The Narrow Path Ministries

Paidion,

How about God's promise that those who honour their parents will live long? Is that a stretch, too? Would statistical studies indicate that such people do live longer? I don't see why they wouldn't, whether their longevity is natural or whether God determines the day of everyone's death. If God determines that parent-honouring children die later than they normally would, wouldn't this show up in statistics?

Might not be a stretch; perhaps Moses was confused on that one too. How do you decide?

So we have Moses refuting Moses and finish it off with a quote from an atheist?

It seems to me that if we have a loving relationship with God we will obey Him because we love Him rather than because we are terrified lest we make a false step. Of course, if the new order is drastically different from the old, it may not be necessary to constantly have this abject fear. Yet, (I'm expressing my inner thoughts in an attempt to understand. I'm not arguing right now) why would God, if His character is the same, treat people under the New Covenant so much differently from the way He treated them under the Old? Were His ways and laws under the Old Covenant deficient? Is it because they didn't "work" that He had to have a totally different way of administering matters under the New? Or was it the inability of the Hebrews to do things His way? If that were the case, why didn't He introduce the New Covenant a lot sooner and save the Hebrews from all that suffering? Or at least a means of grace whereby the Hebrews could have been more successful in obedience?




Hi Paidion,
I think re your thought about the Old Covenant being deficient may be addressed by Paul, "Now these things were our examples to the intent we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted" 1 Cor 10.6 and "Now all these things happened unto them for examples and they are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come." 1 cor 10.11

An interesting verse is also "Neither murmur ye as some of them also murmured and were destroyed of the destroyer." 1 Cor 10.10 Here Paul said the destroyer (presumably Satan) destroyed, yet in the OT there is no mention of Satan in the difficult incidents.