NOT the same as the history you and I want to believe it is.