UNPLEASANT THINGS
Blood
The Old Testament books of Joshua and Judges show the tribes of Israel settling in the land of Canaan—and butchering the original dwellers. Is this Christian behavior? Hardly—but then, this slaughter predates Jesus and His teaching on love and nonviolence.
But would God really command His people, the Israelites, to slaughter other people? Consider what the Israelites faced: tribes that worshipped gods of nature and fertility. Worship of these gods—Baal, Ashtaroth, Molech—often consisted of sex with temple prostitutes and even sacrifice of children.
The religion of Israel had no place for such horrors. The Israelites were constantly tempted to fall into the heathen worship. The only way they saw to keep their religion pure was to exterminate the heathen. A word about blood: Until fairly recently, most human beings had a fair amount of exposure to blood—usually in the butchering of animals.
The book of Leviticus strikes some people as gross in its bluntness about sacrificing animals. But in fact, our own squeaky clean society, where we seldom see an animal bleed, is unusual in the world’s history. In Bible times, and in many parts of the world today, people got a lot of exposure not only to animal blood but to human blood as well.
Famine
It was common in ancient times, when food storage was more difficult. The most famous famine was the one in Canaan that forced Jacob’s sons to visit Egypt for food.
There they fatefully encountered their brother Joseph, whom they had sold into slavery years before. Joseph had become Egypt’s prime minister, also administrator of food supplies during famine.
The book of Ruth tells of a famine during the days of the judges, forcing an Israelite family to move to Moab, where the Moabite woman Ruth became part of the family.
Leprosy, lepers
Modern medicine can cure or alleviate most skin diseases, but in ancient times there were few cures. People feared that leprosy (a generic name for a variety of loathsome skin diseases) was infectious, and probably the ugliness of it made people more fearful. Leviticus 13 gives detailed instructions on quarantining lepers.
A leper had to call out “Unclean! Unclean!” to warn others of his presence. He had to live in isolation, “outside the camp.” The prophet Elisha caused the healing of Naaman,the Aramean military man, by having him bathe in the Jordan River.
Leprosy could sometimes be a punishment from God. Miriam, Moses’s sister, was struck with leprosy for opposing Moses (Num. 12). Gehazi, servant of the prophet Elisha, became a leper after stealing and lying to his master (2 Kings 5). King Uzziah dared to burn incense on the altar (something only priests were allowed), so God afflicted him with leprosy (2 Chron. 26).
Jesus healed several lepers. In one notable instance, He healed ten lepers at once, but only one bothered to thank Him (Luke 17:11–19).
Stoning
Before the days of gas chambers, lethal injections, and electric chairs, the Israelites used what was available: stones.
The Old Testament prescribed execution by stoning as the punishment for blasphemy, idolatry, profaning the Sabbath, human sacrifice, occultism, and other offenses.
Some genuine offenders were executed, but Jesus lamented that Isreal had also stoned true prophets (Matt. 23:37). John 8:1–11 records the story of a woman about to be stoned for adultery; Jesus uttered His famous words, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first,” and the mob dispersed.
More than once the Jews decided to stone Jesus Himself for blasphemy. If His execution had been Jewish instead of Roman, He would have been stoned instead of crucified. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, was stoned for blasphemy (Acts 7:54–60).
On one occasion Paul was stoned and left for dead, though he recovered (Acts 14:19–20). Stoning was a kind of “community execution,” with the people as a group stoning the offender.
Burial
the Bible does not forbid cremation or other means of disposing of the dead, but traditionally Christians have been buried.
This is partly a heritage from the Jews, who hold firmly to the tradition. Unlike some other world religions, Christianity and Judaism are not anti-body or anti-matter.
Jesus Himself was buried, and the New Testament makes it clear that each individual believer will be resurrected in a “spiritual body” like the body of Jesus after His resurrection.
This belief has inclined Christians to keep each body intact. Only one person—Joseph in Egypt—is mentioned as being buried in a coffin (Gen. 50:26).
Sackcloth and ashes
Sackcloth was a rough, dark cloth, usually made of goat’s hair, with a texture like (but probably rougher than) burlap.
Wearing only a rough sackcloth tunic was a sign of grief or repentance (2 Sam. 3:31; 2 Kings 19:1; Isa. 20:2; Luke 10:13).
Wearing sackcloth was often accompanied by smearing ashes on one’s face or body (2 Sam. 13:19; Esther 4:1; Isa. 58:5).
Rending the garments
Tearing one’s clothes (or “rending the garments,” in some trans-lations) was a sign of sorrow, mourning, or repentance, practiced in Israel and still practiced by Jews today.
Jacob tore his clothes when he believed his son Joseph was dead (Gen. 37:34). King Ahab, chastised by Elijah because of his sins, tore his clothes (1 Kings 21:27).
