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You're listening to Tim Bulkeley's 5 minute Bible
Contradictions
the flat out contradictions that we find in Scripture
are real guides to how we should read
so for example in Proverbs
where we get contradictions within the book
they reminded us how proverbs work
we have to select when to apply proverbs
and in all cultures there proverbs that contradict
each other
"Look before you leap."
"He who hesitates is lost."
The trick is knowing
which proverb to apply when
it's the same with biblical proverbs
there is another podcast in his series on that topic
but in other places
contradictions are
reminders of the humanity of Scripture
reminders that we have the thoughts of particular authors
in particular times and places
who were inspired by God
but we don't have
the words of God taken down as dictation
some contradictions in Scripture are reminders of the humanity of scripture
so for example if you look at Isaiah fifty six
verses six to eight
And the foreigners who joined themselves to the LORD to minister to him
to love the name of the LORD, and to be his servants, all who keep the sabbath
and do not profane it
but hold fast to my covenant
these I will bring into my holy mountain
and make joyful in my house of prayer
their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on my altar
for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples
Thus says the Lord GOD who gathers the outcasts of Israel
I will gather others to them besides those already gathered
this glorious vision
stands in
stark contrast
to the harsher attitude of Ezra's prayer
in Ezra chapter nine and verses five and following
after an introduction that focuses on all the past sins of Israel
Ezra continues
and now, our God
what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken your commandments which you
commanded by your servants the prophets, saying
the land that you are entering to possesses is a land unclean with the
pollutions of the peoples of the lands
and their abominations
they have filled it from end to end with their uncleanness
therefore do not give your daughters to their sons neither take their daughters
for your son's, never seek their peace or prosperity
so that you may be strong in the good of the land
and leave it for an inheritance to your children forever
after all that's come upon us
for all our evil deeds
and for our great guilt
seeing that you our God have punished us less than our iniquities deserved
and have given us such a remnant as this
shall we break your commandments again and intermarry with the peoples who practice
these abominations
would you not be angry with us until you destroy us without remnant or survivor
and so on...
Ezra here in his prayer is
talking only about the foreigners who practice abominations
but if you read the whole book, his practice seems to be
less discriminate
it's interesting that the real contradiction seems to be not so much
between what people say
as between what we presume they did
as a result of what they say
so I think either these two passages
Isaiah fifty-six and Ezra nine
represent two implacable opposed views of how God wants to relate to
foreigners
or they relate to two very different sets of circumstances
though the argument that they relate to very different circumstances
doesn't seem so much to hold water if we notice
either the traditional scholarly setting of Isaiah chapters 56-66
or
the use of the phrase the 'holy seed'
which only occurs in the Bible in Ezra 9 and Isaiah 6 which suggests that at least
the book of Isaiah was edited in Ezra's time
whenever chapter fifty-six itself was written
Isaiah 56 and Ezra 9 are talking to the same situation
and about the same things
but they give him
what in practical terms seem to be strikingly different advice
these contradictions are reminders of the Bible comes to us
from real people
in real situations
But isn't dictation
and we have to look quite closely
at the real principles that are involved in the text
in this case:
Be separate from foreigners who practice abominations.
But welcome those
who worship the LORD.