November 8, 2012

• Biblical Contradiction #2 (Does God Tempt People or Not?)

   #1 – God’s Anger: Temporary or Everlasting? << Previous| MASTER LIST | Next >> #3 – Salvation: By Works or Faith?

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  Originally posted November 1, 2012.

  

  TESTING…TESTING 1, 2, 3…
  Hello again! Welcome to my eighth entry to my Biblical contradiction series! That you see a number 2 in the title either means you’re confused or I can’t count. But it’s okay. I still know my alphabet, I color within the lines (most of the time), and I like to mimic The Count from Sesame Street.

  This time around we’ll be looking at a rather frequent topic of criticism regarding God’s character: Does He tempt people?

  As I always like to make known for my new readers to this series, there is a video on YouTube that claims God can’t be tempted but can tempt others…among 44 other accusations of contradiction. That’s some serious stuff and we’ll do some subtle context study to find out the truth – as I like to think of it – ninja style.

  A BIBLICAL BATMAN BATTLES BRUCE’S BAD GUY?
  Attention, ninja! This is no time for entertainment. Listen closely. Hai!

  In director Nolan Ryan’s “Batman Begins”, we see young, angry, lost Bruce Wayne being trained as a ninja by his mentor, Ra’s al Ghul, in a game of shadows and cunning. A literal mind game. Coincidentally, it takes place at the temple of the League of Shadows. You would do well to learn from Bruce.

  Rows of fellow ninjas stand in formation dressed in full ninja attire, just as Bruce is, and as the aromatic toxin affects Bruce’s mind, al Ghul slips into the ranks among the other masked ones. During his training, Bruce suffers a cut to his arm, making even a “minor” difference a glaring one between him and his clan mates. Knowing he was no match for al Ghul in direct combat and impaired by the vapor toxin’s effect on his mind, he uses quick wit to take advantage of his mentor’s own weakness: al Ghul favors a direct approach and technique over minding his own instructions; particularly to mind one’s surroundings, which Bruce employs to the fullest (especially at the climax of the movie).

  Bruce, while evading al Ghul in the dimly-lit room, cuts fellow ninjas in the same manner as he was earlier cut during the skirmish. Seeing a cut arm, al Ghul believes Bruce was trying to hide among the other ninjas and comes up behind Bruce’s “double”, thinking he had outwitted Bruce’s game. To the contrary, Bruce proved his ploy successful, as that was exactly what he hoped al Ghul would do. Coming out from within another row, he successfully checkmates his mentor, winning the exercise.

  What I hope to illustrate here is the need to be aware of the details. Ra’s al Ghul was not (though he thought he was) and failed to look closer, however subtle, at would have been a glaring difference.

  You will not fall to such folly, however, my student, as al Ghul did. You will discover the Truth is in the nuances we would normally take for granted.

  THE TARGET
  Like a ninja, stealth is all about being sneaky; lurking in the shadows, seeing but not being seen. People are less on their guard if they think there is no current threat. Thus, the deeper truths can be more easily discovered.

  Today’s ninja lesson will have us observing the argument against Genesis 22:1 and James 1:13. These two verses are almost as far apart as they can get in the time they were written and even in the Bible pages, themselves. So far apart, one might think that’s enough reason to call the ninja back home to the clan. But any good ninja knows that patience and a careful eye can pierce the darkness. For in the darkness, the enemy wishes to call these two verses into conflict.

  Ironically enough, the shadow is our ally. For we will not engage in direct combat.

  DEBRIEFING: KNOW THY “ENEMY”
  In order to defeat his opponent a wise ninja observes his every move. Does he favor strength over defense? Does he feign weakness to mislead his adversary into overconfidence? Is he left- or right-handed? … Does he watch Spongebob secretly during midnight marathons in his Smurf boxers? Does he practice his Power Rangers battle poses in his basement?

  So, we will first examine each verse. Knowing the situation before the battle has begun will give you a keen advantage; including the chance to avoid battle altogether. In this case, it will come by seeking to gain understanding of the larger context from which each verse is pulled from. From there, we can discern the enemy’s weak points.

  Genesis 22 starts out the chapter with this:

  Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called.
  “Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.”
  (Genesis 22:1, NLT, bold mine)

  And then we have this one:

  And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else.
  (James 1:13, NLT, bold mine)

  A keen ninja eye always sees the whole room as well as the most minute details…including every dust bunny that hops along the floor by the slightest gust of wind.

  Do you see it, my disciple? Is God a tester or a tempter? Or perhaps both?

