Job 4
Eliphaz asks Job permission to speak verse 1- 2
Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered
and said
IF we assay to commune with you
will you be grieved?
BUT who can withhold himself from speaking?
Eliphaz reminds Job of past verse 3- 6
BEHOLD – you have instructed many
you have strengthened the weak hands
your words have upheld him that was falling
and you have strengthened the feeble knees
BUT NOW it is come on you – and you faintest
it touched you – and you are TROUBLED
Is not this your fear – your confidence – your hope
and the uprightness of your ways?
Eliphaz states only sinners are judged verse 7- 11
Remember – I pray you – who ever perished being innocent?
or where were the righteous cut off?
even as I have seen – they that plow INIQUITY
sow WICKEDNESS – REAP the same
By the blast of God they perish
and by the breath of HIS nostrils are they consumed
the roaring of the lion – and the voice of the fierce lions
and the teeth of the young lions – are broken
the old lion perishes for lack of prey
and the stout lion’s whelps are scattered abroad
Eliphaz tells of a vision from God verse 12- 17
NOW a thing was secretly brought to me
and mine ear received a little thereof
In thoughts from the visions of the night
when deep sleep falls on men
fear came upon me – and trembling
which made all my bones to shake
Then a spirit passed before my face – the hair of my flesh stood up
it stood still – but I could not discern the form thereof
and image was before mine eyes – there was silence
and I heard a voice
saying
Shall mortal man be more just than God?
Shall a man be more pure than his MAKER?
Eliphaz states that God knows all are sinners verse 18- 21
BEHOLD – HE put no trust in HIS servants
and HIS angels HE charged with folly
How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay
whose foundation is in the dust
which are crushed before the moth?
They are destroyed from morning to evening
they perish for ever without any regarding it
Does not their excellency which is in them go away?
they die – even without wisdom
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 3 Behold, you have instructed many, and you have strengthened the weak hands. (3256 “instructed” [yacar] means strengthen, taught, discipline, chasten, correct, admonish, to reform, reprove)
DEVOTION: Eliphaz seems to be the oldest of this group of “friends” that come to comfort Job because of all that has happened to him.
He starts out his speech with the fact that Job was one who was available to help others. He was one who taught others how to live their lives to honor the LORD. He used discipline in his life and taught others to discipline their lives to honor the LORD.
Now it was time for him to take his own advice. The basis of the statements of Eliphaz was that Job must have sinned to have all this happen to him.
He wanted Job to admit his sin and confess it and move on because no one who is honoring the LORD would have these things happen to him.
If we are individuals who have been in the service of the LORD for a long time we have had many occasions to meet with people who were suffering from a trial and gave them instructions regarding what they can do to come through the trial.
We are supposed to encourage or strengthen people who are going through trials. It is not our responsibility to judge people for wrong if there was nothing evident that they had done wrong.
So we find that these “friends” started on the wrong note and couldn’t seem to get off that note. Here they came with a wrong assumption. It is hard for those who are comforters who have assumed that what was happening is chastening of the LORD rather than just pruning of the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Don’t jump to conclusions before you help others who are going through hard times. Let God chasten HIS children. We are there to comfort one another during hard times.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 5 But now it is come upon you, and you faint, it touches you, and you are troubled.(926 troubled” [bahal] means to tremble inwardly, be alarmed or agitated, to hasten anxiously, be dismayed, or vexed)
DEVOTION: I asked everyone to send me their definition of “Friend.” Please do that. It will help us understand this book.
The first “friend” of Job asked to speak. He is probably the oldest of the three “friends.” He states that Job has been an encourager to others. He now believes that Job is not handling his judgment properly. This “friend” believes that only those who sin are given bad things. He believes that Job must have done something wrong. He also states that he had a vision regarding what was going on with Job. The vision told him that Job was being judged for wrongdoing.
The Pharisees of Jesus’ day also thought those who do good will be blessed and those who do wrong with be cursed. They followed the example of this “friend” of Job.
