The reasons that those things are in the Bible is because it is a real history of real people. That fact that these things are in the Old Testament books is a proof that these things really happened and are not made up. If you were making up scriptures to create a false religion, you would not make up the sins that people committed. You would write that all of the people that were close to God were perfect.
You ask a great question. The fact is that we are all sinners. Thank God that all of us don't do some of the things that people in the Old Testament did, but we do other things that are sins. We want to not sin but the Bible states that the saints fall 7 times a day. Psalm 51 gives a good answer to your question. It is sin that causes separation from God. But if we try not to sin and are honest with God when we fail, then God will forgive us and restore our close relationship with Him.
Of course there are other conditions for us to do in order to stay close to God.
If you are asking, how, when people are so close to God, could they sin? That is another great question! The closer we are to God, the less likely we are to sin. But we have to do those things that keep us close to God. The human tendency is to go our own way instead of obeying God.
The Bible describes our santification process as similar to the process that is used to purify gold or silver. It is heated until it is a liquid, the impurities in the metal are lighter and rise to the top where they can be seen and skimmed off.
This is similar to us having difficulties in life where our faults (sinfulness) become visable so that we can repent of them and change our behavior. The Bible says that we are purified like gold that is put through this process of purified 7 times.
Personally, I have so many impurities that I have been through this process more than 7 times and am far from pure, so that I will have to go through the process more times.
2006-10-17 18:29:29
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answer #1
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answered by Smartassawhip 7
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First of all welcome to family of God.
I think God added these type of incidents into the Bible for two reasons...
1. To show us how dark the world can get when we decide to leave God out of our lives.
2. Two show us that we need a redeemer, so save us from the world and its filth.
As you mentioned you read this in the OT but isn't it funny what thousands of years after the world is just as corrupt as before!!
Keep reading your Bible Brother, the Bible for you might start off by sounding gross and filthy but remember that at the end victory is the Lords and the Kingdom of God will prevail.
2006-10-18 01:11:52
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answer #2
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answered by Commander 6
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Well, the Mosaic law had punishments for those indulging in incest, murder, etc. The punishment was the death penalty. So we can see that God was not happy with their wrongdoing. Those who did these things were severly punished. As far as marrying many wives and even their maids is concerned, while God wasnt happy with it, he allowed it for a reason. The reason being that he had promised Abraham that the "seed", Jesus, would be born in his line of descendants. Later on, Jesus told his apostles that God permitted this only because of the Israelites' hard-heartedness.
God had also promised Abraham that it was through his "seed" that all nations will be blessed. God is one who never goes back on His promises. So he kept his promises to Abraham, although, in various accounts of the Bible, he says that the Israelites had pained him.
Finally, when they even rejected Jesus as the Messiah and the Promised One, Jehovah rejected them. There was no reason to be their God or for them to be His special people once they had rejected His Son.
So while God does not tolerate wickedness, he at times permits it for a while for the fullfillment of His purposes. He will ultimately punish - as the scriptures have shown.
There is also another noteworthy point. I would like to quote this scripture. The book of Romans 15:4 says: All the things that were written aforetime were written for our instruction, that through our endurance and through the comfort from the Scriptures we might have hope.
So all that is written, is for instruction - we should learn from the mistakes the Israelites made and bring our lives in harmony with God's Word, The Bible.
2006-10-18 01:23:10
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answer #3
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answered by Joy 2
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God wasn't any closer to the people living 5000 years ago than he is to us now.
Are you a "born" Christian, or a "born again" Christian?? Quite a difference.
The Old Testament is thought of as more of a history lesson by many Christians, with much knowledge and ideas to give. But the "laws" were changed with Christ's teachings. And by today's American standards of decency, some is pornographic. If it's OK for The Bible, but not okay for Americans....does that tell you something about how uptight and wrong Americans may be in their censoring??
2006-10-18 01:09:45
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answer #4
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answered by Anonymous
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For the incidents you mention, the Bible represents a history of mankind. Whenever people turn away from God, those things are the kinds of things we should expect our lives to become.
All these abominable things worked to bring God's wrath through judgment: war, captivity, famine, disease, etc. Invariably, Israel would repent and came back to God. The Old Testament Prophet Hosea gives us a great picture of Israel as the unfaithful wife, and God as her faithful husband.
2006-10-18 01:11:03
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answer #5
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answered by Bob L 7
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Well obviously you have not read the Bible and are being fed falsehoods by someone. The Bible doesnt mention once, NOT even ONCE about masterbation for one. And all the references God speaks of regarding incest, cheating, lying, jealousy and so forth, He does so to command us not to do them. Many of these issues are right in the 10 Commandments that Christians are to obey. As a Christian, you shoulnt lie, cheat, steal, have and sort of sexual relations with a family member, be jealous etc... You need to read the Bible.
2006-10-18 01:05:49
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answer #6
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answered by Anonymous
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For these reasons was the law perverted and thus the need for Jesus, the only acceptable sacrifice for our sins. Perversions were never acceptable to God and you will see his judgment throughout the same Books that describe the atrocities. All men are sinners, save one... Jesus Christ who is God in Him and the Lamb without spot, unperverted by the sin of man and sent to redeem those who believe.
2006-10-18 01:06:58
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answer #7
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answered by reformed 3
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Old Testament stories all have a moral to them. lots of them are highly exaggerated and filled with irony and sarcasm in order to get the point across that certain behaviours are not good.
the bible is meant to be shocking and disturbing. its very earthy and violent and uncomfortable to read. its written that way because when you are shocked and disturbed by something, it pushes you into thinking about what you have read. you can't read it without having an emotional reaction to it, whether its love, hate, disgust, admiration, etc. and when you have an emotional reaction to something, you are forced to question what you are reading, and look deeper to find the meaning of the passage.
2006-10-18 01:09:05
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answer #8
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answered by Anonymous
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why not ask your preist of minister, He could give you a better answer than any of us. You do realize, though that the christians follow the NEW testament more than the old testament, don't you The old testament is the book of the Jewish settlements before cJesus was borm And muslims profess to follow those teachings as well..
2006-10-18 01:07:30
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answer #9
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answered by Anonymous
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It's just a book...Think of it kind of like "Days of our Lives" or "All My Children"...It's a long, dramatic, filthy, soap opera...enjoy it for the fluff that it is :) Then it is a great summer read
And for the poster that said masturbation is not mentioned in the bible...Here are the passages from the bible :)
1 Peter 2:11
11 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.
James 1:14-15
14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
2 Timothy 2:22
22 Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
http://www.geocities.com/johndavidmueller/Masturbation.html
2006-10-18 01:06:20
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answer #10
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answered by jakechristian75 4
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