  TRAINING DAY: A GOOD DEFENSE IS A GOOD DEFENSE
  A skilled ninja relies not solely on a tug-of-war between defense and offense. A battle is not won based on overpowering your opponent. Patience. Foresight. These are what win battles. In today’s lesson, we will discover that the enemy may tend to favor one method of attack while neglecting to train in another…or worse, to his greater disadvantage, he will think he has no weakness at all. In that instance, the enemy will fall on his own, needing no help from you. Simply exposing these weakness will be enough.

  What we have here is a pitting of God’s test of Abraham against the claim that God never tempts anyone to do wrong, namely to sacrifice his son, Isaac. The problem here is that it fails on two points: 1) word usage and definition, and 2) context, particularly in Genesis 22. To defeat the enemy, we will arm ourselves with knowledge consisting of the definitions of “tempt” and “test” from both the English dictionary and the Biblical usage reference, and the context surrounding both verses.

  Ninja! Bow! And…begin!

  A TEMPTING TEST or ATTEMPTING A TEST
  Test is a scary word for many people…particularly among the youth in school. How many kids and teens make up all kinds of crazy schemes to get out of their math test (or is that just what I always saw on my favorite sitcoms)?

  In Genesis 22:1, God is said to have tested Abraham. What is a test made of, exactly?

  Since the verb form of test is used, we’ll look at that first.

  Take measures to check the quality, performance, or reliability of (something), esp. before putting it into widespread use or practice.

  The object of the test is critical. It’s important to know what was being tested specifically for it was make no sense to study for a history exam when the test is on physics. (How many think it wouldn’t matter which one you studied for, eh?) It was not his completion of the command given that was being measured, but his faith in God. We’ll explore that when you are promoted to a yellow belt.

  To tempt is to

  have an urge or inclination to do something. To entice or attempt to entice (someone) to do or acquire something that they find attractive but know to be wrong or not beneficial.

  Now taking a look at the original Hebrew, we see the difference is just as clear. Genesis 22:1 uses the word nacah, which basically means

  to test, try, prove, tempt, assay, put to the proof or test.

  Some critics may see that “tempt” is in the list of definitions and go, “Ah ha!” But, when we examine Genesis 22 more closely, we’ll see that the prospect of sacrificing his only son was not a very attractive end result for Abraham. In fact, it was not the goal at all, making the accusation of Yahweh tempting Abe highly unlikely. Furthermore, just as in English, a word’s many definitions does not mean that all definitions are valid at any given time. Context is always key. So to ascertain the right definition, we must understand the full gist of the story.

  James 1:13 comes in with peirazo, which includes the meanings (not exclusively, but in summary)

  To try whether a thing can be done
  To try, make a trial of, test (this can include malicious intent)
  To try or test one’s faith, virtue, character, by enticement to sin

  The two words definitely have similarities, but there are subtle differences. Nacah takes a more proving theme while peirazo has a strong sense of deceit. Knowing the natures of the two words gives us a better view what was going on in Genesis 22 and the meaning in James 1.

  Was Abe’s faith in Yahweh to keep His promises genuine? That’s the real question we’re asking. As we’ll see shortly, Isaac, Abe’s only son through whom Yahweh would fulfill His promise, was about to be required for a sacrifice to the LORD. No Isaac, no promise. Did Abe have faith that God would keep His promises even in the face of such a command to give up the very son he loved so dearly?

  THEN AND NOW: KNOW YOUR HISTORY
  The enemy often has many skeletons in his closet…perhaps even literally. These rickety bones do not hold well on their own – lies have stripped them of their flesh. Confronted with the truth, the enemy will be faced with an opponent of his own making, rather than you, my pupil. The strongest foe one cannot ever defeat is the Truth, so the only option is to make it one’s ally. The enemy will hide the truth about their lies as if they never existed. They hide the past with lies of the present. Today, we will discover the truth about the past regarding Genesis 22. With the truth revealed, the enemy’s attempts to cover up the truth will be his undoing.

  God promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations (physically, and spiritually) through a child that would be born to him and his wife, Sarah…

  The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.” … [T]he LORD said to Abram, “Look as far as you can see in every direction—north and south, east and west.  I am giving all this land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendants as a permanent possession. And I will give you so many descendants that, like the dust of the earth, they cannot be counted!”
  (Genesis 12:1-2, 13:14-16, NLT, bold mine)

  …even though both were very old, and Sarah was barren!

