God’s character

5.1. Why did God allow slavery in the Old Testament?

Some people falsely accuse God of promoting slavery in the Old Testament. The false accusation arises because the Bible provides instructions on how to treat slaves.

• God sent Moses to free the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.

• God the Father sent His Son to free the whole world from the slavery of sin.

These actions show that God is against bondage and slavery.

- How did slavery begin in biblical times?

According to historians, slavery started because of the following reasons:

• Some got captured during a war and became slaves.

• Some became enslaved because they got into a debt, which they could not pay.

Despite God's opposition to slavery, He could not say that slavery cannot happen because of the following reasons:

• If somebody gets into debt and is unable to repay, it will not be fair for God to say that the lender should ignore it. This will result in people taking advantage of lenders. 

• Therefore, the lender was allowed to make a person a slave for a certain period to pay off his debt.

Therefore, God cannot say that slavery cannot happen. So He decided to provide instructions about the treatment of slaves.

    Exodus 21:26 says, “And if a man smite the eye of his servant, or the eye of his maid, that it perish; he shall let him go free for his eye's sake.”

    Exodus 21:27 says, “And if he smite out his manservant's tooth, or his maidservant's tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake.”

Therefore, the rules in Exodus 21 were made to avoid the ill-treatment of slaves.

- Slavery still exists today

There is illegal and legal slavery that exists today.

1. Legal slavery - Employment

The word “employee” is a more refined word for a slave. There is not much of a difference between an employee and a slave.

• Slaves were given food and shelter. Many employees today are given enough money for food and shelter, which causes many people to be in debt. Interest rates, inflation, fuel and food prices sometimes increase more than once a year, but many people's salaries do not. As a result, many people go from paycheck to paycheck and cannot save.

• Both are sometimes overworked and underappreciated.

• Both must work and obey their bosses or face the consequences.

• Slaves are not free and employees are not free because they need money.

The person who owns a business is the only one who is not a slave.

2. Legal slavery - Debt

    Proverbs 22:7 says, “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.”

The year of jubilee:

God did not allow a person to be a slave forever. The person can pay off his debt as a slave only for 6 years and had to be set free in the seventh year. 

    Exodus 21:2 says, “If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.”

God is more considerate than the people of this world. Your debt will never be written off and you will be blacklisted after some or all of your assets are repossessed.

3. Illegal slavery

There is still slavery of Africans. The only difference is that in the past, Africans got shipped to America to work on farms, but today they remain in Africa and work as slaves there. The USA banned slavery in its country, but it continues in African countries. Therefore, people falsely believe that slavery ended, but it never did.

The biggest slave trade is in human trafficking. The porn industry is fueling this form of slavery. Porn has resulted in an increase in human trafficking and many porn stars are sex slaves.

Many Christians think that watching pornography does not affect others, but it does. The rise in pornography viewership has led to an increase in sex trafficking because few porn stars exist in the industry and many of them suffer from drug addictions, often leading to fatal overdoses. 79% of porn performers use marijuana and 50% use ecstasy, according to porn statistics (https://www.covenanteyes.com/pornstats/). 

Therefore, new porn stars are needed resulting in many children, teenagers, and adults getting kidnapped and coerced into doing porn. Some victims come from poor backgrounds and some pimps threaten the lives of their families if they do not perform the acts. In order to increase viewership, the pimps also instruct the victims to pretend to enjoy the sexual acts. This means that there are Christians who are watching some young ladies getting raped on camera but think they are enjoying it. About 88% of pornographic scenes contain physical aggression, and 49% contain verbal aggression, according to some porn statistics.

Investigate the true nature of the porn industry. Watch the testimonies of ex-porn stars (fightthenewdrug.org/videos/) who will tell you how the porn industry is really like.

Almost everyone supports slavery, whether they know it or not. 

Those who criticize God for allowing slavery, should also fight against slavery and not support slavery by no longer buying coffee, tea, chocolate, designer clothes and gadgets such as smartphones. You must stop watching pornography, which has resulted in the increase in human trafficking. Anyone who criticizes God for allowing slavery in the Old Testament, but continues to watch porn and purchase items manufactured by slaves is a hypocrite.

