From Gary.... Google me this...

I think most of us have known someone who thinks they know EVERYTHING, I know I HAVE!!! And that person in fact DID NOT KNOW EVERYTHING!!!! However, he DID know more about more things about more topics than anyone else I have known. Now, there may have been some topics George (not his real name) did know know about, but they must have been very few, because he impressed me greatly!!! However, he was as ignorant as ignorant could be about the Bible. It was plain to me that he had some knowledge of Scripture, but only superficial. Yet, his arrogant belief in himself forced him to forcefully proclaim things that were obviously incorrect!!! And, no matter how I tried reasoning from the Scriptures with him, he simply could NOT accept a teaching other than his own. Stubborn, yes; foolish- absolutely!!! Reminds me of someone from the Bible who argued with God. And the questions God asks Job in chapters 38 and 39 no one could answer...

Job, Chapter 38 (WEB)

   1 Then Yahweh answered Job out of the whirlwind, 

  2 “Who is this who darkens counsel

by words without knowledge?

  3 Brace yourself like a man,

for I will question you, then you answer me!

Job, Chapter 40 (WEB)

 6  Then Yahweh answered Job out of the whirlwind, 

  7 “Now brace yourself like a man.

I will question you, and you will answer me.

  8 Will you even annul my judgment?

Will you condemn me, that you may be justified?

Job, Chapter 42 (WEB)

1 Then Job answered Yahweh, 

  2 “I know that you can do all things,

and that no purpose of yours can be restrained.

  3 You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’

therefore I have uttered that which I did not understand,

things too wonderful for me, which I didn’t know.

  4 You said, ‘Listen, now, and I will speak;

I will question you, and you will answer me.’

  5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,

but now my eye sees you.

  6 Therefore I abhor myself,

and repent in dust and ashes.”

Job was a religious man, who took his faith seriously, but he was also one who was a "little too sure of himself". He did not realize that even though he might be able to "get away" with that with his fellow human beings, he could not successfully argue with GOD, for the Almighty knows things that a mere human could never know!!! 

I think the word Google in the picture above should be changed toGOD, because people today have the same problem as JOB- they think they know everything. Well, to be more exact- they think they can find out anything from the internet. After all, the sum of ALL HUMAN KNOWLEDGE is absolute, isn't it!!!! NOT!!! Disagree with me; then ask yourself what happens after you DIE? No one can, because life and death are in the power of GOD!!!! 

Final thought here...

Do not argue with God, accept what HE has said and repent!!!!

From Gary... Bible Reading March 24

Bible Reading 

March 24

The World English Bible

Mar. 24

Leviticus 3, 4

Lev 3:1 " 'If his offering is a sacrifice of peace offerings; if he offers it from the herd, whether male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before Yahweh.

Lev 3:2 He shall lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the Tent of Meeting: and Aaron's sons, the priests shall sprinkle the blood around on the altar.

Lev 3:3 He shall offer of the sacrifice of peace offerings an offering made by fire to Yahweh; the fat that covers the innards, and all the fat that is on the innards,

Lev 3:4 and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the cover on the liver, with the kidneys, he shall take away.

Lev 3:5 Aaron's sons shall burn it on the altar on the burnt offering, which is on the wood that is on the fire: it is an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh.

Lev 3:6 " 'If his offering for a sacrifice of peace offerings to Yahweh is from the flock; male or female, he shall offer it without blemish.

Lev 3:7 If he offers a lamb for his offering, then he shall offer it before Yahweh;

Lev 3:8 and he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it before the Tent of Meeting: and Aaron's sons shall sprinkle its blood around on the altar.

Lev 3:9 He shall offer from the sacrifice of peace offerings an offering made by fire to Yahweh; its fat, the entire tail fat, he shall take away close to the backbone; and the fat that covers the inwards, and all the fat that is on the inwards,

Lev 3:10 and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the cover on the liver, with the kidneys, he shall take away.

Lev 3:11 The priest shall burn it on the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire to Yahweh.

Lev 3:12 " 'If his offering is a goat, then he shall offer it before Yahweh:

Lev 3:13 and he shall lay his hand on its head, and kill it before the Tent of Meeting; and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle its blood around on the altar.

