We've been using this forum on and off now for a few months and I'm really enjoying the fellowship and those like-minded Christians we've met especially when it comes to hearing opinions and views about the God and the Word we love. Thanks for the response to my last request so in return, please find below one of the answers of the many great questions which were put to me. I hope you enjoy and please feel free to share your thoughts, would you add or take-away from the response......
Psalms 137:9
"How blessed will be the one who seizes and dashes your little ones against the rock,"
This particular verse is one which is thrown at Christians quite often and you can see why, considering the nature of the statement however, to say God condones or agrees within in his Word, would be inaccurate to say least. Context in this case is the key, at this point in history, the children of Israel were in a place of captivity and their captors had been severely wicked to them, their families and their nation. During these verses, the women were conveying a deep sense of sadness and hurt towards their situation and anger toward their captors and the feeling was basically, "I wish someone would punish them and avenge them for what they've done". Again this was the feeling of the women making those statements at this particular point in time to which the Word was explaining, but to say that God agrees would be inaccurate, the Lord's scriptures in this case merely convey the feelings of the Israelites at this point.
The general feeling when this question is put across is that if it's in God's Word then God agrees which is simply untrue, it would be like because there are passages in scripture where the devil is mentioned or King Solomon sinning against God, that God agrees and he just doesn't in the slightest. God's Word teaches and conveys messages from every angle to provide his children with instruction which include the feelings of those involved at that particular point in history. The above verse conveys just how deeply hurt, sad and alone these women felt at the hand of their captors by saying, how can we sing the Lord's song in a strange land along and the above verse conveys these feelings.
So, how to respond, well Paul said in the scriptures that to the strong he became strong, to the weak he became weak and to the Jew he became a Jew so that he might win some to Christ, so it depends entirely on who's asking the question as to how we react. To the strong I'd respond in strength, challenging them with a question in return like, "do you understand the background and context of the verse you've spoken of?".....to the weak, I'd come along side and gently engage the conversation and to the Jew, in this case the religious of the day, then I'd respond in their language scripturally, reproving and rebuking like Jesus and the Apostles did in their many encounters. However in the above responses, love would always be the overriding key challenging the individual as much as your experience and knowledge levels at your own point permit because like Paul said, we'd like to win a few.
One last thought as a response to this question (in your own words) is asking the individual how they would feel and how they would respond, if they and their family were taken captive, taken from their homes and seen their family and friends be beaten and abused by the captors. Being from the UK, USA etc and taken to Syria, North-Korea or Iran after them beating you, hurting your family members and destroying your city? Would your response be, to be happy about it or feel tremendous sadness and a longing for home? Well this is what those women felt at the time....Always a great response to this one if said the right way. I hope this has been a satisfactory answer to the question....
Psalms 137:9
"How blessed will be the one who seizes and dashes your little ones against the rock,"
This particular verse is one which is thrown at Christians quite often and you can see why, considering the nature of the statement however, to say God condones or agrees within in his Word, would be inaccurate to say least. Context in this case is the key, at this point in history, the children of Israel were in a place of captivity and their captors had been severely wicked to them, their families and their nation. During these verses, the women were conveying a deep sense of sadness and hurt towards their situation and anger toward their captors and the feeling was basically, "I wish someone would punish them and avenge them for what they've done". Again this was the feeling of the women making those statements at this particular point in time to which the Word was explaining, but to say that God agrees would be inaccurate, the Lord's scriptures in this case merely convey the feelings of the Israelites at this point.
The general feeling when this question is put across is that if it's in God's Word then God agrees which is simply untrue, it would be like because there are passages in scripture where the devil is mentioned or King Solomon sinning against God, that God agrees and he just doesn't in the slightest. God's Word teaches and conveys messages from every angle to provide his children with instruction which include the feelings of those involved at that particular point in history. The above verse conveys just how deeply hurt, sad and alone these women felt at the hand of their captors by saying, how can we sing the Lord's song in a strange land along and the above verse conveys these feelings.
So, how to respond, well Paul said in the scriptures that to the strong he became strong, to the weak he became weak and to the Jew he became a Jew so that he might win some to Christ, so it depends entirely on who's asking the question as to how we react. To the strong I'd respond in strength, challenging them with a question in return like, "do you understand the background and context of the verse you've spoken of?".....to the weak, I'd come along side and gently engage the conversation and to the Jew, in this case the religious of the day, then I'd respond in their language scripturally, reproving and rebuking like Jesus and the Apostles did in their many encounters. However in the above responses, love would always be the overriding key challenging the individual as much as your experience and knowledge levels at your own point permit because like Paul said, we'd like to win a few.
One last thought as a response to this question (in your own words) is asking the individual how they would feel and how they would respond, if they and their family were taken captive, taken from their homes and seen their family and friends be beaten and abused by the captors. Being from the UK, USA etc and taken to Syria, North-Korea or Iran after them beating you, hurting your family members and destroying your city? Would your response be, to be happy about it or feel tremendous sadness and a longing for home? Well this is what those women felt at the time....Always a great response to this one if said the right way. I hope this has been a satisfactory answer to the question....