[This is the continuation of JOURNEY: “Truth set me free!” —contributed by a former Christian pastor who writes for his flock and sends us texts of his teaching.—Admin1]
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My Spiritual Journey — Part 2 — Is Blood Necessary?
Because my spiritual journey has led me to question the most fundamental tenets of the “christian faith,” some have accused me of starting a cult. They are so angry at anyone who “questions” or “challenges” the “christian beliefs”! The leaders of the church that I had helped establish have “excommunicated” me and warn people against me. These leaders have not even attended any of my sessions and they are basing their condemnation of me on simple “hearsay” or “gossip.” Not one of them has even tried to “reach out” to me and listen to why I have moved away from the fundamental beliefs of the “christian faith.”
They are not therefore following the example and teaching of Jesus who came to SEEK AND SAVE THE LOST. If they think I have made a mistake, then why don’t they reach out to try and bring me back? The answer is obvious: they are not true followers of the Jesus Christ of the New Testament. They follow their own man-made doctrines, although they hidebehind the words, “we are a bible-believing church.” Maybe this is why Jesus was so frustrated with those who call him ‘lord’: Luke 6:46 NKJV “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?
The scripture clearly teaches that the wise man listens to both sides of the story before making any decisions:
Proverbs 1:5 NKJV. A wise man will hear and increase learning,
And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel,
Proverbs 9:8-10 NKJV
8) Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you;
Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.
9) Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.
10) “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Proverbs 12:1 NKJV
Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, But he who hates correction is stupid.
Proverbs 18:17 NKJV
The first one to plead his cause seems right, Until his neighbor comes and examines him.
Proverbs 18:13 NKJV
He who answers a matter before he hears it, It is folly and shame to him.
Deuteronomy 13:12-15 NKJV
12) “If you hear someone in one of your cities, which the LORD your God gives you to dwell in, saying,
13) ‘Corrupt men have gone out from among you and enticed the inhabitants of their city, saying, “Let us go and serve other gods” ‘— which you have not known—
14) then you shall inquire, search out, and ask diligently. And if it is indeed true and certain that such an abomination was committed among you,
15) you shall surely strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying it, all that is in it and its livestock—with the edge of the sword.
Instead of discouraging a “dialogue” to seek the truth,
YHWH invites His people to “reason together”:
Isaiah 1:18 NKJV
“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the
LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.
In Part 2 of my spiritual journey, I would like to focus on one of the MOST FUNDAMENTAL beliefs of the “christian faith”:
“Everyone sins … so how do we get atonement?
In the “Old Testament,” people brought sacrifice. But there is no more temple today, so no sacrifices. The only way to have sin forgiven is for one to accept the death of a “sinless substitute,” Jesus, to pay for all their sins, past, present and future. Evangelicals teach that “innocent blood needs to be shed for the sins of sinners to be atoned for” — the concept of “vicarious or substitutionary death.”
English definition: vi·car·i·ous adj.
1. Felt or undergone as if one were taking part in the
experience or feelings of another;
2. Endured or done by one person substituting for
another.
Hebrews 9:22 NKJV
And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.
John 14:6 NKJV
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
When you ask “where is this truth found in the torah,” they will point to:
Leviticus 17:11 NKJV
For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have
given it to you upon the altar to make atonement
for your souls; for it is the blood that makes
atonement for the soul.’
At first glance, you might be persuaded that the New Testament author to the Hebrews is quoting the verse correctly. But if we examine the CONTEXT, we see again that it does not say what the author of Hebrews says.
Let’s read the whole of Leviticus 17 . . . .Then try to give it a TITLE, so that we can tell what is is all about, what would that TITLE be?
Yes, the whole chapter is about the prohibition to drink blood or eat an animal with blood in it. In other parts of scripture, we see YHWH making a list of animals that we should not eat, but He does not give us the reason(s) why.