The Word of God tells us different. Those who are followers of the LORD are ultimately blessed in heaven, however, while they are alive on this earth there is going to be good time and bad times. The bad times don’t mean that the individual is sinning but may be times when the LORD is pruning the individual for better service. Suffering is part of the LORD’S plan for all believers.
In the last chapter we find Job wishing he were never born. He has lost all his material possession. He has lost his family. He has lost his health. He has three “friends” come over and mourn with him.
Now he has spoken and his “friends” think it is time for them to speak. Eliphaz is the first to speak. He tells Job that he has been a good counselor to others, however, when problems come his way, he is dismayed. Eliphaz believes that only sinners have this kind of problem. Those who are close servants to the LORD would never go through these problems. This is a lie from the enemy. He believes that Job can’t be innocent. He believes that Job is reaping what he had sown.
We can have “friends” that come to us when we are going through a hard time. We might think that they are there to encourage us but like these “friends” they are there to judge us guilty. Those types of “friends” we don’t need at that time.
Real friends are individuals who encourage and help during hard times. The problem is that many people are fair weather friends. Our responsibility is not to condone sin but to encourage our friends to grow in the LORD through hard times.
What type of friend are we? Do we immediately declare our friend guilty? Do we think that only those who are bad sinners go through bad times? We need to correct our thinking about friendship. We need to correct our thinking about the way God treats HIS children. Remember how HE treated HIS Son!!
Encouragement is ministry of those who are close to the LORD. Discouragement is the ministry of those who are hypocrites or Pharisees.
CHALLENGE: We have the ministry of reconciliation. Practice this with those who are your friends that are going through a hard time.
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: 8 Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same. (7114 “reap” [qatsar] means harvest, to experience the consequences of something, conceived of as harvesting them, to gather in, to be short, or in some contexts this can refer to a conclusion or ending of a matter other than agricultural products)
DEVOTION: I have never been a farmer but I have done some work on a farm at times. While I was in my second church I would drive the tractor while they harvested the bales of hay. Our oldest son used to drive the tractor as well while we did it.
Here we find that Eliphaz as “friend” of Job was giving his advice to Job. All he could think of was that Job had sinned and was receiving the consequences of his sin. This was not true but he couldn’t think that even those who do good sometimes have bad things happen to them.
We live in a judgmental age as well. Those who go through hard times are thought to deserve them because of their sins. It is not always the case as the LORD uses hard times to train people for harder times that might come soon.
HE wants to make believers strong through hard times because HE knows that every believer has to be ready for things to happen that they don’t want to happen but HE knows what is best for them to GROW in their Christian life.
If we have it too easy we tend to think that we are doing it ourselves instead of the LORD blessing us. Job didn’t seem to have these thoughts but he did wonder why all the things that were happening even when he tried to honor God in everything he did.
So we need to realize that we will reap what we sow if we sow sin in our lives but we also need to realize that sometimes the hard times come even when we are doing everything right and this is also for our spiritual growth as well.
We never like hard times but we need to expect them if we are going to mature the way the LORD wants us to mature. As we mature we understand better how the LORD works to cause us to move closer to HIM.
CHALLENGE: When hard times come do we get mad at God or do we try to understand what HE is doing in our life for our good? How many Christians have Job experiences in their lives?
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DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
17 Shall mortal man be more just than God? Shall a man be more pure than his maker? (2891 “pure” [taher] means to be clean, to be or become blameless or without fault; not to the exclusion of ritual purity, scour, or to purify.)
DEVOTION: The thoughts of this “friend” of Job are trying to say that Job has sinned and because of his sin is facing these judgments of God. He states earlier in the chapter that he had a vision from God that revealed to him that it is because of Job’s sin that he is in such a state. Therefore, he needs to accept what the LORD has sent his way and realize that God is just in what HE is doing to Job.
He also brings up the fact that we are created beings. We didn’t evolve from monkeys as some are trying to teach. This world is not millions of years old. It was created about ten to twelve thousand years ago and we are living in the same world that the LORD created in the time of Job.
