Seriously? Why was he so nasty? What a horrible horrible guy he used to be?
If he was all knowing and omnipotent, why did he need to test faith??? Therefore he should have KNOWN that Abraham (am i right there?) would have been prepared to sacrifice his son. Why did God go through the motions and put him through so much agony at the prospect of having to kill his own son? Even though he wa a good man?
And Job, another good man, why did God destroy his life?
Please explain to me why Gos used to be such a heartless you know what?
2007-03-14 13:21:33 · 26 answers · asked by irishcharmer84 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Yea I know it was a test of faith, but since God is omnipotent, and all knowing, wouldn't he have known his fiath was strong anyway already?
Seems like he was just acting the bastard.
2007-03-14 13:30:59 · update #1
yes. he was a pain...
the first part of the bible was written at a time where there was a lot of disputes among other races and when people are still "barbaric" so it's just normal that their god is based on violence, fear and killing the heretics..
edit: it's normal that their GODS ARE....
2007-03-14 13:25:44 · answer #1 · answered by lnfrared Loaf 6 · 1⤊ 3⤋
I will try to explain an aspect of God that few consider. He is not constrained by time and space and nature..,
He created man to be able to make choices.., and no matter what choice a man makes, God knows the outcome. In the example of Abraham.., Abraham had the power of choice.., this was the power that God gave man. Abraham had to show his devotion to God 100%
Abraham could have went through the motions and at the last minute could have changed his mind. Its not that God doesn't know what you are going to do, he knows before you do it. Abraham was going full fledged in, and it was breaking his heart.., but God spared Isaac, and obviously never intended for Abraham to kill his son.
People pull this stuff all the time. Men and women often test each others love and some even go to some major extremes.
Job? same thing as with Moses. God was proving Satan a liar. Satan was certain that this man called Job would curse God and hate him with every fiber of his being, accusing him to God as a man who pretends to love him.
Again, God knew what the outcome would be, either way - but the proof was in the test. We think we know what we would do, and make claims of how we would stand in the face of grave situations, BUT, we don't know till we are actually faced with such a crucial moment. In the end, even Job knew how he stood, unlike others. Sadly Job's friends made the man feel worse by accusing him of doing some dreadful thing to upset God and wanted him to repent. Some friends. Job now knew who his real friends were..., certainly not these men who professed to be. It was a period of learning and self discovery for Job, as well as with Abraham.
Would you or I be all mouth work in saying we would remain faithful to God? or would we buckle under pressure? Christians in the Middle East and other places in the world face life and death decisions every day as Muslims and or Hindi demand they deny Christ and convert to Islam or the Hindi faith. Some buckle, others stand.
It seems all seems so cruel. When its man's horrible deeds to man, it is cruel. But when God tests someone, its for a reason that transcends the surface appearance. There is even more to consider than what I just covered.., and to cover them would require I keep writing and writing... and you might not even want to read the whole thing. Hopefully this much will suffice.
2007-03-14 14:56:24 · answer #2 · answered by Victor ious 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Abraham had to trust and beleive God no matter what. Believe what He said about nations coming through Abraham's son. Galations 3 talks a ton about it-
Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?— 6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”[c] 7 Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham
Just like Abraham just believed in God to be saved Christians today do the same thing...
2007-03-14 13:31:06 · answer #3 · answered by ommie 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Something tells me that you are not reading the bible thoroughly. God was testing Abraham's faith. There was no agony. Abraham was obeying God's voices and His angels intervene at the last moment and sacrifice a lamb instead.
Job on the other hand. Satan told God that Job will curse God when he loses everything he had. Job didn't and God gave Job everything back threefold. Read your Bible before you go ranting and raving about God being heartless.
Amen!
2007-03-14 13:36:09 · answer #4 · answered by ewf20612 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
God was not the problem. Man was the problem.