Slavery in the chocolate industry

Human trafficking

Unveiling The Shocking $150 Billion Human Sex Trafficking Industry | Part 1

Slavery in the coffee industry

Slavery in  the tea industry

Continents and the estimated number of slaves they have

5.2. Why does God tell us to worship Him?

Worship can be defined as “the reverence or adoration that one shows toward something or someone; holding a person or object in high esteem; or giving a person or an object a place of importance or honor.”

We are designed to worship, and everyone worships something, including atheists. God tells us to do things that benefit us. 

- What are some benefits of worshiping God?

• Singing and listening to godly music increases dopamine (happy hormones).

• It decreases depression and increases contentment because we focus on what God has done for us and given us.

• It directs our attention from us to God and we feel closer to Him.

• It irritates the devil since he also wants to be worshiped.

Many atheists falsely believe that God’s request to worship Him is a sign that he likes attention or is perhaps a narcissist. They do not understand that it is our nature to worship as much as it is our nature to desire to be loved. Atheists tend to worship themselves, money and fame.

If God did not tell us not to only worship Him, then we would waste our time worshiping worthless things that will not give us eternal life, such as statues, animals, money, power, fame, celebrities, ourselves, etc.

God is worthy to be worshiped because He is holy, good and the creator of everything (Revelation 4:11). God regards true worship as worshiping Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24).

- Why worship is part of spiritual warfare?

The devil controls the minds of non-Christians to attack God’s people.

Worship is also part of spiritual warfare against the devil and can lead to freedom and victory over your enemies. The demons hate it when Christians worship God and it drives them away.

• Paul and Silas got arrested because of preaching the gospel. Instead of complaining about being imprisoned, they decided to worship God and got released from prison through a miracle.

    Acts 16:19, 24-26 says, “19 And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers, 24 Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. 25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. 26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.”

• The enemies of Israel wanted to kill all of them, but King Jehoshaphat won the war by worshiping God.

    2 Chronicles 20:2, 21-22 says, “2 Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi. 21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever. 22 And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.”

• We also see how worship can result in a person getting complete restoration.

In the New Testament, ten lepers approached Jesus to get cleansed from their leprosy. However, only one of them glorified God. Not only was that one leper cleansed, but he also experienced restoration and wholeness because he worshiped and thanked God after his cleansing. Leprosy results in a person losing parts of their body because they rot away. For example, some lepers lose some fingers or toes because of the disease. Therefore, when Jesus said that the thankful leper was made whole, it means that he got back his fingers, toes and other body parts he lost because of the leprosy. He experienced complete restoration.

    Luke 17:12; 15; 17-19 says, “12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: 15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, 17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? 18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. 19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.”

5.3. Why does God say do not kill, but He kills?

People kill because of jealousy and selfish reasons. God kills for the protection of the innocent and the hindrance of the spread of evil. 

- People who were living in the time of Noah.

All the people were full of violence and corruption (Genesis 6:11), except for Noah and his family. When God chose to destroy all mankind in the flood, He was completely justified in doing so: 

    Genesis 6:5 says, “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

But God did not kill them instantly, but told Noah to warn them of their impending destruction. Noah preached for 120 years before allowing them to die during the flood (2 Peter 2:5). 

If God did not destroy the people living during the time of Noah, violence and corruption would continue, which would have resulted in innocent people continuing to suffer.

- People living in the time of Sodom and Gomorrah

God first consulted with Abraham and then told Lot about his plan to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, who both agreed with Him.

Archeologists estimate that between 40,000 and 60,000 people resided in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah at the time of their destruction.

Before their deaths, God promised not to destroy the cities if only 10 good people (Genesis 18:32) lived there. Not only were the people of Sodom and Gomorrah guilty of sexual immorality, they were also proud, did not help the poor and committed abominations.

    Ezekiel 16:49-50 says, “49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. 50 And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.”

Therefore, the killing of people of Sodom and Gomorrah is justifiable. Their continued existence did not benefit anybody, including the poor and they were performing abominations.