Not only is God our Maker or Creator but HE is a just God. HE would never do anything unjust. However, here is a man who is saying something that is not just about Job. He doesn’t know all the facts but thinks he had a vision of the LORD telling him that what has happened is because of sin in Job’s life. Wrong!!!
We can sometimes jump to conclusions as to why things are happening in a fellow believer’s life. WE need to make sure that we don’t give advice based on our feelings.
Also, we need to realize that God doesn’t judge us according to HIS feelings but according to the facts and HE knows them all. If God judges based on feelings, we would all be in the lake of fire with the devil and his angels. There is NONE righteous in themselves it is a gift from God alone.
We are to be thankful that the LORD loves what HE has created so much that HE sent HIS Son Jesus to take our penalty away on the cross. Jesus was sinless but came to show the love of the Godhead for THEIR Creation.
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: 18 Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels HE charged with folly: (8417 “folly” [toholah] means error, craziness, a wrong action attributable to bad judgment, ignorance, or inattention, or wandering)
DEVOTION: When some of the angels fell is debated by some. Some think it was after the sixth day of Creation because all God saw of HIS creation was good. Others think that some of the angels fell with Satan before the earth was created.
We know from reading other places in the Word of God that some of the angels fell with Satan who had an issue with pride. He thought he could be as good as God. He wanted to replace God. This tells us that the LORD even gave HIS created angels a choice. Many of them fell with Satan.
In the New Testament they are called demons. This army of the devil or Satan is made up of fallen angels that are attacking believers from the beginning of creation until the end of this earth. They want as many followers as they can get to follow them instead of following the LORD. They are reaching more than are believers. It is thought that only about ten percent of those who are presently living are genuine believers. The rest are still following their father the devil.
The harvest field is filled with individuals who need to know the LORD. We are not reaching them enough here in this country. There are more becoming believers in other countries rather than here as we are moving further and further away from the truths of the Word of God in this country.
God is going to judge the fallen angels. HE has a place reserved for them. However, the same place is reserved for those who are human and not followers of Jesus Christ today. The lake of fire is going to be filled. It is our task to through the ministry of the Holy Spirit reach those around us for the LORD.
All the angels were created to be servants of the LORD. A great many of them decided to follow a false leader and continue to do so today. Humans have been created to serve the LORD as well. Adam and Eve fell in the garden and every human from that day forward has been born with a sin nature that needs the cleansing of the blood of Jesus Christ.
Angels who have fallen cannot be restored but humans who are born in sin can be restored while they are living. Once they die without Christ, they will spend time in hell until the Day of Judgment when they will be moved to the lake of fire with the devil and his angels.
CHALLENGE: Eliphaz is right. God is going to judge HIS angels. HE is also going to judge every human being.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 9, 17
Blast of God verse 9
Just verse 17
Maker verse 17
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
His angels he charged with folly verse 18
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Eliphaz gives advice (first speech) verse 1- 21
Secretly brought to him
Visions in the night
Job verse 2- 21
Instructed many
Strengthened weak hands
Faint
Troubled
Fear
Confidence
Hope
Uprightness
Mortal man verse 17
Dwell in houses of clay verse 19
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Falling verse 4
Faint verse 5
Troubled verse 5
Fear verse 6, 14
Perished verse 7, 9, 20
Iniquity verse 8
Wickedness verse 8
Reap wickedness and iniquity verse 8
Consumed verse 9
Folly verse 18
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Instructed verse 3
Strengthened weak hands verse 3
Upheld falling ones verse 4
Strengthened feeble knees verse 4
Confidence verse 6
Hope verse 6
Uprightness verse 6
Innocent verse 7
Righteous verse 7
Discern verse 16
Just verse 17
Pure verse 17
Dwell in houses of clay verse 19
Wisdom verse 21
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Die without wisdom verse 21
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QUOTES regarding passage
