Christians please answer some questions?

Question

Why did God not get mad when Abraham laughed as he was telling him that he was going to have loads of descendants at his old age. But when Sarai laughed God rebuked her.

Do you not think it unfair that God sent all those plagues to the Egyptians? He said Himself that He was going to harden pharaohs heart.
Is that not power play? hardening pharaohs' heart to ignore Moses, then when pharaoh does not do as what God says. God punishes him. why? why punish him when He was the one who hardened his heart in the first place.
Also if you were Moses how would you feel towards pharaoh at the point where God kills all the first born males of the Egyptians. Why do that when the guy is only saying "NO" because God has made it like that.
Then mark the day as a day to be celebrated by the Israelites. Surely there was a better way to get his chosen people out of Egypt AND still proclaim his mightiness WITHOUT having to cause DELIBERATE suffering.

I'm not angry. I'm not fighting with anyone. This is not a challenge to prove anything bad about the Bible. I know God is real. I know the Bible is good. But I had a question and I wanted to see if anyone had ever wondered the same or if anyone would have a real answer. If not FINE. whatever... I'm sure I'll know some day!
It was something I wondered about while reading the book of Genesis and Exodus. I'm not twisting anything. I am asking a question based on exactly what I read in the N.I.V Bible. Gosh guys. If I was not a believer of the the Bible I'm thinking the way some "Christians" have responded to this would put me right off!
WAY TO WITNESS GUYS WELL DONE!

Thank you to D.C, RELLA and ROSSONERO2006.
Your answers made a world of difference TO ME. I understand what you guys say about the different laughters (thanks for the references) and I checked out the first born son bit with pharaoh, I trully was not fighting the Bible here. I was just looking for a "better view"
God's word is God's word. But sometimes no matter how "holy" you may think you are. You cannot help the questions inside you. It does not make me love God less. I don't lie to God about my feelings. He knows what I'm thinking anyway...so whats the point.

Answer 1

>Why did God not get mad when Abraham laughed as he was telling him that he was going to have loads of descendants at his old age. But when Sarai laughed God rebuked her.

Gen 18:13 And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? 14 Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. 15 Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.

It doesn't say God was angry, I guess the question would be what was sarah afraid of.

>Do you not think it unfair that God sent all those plagues to the Egyptians? He said Himself that He was going to harden pharaohs heart.

It was prophecied 400 years earlier that the Israelites were going to leave, pharoah was interfering with God's stated will. Why and how he hardened pharoah's heart I think is beyond any human ability to understand.

>Is that not power play? hardening pharaohs' heart to ignore Moses, then when pharaoh does not do as what God says. God punishes him. why? why punish him when He was the one who hardened his heart in the first place.

It's a huge power play. Let's assume God didn't harden his heart, would he have tried to bribe the Israelites into staying? Judging from how they acted in the wilderness, he probably would have succeeded. Yet, God's intention was to take them to their own land.

>Also if you were Moses how would you feel towards pharaoh at the point where God kills all the first born males of the Egyptians. Why do that when the guy is only saying "NO" because God has made it like that. Then mark the day as a day to be celebrated by the Israelites. Surely there was a better way to get his chosen people out of Egypt AND still proclaim his mightiness WITHOUT having to cause DELIBERATE suffering.

There was a better way, but the way human nature operates, the better options probably wouldn't have worked. These people were slaves, horribly mistreated, yet when they had to go through a little hardship in the desert, they wanted to go back and be slaves again. It seems God had to deal with both sides in a pretty heavy handed way. Only two of the people who actually lived in Egypt even made it into the promised land.

Answer 2

Those are some thoughtful questions. I don't know the answers to them, so I went searching, and this is what I came up with:

"God hardened Pharaoh's heart. Is that right?"
http://www.carm.org/diff/Rom9_17.htm

"Is it God's will that all people be saved?"
http://www.carm.org/uni/allmensaved.htm
This article applies to the issue about Pharaoh, because it talks about God's perfect vs. permissive will, predestination re: people's sinful choices, etc. It specifically discusses God hardening Pharaoh's hearts as well as other people's. It's some deep stuff to understand, and I don't fully get it. But reading these articles has helped me understand a little more.

Searching for an answer to your question about Sarah vs. Abraham, I found this take on their laughter on a non-Christian Jewish site:
http://www.ucalgary.ca/~elsegal/Shokel/Preaching/S970223_Covenant.html

None of these are really the last word on the matter, but help give a little more insight. I hope someone else who might be more knowledgeable on these details will give you a better answer, but if they don't, ask at your local church. Someone who has been formally educated in Bible knowledge might have a more informed answer for you.

Answer 3

Read the tale again in the Bible. The Bible clearly states that Pharaoh first hardened his own heart against God. Also, the Egyptians of that day were evil in God's sight and worshipped many gods while rejecting and rebelling against the one true God.
As for the death of their first born: It was an Egyptian Pharaoh -albeit a different one- who ordered the deaths of all Hebrew male children at the time Moses was born. What goes around comes around. Besides, it was not God who killed the first born, it was the "destroying angel" -albeit with God's permission. But even though these deaths were a result of God's judgement -which the Egyptians brought on themselves- God also provided a means of salvation in the Passover Lamb. Is it God's fault they chose not to accept this means of salvation?
There are good reasons why the Bible warns us away from false gods and religions and against hardening our hearts against Him and His offer of mercy. That is simply because it is a downward path which leads to our own destruction and God's judgement

Answer 4

God didnt rebuke her. Remember, Sarah laughed (in her spirit-not aloud) and God asked Abraham..why is she laughing because Abraham should have told Sarah what God told him and he obviously hadnt for her to laugh.