  …Abram replied, “O Sovereign LORD, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since You’ve given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth. You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir.”
  Then the LORD said to him, “No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.” Then the LORD took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”

  Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had not been able to bear children for him…
  (Genesis 15:2-5, 16:1a NLT, bold mine)

  Several years later, God reaffirms His promise to Abram, now to be called Abraham (Sarai is renamed Sarah), to make him the father of many nations and give him an heir, a son.

  “…I will bless [Sarah] and give you a son from her! Yes, I will bless her richly, and she will become the mother of many nations. Kings of nations will be among her descendants.”

  Then Abraham bowed down to the ground, but he laughed to himself in disbelief. “How could I become a father at the age of 100?” he thought. “And how can Sarah have a baby when she is ninety years old?”

  …God replied, “…Sarah, your wife, will give birth to a son for you. You will name him Isaac, and I will confirm my covenant with him and his descendants as an everlasting covenant. …[M]y covenant will be confirmed with Isaac, who will be born to you and Sarah about this time next year.”
  (Genesis 17:16-17, 19, 21, NLT, bold mine)

  The references here span some time. God came to Abraham on more than one occasion to confirm His promise to him. In the middle of all this, despite his momentary disbelief (a confusion of sorts) on how in the world two very old people could possibly have kids, we do see that Abraham trusted in God’s promise: “And Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD counted him as righteous because of his faith [in Him]” (Genesis 15:6, NLT, bold mine).

  It may seem like I’m getting off subject, but Abraham’s faith was the key element in this entire issue. Faith, ultimately, is a matter of trust even when there is no other evidence for why that trust should continue. Allow me to illustrate…

  TRAINING DAY: THE GREAT FALL
  A ninja relies on all his senses and trusts not in his eyes alone.

  A few years ago, my pastor was giving a sermon and asked for a volunteer for a visual demonstration. It’s a classic one that almost everyone knows about: the blind fall.

  It’s entirely an issue of trust, but not one of blind faith.

  I’ve known my pastor for 10+ years. In every capacity that he could, he has always been there for me, mentored me, gave me guidance and has helped me in understanding of the Bible. He’s a good friend and even was there for me during a particularly painful time in my life…like when I called in the middle of the night and we talked for an hour or two. My pastor has earned my trust that he will not simply let me down carelessly.

  When he instructed me to stand up on the edge of the stage (about a good four feet off the floor), with my back facing the audience, for the demonstration, I did so without question. Sure, I quickly figured out what it was he had in mind even though he did not spell it out immediately.

  However, even though I knew what the test was about, could I trust that my pastor would actually catch me when he gave me the command to fall back and risk landing on the very hard floor below from several feet above? Mind you, I’m also 5’8”, which added to the potential impact. I could not see behind me, either. I couldn’t see if my pastor was truly there. I couldn’t see if he had silently lined up some cushions for me to fall on while he addressed the people with the rest of his message. What evidence did I have that I would not end up in the hospital…or the grave?!

  All I had was past evidence of a consistent character in the man I had come to respect and love after 10 years.

  For many people, to have only the past to rely on is a frightening thing, especially if our past is riddled with people who failed to respect our trust in them? What assurance is there? I didn’t have the same problem, but without any other indication, how could know I’d be safe this time?

  I did not know how my pastor would ensure my safety, but I had faith that he would. I had faith that he would not turn the tables on me given that has always supported me before. He was consistent.

  Upon his command, I fell backwards. Man, what an awesome feeling that was o just be freefalling…quite the rush! What utterly surprised me, though – what I absolutely did not expect – was that he had secretly conspired with several other men (older men whom I personally regarded as mentors, too…almost fathers) – to form a “net” to catch me in their arms. It wasn’t just my pastor who caught me, but several trustworthy individuals who saw to it that I did not reach the dire conclusion to my fall.

  To this day, that one moment has stuck with me deeper than I can say.

  The thing is, though, I was never in any real danger. This was never a test to see if I’d hit the ground or not – either I would be caught by the men behind me or I would never take the fall in the first place. Either way, my safety was ensured. The test was whether or not I had faith in my pastor to continue being reliable and that he would be the man I’ve counted on after all these years.

  The focus was on my faith, not the outcome of what I was risking (that is, the possibility of hitting the floor). I honestly can say that even if I did not already know ahead of time what my pastor was going to ask me to do, I still would have obeyed, thereby proving my faith in him was real. Once he asked me to fall back, I would instantly know the immediate outcome to follow. Yet, I would trust that somehow my pastor would be there to intervene.

  This was Abraham’s faith in Yahweh. And we’ll see how exactly this is true for him in a moment.