4:3–5. Eliphaz commended Job for having instructed … strengthened, and supported others emotionally and spiritually by his words of counsel. But that compliment contained a rebuke, for Eliphaz suggested that Job was unable to take his own medicine. He had advised others to be patient under trial, but now trouble had come to him and he was discouraged. In fact calamity struck (the same word Satan used in 1:11 and 2:5) and Job was dismayed (lit., “terrified, in panic”; also used in 21:6; 22:10; 23:15–16). Job had been a great encourager, but he could not encourage himself. Eliphaz failed to realize that one who is suffering cannot easily encourage himself; Eliphaz should have been the one to encourage Job! (Zuck, R. B. (1985). Job. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 725). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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Never underestimate the power of words to encourage people in the battles of life. James Moffatt translates Job 4:4, “Your words have kept men on their feet.” The right words, spoken at the right time, and with the right motive, can make a tremendous difference in the lives of others. Your words can nourish those who are weak and encourage those who are defeated. But your words can also hurt those who are broken and only add to their burdens, so be careful what you say and how you say it. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Patient (pp. 26–27). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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4:3 The particle hînnēh (“think how”) is hard to translate into English with any consistency. The archaic “behold” of KJV, RV, RSV, NASB, and others simply does not communicate. Sometimes an exclamation mark at the end of a sentence represents this term, which usually appears at the beginning of a sentence. “Think how” introduces the premise of an argument, which comes in vv. 5–6. Eliphaz was preparing Job for the very thing he intended to do, that is, “instruct/rebuke/straighten out,” by reminding Job that Job himself had done, this many times before. In 29:7–10, 21–23 Job would list, among other good deeds, that he was a town elder whose counsel was received, esteemed, and acted upon. Chapter 29 also records what would fit into the category of strengthening “feeble hands” (29:12–13, 15–16). (Alden, R. L. (1993). Job (Vol. 11, p. 83). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers)
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4:8 Nowhere else in this book did the friends state better their standard view of divine justice than in this verse. Theirs was the theology of Prov 22:8, “He who sows wickedness reaps trouble.” As a general rule this is true. But Job and numbers of others in the Bible, most notably Jesus Christ, were exceptions to this rule. Eliphaz might be dealt with more gently because he introduced this maxim with the words “As I have observed.” Right before his eyes, however, was an exception. Throughout his three speeches he found it easier to condemn Job than to adjust his view of retributive justice. (Alden, R. L. (1993). Job (Vol. 11, p. 85). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
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Christians cannot compartmentalize their lives into the secular and the sacred. All truth is God’s truth, and anything done for Him whether “religious” or not is sacred. Jesus equates loving your fellow man with loving Him. He equates serving those in need with serving Him. He equates caring for the suffering as caring for Him.
You can love your fellow man without loving Christ, but you cannot love Christ without loving your fellow man. Whether you are worshiping the Lord or washing the feet of a bum on skid row, it is sacred and holy work if it is done out of love for the Lord. (Quiet Walk)
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A STIMULUS TO SANCTIFICATION
Awake to righteousness, and sin not. 1 Corinthians 15:34
The trouble, says Paul, is that “some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame” (1 Corinthians 15:34). The real trouble with a man who is living a life of sin and who is not sanctified is that he lacks the knowledge of doctrine. That is his trouble: he does not know these things. And if you and I are not more determined than ever to “awake to righteousness” and to forsake sin, then the only explanation is that we do not believe the doctrine of the resurrection. And if we do not, we are yet in our sins and are destined for hell, and may God have mercy on us.
But then to crown it all, in the last verse of 1 Corinthians 15 Paul uses the word “Therefore.” That is the argument, you see the logic; you cannot get away from it. It is not just beautiful language. You have heard people reveling in a beautiful service and saying, “How marvelous, how beautiful, how perfect; the balance, the cadence, and the lilt of the words!”
But that is not what the apostle wants you to feel. He wants you to say, “Therefore, Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, unmovable. Let them say what they want to about you stand on your doctrine like a man, unmovable, “always abounding in the work of the Lord,” in your personal life and living, in your life in the church and in the whole of your life, “forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” The doctrine of the resurrection; what a stimulus to our sanctification!
Let nothing come between us and this mighty truth. This is life. This is everything.