It wasn't long after the fall of Man that Cain,the first man born to Adam and Eve murdered his own brother. Things went from bad to worse and in a hurry. On occasion God intervened to prevent the total destruction of the entire race.
As for Abraham, the Bible says he was confident God would even raise his son from the dead if necessary. (Hebrews 11:17-19)
Isaac was spared. God's Son was not spared.
As for Job, he was an extraordinary case, and you would do well to follow his example, because even after enduring what he did, he refused to speak evil against God - a lesson you do not appear to have mastered yet.
In the end he was restored everything he lost - even his children who died were preserved for him by God, and he will live with them forever at the resurrection of the righteous.
2007-03-14 13:35:57 · answer #5 · answered by wefmeister 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Dear Irish,
God knew in advance what Abraham would do - but Abraham didn't know what Abraham would do under this kind of pressure. God did not need the test - Abraham did. Abraham could have chosen to disobey and not offer Isaac as a sacrifice, but Hebrews in the new testament say that Abraham reasoned that God could raise Isaac from the dead, and obeyed God's instruction. Needless to say Isaac did not die.
Job's life was attacked because Satan falsely accused Job of being loyal to God only because Job was wealthy and powerful. Job proved that he was loyal to God regardless of circumstances and in the end Job himself agreed that God was perfectly well within His perogative to do what God did. Job worshipped God after loosing everything.
God is God. As such all of His actions are correct. Job and Abraham each agreed on this. I'm certainly not in either of those guys' league, but I also agree. God is right to expect us to be loyal to Him regardless of circumstances.
Good Luck,
Dana B.
2007-03-14 13:33:51 · answer #6 · answered by planningresult 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
God loved His people. But they turned their back on God.
They broke all the ten commandments. God is a loving God. He is also a jealous God. God is a God of compassion. God sent His Son to die so He could again find mercy on the ones that are faithful to Him.
You don't have to take my word for it. You can read the Old Testament for yourself. If you really are interested in bible study, I have a great website for you. I have been studing it for about 2 months now. Although I have read the bible from Genesis through Revelation several times this course is very educational.
christiancourses.com
2007-03-14 13:30:40 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
nasty?
He sought to preserve a nation and the nations around (captives, children). so some people died. you fight God's people, you get slaughtered eventually. a lot of people were released from Hell, when Jesus died, anyway.
You know why Jesus died, and you know that He was the only perfect sacrifice. animal is lower than man, so animal can only cover sin. God is higher than man, so God can destroy sin. Besides, God made a promise in the Beginning (Gen 3) and God doesn't break His promises.
Job was tested, passed, corrected, his life was restored abundantly.
heartless? He put up with a nation who cursed at Him, whined, complained, rebelled, doubted Him, rejected Him, sought idols, disobeyed Him, called Him evil, sinned....all from Genesis to Jesus' death. Yet He still loved them. heartless?
2007-03-14 13:33:02 · answer #8 · answered by Hey, Ray 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Well God wasn't being mean to Job. He wanted Job and others to realize his faith...he was just an example...everyone on earth has a purpose: Job's purpose was to teach about faith and loyalty to God. By suffering and still having faith Job was creating a new life...everlasting life. We live this life and we die....whether this life be hard or easy, but the next life...the everlasting life with Jesus is perfect. And we must all live our lives on earth working for that life with jesus.
2007-03-14 13:40:03 · answer #9 · answered by french_miester 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I think the God of the Old Testament was the invention of man. It reflects the mentality of the age it was written in. That is my opinion. You are a dear, and I sincerely hope you and Cassie have a wonderful life together!
2007-03-14 13:30:08 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
He made us. We failed him. Sin lives. He watched as people became more and more corrupted by sex. Sex is not cheap it is an expression of love between two married couples. Lot's wife who was told not to look back was turned into a pillar of salt. God is our Father, He expects us to obey Him. Now he waits.
2007-03-14 13:29:51 · answer #11 · answered by dtwladyhawk 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