Lev 3:14 He shall offer from it as his offering, an offering made by fire to Yahweh; the fat that covers the innards, and all the fat that is on the innards,

Lev 3:15 and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the cover on the liver, with the kidneys, he shall take away.

Lev 3:16 The priest shall burn them on the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire, for a pleasant aroma; all the fat is Yahweh's.

Lev 3:17 " 'It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings, that you shall eat neither fat nor blood.' "

Lev 4:1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

Lev 4:2 "Speak to the children of Israel, saying, 'If anyone sins unintentionally, in any of the things which Yahweh has commanded not to be done, and does any one of them:

Lev 4:3 if the anointed priest sins so as to bring guilt on the people, then let him offer for his sin, which he has sinned, a young bull without blemish to Yahweh for a sin offering.

Lev 4:4 He shall bring the bull to the door of the Tent of Meeting before Yahweh; and he shall lay his hand on the head of the bull, and kill the bull before Yahweh.

Lev 4:5 The anointed priest shall take some of the blood of the bull, and bring it to the Tent of Meeting.

Lev 4:6 The priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle some of the blood seven times before Yahweh, before the veil of the sanctuary.

Lev 4:7 The priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of sweet incense before Yahweh, which is in the Tent of Meeting; and he shall pour out all of rest of the blood of the bull at the base of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the door of the Tent of Meeting.

Lev 4:8 He shall take all the fat of the bull of the sin offering off of it; the fat that covers the innards, and all the fat that is on the innards,

Lev 4:9 and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and the cover on the liver, with the kidneys, he shall take away,

Lev 4:10 as it is taken off of the bull of the sacrifice of peace offerings. The priest shall burn them on the altar of burnt offering.

Lev 4:11 The bull's skin, all its flesh, with its head, and with its legs, its innards, and its dung,

Lev 4:12 even the whole bull shall he carry forth outside the camp to a clean place, where the ashes are poured out, and burn it on wood with fire. Where the ashes are poured out it shall be burned.

Lev 4:13 " 'If the whole congregation of Israel sins, and the thing is hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done any of the things which Yahweh has commanded not to be done, and are guilty;

Lev 4:14 when the sin in which they have sinned is known, then the assembly shall offer a young bull for a sin offering, and bring it before the Tent of Meeting.

Lev 4:15 The elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before Yahweh; and the bull shall be killed before Yahweh.

Lev 4:16 The anointed priest shall bring of the blood of the bull to the Tent of Meeting:

Lev 4:17 and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle it seven times before Yahweh, before the veil.

Lev 4:18 He shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar which is before Yahweh, that is in the Tent of Meeting; and the rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the door of the Tent of Meeting.

Lev 4:19 All its fat he shall take from it, and burn it on the altar.

Lev 4:20 Thus shall he do with the bull; as he did with the bull of the sin offering, so shall he do with this; and the priest shall make atonement for them, and they shall be forgiven.

Lev 4:21 He shall carry forth the bull outside the camp, and burn it as he burned the first bull. It is the sin offering for the assembly.

Lev 4:22 " 'When a ruler sins, and unwittingly does any one of all the things which Yahweh his God has commanded not to be done, and is guilty;

Lev 4:23 if his sin, in which he has sinned, is made known to him, he shall bring as his offering a goat, a male without blemish.

Lev 4:24 He shall lay his hand on the head of the goat, and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt offering before Yahweh. It is a sin offering.

Lev 4:25 The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering. He shall pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering.

Lev 4:26 All its fat he shall burn on the altar, like the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin, and he will be forgiven.

Lev 4:27 " 'If anyone of the common people sins unwittingly, in doing any of the things which Yahweh has commanded not to be done, and is guilty;

Lev 4:28 if his sin, which he has sinned, is made known to him, then he shall bring for his offering a goat, a female without blemish, for his sin which he has sinned.

Lev 4:29 He shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill the sin offering in the place of burnt offering.

Lev 4:30 The priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering; and the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar.

Lev 4:31 All its fat he shall take away, like the fat is taken away from off of the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall burn it on the altar for a pleasant aroma to Yahweh; and the priest shall make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven.

Lev 4:32 " 'If he brings a lamb as his offering for a sin offering, he shall bring a female without blemish.

Lev 4:33 He shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill it for a sin offering in the place where they kill the burnt offering.