Love so amazing, so divine Demands my soul, my life, my all. Isaac Watts
A Thought to Ponder The doctrine of the resurrection; what a stimulus to our sanctification!
(From Sanctified Through the Truth, pp. 152-153, by Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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The Christian’s Lifestyle: Our Calling
“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called.” (Ephesians 4:1)
As Christians, we are called “out of darkness into his marvellous light” (1 Peter 2:9). Our calling is identified as “the heavenly calling” (Hebrews 3:1), and high, in the sense of majestic (Philippians 3:14), and we are told that the called (Romans 1:6) are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). But we also are told to “give diligence to make your calling and election sure” (2 Peter 1:10). There is much in Scripture about our calling, and although the calling is God’s work and prerogative, we are expected to add to our faith “virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity” (2 Peter 1:5-7).
We are “called to be saints” (Romans 1:7). That is, the purpose for which we have been called or invited by God to become one of His chosen is to be holy! Everything in our lifestyle should center around the fact that “we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works” (Ephesians 2:10).
Other aspects of our calling are the results of that holy character, which should be the ever-controlling dominant factor in our lives.
The specifically cited traits in this context are attitudes of lowliness (seePhilippians 2:1-3) and meekness (see Colossians 3:12-17), all the while “endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit” (Ephesians 4:3). A summary of this calling is found in Paul’s closing comment to the Corinthian church: “Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you” (2 Corinthians 13:11). (HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
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Daily Hope
Today’s Scripture
Acts 22:1-21
What a special opportunity is ours when we can give our personal testimony of Christ’s gift of salvation! For me personally, it is an occasion to share an event that dramatically changed my life. Each believer has a story that is true, unique and extremely important to their Christian walk.
Paul stands in front of a hostile crowd and begins to speak to them boldly about his heritage and background of his training. The fact that he had persecuted and delivered individuals that believed in the Way to the high priests, was attested by the priests that were present.
He then moves to the story of his conversion and relates to the people listening of how the Lord spoke to him from heaven and caused him to be blinded. This voice introduced Himself as “Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.” After hearing the voice and following His commands, Paul is led by the hand into Damascus.
Finally, Paul relates the work of Ananias and his pronouncement that Saul had been chosen to know God’s will and be His witness to all men (vv. 14-15). This testimony continued with Paul recounting a trance that immediately commanded him to leave Jerusalem and to preach to the Gentiles (v. 21). When the crowd heard that word, (Gentiles) they responded with cries to have him killed!
As Paul gave his testimony there in front of a large crowd, so we can prepare and share how the Lord has worked and changed our life as well. Our testimony can be broken into three parts. The initial step is our life before Christ became real to us. This does not have to be long, shorter is better or it may sound like we are glorifying the wrong lifestyle. Next, comes the salvation account where Christ came into our lives, provided an understanding of Himself which led to repentance. Lastly, we can readily share specific ways God is presently working in us since we invited Him into our life.
Each part of our testimony plays an important role to assist unsaved people to witness the power of God. It can demonstrate the difference Christ has made in our life and can help others come to know Christ for the first time! I trust we are each praying for someone we can share even one portion of our personal story with this week!
With an Expectant Hope, (Pastor Miller)
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THE COVENANT OF GRACE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Genesis 3:15
What are the ways in which the covenant of grace was dispensed under the old dispensation? Well, you go first of all to Genesis 3:15. If you are interested in the technical term, it is generally called the protoevangel. In other words, there is a kind of foreshadowing of the whole gospel in Genesis 3:15.
Now to me this is one of the most fascinating and thrilling things anyone can ever encounter. Here is this great book; we divide it up, and we call it the Old Testament and the New Testament, and we all know what we mean by that. But, you know, if we were to be strictly accurate we would not describe it in that way. The real division of the Bible is this: first, everything you get from Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 3:14; then everything from Genesis 3:15 to the very end of the Bible. Beginning with Genesis 3:15 you get the announcement of the gospel, the covenant of grace, the way of salvation, and that is the whole theme of the Bible until you come to the last verse of the book of Revelation. That is the real division of the Bible.