As far as eating / drinking of blood, it is the one time YHWH EXPLAINS WHY there is such a prohibition. The explanation is that you should not eat/drink the blood because it is to be used as an atonement. The verse DOES NOT SAY that blood of an animal is the ONLY WAY that atonement can be attained!
Incidentally, if we are to pursue that thought that we should not eat / drink blood because it is for atonement, then this CONTRADICTS what the Roman Catholics and Evangelicals are doing every time they have communion because they are “drinking the blood of Jesus.” Even if it is not literal blood, it is still violating the spirit of the law!
That is why some say it is not Jesus who said these words but it was “added” on by non-Jews:
John 6:48-58 NKJV
48) I am the bread of life.
49) Your fathers ate the manna in the
wilderness, and are dead.
50) This is the bread which comes down from
heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.
51) I am the living bread which came down from
heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live
forever; and the bread that I shall give is My
flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”
52) The Jews therefore quarreled among
themselves, saying,
“How can this Man give us
His flesh to eat?”
53) Then Jesus said to them,
“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.
54) Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
55) For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.
56) He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.
57) As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.
58) This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”
Notice from verse 48-52, Jesus is talking about BREAD, claiming that he is the BREAD OF LIFE and comparing this to the bread, i.e. manna, that YHWH gave to the Jews in the desert. The paragraph also ends with BREAD in verse 58. But in verse 53-56, the thought about drinking BLOOD is added to eating BREAD. It did not rain blood from heaven in the desert. This “blood concept” would not be possible for a “righteous” Jew to say or think as it goes against the Torah Laws including Leviticus 17.
Jesus certainly obeyed all the law even the tiniest tittle of the Law! Matthew 5:17-19 NKJV Jesus says:
17) “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
18) For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
19) Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Even more important to note is that the blood being discussed in Leviticus 17 is the blood of an animal. Not a human being! Killing an innocent human being for the sin of the wicked is a perversion of justice and a violation of the commandment, “do not murder.”
QUESTION — Is it true that Scripture teaches that the ONLY WAY to get atonement is through the shedding of innocent blood for the sinner?
ANSWER: Absolutely NOT – there are 3 ways described in the TaNaK whereby sins can be forgiven
1] Confession and Repentance
2] Charity
3] Calves’ Sacrifice
Which is more important? Or are they of equal importance?
In whole book of Leviticus, there is only ONE KIND OF SACRIFICE THAT IS OFFERED FOR SIN … All other “sacrifices” are for thanksgiving, or celebration of the feasts …
What kind of sin were these sacrifices in Leviticus offered for?
There were several categories specifically and precisely commanded by YHWH:
Category #1
Leviticus 4:1-12 NKJV
1) Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2) “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If a person sins unintentionally against any of the commandments of the LORD in anything which ought not to be done, and does any of
them,
3) if the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, then let him offer to the LORD for his sin which he has sinned a young bull without blemish as a sin offering.
4) He shall bring the bull to the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the LORD, lay his hand on the bull’s head, and kill the bull before the LORD.
5) Then the anointed priest shall take some of the bull’s blood and bring it to the tabernacle of meeting.
6) The priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times before the LORD, in front of the veil of the sanctuary.
7) And the priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the LORD, which is in the tabernacle of meeting; and he shall pour the remaining blood of the bull at the base of the altar of the burnt offering, which
is at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.
8) He shall take from it all the fat of the bull as the sin offering. The fat that covers the entrails and all the fat which is on the entrails,
9) the two kidneys and the fat that is on them by the flanks, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver above the kidneys, he shall remove,
10) as it was taken from the bull of the sacrifice of the peace offering; and the priest shall burn them on the altar of the burnt offering.
11) But the bull’s hide and all its flesh, with its head and legs, its entrails and offal—
12) the whole bull he shall carry outside the camp to a clean place, where the ashes are poured out, and burn it on wood with fire; where the ashes are poured out it shall be burned.