- Killing of pagan nations

Why did God tell the Israelites to destroy pagan nations? Israel was God’s instrument of judgment against the Canaanites, who were evil beyond what we can imagine today.

    Deuteronomy 12:31 says, “Thou shalt not do so unto the Lord thy God: for every abomination to the Lord, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.”

The Israelites were easily influenced and God was concerned that they would be as evil as them and copy their actions.

    Deuteronomy 12:29-30 says, “29 When the Lord thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land; 30 Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.”

    Deuteronomy 20:17-18 says, “17 But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee: 18 That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the Lord your God.”

God takes a long time to kill people and prefers that they instead repent. As a judge, God must administer justice. All have sinned (Romans 3:23) and the penalty for sin is death (Romans 6:23).

Before God destroys a nation, He first sees whether they will change and waits until their sin is way too much, justifying their deaths. We see this principle in the example of the Amorites. God told Israel that they will come back to the location of the Amorites after they have proved to be completely evil, which was usually in the fourth generation.

    Genesis 15:16 says, “In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.”

5.4. How does God feel about those who hate him and the wicked?

He is patient with them, hoping they will repent, because He does not want them to be destroyed.

    Ezekiel 33:11 says, “Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?”

He is kind to everyone, both good and bad.

    Matthew 5:45 says, “That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”

The reality is that we are all wicked and deserve to be destroyed, but God is patient with us.

    2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

5.5. If God is good, why does the Bible say He creates evil in Isaiah 45?

    Isaiah 45:7 says, "I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things." (KJV)

God is good, so what does it mean in Isaiah 45:7 when He says He creates evil?

Definition of evil in the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

Questions

• Is God sinful, wicked, immoral, or have a bad character?

Answer: No

There is no record of God performing any sinful acts.

• Has God ever created an immoral or sinful being?

Answer: No

Everything that God created was good. He did not create anything wicked or evil. Human beings and the devil chose to be evil (wicked, sinful, and immoral) because they have free will.

    Genesis 1:31 says, “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.”

• Does God sometimes cause harm, calamity, pain, or discomfort?

Answer: Yes, He does.

But only to wicked, sinful people.

However, before God harms or destroys any wicked people, He first does the following:

• He consults with one or more individuals who are the most righteous at that time regarding the matter.

•  He either warns the evil people that He is going to destroy them or instructs the person He has consulted to warn them, with the hope that they will repent so that He no longer needs to destroy them.

- Examples of when God caused evil by destroying others or bringing calamity.

• The flood in Genesis wiped out the evil people.

God did not kill them instantly but first consulted with Noah and told him his plans, who agreed with him. Noah warned them for 120 years before God caused them to die during the flood (2 Peter 2:5).

• The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

As said previously, He first consulted with Abraham and then told Lot about his plan, who agreed with Him. Archeologists estimate that between 40,000 and 60,000 people resided in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah at the time of their destruction. Before their deaths, God promised not to destroy the cities if only 10 good people (Genesis 18:32) lived there.

- Examples of when God planned to create calamity but did not.

1. The city of Nineveh

God consulted with Jonah and told him to warn Nineveh about His plan to destroy them.

The people of Nineveh repented of their sins and He did not destroy them.

2. The people of Israel.

The Israelites were very sinful and complained a lot, despite all the good that God had done for them. God told Moses that He was planning to destroy them, but He listened to Moses when he disagreed with him, and nobody died.

Note that Moses referred to the destruction as "evil.”

    Exodus 32:12 says, “… Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.”

We also see this in the book of Jeremiah, whereby God told the people that if they repented from the evil (sin), He would not perform the evil (calamity or destruction) that He had planned.

    Jeremiah 26:3 says, "If so be they will hearken, and turn every man from his evil way, that I may repent me of the evil, which I purpose to do unto them because of the evil of their doings."

We see in Jeremiah that the word evil can have more than meaning as confirmed by the dictionary.