At Jesus’ trial, the high priest, believing Jesus a blasphemer, tore his clothes (Matt. 26:25).
The prophet Joel told the people that sorrow over sin should be an inward thing, not an outward thing: “Rend your heart, and not your garments” (Joel 2:13).
Barrenness
Inability to bear children was considered the most horrible fate that could befall a woman in Bible times. Being “fruitful” was a sign of divine blessing.
The Bible has many stories of women whose barren sate was miraculously changed by God, often when the woman was old. Examples: Sarah, wife of Abraham, bore Isaac when she was ninety; Jacob’s unloved wife Leah bore children while the beloved Rachel was long barren; Manoah’s long-barren wife gave birth to Samson; Hannah gave birth to Samuel; the Virgin Mary’s elderly relative Elizabeth gave birth to John the Baptist.
Baldness
Normal baldness (as in “male pattern baldness”) is hardly mentioned in the Bible, where baldness is usually the result of some disease.
The prophet Elisha is the only man mentioned as being bald.
The teens who poked fun of his baldness were punished severely for the insult: Bears came and mauled them (2 Kings 2).
UNFORGIVEN (AND FORGIVEN)
“To err is human, to forgive divine”—so said the poet Alexander Pope, though many people think those words came from the Bible.
In fact, Pope’s words do nicely sum up the Bible’s teaching about forgiveness.
People are expected to forgive, just as God does.
Unfortunately, in the Bible (as in our own lives) there are more examples of not forgiving than forgiving.
1. What young man confessed his riotous living to his forgiving father? (Hint: parable)
2. According to Jesus, how many times are we supposed to forgive someone?
3. What is the one sin that cannot be forgiven?
4. Who asked the prophet Elisha’s forgiveness for worshipping in the temple of the god Rimmon?
5. Who was the first man recorded as forgiving those who wronged him?
6. To whom did Jesus say “Your sins are forgiven”?
7. Who was Jesus’ immediate predecessor in preaching the forgiveness of sins?
8. In which Gospel does Jesus say from the cross, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do”?
9. According to the Letter to the Hebrews, what is required if sins are to be forgiven?
10. What book of the Old Testament is concerned with offering animal sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins?
11. According to Deuteronomy, what sin cannot be forgiven?
12. Who begged David’s forgiveness for her husband’s boorish behavior?
13. What book of the Bible mentions forgiveness the most times?
14. What abused prophet prayed that God would not forgive his enemies’ many plots against him?
15. What happens to people who will not forgive their enemies?
16. According to Jesus, what was poured out for the forgiveness of men’s sins?
17. According to Mark’s Gospel, what activity should we cease from until we have forgiven our brothers?
18. What woman loved much because she had been forgiven much?
UNFORGIVEN (AND FORGIVEN) (ANSWERS)
1. The Prodigal Son (Luke 15:18)
2. Seventy times seven (Matthew 18:21-22). Peter had assumed (wrongly) that seven times was adequate.
3. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:31)
4. Naaman, the Syrian soldier whom Elisha healed of leprosy (2 Kings 5:18)
5. Joseph, who had been so badly treated by his brothers (Genesis 50:17)
6. The paralytic man whom he healed (Matthew 9:2)
7. His kinsman, John the Baptist (Mark 1:4)
8. Luke (23:34)
9. The shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22)
10. Leviticus
11. Leading others into idolatry (Deuteronomy 29:16-20)
12. Abigail, the wife of surly Nabal. After Nabal died, Abigail became one of David’s many wives (1 Samuel 25:28).
13. Psalms, the Bible’s prayer book, mentions it more than 10 times.
14. Jeremiah (18:23)
15. They will not be forgiven by God (Matthew 6:15).
16. His blood (Matthew 26:28)
17. Praying (Mark 11:25)
18. The immoral woman who anointed Jesus’ feet with precious ointment (Luke 7:36-46)
Bible Promises:
And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
(DEUTERONOMY 7:13)
And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
(GENESIS 28:15)
A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight.
(PROVERBS 11:1)
1 The world famous Pringles can-shaped packet was invented by Fredric Baur, and when he passed away, his ashes were stored in the famous can.
2 Are you a magnet for those pesky mosquitos? If you are often bitten, it’s actually the females which are doing the nipping, not the men.
3 Ever wondered about the length of a chameleon’s tongue? It’s actually 1.5 times the overall length of it’s entire body.
4 Cows are clever animals, they can actually sleep stood up.
5 If you’ve ever heard about potential spotting of mermaids in the ocean it could have been a manatee – people have often mistaken the two.
6 The male/female equality thing is alive and well with seahorses, as females let the men keep the babies safe, inside HIS stomach.