Unfair of God? Considering the fact that Egypt had been oppressing God's chosen people as slaves I'd say no. The hardening of his heart worked together for God's purpose which was to free them from bondage. If you look at the events and see that...ok...unbelievable events 10x over, thousands dead, a send off with treasure, the chase and escape through a parted Red Sea...and the Israelites STILL doubted God and wanted to turn back to Egypt and wound up dying in the wilderness after 40 years...do you think making the events leading up to their escape EASIER would have helped? He was trying to make a point to the Israelites of the awesomeness of their liberation and they still mumbled and moaned....

look at the big picture beloved....

Answer 5

He tried nine plagues of noxious stuff before killing the first-born, and Pharoah didn't budge. I suppose God had had enough, no?

As to Sarah - where, exactly, do you see any indication that he rebuked her? I see no such action in Genesis. Maybe you need to actually READ the story yourself, instead of relying on someone who's teaching you something that's not true.

Answer 6

That, in my very humble opinion, is a good example of the flaws of Chrstianity. God is intentionally and deliberately cruel in parts of the Bible; even creating the circumstances himself in which he will punish others. Like the pharoah---so God says he will harden pharoah's heart---and when his heart is hardened, God punishes the babies of Egypt, along with pharaoh and everyone else.

Then the people He was "helping" get to wander the desert for forty years after finally attaining their freedom.

Some people, mostly Christians, will have one of two ready made answers for this question and any other that deals with God's percieved cruelty;....

A. You're just "interpreting it wrong". Or your're not "reading it right". What I wonder is...who can interpret the Bible "correctly"? The pastor of said Christian's church I am betting.

B. God IS wrathful and cruel, and most everyone is going straight to hell. Many Christians seem to get a perverse joy in telling this to others.

Anway, this is a good question---and I am not an Atheist, I DO in fact, believe in God. I just don't believe in all the stuff man has said or written about Him.

Good luck on finding a good answer :)

Answer 7

That's more than one question, why ask only Christians? do you believe every word man has written? do you take every word at face value? Even today man blames God when things go wrong, so why is this any different?
You worry to much try and put some more fun in your life

Answer 8

I just read your answer to that slavery question.
People like you continue to baffle me.
Why the hell should ANYONE apologize for something they have not done.
Its complete madness to say people should just because of what people did hundreds of years ago.
I never knew anyone back then and neither did you so whats your god dam problem.
Its like saying I should apologise for a relative that stole hundreds of yes ago lol.
When are people like you going to realise just how ridiculous they sound.
Apologise for something someone else done that I have never met lol.
Ludicrous lol.

Answer 9

God is not "fair". "Fairness" is a human quality.

Do you think it was fair of Pharaoh to make the Hebrews be his slaves for 400 years? Do you think it was fair of Pharaoh to order the Hebrews to make bricks without straw and to increase their daily quota? Do you think it was fair of Pharaoh to kill all the male Hebrew babies?

Pharaoh had the opportunity to allow the Hebrews to leave, and he chose the consequences. Don't blame God, blame Pharaoh.

Answer 10

1) Why did God rebuke Sarah, but not Abraham?
Because not all laughter is alike.
There is the mocking and disbelieving laughter - like, "Ha, Ha, Ha...yeah right...like THAT is possible"
And there is a giddy joyful laugher - like, "Ha, Ha, Ha...can you believe this...God is going to do this? Wow! Amazing!"

...and UNLIKE man, God sees and judges the HEART of a person. Sure, adultery is a sin...but so is "lusting after another" adultery of the heart...and God will jduge us according to our hearts.


2) Is it "unfair" that God sent the plauges?
No. What you don't understand...is that if God were "fair" then ALL of us would be immediately sent to hell for all eternity. We ALL deserve His displeasure and wrath. For we are ALL sinners. We ALL deserve to be plagued...to die...to go to hell.
BUT (Good News; i.e. "Gospel"): God's in His GRACE decided to not punish EVERYBODY, but instead demonstrate His amazing grace, mercy, and love in sending His Son Jesus Christ to die for the sins of those who repent and believe.

3) Is that not "power play"?
Look - you need to wake up and smell the fire and brimstone. God is God. You are not God. I am not God. God CAN do ANYTHING He wants to. HE IS SOVEREIGN. He can "play" HIS power any way He wants to. We are but His creation, and He can do whatever He wants to with His creation, who are you to judge Him? Who are you to argue with your maker? If He wanted to send us ALL to hell, who could stop him? Who could argue with Him? It is amazing that He saves ANY of us, at all!!! Yet, He freely offers salvation to you by grace through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.

4) Surely there was a "better way" to deliver Israel without deliberate suffering...?
Again, who are you to judge His ways?
But MORE than that...sin REQUIRES punishment...requires "deliberate suffering", and that is what you are missing.
Jesus Christ DELIBERATELY suffered...BECAUSE of our sins...and for our sins, so that WE might be delivered, even as the Israelites were delivered.

Israel is a real and living analogy of the truth of the Gospel.

Through the cross of Jesus Christ, God displayed His wrath and even poured it out upon His OWN Son, Jesus Christ...for OUR sins. Therefore, God cannot be said to be "unjust" in allowing a Christian (who has sinned and sins) to go to heaven.

Also, on and through the cross of Jesus Christ, God displayed His grace, mercy, and love in providing a sacrifice for our sins, so that we may be forgiven and go to heaven.

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Your questions are answered.

You can choose to reject them and even reject Jesus Christ.

But don't come complaining to me when you are burning in hell...for you are the one that cognitively made that choice.

You could repent and believe in the Gospel...and receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior...and follow Him (along with me)...and I will see you in heaven.

You have been invited and warned.

God bless!

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