Category #2
Leviticus 4:13-21 NKJV
13) ‘Now if the whole congregation of Israel sins unintentionally, and the thing is hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done something against any of the commandments of the LORD in anything which should not be done, and are guilty;
14) when the sin which they have committed becomes known, then the assembly shall of er a young bull for the sin, and bring it before the tabernacle of meeting.
15) And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before the LORD. Then the bull shall be killed before the LORD.
16) The anointed priest shall bring some of the bull’s blood to the tabernacle of meeting.
17) Then the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the LORD, in front of the veil.
18) And he shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar which is before the LORD, which is in the tabernacle of meeting; and he shall pour the remaining blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.
19) He shall take all the fat from it and burn it on the altar.
20) And he shall do with the bull as he did with the bull as a sin offering; thus he shall do with it. So the priest shall make atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them.
21) Then he shall carry the bull outside the camp, and burn it as he burned the first bull. It is a sin offering for the assembly.
Category #3
Leviticus 4:22-26 NKJV
22) ‘When a ruler has sinned, and done something unintentionally against any of the commandments of the LORD his God in anything which should not be done, and is guilty,
23) or if his sin which he has committed comes to his knowledge, he shall bring as his offering a kid of the goats, a male without blemish.
24) And he shall lay his hand on the head of the goat, and kill it at the place where they kill the burnt offering before the LORD. It is a sin offering.
25) The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and pour its blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering.
26) And he shall burn all its fat on the altar, like the fat of the sacrifice of the peace offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin, and it shall be forgiven him.
Category #4
Leviticus 4:27-35 NKJV
27) ‘If anyone of the common people sins unintentionally by doing something against any of the commandments of the LORD in anything which ought not to be done, and is guilty,
28) or if his sin which he has committed comes to his knowledge, then he shall bring as his of offering a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin which he has committed.
29) And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill the sin offering at the place of the burnt offering.
30) Then the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and pour all the remaining blood at the base of the altar.
31) He shall remove all its fat, as fat is removed from the sacrifice of the peace offering; and the priest shall burn it on the altar for a sweet aroma to the LORD. So the priest shall make atonement for him, and it shall be forgiven him.
32) ‘If he brings a lamb as his sin offering, he shall bring a female without blemish.
33) Then he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill it as a sin offering at the place where they kill the burnt offering.
34) The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and pour all the remaining blood at the base of the altar.
35) He shall remove all its fat, as the fat of the lamb is removed from the sacrifice of the peace offering. Then the priest shall burn it on the altar, according to the offerings made by fire to the LORD. So the priest shall make atonement for his sin that he has committed, and it shall be
forgiven him.
What is common about these 4 categories?
1] All categories involve UNINTENTIONAL sins. Why does the Scripture make this distinction? This is the only way that a SUBSTITUTION makes sense. Since the sin was not intentional, then the substitute dies for it … There is no sacrifice for INTENTIONAL SIN!
2] The type and method of the offering CHANGES depending on who committed the unintentional sin.
3] Did you notice that for the unintentional sin of the common man, what was to be offered? A FEMALE goat or lamb! Not a male …
4] All of the sacrifices were BROUGHT BY THE ONE WHO SINNED! The sacrifice was costly to them so they would remember. It was not for free!
5] All the sacrifices were animals not human!
6] All the sacrifices were burned!
7] The sacrifice was done on the altar of YHWH!
8] The body of sacrificed animal was taken out of the
camp and burned! Not buried!
9] None of the sacrifices were resurrected!
10] All the sacrifices were offered by the Jewish priests
not by the Romans!
Do any of these elements resemble Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross?
What if the sin one commits is INTENTIONAL? There is no sacrifice sufficient for this kind of sin … Classic example is King David, who committed adultery and murder:
Psalms 40:6-11 NKJV6)
Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened. Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.
7) Then I said, “Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me.
8) I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart.”
9) I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness In the great assembly; Indeed, I do not restrain my lips, O LORD, You Yourself know.