Lev 4:34 The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering; and all the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar.

Lev 4:35 All its fat he shall take away, like the fat of the lamb is taken away from the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall burn them on the altar, on the offerings of Yahweh made by fire; and the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin that he has sinned, and he will be forgiven.

Mar. 23, 24

Mark 14

Mar 14:1 It was now two days before the feast of the Passover and the unleavened bread, and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might seize him by deception, and kill him.

Mar 14:2 For they said, "Not during the feast, because there might be a riot of the people."

Mar 14:3 While he was at Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster jar of ointment of pure nard-very costly. She broke the jar, and poured it over his head.

Mar 14:4 But there were some who were indignant among themselves, saying, "Why has this ointment been wasted?

Mar 14:5 For this might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and given to the poor." They grumbled against her.

Mar 14:6 But Jesus said, "Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for me.

Mar 14:7 For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want to, you can do them good; but you will not always have me.

Mar 14:8 She has done what she could. She has anointed my body beforehand for the burying.

Mar 14:9 Most certainly I tell you, wherever this Good News may be preached throughout the whole world, that which this woman has done will also be spoken of for a memorial of her."

Mar 14:10 Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went away to the chief priests, that he might deliver him to them.

Mar 14:11 They, when they heard it, were glad, and promised to give him money. He sought how he might conveniently deliver him.

Mar 14:12 On the first day of unleavened bread, when they sacrificed the Passover, his disciples asked him, "Where do you want us to go and make ready that you may eat the Passover?"

Mar 14:13 He sent two of his disciples, and said to them, "Go into the city, and there you will meet a man carrying a pitcher of water. Follow him,

Mar 14:14 and wherever he enters in, tell the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?" '

Mar 14:15 He will himself show you a large upper room furnished and ready. Make ready for us there."

Mar 14:16 His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found things as he had said to them, and they prepared the Passover.

Mar 14:17 When it was evening he came with the twelve.

Mar 14:18 As they sat and were eating, Jesus said, "Most certainly I tell you, one of you will betray me-he who eats with me."

Mar 14:19 They began to be sorrowful, and to ask him one by one, "Surely not I?" And another said, "Surely not I?"

Mar 14:20 He answered them, "It is one of the twelve, he who dips with me in the dish.

Mar 14:21 For the Son of Man goes, even as it is written about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for that man if he had not been born."

Mar 14:22 As they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had blessed, he broke it, and gave to them, and said, "Take, eat. This is my body."

Mar 14:23 He took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave to them. They all drank of it.

Mar 14:24 He said to them, "This is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many.

Mar 14:25 Most certainly I tell you, I will no more drink of the fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it anew in the Kingdom of God."

Mar 14:26 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Mar 14:27 Jesus said to them, "All of you will be made to stumble because of me tonight, for it is written, 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.'

Mar 14:28 However, after I am raised up, I will go before you into Galilee."

Mar 14:29 But Peter said to him, "Although all will be offended, yet I will not."

Mar 14:30 Jesus said to him, "Most certainly I tell you, that you today, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times."

Mar 14:31 But he spoke all the more, "If I must die with you, I will not deny you." They all said the same thing.

Mar 14:32 They came to a place which was named Gethsemane. He said to his disciples, "Sit here, while I pray."

Mar 14:33 He took with him Peter, James, and John, and began to be greatly troubled and distressed.

Mar 14:34 He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here, and watch."

Mar 14:35 He went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass away from him.

Mar 14:36 He said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible to you. Please remove this cup from me. However, not what I desire, but what you desire."

Mar 14:37 He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "Simon, are you sleeping? Couldn't you watch one hour?

Mar 14:38 Watch and pray, that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

Mar 14:39 Again he went away, and prayed, saying the same words.

Mar 14:40 Again he returned, and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they didn't know what to answer him.

Mar 14:41 He came the third time, and said to them, "Sleep on now, and take your rest. It is enough. The hour has come. Behold, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

Mar 14:42 Arise, let us be going. Behold, he who betrays me is at hand."

Mar 14:43 Immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, came-and with him a multitude with swords and clubs, from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders.

Mar 14:44 Now he who betrayed him had given them a sign, saying, "Whoever I will kiss, that is he. Seize him, and lead him away safely."