  TRAINING DAY CONTINUES: INTO THE WILDERNESS
  It is not enough to practice in the safety of the dojo. Your training will only go so far for you will become familiar with your sparring mates. You will not be pushed, hardened, sharpened, honed. You will not be forced to adapt to the unexpected circumstances. We must take you out into the wilderness…beyond the structured and orderly walls that have housed your training.

  Abraham greatly loved his son, Isaac, for he was born unexpectedly in his old age to his otherwise barren wife! Isaac was the one whom the LORD would fulfill His promise through. So, clearly, Isaac was treasured two-fold to the patriarch.

  I can’t even begin to imagine what must have gone through Abe’s mind when one day the LORD shows up and delivers these instructions:

  Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called.
  “Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.”
  “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”
  (Genesis 22:1-2, NLT)

  “Uh, did I hear You right, LORD?” My mind would be doing a double-take and I’d be looking around wondering who was hiding behind a rock, playing tricks on my ears. My mind would be going back and forth.

  Sacrifice means death… But my son is the object of God’s promise… The promise can’t come true unless my son is alive… But I can’t disobey God… I have to obey… but sacrifice means death… And on the vicious Catch-22 would go.

  Abraham, though, demonstrated tremendous faith. He actually got up early the next morning, for one. Who gets up early in the face of such a debilitating hour? When the LORD you trust so much has suddenly told you to sacrifice your son, the same son through whom God would keep His promises? Then the man packs all he’ll need for a three-day journey, chops some firewood for the sacrifice ritual, and walks what must have been an emotionally disturbing trek in the desert (I assume it was in the desert region anyway) (Genesis 22:3-4).

  This, though, is where Abe’s faith begins to shine.

  “Stay here with the donkey,” Abraham told the servants. “The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back.”

  Let me interject here…notice he said we…him and Isaac…

  …As the two of them walked on together, Isaac turned to Abraham and said, “Father?”

  “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.

  “…Where is the sheep for the burnt offering?”

  “God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham answered. And they both walked on together.
  (Genesis 22:5, 6b-8 NLT, bold mine)

  Abe was clearly trusting in the LORD to keep His promises. Yahweh had just spent years coming back to him to reaffirm a lasting covenant to make and bless the decedents of Abraham and Abraham wasn’t about to give up on God just because of a perplexing command. “Why would Yahweh ask me to give up my only son?” (Isaac wasn’t truly Abe’s only son, but Scripture puts it that way to emphasize the foreshadowing of Yahweh’s promise through Isaac as a parallel to His promise of salvation through His only begotten Son, Jesus.)

  What’s more, as we’ll see in a moment, Abe demonstrated that faith in obedience. He did more than simply prepare for the journey and the sacrifice. And let’s remember, we know something that Abe did not: this was not about actually sacrificing Isaac, but about Abe’s faithfulness to Yahweh. This was a test of his faith, not necessarily his obedience, but a willingness to obey is what gave his faith substance and credibility…viability.

  THIS IS A TEST…THIS IS ONLY A TEST
  An observant ninja will discern wisely when to act and when to stand firm. Recognizing all elements of a situation will allow you to respond appropriately. Hesitation can be just as effective as a quick response when circumstances call for it. To hesitate is to act, just as to move is to act. Thus, act carefully.

  Abraham acted without hesitation in this case, but he didn’t rush to conclusions about why Yahweh would ask him to sacrifice his own son even though that would mean the dismantling of His very promise. Abe trusted that somehow Yahweh would keep His promise in full – and that meant that Isaac would live.

  In the following verses in chapter 22, Abe’s faith pays off.

  When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice. At that moment the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

  “Yes,” Abraham replied. “Here I am!”

  “Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from Me even your son, your only son.”

  Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son.
  (Genesis 22:9-12, NLT, bold mine)

  Abe put everything on the line. Yet it was not about actually giving it all up, but about His willingness to trust Yahweh when everything else seemed forfeit. That may seem confusing, I admit, but it’s precisely what was at the heart of the test. We see, too, that while the sacrifice was not the actual focus, Yahweh surely did provide the sacrificial ram, thus making it so Abe could also fulfill the command to offer a sacrifice to the LORD.

  SMOKESCREEN
  Image carrying a shadow in your pocket in broad daylight. Can you distract your enemy by clouding his senses? Hiding the truth is a sensitive tactical move and must be employed carefully, for you may fall prey to your own trickery, just as the enemy would have you fall prey to theirs. The skill you must learn and employ here is how to see without seeing. To discern what is real beyond the smoke.

  That brings us back to the proposed contradiction targeted against Genesis 22 against James 13. Does Yahweh tempt people?

