Jesus calls a Canaanite woman a dog

Matthew 15:22-28 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession." Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us." He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said. He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs." "Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

Many people think that it was offensive for Jesus to call this Canaanite woman a dog. However, I looked up the explanation for this on the Christian Apologist site christian-thinktank.com.

Here is one of their explanations:

The image Jesus has chosen is an image of endearment, not insult. The picture of supper-time, with little kids at the table, and their pet "puppies" (the Greek word for 'dog' here is not the standard, 'outside' dog--which MIGHT BE an insult--, but is the diminutive word, meaning 'household pets, little dogs'...) at their feet, maybe tugging on their robes for food or play. The puppies, dear to the children and probably so too to the master (cf. 2 Sam 12.3f: but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.), were to be fed AFTER the children (notice: not DENIED food--there was no "NO" in Jesus image--only "WAIT"). But the temporal order is clear--Jesus must take care of His disciples FIRST, and if meeting her need involved interrupting their rest and GOING SOMEWHERE, then it was going to have to wait.

I guess the woman's reaction was unmerited when she responded "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." She must have misunderstood Jesus' "image of endearment."

[Read today's reading in The Brick Testament - An Illustrated Bible]

Strange reason to discriminate

Deuteronomy 23:1 He who is emasculated by crushing or mutilation shall not enter the assembly of the LORD.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

We've seen that God has issues with the physically challenged and excludes them from any priestly duties. However, now we get to those who cannot even be a part of the congregaton.

I know many of you may believe that this criteria is very strange. Also, please note that God does care about the state of our physical being NOT just the heart (as we're sometimes led to believe).

God's view of a woman's monthly cycle

Leviticus 15:19-30 When a woman has her regular flow of blood, the impurity of her monthly period will last seven days, and anyone who touches her will be unclean till evening. Anything she lies on during her period will be unclean, and anything she sits on will be unclean. Whoever touches her bed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening. Whoever touches anything she sits on must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening. Whether it is the bed or anything she was sitting on, when anyone touches it, he will be unclean till evening.

If a man lies with her and her monthly flow touches him, he will be unclean for seven days; any bed he lies on will be unclean.

When a woman has a discharge of blood for many days at a time other than her monthly period or has a discharge that continues beyond her period, she will be unclean as long as she has the discharge, just as in the days of her period. Any bed she lies on while her discharge continues will be unclean, as is her bed during her monthly period, and anything she sits on will be unclean, as during her period. Whoever touches them will be unclean; he must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening.

When she is cleansed from her discharge, she must count off seven days, and after that she will be ceremonially clean. On the eighth day she must take two doves or two young pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. The priest is to sacrifice one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. In this way he will make atonement for her before the LORD for the uncleanness of her discharge.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

No comment.

Stoned to death for gathering wood on the Sabbath

Numbers 15:32-36 While the Israelites were in the desert, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day. Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him. Then the LORD said to Moses, "The man must die. The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp." So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the LORD commanded Moses.

PERSONAL COMMENTARIES

I have to admit that reading the above verses truly made me sad.

Isaiah instructed by God to walk naked and barefoot for 3 years

Isaiah 20:2-3a At the same time the LORD spoke by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, “Go, and remove the sackcloth from your body, and take your sandals off your feet.” And he did so, walking naked and barefoot. Then the LORD said, “Just as My servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and a wonder....

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

I'm glad God's definition of a "sign and a wonder" has changed under the New Covenant. How would you like to be told to walk naked and barefoot for 3 years in order for God to perform signs and wonders?

God creates evil?

Isaiah 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

This is another one of those confusing verses. It goes along with the previous verse on God sending evil spirits. We are taught that God is good and Satan is evil. To read Scriptures stating that God authored evil and participates in the propagation of evil does not make sense.

I should note that later translations do temper this verse but the hebrew word here is "ra" which is normally translated as evil, distress, misery, injury, calamity, wicked (ethically), and unkind (vicious in disposition).

Balaam makes God angry

Numbers 22:20-22a That night God came to Balaam and said, "Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you." Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab. But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the LORD stood in the road to oppose him.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

There are volumes written explaining Bible difficulties. I do have to look this one up because it sure doesn't make sense. Please feel free to add comments if you understand why God gave Balaam a directive then was very angry when he obeyed it.

Kill everyone in the town if they worship other gods

Deuteronomy 13:12-19 - If you hear it said about one of the towns the LORD your God is giving you to live in that wicked men have arisen among you and have led the people of their town astray, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (gods you have not known), then you must inquire, probe and investigate it thoroughly. And if it is true and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done among you, you must certainly put to the sword all who live in that town. Destroy it completely, both its people and its livestock. Gather all the plunder of the town into the middle of the public square and completely burn the town and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the LORD your God. It is to remain a ruin forever, never to be rebuilt. None of those condemned things shall be found in your hands, so that the LORD will turn from his fierce anger; he will show you mercy, have compassion on you, and increase your numbers, as he promised on oath to your forefathers, because you obey the LORD your God, keeping all his commands that I am giving you today and doing what is right in his eyes.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

Why not just kill the "wicked men?"

Fine the man but stone the girl to death!