Mar 14:45 When he had come, immediately he came to him, and said, "Rabbi! Rabbi!" and kissed him.

Mar 14:46 They laid their hands on him, and seized him.

Mar 14:47 But a certain one of those who stood by drew his sword, and struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.

Mar 14:48 Jesus answered them, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to seize me?

Mar 14:49 I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and you didn't arrest me. But this is so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled."

Mar 14:50 They all left him, and fled.

Mar 14:51 A certain young man followed him, having a linen cloth thrown around himself, over his naked body. The young men grabbed him,

Mar 14:52 but he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked.

Mar 14:53 They led Jesus away to the high priest. All the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes came together with him.

Mar 14:54 Peter had followed him from a distance, until he came into the court of the high priest. He was sitting with the officers, and warming himself in the light of the fire.

Mar 14:55 Now the chief priests and the whole council sought witnesses against Jesus to put him to death, and found none.

Mar 14:56 For many gave false testimony against him, and their testimony didn't agree with each other.

Mar 14:57 Some stood up, and gave false testimony against him, saying,

Mar 14:58 "We heard him say, 'I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.' "

Mar 14:59 Even so, their testimony did not agree.

Mar 14:60 The high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, "Have you no answer? What is it which these testify against you?"

Mar 14:61 But he stayed quiet, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?"

Mar 14:62 Jesus said, "I am. You will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of the sky."

Mar 14:63 The high priest tore his clothes, and said, "What further need have we of witnesses?

Mar 14:64 You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think?" They all condemned him to be worthy of death.

Mar 14:65 Some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to beat him with fists, and to tell him, "Prophesy!" The officers struck him with the palms of their hands.

Mar 14:66 As Peter was in the courtyard below, one of the maids of the high priest came,

Mar 14:67 and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him, and said, "You were also with the Nazarene, Jesus!"

Mar 14:68 But he denied it, saying, "I neither know, nor understand what you are saying." He went out on the porch, and the rooster crowed.

Mar 14:69 The maid saw him, and began again to tell those who stood by, "This is one of them."

Mar 14:70 But he again denied it. After a little while again those who stood by said to Peter, "You truly are one of them, for you are a Galilean, and your speech shows it."

Mar 14:71 But he began to curse, and to swear, "I don't know this man of whom you speak!"

Mar 14:72 The rooster crowed the second time. Peter remembered the word, how that Jesus said to him, "Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times." When he thought about that, he wept.

From T. Pierce Brown... The Same God

http://www.oldpaths.com/Archive/Brown/T/Pierce/1923/samegod.html

The Same God

In recent years we have heard and read an increasing number of statements to the effect that almost everyone is worshipping the same God, although some may call Him Allah, others Jehovah and others by some other name. That is supposed to prove, it seems, that how we worship does not matter, and perhaps all of us have an equal chance of being saved.

The theory is wrong from start to finish, but even if it were right in its basic assumption, the conclusion does not follow. Let us try to clarify.

We wonder if those who make those statements would also continue with that idea that we all worship the same God if we added Baal, Zeus, Pluto, Jupiter and/or Beelzebub. If not, why not? The truth is that even those who claim to worship Jehovah do not really worship the same God, for a great majority of people with whom I talk do not have the God in their mind that I have, revealed in the Bible. The average person has a god that is a sort of grandfather type -- a giant of a man with white hair and benevolent eyes who loves his little children and grandchildren so much that he could not think of punishing them for anything, but is willing to spoil them and grant their every wish. The God I worship is a God that is both loving and just. He has goodness and severity (Rom. 11:22). The real God that is revealed in the Bible is an unknown God to the majority of people. 

The Calvinist has a god that created men all of whom are now hereditarily and totally depraved, and arbitrarily determined that some of them are going to heaven and some are going to hell, and the number is so fixed that it cannot be changed by any choice or will or act of man.

The God that I serve made man upright and he sought out many inventions (Eccl. 7:29). He made man with freedom of choice and allows him to make the choice to serve God or Satan (Josh.24:15). It has been said that "God created man in his own image; philosophers have reversed the process; they create god in theirs." It is true, not only of philosophers, but of mankind in general. 

It is important to know that the kind of god you believe in will determine, to a large degree, the kind of person you are. It is philosophically, theologically and pragmatically true that one becomes more like that which he adores and worships. Be careful that Jehovah God is your God.