- In the context of Isaiah 45

    Isaiah 45:1 says, “Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut”

God promised that Cyrus would bring calamity (evil) to Babylon so that the Israelites may return to their own country and rebuild their destroyed cities. (Isaiah 41:8–10; 44:26; 45:4; 2 Chronicles 36:22–23; Ezra 1:3). God also used Cyrus as an instrument of peace and restoration for Israel.

Overall Conclusion

According to the dictionary, the word "evil" has more than one meaning. Looking at the Bible as a whole, the word “evil” in Isaiah 45:7 means that God creates calamity, disaster, destruction, etc.

The KJV Bible version uses the word "evil"; other Bible versions use better words that cause less confusion, such as disaster, bad times, calamity, etc.

• God only creates evil in the form of calamity, disaster and destruction, but only after warning the wicked.

• God is not a tyrant, as evidenced by the fact that He sometimes does not make decisions by Himself and consults others.

• He also does not cause any harm without first issuing a warning.

• The "evil" that God created is justifiable, and even those people whom He consulted agreed with him.

• God does not like creating any harm (evil) and gives people opportunities to change.

5.6. Why is God jealous?

    Exodus 34:14 says, “For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God”

Most people who are critical about the fact that God is jealous are atheists, but they themselves get jealous. It is ironic how atheists give God standards that they do not live up to or apply. It is also hypocritical of them to judge God.

In this verse, God is speaking of people making idols and bowing down and worshiping those idols instead of giving God the worship that belongs to Him alone. It is a sin to worship anything other than God.

- What is the difference between human jealousy and the jealousy that God has?

The Bible talks about covetousness, which is a sin. Covetousness is when we desire what belongs to others and become jealous because we do not have what they have.

God, on the other hand, is jealous over what already belongs to Him, not what belongs to others. An example is a husband who gets jealous if his wife decides to love another man. The Bible does not criticize a husband who gets jealous in such a case because his wife belongs to him. The Bible further does not rebuke such a husband and does not say it is wrong for him to be jealous in the situation of adultery.

    Proverbs 6:32-35 says, “32 But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. 33 A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away. 34 For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. 35 He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.”

There is nothing wrong with being jealous with regard to something that already belongs to you. Jealousy is a sin when it is a desire for something that does not belong to you. Worship, praise, honor, and adoration belong to God alone, for only He is truly worthy of it. Therefore, God is rightly jealous when worship, praise, honor, or adoration is given to idols. We belong to Him because He created us and therefore does not want us to love false gods who never made us. No parent wants their children to love the next-door neighbor more than them.

Paul’s “godly jealousy”

    2 Corinthians 11:2 says, “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”

The apostle Paul went to the city of Corinth which had a problem of idolatry.

In his second epistle to the church at Corinth, Paul reminded the Corinthians to beware of false prophets and getting involved in idolatry.

The word “jealousy” used here is from the Greek word zelos, which means an intense positive interest in something or zeal marked by a sense of dedication.

Paul understood that the Corinthians' devotion to the one true God was jeopardized by the prevalence of sin in their society and the influence of false teachers. He spoke to the Corinthian members like a father would to a daughter he loved and wanted to protect, since he felt the same way about them. He wanted to protect them. Dictionary.com also defines jealousy as “vigilance in maintaining or guarding something.”

We all want to shield and protect something or someone we care about. To be jealous for them, not of them. This is the jealousy Paul felt for the Corinthians, and it is the same jealousy God feels for His own children.

5.7. What does it mean to fear God?

    1 Peter 2:17 says, "Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king."

    Revelation 14:7 says, "Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters."

The Bible tells us to fear God but also warns against us feeling fearful, anxious, or worried.

    1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”

    2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

    Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God (NIV).”

- Are there different meanings for the word "fear"?

Definition of Fear according to Merriam Webster dictionary

Therefore the word "fear" has different meanings.

The Bible is against us having anxious feelings or other negative emotions.

However, it does tell us to have reverence for God, which is another meaning of fear according to the dictionary.

    Hebrews 12:28 says, "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe (NIV)."

- What is another meaning of "Fearing God" according to the Bible?

    Proverbs 8:13 says, “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.”