10) I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth From the great assembly.
11) Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O LORD; Let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me.
King David had personally experienced that sacrifices were not what YHWH wanted when people had sinned against Him intentionally …
2 Samuel 11-12 tells us the sin that King David committed and how YHWH dealt with him.
2 Samuel 12:13 NKJV
So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. Without any sacrifice of bulls, YHWH forgave King David, as YHWH had done with all the patriarchs:
Psalms 51:15-19 NKJV
15) O Lord, open my lips, And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
16) For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering.
17) The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise.
18) Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion;
Build the walls of Jerusalem.
19) Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, With burnt offering and whole burnt offering; Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.
Psalms 51:1-4 NKJV
1) To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David When Nathan the Prophet Went to Him, After He Had Gone in to Bathsheba.
Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions.
2) Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.
3) For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me.
4) Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight— That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge.
King David’s sin was intentional!
“I have done this evil in Your sight.”
He recognized that for intentional sin, there was no sacrifice acceptable to YHWH! King David asked for forgiveness on the basis of the loving kindness and tender mercies of YHWH, not on the basis of any sacrifice. He certainly did not ask for forgiveness because Jesus had died for him!
In the New Testament epistle to the Romans, Paul agreed that both Abraham and King David were declared righteous and forgiven not on the basis of works (or sacrifice) but simply because of their faith in YHWH (not Jesus) to forgive their sins:
Romans 4:1-8 NKJV
1) What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh?
2) For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.
3) For what does the Scripture say? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS ACCOUNTED TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
4) Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.
5) But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,
6) just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:
7) “BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS ARE FORGIVEN, AND WHOSE SINS ARE COVERED;
8) BLESSED IS THE MAN TO WHOM THE LORD SHALL NOT IMPUTE SIN.”
But do you realize why there is so much of a difference between christianity and King David? Because the writer of Hebrews had CHANGED the scriptures to make their “doctrine.”
Psalms 40:6-11 NKJV/Hebrews 10:1-10 NKJV
Note: Scripture never says that those who are forgiven become “perfect” and have no more consciousness of sins.
1) For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year,
make those who approach perfect.
2) For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have,
This is taken from Psalm 40 which was “distorted” to suit their doctrine.
Psalms 40:6-11
6) Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened. Burnt offering and sin offering You did not
require.
7) Then I said, “Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me. had no more consciousness of sins.
3) But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year.
4) For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.
5) Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: “SACRIFICE AND OFFERING YOU DID NOT DESIRE, BUT A BODY YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR ME.
6) IN BURNT OFFERINGS AND SACRIFICES FOR SIN YOU HAD NO PLEASURE.
7) THEN I SAID, ‘BEHOLD, I HAVE
COME— IN THE VOLUME OF THE BOOK8) I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart.”
9) I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness In the
great assembly; Indeed, I do not restrain my lips, O
LORD, You Yourself know.
10) I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth From the great assembly.
11) Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O LORD; Let Your lovingkindness and Your IT IS WRITTEN OF ME— TO DO YOUR WILL, O GOD.’ “
8) Previously saying, “SACRIFICE AND OFFERING, BURNT
OFFERINGS, AND OFFERINGS FOR SIN YOU DID NOT DESIRE, NOR HAD PLEASURE
IN THEM” (which are offered according to the law),
9) then He said, “BEHOLD, I HAVE COME TO DO YOUR
WILL, O GOD.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second.
10) By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.truth continually preserve me.
Key Points:
1] No one knows who the author of “Hebrews” is. Lately, commentators are trying to say they THINK it is Paul. Why this book was included by the Catholic Church in the “cannon” of the NT is unknown.
2] This unknown author says that it was Jesus who said the things said in Psalm 40 when it is very clear that Psalm 40 was written by King David.
5) Therefore, when He (Jesus) came into the
world, He said:
Psalm 40 was written approximately 1015 B.C. [based on Blue Letter Bible, google search] or 1015 years before Jesus “came into the world.”