T. Pierce Brown

Published in The Old Paths Archive
(http://www.oldpaths.com)

From Jim McGuiggan... Theme & History

Theme & History

What a person talks about everytime we meet him is obviously important to him. What God talks about over and over again must be important to him. What is important to him should be important to us!

When NT writers speak tirelessly of the death and resurrection of Christ you know it is crucial. What they said (see 1 Corinthians 2:2; 15:3) is what they practiced (see the book of Acts).

Covenant is one of the rich strands of Bible teaching. To know some of the differences and likenesses between the Old covenant and the New, to know how the Mosaic covenant relates to the Abrahamic covenant and how they both relate to the New covenant in Christ would really open up the Bible for you. To have a clear idea of what a covenant meant in ancient times would unlock so many doors to understanding God's way with Man. (We hope to offer you a brief study on this later.)

Other major themes would include Sin, Faith, Blessing, The People of God, the Law, Judgement, Salvation, the Sovereignty of God, the Gospel and Suffering.

Allow Broad and Clearly Taught Truths to Act as Guidelines

We all learn new truths every day but most them don't change our lives because they are not major truths. Now and then we discover a truth which explains so much that was mysterious. That is an exciting experience. A line in a book may light up the whole book, a medical discovery may explain a host of facts and link them into a system instead of a mass of disconnected truths. There are sections and verses of scripture which do that for us and we need to watch out for them. Let me illustrate!

Ezra 2:67 says 435 camels went with the people who returned to Israel in the days of Zerrubabel. That's true! But the fact that there were 435 camels (rather than 450) is of no great significance! It doesn't affect our view of God or Man, it doesn't help to explain the grand design of creation or help us to understand the Bible as a whole. Truths like this are not to be denied or ignored but they are of minor importance for Bible study! Other truths have tremendous consequences for Bible study. Let me mention only a few!

A man asked Christ which was the greatest commandment in Scripture 

(Matthew 22:34-40). Christ told him what it was. He also told him what was second. Then he said (22:40): "All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." As a door hangs on hinges, Jesus taught, the entire OT teaching on human response to God hangs on two commands to love. That has profound consequences for OT study. What lies behind and under the many hundreds of rules and laws listed in the OT? Matthew 22 tells us that the rules were the guidelines for lovers rather than simple legal requirements. The OT must be read in light of Matthew 22. (See also Romans 13:8-10 in this connection.)

In 2 Peter 3:9 we hear that God doesn't want anyone to perish and in Ezekiel 18:23 we're told God has no pleasure in sinful people dying in their sins--he would rather they turned to him and live! These verses have profound consequences. These and a host like them make it clear that God wants us to have life with him rather than death without him. Any teaching, then, that says God has created countless millions for no other reason than to eternally torture them because that is what pleases him cannot be true! This is the way brutal tyrants behave. Those who have been subjected to such people need to know that God has nothing in common with such characters. This means that no obscure or difficult verse should be understood to teach that he has pleasure in creating us so he can torture us (in this life or the life to come). See also John 3:16-17 in this context.

Genesis 1:26-27 teaches that God made Man in his image. There is one God and he made all of us in his image. This truth has far-reaching consequences. No man is sub-human, no person (whatever the colour, creed, sex, culture, social status or ethnic roots) is to be dehumanised or treated unjustly. (See James 3:9 and Proverbs 14:21-22.) This "creation truth" should make us look at ourselves and our neighbour as something more than "animals that walk upright". This truth forbids us to prostitute ourselves or our fellow-man. This "creation truth" allows for a healthy nationalism but it calls us to recognise a "brotherhood of Man" behind all the different cultures, languages and races.

2 Corinthians 5:10 tells us we will all appear before the judgement seat of Christ to give an account for our lives. This verse, and many like it, sets our minds at ease (to some degree) as we look at the injustice and oppression all around us. When we are tempted to think the powerful and brutal are untouchable, truths like these help us to wait for the final outcome. Genesis 18:25 and Matthew 11:22,24 both deal with God's judging process. With 2 Corinthians 5:10 they teach us not to worry about questions we can't answer just now. Everything will be worked out in justice. We can depend on God to do that.