  The answer, quite simply, is no. There was no indication that Yahweh made the command to sound ideal. Already, He had made promise after promise to bless Abe with a son and to make him the father of many nations. Then, all of a sudden, Yahweh pops up to say, “Abe, go sacrifice your son to Me.” One could attempt to assert temptation there, but there was nothing attractive about the prospect. No amount of urging or enticing could make losing a son sound good to Abe. And Yahweh did not try to.

  At the heart of the proposed contradiction is that Yahweh ordered Abe to sacrifice his son despite the fact that such human sacrifices were evil in the eyes of the LORD. Indeed, they were (and are) evil in His eyes. Yahweh never approved of human sacrifices.

  We see this disapproval is clearly true in that, even though Yahweh commanded it and Abe set out to obey, Abe did not complete the sacrifice of Isaac since Yahweh intervened. Either Abe would have disobeyed or Yahweh would step in (and He did). Once again, such a sacrifice was never the point and was never meant to take place either way.

  The smokescreen here is to suggest that Abe was tempted to do evil. For who in their right mind would seriously ask someone to sacrifice their child? The implication is that Yahweh was seriously commanding – tempting – Abe to kill his own son. But, again, Yahweh wasn’t trying to make something bad sound good and the text clearly stated that His goal was to test the strength of Abe’s faith. Ultimately, this is a classic categorical error combined with a seriously flawed interpretation of the events in Genesis 22.

  CLEARING THE SMOKESCREEN…THE ENEMY FALLS
  An enemy who cannot see when all his vision is clouded is in a state of panic. He heart races and is more concerned for survival and his judgment is impaired. How much more is he when he can see but still knows not from where his opponent may strike. Indeed, you only need strike true…with the Truth.

  We’ve gone through Genesis quite thoroughly now. So what about James 1? We actually find that they are in full agreement. The writer is one of Jesus’ younger brothers, James (so cool how he gets his own book in the Bible named after him…lucky guy!). James starts out addressing the very real fact that believers will face difficulties in life.

  My brothers and sisters, consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything.
  (James 1:2-4, NLT, bold mine)

  James follows up with the matter of difficulties here, including verse 13:

  Happy is the one who endures testing, because when he has proven to be genuine, he will receive the crown of life that God promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself tempts no one. But each one is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires. Then when desire conceives, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is full grown, it gives birth to death.
  (James 1:12-15, NLT, bold mine)

  We see a stark contrast between testing and trials versus temptations once again. Remember, tests are a measure or an assessment of that which is being tested. Those math tests must have been horrible for you in school, but they were just an assessment of your overall understanding of the lessons you had already gone through. Abe was being asked to fall back off a cliff…complete with Isaac in his arms…and trust that God would catch them both. Would Abe put all he had come to learn about Yahweh’s character into active faith? Did he trust the LORD?

  Abe’s desire was to have his son. Abe loved and treasured Isaac yet he obeyed God even to death’s doorstep. So to suggest that Abe was tempted is to miss the point entirely. It is basically suggesting that Abe wanted to sacrifice his own son! That’s something that’s just not in the text at all. The test was not to commit spiritual suicide, but simply to show that the faith was, indeed, genuine. Yahweh would never have actually let Abe down; just as my pastor never would have actually let me hit the floor when I fell off the stage.

  It comes down to this: Had Yahweh truly wanted to tempt or lead Abe to sin, knowing and seeing that Abe was fully intent on obeying Him even as he trusted Yahweh would keep His promises, Yahweh would not have stopped the man from sacrificing Isaac. In fact, God would have proposed some kind of lucrative deal to get Abe to value Yahweh’s theoretical offer more than his son.

  What’s more, if the sacrifice was the point, if tempting Abe into sin was the goal, why stop him at the last second? Neither the words, the context, nor the very logic of such a suggestion line up if we’re to assume Yahweh was so inclined to solicit a man he deemed righteous a mere seven chapters earlier…for his faith! Even the hardened critic has to acknowledge that such an argument of contradiction doesn’t add up.

  THE PROMOTION
  You have done well, my student. You are now more readily equipped to face the spiritual dangers that await you. Be diligent in your training and do not neglect your studies. May you prosper in the Word of the LORD, the Master Sensei and serve Him with all fervor by first standing firm in nacah and then never being deceived in peirazo. In both, you will be well rewarded with long life and many more blessings that enrich and transcend this life.

  Now…ninja! Vanish!

  SOURCES:
  http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tempt
  http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Gen&c=22&t=NLT#conc/1
  http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Jam&c=1&v=1&t=NLT#conc/13
  http://www.apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=12&article=2775

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