3] The unknown author of Hebrews not only misrepresents the author of Psalm 40 but clearly DISTORTS the meaning of the Psalm …
8) Previously saying, “SACRIFICE AND OFFERING, BURNT OFFERINGS, AND OFFERINGS FOR SIN YOU DID NOT DESIRE, NOR HAD PLEASURE IN THEM” (which are
offered according to the law),
9) then He said, “BEHOLD, I HAVE COME TO DO YOUR WILL, O GOD.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second. He takes away the first that He may establish the second is clearly a non-sequitur conclusion. (i.e. it is illogical).
When King David says that YHWH did not desire burnt offerings and sacrifice, he certainly did not mean that YHWH was “taking away the Torah which contained the sacrificial system” in favor of a new one i.e. the body of Jesus who “did His will.”
In fact according to King David:
8) I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law
[Torah] is within my heart.”
Instead of doing away with the Torah, King David says
“Your law is within his heart!”
Where would one find YHWH’s will except in the Torah / TaNaK?
4] This unknown author had to CHANGE what Psalm 40 says to “prove his point” from:
6) Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened.
to:
5) Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: “SACRIFICE AND OFFERING YOU DID NOT DESIRE, BUT A BODY YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR ME.
There is a big difference between “my ears You have
opened” and “a body you have prepared for me.”
Why does King David say “my ears”? What does that mean, especially in context … What are ears for? — Listening! — Listening to what? — YHWH’s Torah!
If one reads the verses before, here is King David’s
conclusion:
Psalms 40:4 NKJV
4) Blessed is that man who makes the LORD his trust,
And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
This is very different from throwing away the words of
YHWH in the Torah!
Sacrificial system worked as a teaching de
vice …
Prophet Hosea 3:4-5 actually prophecies that indeed there will be a long period of time when Jewish people shall have NO SACRIFICE … like today …
Hosea 3:4-5 NKJV
4) For the children of Israel shall abide many
days without king or prince, without sacrifice
or sacred pillar, without ephod or teraphim.
5) Afterward the children of Israel shall return
and seek the LORD their God and David their
king. They shall fear the LORD and His goodness
in the latter days.
So what does Hosea say we should do instead of the sacrifice …
Hosea 14:1-3 NKJV
1) O Israel, return to the LORD your God, For you have stumbled because of your iniquity;
2) Take words with you, And return to the LORD. Say to Him,
“Take away all iniquity; Receive us graciously, For we will offer the sacrifices of our lips.
3) Assyria shall not save us, We will not ride on horses, Nor will we say anymore to the work of our hands, ‘You are our gods.’ For in You the fatherless finds mercy.“
There is a “footnote” added in the NKJV for “the
sacrifices of our lips” :
Footnotes:
Hosea 14:2 Literally bull calves; Septuagint reads fruit.
Hosea 14 New International Version (NIV)
Repentance to Bring Blessing
14
[a] Return, Israel, to the LORD your God.
Your sins have been your downfall!
2Take words with you
and return to the LORD.
Say to him:“Forgive all our sins
and receive us graciously,
that we may of er the fruit of our lips.
[b] In the footnote “b” you will read:
[b] Hosea 14:2 Or offer our lips as sacrifices of bulls
So when we see these “modern” translations with these
footnotes, it should make us suspicious and we check
the Hebrew …
Hosea 14:1-3 JPS (Jewish Publication Society)
1) (14:2) Return, O Israel, unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast stumbled in thine iniquity.
2) (14:3) Take with you words, and return unto the LORD; say unto Him: ‘Forgive all iniquity, and accept that which is good; so will we render for bullocks the offering of our lips.
3) (14:4) Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses; neither will we call any more the work of our hands our gods; for in Thee the fatherless findeth mercy.’
Hosea 14:1-3 LITV
1) O Israel, return to Jehovah your God, for you have fallen by your sin.