1 Peter 2:18-25 speaks to people who were suffering through no fault of their own and Peter comforts and challenges them with verses 21-25. The innocent Christ suffered and God used it to bring life to people. Christ's suffering means suffering doesn't need to produce despair. It also means God's love is not absent when suffering is present because God allowed Jesus to suffer even though he loved him beyond measure. Peter assures his readers that judgement is coming and all wrongs will be fully righted (1 Peter 1:15-17 & compare 2 Peter 3:1-13).

GET TO KNOW BIBLE HISTORY REALLY WELL

What is true of biblical statements is true of biblical events! In our own lives we can see events that made a tremendous difference. We've read of or experienced some history that changed the world in radical ways. (The French Revolution, the rise of Islam, World Wars I and II, the rise to power of Gorbachev and the profound changes that were triggered by that, are examples of what I mean.)

In your study pay special attention to the major events of biblical history. There are a large number of them (but not too many for you to become well acquainted with). Get to know the story of the events themselves! (Be able to tell the facts, the places, the names.) But look also for what the events mean, what the events teach. 

We need to know the biblical history:

Because it often explains what Bible writers meant when they wrote;

Because God revealed himself not in words only but in deeds;

Because history shows the purpose of God developing;

Because biblical history shows us our spiritual roots as part of mankind;

Because history shows us both our failures and our possibilities under God;

Because God himself became part of that history in Jesus Christ.

 ©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

How Many Supervisors Did Solomon Have? by Kyle Butt, M.Div.

http://apologeticspress.org/AllegedDiscrepancies.aspx?article=741&b=1%20Kings

How Many Supervisors Did Solomon Have?

by Kyle Butt, M.Div.

A helpful concept to remember when one is dealing with alleged discrepancies is the idea that a simple difference is not necessarily a contradiction. Just because two texts differ in the way they relate the facts does not necessarily mean that there exists no possible reconciliation of the texts. Let’s look at one example of texts that differ, yet do not contradict each other.

1 Kings 5:16: “Besides Solomon’s chief officers that were over the work, three thousand and three hundred, who bare rule over the people that wrought in the work.”

2 Chronicles 2:18: “And he set threescore and ten thousand of them to bear burdens, and fourscore thousand that were hewers in the mountains, and three thousand and six hundred overseers to set the people at work.”

These two verses frequently have been accused of contradicting one another because 1 Kings mentions 3,300 supervisors over the people, while 2 Chronicles mentions 3,600 overseers. To label these passages as contradictory represents a misunderstanding that could be based on several factors. One possible solution to this alleged contradiction is that the author of 2 Chronicles could be including a number of reserves who were standing ready to work should any of the “ regular” supervisors get sick or accidentally be killed. In their essay on alleged Bible contradictions, Jay Smith, Alex Chowdhry, et. al. wrote:

This is not too great a problem. The most likely solution is that the author of 2 Chronicles included the 300 men who were selected as reservists to take the place of any supervisors who would become ill or who had died, while the author of the 1 Kings 5:16 passage includes only the supervisory force. With the group as large as the 3,300, sickness and death certainly did occur, requiring reserves who would be called up as the need arose (n.d.).

The profoundly respected Old Testament commentators, Keil and Delitzsch, offered another solution. They pointed out the fact that 1 Kings 9:23 mentions 550 chief officers of Solomon, thus giving the total number of supervisors in 1 Kings 5:16 and 9:23 as 3,850. Also mentioned is the fact that 2 Chronicles 8:10 mentions 250 chief officers of Solomon, bringing the total number of officers in 2 Chronicles 2:18 and 8:10 to exactly 3,850—the same total as in 1 Kings. The difference does not lie within the numbers of the text; rather, the two authors simply classified the officers according to different standards. Whereas the chronicler might have been dividing the supervisors according to their nationality, the author of 1 Kings seems to have been dividing them by their authority (1982, 3:63-64).

So we see that any hint of contradiction can be cleared away quite easily, and it is once again evident that a simple difference is not necessarily a contradiction.

REFERENCES

Keil, C.F. and F. Delitzsch (1982 reprint), Commentary on the Old Testament, (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans).

Smith, Jay, Alex Chowdhry, Toby Jepson, and James Schaeffer (no date), 101 Cleared-Up Contradictions in the Bible, [On-line], URL: http://debate.org.uk/topics/apolog/contrads.htm.