    Proverbs 3:7 says, “Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.”

    Leviticus 19:14 says, “Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the Lord.”

    Psalm 112:1 says, “Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.”

Therefore another meaning of "fearing God" is to hate evil, to turn away from evil (sin) and to keep God's commandments.

What are the commandments?

Answer: They represent love.

    Matthew 22:37-40 says, “37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

- What are the blessings of fearing God?

    Leviticus 19:32 says, “Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the Lord.”

    Psalm 128:1 says, “Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways.”

    Psalm 147:11 says, “The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.”

    Psalm 111:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.”

    Proverbs 14:27 says, “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.”

    Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

5.8. Why did God allow the killing of women and children in the Bible?

Some people might question why God said that the children of pagans should also be killed by the Israelites. The issue is that people’s descendants can be a problem in the future if they are not destroyed. The book of Esther is a good story to illustrate what happens when you do not completely destroy your enemy. In 1 Samuel 15, Saul was told to kill all of the Amalekites, but he did not and spared King Agag.

    1 Samuel 15:1-9 says, “1 Samuel also said unto Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the Lord. 2 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. 3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. 4 And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah. 5 And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley. 6 And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye shewed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. 7 And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt. 8 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. 9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.”

Because of his Amalekite ancestry, Haman was known as the Agagite in the book of Esther. Haman, who tried to kill the Jews, is believed to be the descendant of King Agag by Jewish scholars.

    Esther 3:1 says, “After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him.”

    Esther 3:6 says, “And he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had shewed him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai.”

If children are not killed, they or their descendants will want to seek revenge and become a snare for the future generations. Most of us become emotional when it comes to children; however, we need to remind ourselves that ungodly children become ungodly adults. If the pagan women are not killed, they will give birth to more ungodly children.

Every psychopath, serial killer, rapist, pedophile, criminal, and dictator was once a baby. Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and many other evil men who killed millions of people were once children.

Some of the scenarios in the Bible demonstrate that God is not concerned with an individual's age, but rather focuses on their character and their potential for the future. For example, God first spoke to Samuel and Jeremiah when they were children. Their age did not matter to Him; He was mainly concerned about their character and the potential they had in the future.

5.9. Why God is not harsh, but always fair?

Some people look at how God punished wicked people in the Old Testament and say that He was harsh because of the following reasons:

• All the people in Noah's time, except for eight, died during the flood.

• All the people living in Sodom and Gomorrah got killed, except for Lot and his two daughters.

- People who were living in the time of Noah.

All the people were full of violence and corruption (Genesis 6:11), except for Noah and his family.

But God did not kill them instantly. Noah preached for 120 years before allowing them to die during the flood (2 Peter 2:5). If God was truly harsh, then why did God not kill them immediately and not allow them to live for another 120 years?

We can see how patient and merciful God is. Instead of being quick to kill, He gave the wicked people 120 years to repent and turn away from their wickedness.

- People living in the time of Sodom and Gomorrah

As stated previously, archaeologists estimate that between 40,000 and 60,000 people resided in Sodom and Gomorrah at the time of its destruction. Before their deaths, God promised not to destroy the cities if only 10 good people (Genesis 18:32) lived there.

God did not say if there were only 1,000 or 2,000 or 10,000 good people. He would not destroy the cities if there were only 10 good people!

This shows how merciful God is. It also makes sense that God did destroy the cities. If there were not even 10 good people in these cities, then they deserved to be destroyed.

Looking at the full picture, we can see that God is not harsh at all, but very merciful and fair.

    Exodus 34:6 says, "And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering (patient), and abundant in goodness and truth,"

5.10. Why did God reject Cain's offering?

The issue between Cain and Abel was how God should be worshipped. Cain wanted to worship God his way, and Abel worshipped God the way He had instructed.

Offerings and sacrifices were part of worship in the Old Testament. God specified what can be offered in Leviticus chapters 1–7, Exodus 13, and Numbers 18.

The Bible does not tell us everything, but based on the story of Cain and Abel, it is obvious that there was communication to both Cain and Abel about what kind of offerings should be made.