2) Take words with you and return to Jehovah. Say to Him, Lift up all iniquity and receive us well, that we may repay with the calves of our lips.
3) Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride on horses. We shall not say any more to the work of our hands, Our gods! For in You the fatherless finds mercy.
What is the IMPLICATION OF THIS VERSE FOR
Evangelicals? It means that Blood is not NECESSARY for the atonement of sins … What would replace the blood of bulls was “words” … not Jesus …
Read 1 Kings 8 when Solomon inaugurated the Temple he built for YHWH … Solomon already prophesied that there will come a time when the Hebrews will be away from the promised land, so what will they do when they can’t offer sacrifices in their temple?
1 Kings 8:41-60 GNB
41) “When a foreigner who lives in a distant land
hears of your fame and of the great things youhave done for your people and comes to worship
you and to pray at this Temple,
42) (SEE 8:41)
43) listen to his prayer. In heaven, where you
live, hear him and do what he asks you to do, so
that all the peoples of the world may know you
and obey you, as your people Israel do. Then they
will know that this Temple I have built is the
place where you are to be worshiped.
44) “When you command your people to go into
battle against their enemies and they pray to
you, wherever they are, facing this city which
you have chosen and this Temple which I have
built for you,
45) listen to their prayers. Hear them in heaven
and give them victory.
46) “When your people sin against you —
and there is no one who does not sin– and in
your anger you let their enemies defeat them and
take them as prisoners to some other land, even if
that land is far away,
47) listen to your people’s prayers. If there in
that land they repent and pray to you,
confessing how sinful and wicked they have been,
hear their prayers, O LORD.48) If in that land they truly and sincerely
repent and pray to you as they face toward this
land which you gave to our ancestors, this city
which you have chosen, and this Temple which I
have built for you,
49) then listen to their prayers. In your home in
heaven hear them and be merciful to them.
50) Forgive all their sins and their
rebellion against you, and make their
enemies treat them with kindness.
51) They are your own people, whom you
brought out of Egypt, that blazing furnace.
52) “Sovereign LORD, may you always look with
favor on your people Israel and their king, and
hear their prayer whenever they call to you for
help.
53) You chose them from all the peoples to be
your own people, as you told them through your
servant Moses when you brought our ancestors
out of Egypt.”
54) After Solomon had finished praying to the
LORD, he stood up in front of the altar, where he
had been kneeling with uplifted hands.
55) In a loud voice he asked God’s blessings on
all the people assembled there. He said,56) “Praise the LORD who has given his people
peace, as he promised he would. He has kept
all the generous promises he made through
his servant Moses.
57) May the LORD our God be with us as he was
with our ancestors; may he never leave us or
abandon us;
58) may he make us obedient to him, so that we
will always live as he wants us to live, keeping all
the laws and commands he gave our ancestors.
59) May the LORD our God remember at all
times this prayer and these petitions I have made
to him. May he always be merciful to the people
of Israel and to their king, according to their
daily needs.
60) And so all the nations of the world will know
that the LORD alone is God—there is no
other.
It is with great humility that we ask people to RE-EXAMINE what they believe to be the basis for forgiveness. King David clearly says that he was forgiven on the basis of the mercy of YHWH which is eternal.
For one who commits INTENTIONAL sin, there is NO
SACRIFICE sufficient to erase that sin! As for me, I rejoice in the knowledge that King David, and all of the Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were all forgiven on the same basis. Paul, in the New Testament epistle to the Romans chapter 4 agrees.
YHWH is not a God who changes. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He does not have a different basis for forgiving sin then and now.
There is much more to say, but let’s stop here for now and in Part 3 of my testimony, I will examine the thought that many christians have when they say “someone has to pay for your sin.” Pick who shall pay for your sin — You or Jesus!
If anyone has comments or questions pertaining to
what we have discussed in Parts 1-2 of my testimony,
please send me an email.
Ricky Samson
help.others.ras@gmail.com
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