April 5, 2010 by Tom Brunson
We tend to think of "righteous" as a general concept of "goodness" - but the basic Old Testament meaning was clearer. Righteous basically meant "covenant-keeping." A covenant is an agreement or contract between two parties. God is perfectly righteous, and that means He always does exactly as He says He will do in His covenants. He is as good as His word. It is also said that "His word endures forever." This doesn't mean only that the Bible will last forever, but that God will forever keep His covenants: He doesn't change.
Categories: Genesis |
April 4, 2010 by Tom Brunson
Genesis 11 tells us that Abram's journey started in "Ur of the Chaldeans." We certainly believe that this is historically accurate, so as scholars try to trace the route that Abram took to the Promised Land, they try to locate this "Ur" as his starting point. While this is not critical to our acceptance and understanding of the Bible, archaeological finds are consistent with the Biblical account, so we expect to find an historical "Ur" that coincides with the Bible. However, good commentaries often show differing locations for Ur.
Categories: Genesis |
April 2, 2010 by Tom Brunson
Until modern times the Genesis world-wide flood was accepted as an actual event that helped form our world into the state we see today. Science once accepted that such cataclysmic events explained the evidence we see.
This changed around the time of Darwin, when science moved to the view that the earth was relatively static, and that conditions have always been pretty much as they are now. This allowed science to date eras with the assumption that change is a slow, gradual process. This was a revolutionary idea that was previously unexpected.
Categories: Genesis |
March 24, 2010 by Tom Brunson
The Bible, and each book within it, develop specific themes, and in developing a theme include those specific details needed to explain that theme. Thus at times the same events may be explained in different places while developing different themes, so different details may be given. This does not mean one account is in error, but rather that different details were important to the different themes.
Categories: Understanding the Bible |