• Abel's Offering

    Genesis 4:4 says, "And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering:"

Abel brought the firstlings, or firstborn, of his sheep.

What do the requirements say?

    Exodus 13:12 says, "That thou shalt set apart unto the Lord all that openeth the matrix, and every firstling that cometh of a beast which thou hast; the males shall be the Lord's."

    Numbers 18:17 says, "But the firstling of a cow, or the firstling of a sheep, or the firstling of a goat, thou shalt not redeem; they are holy: thou shalt sprinkle their blood upon the altar, and shalt burn their fat for an offering made by fire, for a sweet savour unto the Lord."

Conclusion: Abel obeyed God

• Cain's Offering

    Genesis 4:3 says, "And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord."

• Cain brought something that comes from the ground.

• There is no mention that it was the first. 

• There is no mention that it was the best fruit of the ground.

What do the requirements say?

    Numbers 18:12-13 says, "12 All the best of the oil, and all the best of the wine, and of the wheat, the firstfruits of them which they shall offer unto the Lord, them have I given thee. 13 And whatsoever is first ripe in the land, which they shall bring unto the Lord, shall be thine; every one that is clean in thine house shall eat of it."

Conclusion: Cain disobeyed God

Hebrews 11:4 says, "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh."

Abel did what God wanted and Cain did not. You will find the same problem with a lot of Christians today. There are some Christians who worship the God wants and there are ones that do not care about what God says. They are those that obey God and those who do not.

- What two types of Christians exist? 

• The wise virgins vs. The foolish virgins (Matthew 25:1-13)

• The wheat vs. The tares (Matthew 13:24-30)

• The sheep vs. The goats (Matthew 25:31-46)

• The wise builders vs. The foolish builders (Matthew 7:24-27)

• The pure woman vs. the Babylonian woman (Revelation 12:1, Revelation 17:3-6)

• Those on the narrow road vs. Those on the broad road (Matthew 7:13-14)

Let us be careful to worship God the way that He wants so that we please Him.

5.11. Why does the Bible say God punishes idolaters to the fourth generation?

    Exodus 20:3-5 says, “3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me”

These verses seem to contradict what is written in Ezekiel 18, which states that the father who sins will be accountable for himself only and his child will not bear the consequence of his father’s sin. 

    Ezekiel 18:20 says, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.”

The next verses further state that if the person repents, they shall live and not die.

    Ezekiel 18:21-22 says, "21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. 22 All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live."

Therefore what does Exodus 20 mean?

The context of Exodus 20 shows that God was concerned that His people would worship idols and false gods, taking them away from the knowledge of the one true God and fall into sin. The passage in Exodus 20 states that God would visit “the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me [continue in sin], but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments” (verses 5-6).

Although God does not punish later generations for the sins of their predecessors, there is a tendency for sin in one generation to carry forward, often down to the third or fourth generation. Children tend to repeat the sins of their parents, resulting in the second, third and fourth generations being punished. However, if the other generations do not copy their parents and do not commit the sin of idolatry, they will not be punished.

It is important to read the Bible in totality and not focus on the conversation mentioned in one place to avoid misunderstanding. Scripture should be compared to scripture.

5.12. Why did God allow a lying spirit to be sent in 1 Kings 22?

    1 Kings 22:19-23 says, “19 And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left. 20 And the Lord said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner. 21 And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said, I will persuade him. 22 And the Lord said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so. 23 Now therefore, behold, the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil concerning thee.”

A disturbing passage in 1 Kings 22:19-23 tells us that God used a lying spirit to deceive Ahab. Before we examine these verses, let us look at the life of Ahab before this incident happened.

• King Ahab reigned over Israel in Samaria for 22 years (1 Kings 16:29). 

• Ahab did a lot of evil and even got involved in idolatry (1 Kings 16:33). He also got Israel into idolatry as well. Ahab had declared war on God by killing His prophets (1 Kings 18:13).

• Ahab continuously proved that his only agenda was to do evil, evidenced by his continued refusal to listen to the prophet Elijah’s warnings. 

