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| Q: | Thank you for your answer to my question regarding deception and lies. I understand that you do not want this Q&A service to be used for dialog, this does not need to be posted and I do appreciate your prior answer. Frankly it creates some distress for me when I don’t know where else to go for spiritual guidance in these matters and you have helped me greatly. Regarding 1 Samuel 16:1-5: Regarding 1 Kings 20:35-43 Regarding Rahab Satan is consistently described by Scripture as the source of lies and deception, God even used him to deceive Ahab (1 Kings 22 20-23) but a search of the word "deceive" in the Old Testament repeatedly and consistently instructs us not to do it. You did not specifically answer about Joseph and his brothers, usually I have heard this used in a commendable way toward Joseph and his wise dealings with his brothers to bring them to repentance but I see it as full of lies and deceit, imprisonment under false charges and threats of death. In most situations this would be equated with paying back evil for evil and would raise the Q of Joseph extracting no small measure of revenge or “payback” from his brothers as well as leading them to a realization and confession of their sin. In any case, thank you. Is there any way of directly supporting your Q&A or is support of synod in general the best way to support your Q&A? I read it as a regular Bible study and I can see from many questions that it is used often by nonWELS members, your responses are gracious and provide the comfort of God’s word to those blown about by the winds of false teachers. As an aside I ordered Franzmann's Bible commentary from NWP to help with bible study, is it considered faithful in all.htmlects? If you do not answer this Q I will assume it is. | ||||||||
| A: | Thank you again for your communication. This brief reply will likely not relieve your discomfort, but I trust that your diligent study of the Scripture will in time yield a comfort level for you that will result in more praise to God and a level of contentment that will await full revelation in glory. Your comments on 1 Samuel 16 and 1 Kings 20 are perfectly acceptable explanations, but as the prior answer indicated, other Bible students continue to perceive an element of purposeful deception in the withholding of the whole truth or in pretending for a time to be someone you're not. These examples, as do those of the midwives in Egypt or Rahab in Jericho, serve to remind us that the whole field of study known as "Bible ethics" or "Christian ethics" struggles with imperfect definitions of terms as well as God's choice not to provide detailed commentary on certain events and activities in specific situations. Joseph's dealings with his brothers certainly qualifies as one of those ideological battlegrounds among serious, Bible-based ethicists. Eloquent arguments have been presented both to commend and to condemn Joseph for the way he treated his brothers. I purposely will not share my personal opinions on this since I consider it unwise to give what might be considered an "authoritative" answer without ample opportunity to share other clarifying points that should accompany it. Werner Franzmann's Old Testament and New Testament Bible History books are highly regarded as trustworthy among us and you should enjoy them. More thorough studies on specific topics or Bible sections often require additional volumes that can be borrowed from pastors' libraries or checked out of various libraries like those at our Michigan Lutheran Seminary, Luther Preparatory School, Martin Luther College, or Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. I pray your continuing studies will be enjoyable as well as edifying. I know of no way to support this Q & A service aside from sharing kind words as you have done. None of those who labor in this effort are compensated monetarily in any way. They do it as a service to others. They appreciate encouragement, perhaps especially because they recognize the limitations that often prevail in trying to give adequate answers in this format as well as with their obligations at their primary places of ministry. | ||||||||
This is recent question #50 of 50
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