In chapter 3, David gets busy being king and having lots of kids. David has six sons, each by a different wife, and for some reason the retelling of David's family in 1Chronicles 3 gives one name different. It might be a nickname or something like that, but I really have no idea what the story is here.
A really strange story here is the story of Abner and his turning his allegiances to David. Apparently, Abner sleeps with one of Saul's concubines, which worries Ishbosheth (as I think I mentioned elsewhere, it was apparently a custom of the day for a king who conquered another to sleep with the defeated king's concubines to show he is taking the old king's place), and Ishbosheth asks what's going on. Abner flips out and goes over to David's side. (One might wonder if Abner sensed he was on the losing side, and wanted to switch to keep what power he had as a military leader.)
David tells Ishbosheth that he wants his wife Michal back, and Ishbosheth retrieves her. Her new husband Phaltiel is clearly very unhappy about this, but is unable to do anything about it. We're never told whether David did this out of love or out of a sort of display of authority, but we were told earlier that Michal did love David, and perhaps she still does. Something that the SAB does not note here is the fact that a man whose ex-wife has remarried is not allowed to take her back (Deuteronomy 24:4). Since there doesn't seem to have been a formal divorce in this case, it's not clear whether David might be breaking the law in this case.
Now, when David tries to make peace with Abner, Joab hears about it and is very displeased. He goes behind David's back and kills Abner in revenge for the killing of his brother Asahel. David denounces Joab's actions and pronounces a curse on Joab's house. Now whether or not David was right to give this curse (and whether it was really meaningful) is a matter of opinion, but I think I can see David's motivation for being angry with Joab. After all, Abner was offering a chance at peace and a (relatively) bloodless uniting of the kingdom of Israel under David, and Joab messed it up.
I highly respect you for your use of the phrase, "I don't know."
ReplyDeleteMost apologists try every trick in the book in order to force the bible to make sense and avoid contradictions. But you at least have the decency to say that you don't know everything. I admire you greatly.
I'm studying the bible right now as well, particularly contradictions. But I've got an unusual take on the issue, as I am neither religious nor atheist. No, I'm not a deist either! lol. I simply know a very different god than you. So I'm studying the bible from a non-bias point of view.
You are, without a doubt, the first Christian I've met who is willing to wait for the answers rather than force the bible to make sense.
-Devid
Hey, if I had the answer to every issue in the Bible, I'd be God, wouldn't I?
ReplyDeleteNon-biased honesty always seems like the best approach to anything, although I'm sure I'm not able to achieve it all the time. Good luck on your own studies, and I pray that you find Truth, whatever that Truth may be.
"and I pray that you find Truth, whatever that Truth may be."
ReplyDeleteThe truth is, prayer doesn't work, it's like the toss of a coin. The other truth is, the bible is BS, and Evolution explains how we evolved.
I also thank you for saying you don't know, because my brother is a fundamentalist Christian, and says that there are NO contradictions in the bible, and it's the inerrant word of "god". When I ask him which god, he only replies "the god of the bible". I can't believe him and I are related, I liked to believe that my family members were rational thinkers....guess I was wrong.
"The truth is, prayer doesn't work, it's like the toss of a coin."
ReplyDeleteDepends a lot on what you mean by "work". A common phrase among Christians is that God always answers prayer, but sometimes, He answers "No."
You have to decide what the real purpose of prayer is. I don't know whether it's a real-life quote from C.S. Lewis, but in the movie "Shadowlands", he says "I don't pray to change [God], I pray to change me."
"The other truth is, the bible is BS..."
You'll have to explain this statement, as it has little in the way of specific meaning.
"...and Evolution explains how we evolved."
Hmm, I'd like to see you find a biologist who agrees with this. Then again, this may be another matter of defining terms. Many scientists indeed believe that evolutionary theory explains the mechanisms of how we may have evolved, but not the specific details by any means. Even if you believe in evolution, saying, "Evolution explains how we evolved," is like saying, "This grammar textbook explains why Shakespeare's plays are so popular."
"I also thank you for saying you don't know, because my brother is a fundamentalist Christian, and says that there are NO contradictions in the bible, and it's the inerrant word of 'god'. When I ask him which god, he only replies 'the god of the bible'. I can't believe him and I are related, I liked to believe that my family members were rational thinkers....guess I was wrong."
You sound like two peas in a pod to me. While I can't rightly generalize on the basis of this short exchange, if it is indeed typical it sounds like you're two very closed-minded people. There are fundamentalist atheists and even agnostics, too.
"There are fundamentalist atheists and even agnostics, too."
ReplyDeleteI love it when fundamentalists call call non-believers fundamentalists.
You're welcome.
ReplyDelete