• Ahab falsely accused Elijah of troubling Israel by the drought that happened, but Elijah declared that it was Ahab’s own sin that caused the troubles for the nation (1 Kings 18:18). 

• God allowed a combat with Ahab in the form of a contest (1 Kings 18:19-40) between the four hundred and fifty false prophets of Baal on one side and Elijah on the other. 

• Ahab should have repented when God miraculously confirmed Elijah's position as His real prophet. But he decided to remain rebellious. 

• God had been showing Ahab his power and kindness constantly, but the king would not change.

When the King of Judah, Jehoshaphat, visited Ahab, he convinced him to go fight to seize Ramoth-Gilead from the Syrians. Wisely, Jehoshaphat demanded that they search God's will in the matter, so Ahab gathered 400 false prophets together, all promising him victory (1 Kings 22:6). Jehoshaphat discerned that they were lying and inquired as to whether a real Godly prophet might be called. Ahab hated Micaiah even though he acknowledged he was a real prophet. Ahab said "he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad" (1 Kings 22:8).

Prophet Micaiah brought God's last warning to Ahab in front of the kings. He claimed that they would lose in the war and Israel would be left without a king if they went to war. Once more, Ahab ignored God's warning and preferred to follow a path of evil rebellion and listen to the prophets who lied to him.

God had given King Ahab many years to change and listen to him, but he refused. He has committed too many sins, including killing God's prophets. Justice had to be done, and he had to die.

- How the death of King Ahab was decided?

• God held a meeting in heaven regarding the king Ahab and asked for advice on how to destroy him.

• None of the good angels thought of the best plan, but an evil spirit came and volunteered to “Entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there” (1 Kings 22:20). 

• God gave the spirit permission to proceed, and Ahab received the message he desired.

- Why did God allow the lying spirit or demon to go to King Ahab?

God allowed the lying spirit or demon to go to King Ahab because of the following reasons:

• The prophet Elijah had spoken the truth to him and warned him to stop his life of sin, and he never listened.

• The prophet Micaiah told him the truth and told him not to go to war, but he did not listen.

• Instead, King Ahab got 400 false prophets to tell him lies, and he believed them.

• King Ahab did not love the truth and loved lies. Therefore, a lying spirit was sent to him because he only listened to lies. Since Ahab continued to prefer the lies of his false prophets over the truth given by God’s prophets, God chose to use the false prophets to carry out His plan. If God had chosen a truthful spirit, King Ahab would not have listened and the plan would not have worked.

God is unrestricted in what or who He can use to accomplish His holy purposes because He is sovereign over all of creation. In the case of Ahab, God chose to use a lying spirit to accomplish His perfect and righteous plan (Psalm 18:30). The lying spirit will receive its punishment just as Ahab did.

If 1 Kings 22:19-23, you will realize the following:

• God does not always make decisions by Himself and asks for the advice of others.

• It was not God's idea to use a lying spirit to destroy Ahab for his constant wickedness. 

• He asked the other good angels to provide ideas on the best way to get rid of Ahab, but none of them gave the best solution. 

• Then finally an evil spirit came and volunteered to perform the act of putting lies to the mouths of the false prophets of Ahab. God is good and does not tempt anybody to do any evil. Therefore, he allows demons to tempt others who freely volunteer to perform the wrong acts.

• You will notice that the good angels did not protest against the idea of using the lying spirit and were therefore in agreement that it was the best way to solve the solution. If you have read the Bible from the beginning, you would know that if a righteous man protests against an action that God wants to do, He listens to them. We see this, for example, when God wanted to destroy the Israelites in the wilderness, but Moses protested. God listened to Moses and did not destroy them.

God had given King Ahab many opportunities for several years to repent, but he did not want to. He gave him several warnings, but Ahab became more stubborn. Not only was King Ahab an idolater, liar, and murderer who only listened to liars, but he also influenced others to be wicked. What happened was justifiable because there was no alternative way to get rid of King Ahab. He did not love the truth and therefore a truthful spirit was not sent to him.

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