But, of course, we talk about the Old Testament and the New Testament because we want to emphasize the two main ways in which this one great covenant of grace has been administered, and here it is beginning in Genesis 3:15. Now the whole of the gospel is in that verse. It is there in this almost cryptic form, in this very underdeveloped form, but it is there.
A Thought to Ponder> There is a kind of foreshadowing of the whole gospel in Genesis 3:15. (From God the Father, God the Son, p. 228, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Always
“And, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:20)
A favorite old song of many senior citizens (of this writer, at least) is the sentimental “I’ll be loving you—always” ballad written long ago by Irving Berlin. The sincerity of some who sing it may be questioned, but the many “always” promises of the Bible really mean it. Consider a few of these precious promises, for example.
The apostle Paul urges believers to be “always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58). And to the same Corinthian church he later wrote: “Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:14).
Then there is that other tremendous promise in the same epistle: “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8). The greatest such promise is that in our text, when the Lord Jesus Christ Himself promised that “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20).
These are also a number of very important exhortations in the Scriptures involving an “always” type of commitment. For example, Jesus said “that men ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Luke 18:1). That is, never give up praying just because the answer seems a long time coming. Furthermore, Paul says that we should be “giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20).
Then, we are to “rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4). Finally, there is the command to “be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15 ) (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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CNN posted an article in 2014 that I want to read some excerpts of it to you. It is in regards to a new set of Commandments. They are called the 10 non-commandments. Here is what the article says:
What if, instead of climbing Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments from God, Moses had turned to the Israelites and asked: Hey, what do you guys think we should do? Considering the Hebrews’ bad behavior in the Bible, what with the coveting of neighbors’ wives and murdering their own brothers, that might have been a disastrous idea. But in our own more enlightened age, we’re perfectly capable of crowdsourcing our own commandments – or, at least, that’s what a new project would have us believe.
Enter the “10 ‘Non-Commandments’ Contest,” in which atheists were asked to offer modern alternatives to the famous Decalogue. And, to sweeten the pot, the contest offered $10,000 in moolah to the winning would-be Moses. (If it helped boost atheists’ public image and drum up publicity for his book, all the better, Bayer said.)
The contest drew more than 2,800 submissions from 18 countries and 27 U.S. states, according to Bayer and Figdor (the ones putting on this contest). A team of 13 judges selected 10 of the more sober and serious submissions, and announced the winners Friday. There’s nary a “thou shalt” among them – nothing specifically about murder, stealing or adultery, although there is a version of the Golden Rule, which presumably would cover those crimes. If they lack faith in the divine, the atheist “non-commandments” display a robust faith in humankind, as if Silicon Valley had replaced Sinai. So, will the 10 ideas form a new moral foundation for atheists or build a Tower of Babel? Take a look and see what you think.
Here are the “Ten Non-Commandments” chosen as the winners:
Be open-minded and be willing to alter your beliefs with new evidence.
Strive to understand what is most likely to be true, not to believe what you wish to be true.
The scientific method is the most reliable way of understanding the natural world.
Every person has the right to control their body.
God is not necessary to be a good person or to live a full and meaningful life.
Be mindful of the consequences of all your actions and recognize that you must take responsibility for them.
Treat others as you would want them to treat you, and can reasonably expect them to want to be treated. Think about their perspective.
We have the responsibility to consider others, including future generations.
There is no one right way to live.
Leave the world a better place than you found it.
Can you see the flaw in humans coming up with a set of moral laws that they will use to govern themselves? As you read them, many are open to interpretation. Then you have the 9th non-commandment which invalidates all the other non-commandments. Since the beginning of time humanity has been trying to take the order and design that God created and turn it into chaos. Satan loves that chaos. Look with me at Genesis
(From our son Brian’s sermon for this week)
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My feelings are all over the place but God is still a firm foundation on which to lean. I am so thankful for that. (Sue Kinsman)
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We now have a Facebook page for Small Church Ministries – please invite others to join us on Facebook. Thank you. Look for the logo from the devotionals.