Ben's three questions: is he real, is he good, is he capricious?
- Is God even real?
- Is God good?
- Is God capricious — does he just make random decisions?
Ben frames three reasonable reactions to Old Testament violence: (1) maybe God isn't real; (2) maybe he isn't good; (3) maybe he's capricious. On (1): the Israelites never doubted he was real — his justice was itself the evidence, and the same books show his goodness (manna, Passover, water from the rock), so modern readers lack their context. On (3): God is predictable, not capricious — unlike other deities, his character implies a standard he acts within. Along the way: Ananias and Sapphira in the early church, Saul losing the kingship for an impatient sacrifice, and the Canaanites' pervasive child sacrifice.
More on Old Testament
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Does God speak more now? Indwelling Spirit versus prophets
- Does God talk to people as much now as he did in the Old Testament or New Testament?
A host asks whether God talks to people as much now as in the Old and New Testaments. Ben's key distinction: the indwelling Holy Spirit means more people can have the experience…
From No. 597 · Maybe A Word From God
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Ask the pastor: why does Daniel keep his Hebrew name while Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego don't?
- Why does the narrative revert Daniel to his Hebrew name while Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego keep their Babylonian names?
Boova's question: Daniel is given the Babylonian name Belteshazzar, and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego receive Babylonian names too — but the narrative reverts Daniel to his Israelite name while the other three keep theirs throughout.
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Ask the pastor: Ezekiel 39:17 — God telling a prophet to speak to birds and beasts
- In Ezekiel 39:17, why would God tell a prophet to speak to birds and beasts, and is there precedent for God interacting with animals this way?
Boova was struck by Ezekiel 39:17, where Ezekiel is told to speak on God's behalf to the birds and beasts, inviting them to feast on God's defeated enemies.
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Ask the pastor: the 'cakes of raisins' in Hosea 3:1
- What are the 'cakes of raisins' in Hosea 3:1, and why does the verse pair them with worshiping other gods?
Boova's last ask-the-pastor: reading Hosea 3:1, he couldn't stop laughing at the line about Israel turning to other gods 'and love cakes of raisins.'