Deuteronomy 22:13-21 – “If a man takes a wife and, after lying with her, dislikes her and slanders her and gives her a bad name, saying, “I married this woman, but when I approached her, I did not find proof of her virginity,” then the girl’s father and mother shall bring proof that she was a virgin to the town elders at the gate. The girl’s father will say to the elders, “I gave my daughter in marriage to this man, but he dislikes her. Now he has slandered her and said, ‘I did not find your daughter to be a virgin.’ But here is the proof of my daughter’s virginity.” Then her parents shall display the cloth before the elders of the town, and the elders shall take the man and punish him. They shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver a and give them to the girl’s father, because this man has given an Israelite virgin a bad name. She shall continue to be his wife; he must not divorce her as long as he lives. If, however, the charge is true and no proof of the girl’s virginity can be found, she shall be brought to the door of her father’s house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death. She has done a disgraceful thing in Israel by being promiscuous while still in her father’s house. You must purge the evil from among you.”

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

First the rebellious son, now this girl!

Physically challenged priests?

Leviticus 21:17-24 "Say to Aaron: 'For the generations to come none of your descendants who has a defect may come near to offer the food of his God. No man who has any defect may come near: no man who is blind or lame, disfigured or deformed; no man with a crippled foot or hand, or who is hunchbacked or dwarfed, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles. No descendant of Aaron the priest who has any defect is to come near to present the offerings made to the LORD by fire. He has a defect; he must not come near to offer the food of his God. He may eat the most holy food of his God, as well as the holy food; yet because of his defect, he must not go near the curtain or approach the altar, and so desecrate my sanctuary. I am the LORD, who makes them holy.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

God definitely was not very politically or socially correct here. I'm glad he's since changed his perception of the physically challenged.

How to create spotted sheep or goats

Genesis 30:37-39 Jacob, however, took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond and plane trees and made white stripes on them by peeling the bark and exposing the white inner wood of the branches. Then he placed the peeled branches in all the watering troughs, so that they would be directly in front of the flocks when they came to drink. When the flocks were in heat and came to drink, they mated in front of the branches. And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

1. Jacob placed striped branches where the sheep or goats could see them while mating.
2. This resulted in streaked, speckled, or spotted offspring.

All I can say to this is - WOW!

Divorce and Remarriage

Matthew 19:9a And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery;

(See also Matthew 5:32)

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

The only reason for a MAN to divorce his WIFE is sexual immorality on the part of the wife or he should never remarry. If he does remarry, he commits adultery (which would be violating one of the 10 commandments).

This is one of those commands that is conveniently ignored because it applies to a growing number of Christians. However, it does seem unfair that individuals who divorce and remarry or who marry a divorced woman (see link below) can simply pretend these commands do not exist but homosexuals are not allowed to ignore the commands that apply to their lifestyle.

The same ferver we have as we stand against gay marriage should be applied to these marriages also. We should organize marches, rallies, and make sure everyone who receives our vote do not support marriages under these prohibited circumstances. In fact, I believe we should all support the institution of a constitutional ban against these marriages, which violates the family values as defined by the Word just as gay marriages do.

Jesus did not come to bring peace on earth!

Matthew 10:34-36 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

1. Jesus did not come to bring peace on earth.
2. Jesus did not come to bring peace but war.
3. Jesus came to set a man against his father.
4. Jesus came to set a daughter against her mother.
5. Jesus came to set a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

This is a very confusing verse especially since the angels heralded "peace on earth, good will towards men" regarding the birth of Jesus.

What to do if someone is sinning!

1 Timothy 5:20 Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

1. If someone is sinning they need be be reprimanded in front of the entire church.

Please don't let this keep you from church this Sunday. The purpose of this is to help others not sin since they will "fear" the same fate. In essence, you will be helping others.

Women's hand to be cut off for......

Deut. 5:11-12 If two men fight together, and the wife of one draws near to rescue her husband from the hand of the one attacking him, and puts out her hand and seizes him by the genitals, then you shall cut off her hand; your eye shall not pity her.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

I must admit I do not get this one. However, I'm just a finite being. God is infinite.

Youth mauled by bears for calling the prophet of God "baldhead"

2 Kings 2:23-24 Then [Elisha] went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up the road, some youths came from the city and mocked him, and said to him, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!” So he turned around and looked at them, and pronounced a curse on them in the name of the LORD. And two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

In case you thought that cursing others was wrong, please note that the prophet cursed the kids "in the name of the Lord" which resulted in the mauling by the bears. Interesting power to have and I would not be too keen on using it.

Genocide of the Amalekites

1 Sam.15:2-3 This is what the LORD Almighty says: "I have decided to settle accounts with the nation of Amalek for opposing Israel when they came from Egypt. Now go and completely destroy the entire Amalekite nation--men, women, children, babies, cattle, sheep, camels, and donkeys."

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

We define God as kind, merciful, loving, and compassionate. However, we have to come to terms with the fact (since the Bible is accurately 100% the Word of God) that God has another side to his character.

How a woman should dress!

1 Timothy 2:9 In like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing,

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

1. Women should dress modestly
2. Women should NOT braid their hair
3. Women should NOT wear gold
4. Women should NOT wear pearls
5. Women should NOT wear costly clothing

(see also 1 Peter 3:3)

This is one of my favorite scriptures. It sure saves me a lot of money.

God slaughters 50,070 men

1 Samuel 6:19 Then He struck the men of Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD. He struck fifty thousand and seventy men of the people, and the people lamented because the LORD had struck the people with a great slaughter.

Note: Some recent translations say 70 men instead of 50,070.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

Many people believe that God really over-reacted here. However, rememember that His ways are not our ways.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God!

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

1. ALL Scripture is given by inspiration of God
2. ALL Scripture is profitable for doctrine, reproof, and correction
3. ALL Scripture is profitable for instruction in righteousness

Please note that according to the scripture, ALL Scripture is inspired of God. How do we know this? Because it is written in the Scriptures - which is inspired of God and accurate. Of course, Scripture is ONLY those books voted to be a part of the canon.