7 If you ever find yourself near an alligator, plan your escape by knowing that they can’t move backwards.
8 The stripes on a tiger are actually on its skin, not only on its fur.
9 If a gecko wore glasses it would have a very novel way of cleaning them. A gecko cleans its eyeballs of sand and other rubbish, with it’s tongue.
10 Your arteries, if you laid them out flat (hopefully you never try it), they would reach up to 60,000 miles in length.
11 Smile! You’re getting at true workout when you show the world your teeth, because it takes less muscles to frown, than it does to actually smile.
12 You might think that your dreams go on for hours, but on average, a dream only lasts for around 3 seconds.
13 Have you ever tried to sneeze and keep your eyes open? You can try all you like, but its actually impossible.
14 When it comes to raps and rhymes, you will never be able to find a word which actually rhymes with orange.
15 Pinocchio is actually an Italian word, but do you know what it means? That poor puppet who wanted to be a boy, his name translates as ‘pine head’.
16 We all love diamonds, but if you lived on Neptune, you would actually see it raining glittering diamonds.
17 To date, the largest baby ever born in the world, was a rather eye-watering 15.5lb.
18 You’ll probably be aware that a crow is seen as a rather dark kind of bird, e.g. a death bird. Did you know that a flock of this rather unpleasant bird is actually called a murder?
19 We’ve all heard that goldfish don’t have the greatest memory span, but do you know how short it actually is? 3 seconds.
20 What is the shortest sentence you can come up with in English? Officially, it is ‘I am’.
21 Think that cats look constantly unimpressed?
If you notice your pet squeezing their eyes closed tightly, they’re actually extremely happy with life.
22 If you loved the tug of war at school, you’ll be interested to know that in the early 1900s it was actually an Olympic sport.
23 Despite being a British icon, Winston Churchill’s mother was actually born and raised in Brooklyn.
24 Scientists have figured out that dinosaurs could live for anything between 75 to a huge 300 years!
25 You can tell how old a fish is by looking at its scales. Every year its scales grow a circular shape, called an annuli, and you simply have to count them.
Quotes...
2 Are you a magnet for those pesky mosquitos? If you are often bitten, it’s actually the females which are doing the nipping, not the men.
3 Ever wondered about the length of a chameleon’s tongue? It’s actually 1.5 times the overall length of it’s entire body.
4 Cows are clever animals, they can actually sleep stood up.
5 If you’ve ever heard about potential spotting of mermaids in the ocean it could have been a manatee – people have often mistaken the two.
6 The male/female equality thing is alive and well with seahorses, as females let the men keep the babies safe, inside HIS stomach.
7 If you ever find yourself near an alligator, plan your escape by knowing that they can’t move backwards.
8 The stripes on a tiger are actually on its skin, not only on its fur.
9 If a gecko wore glasses it would have a very novel way of cleaning them. A gecko cleans its eyeballs of sand and other rubbish, with it’s tongue.
10 Your arteries, if you laid them out flat (hopefully you never try it), they would reach up to 60,000 miles in length.
11 Smile! You’re getting at true workout when you show the world your teeth, because it takes less muscles to frown, than it does to actually smile.
12 You might think that your dreams go on for hours, but on average, a dream only lasts for around 3 seconds.
13 Have you ever tried to sneeze and keep your eyes open? You can try all you like, but its actually impossible.
14 When it comes to raps and rhymes, you will never be able to find a word which actually rhymes with orange.
15 Pinocchio is actually an Italian word, but do you know what it means? That poor puppet who wanted to be a boy, his name translates as ‘pine head’.
16 We all love diamonds, but if you lived on Neptune, you would actually see it raining glittering diamonds.
17 To date, the largest baby ever born in the world, was a rather eye-watering 15.5lb.
18 You’ll probably be aware that a crow is seen as a rather dark kind of bird, e.g. a death bird. Did you know that a flock of this rather unpleasant bird is actually called a murder?
19 We’ve all heard that goldfish don’t have the greatest memory span, but do you know how short it actually is? 3 seconds.
20 What is the shortest sentence you can come up with in English? Officially, it is ‘I am’.
21 Think that cats look constantly unimpressed?
If you notice your pet squeezing their eyes closed tightly, they’re actually extremely happy with life.
22 If you loved the tug of war at school, you’ll be interested to know that in the early 1900s it was actually an Olympic sport.
23 Despite being a British icon, Winston Churchill’s mother was actually born and raised in Brooklyn.
24 Scientists have figured out that dinosaurs could live for anything between 75 to a huge 300 years!
25 You can tell how old a fish is by looking at its scales. Every year its scales grow a circular shape, called an annuli, and you simply have to count them.
Quotes...
