Questions On Conflicting Passages

Answer When we look at the first two chapters of Genesis, we should not consider them as two different (and possibly contradictory) accounts of Creation, but rather each chapter has two different focuses. The first chapter tells us of God's Creation where all things are created in six days including man and woman. The second chapter focuses on God's creation of man and woman and the environment in which they were placed, the Garden of Eden.

The key to understanding these two chapters is found in the first few verses of Genesis chapter two. Here, we we find a summarizing statement where Moses states what happened on the seventh day, after God had taken the first six days to create all things including humanity.

GEN 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts.
GEN 2:2 And by the seventh day God completed His work which He had done; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.
GEN 2:3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

Therefore, all that has gone before in chapter one is summarized at this point. Then, beginning in verse four of chapter two, Moses turns his attention to the special creation of man and woman (on the sixth day) and the special environment into which they were placed, the Garden of Eden. Not only does he describe how humanity was created, but also the special relationship that man and woman were to have with each other and also their relationship with God, to be maintained by the keeping of His law.

GEN 2:4 ś This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven.
GEN 2:5 Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not sent rain upon the earth; and there was no man to cultivate the ground.
GEN 2:6 But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground.
GEN 2:7 Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
GEN 2:8 And the Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed.
GEN 2:9 And out of the ground the Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

GEN 2:15 Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.
GEN 2:16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely;
GEN 2:17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die. "
GEN 2:18 ś Then the Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him."
GEN 2:19 And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name.
GEN 2:20 And the man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him.
GEN 2:21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh at that place.
GEN 2:22 And the Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.
GEN 2:23 And the man said, "This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man."
GEN 2:24 For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.
GEN 2:25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

Therefore, in chapter two, more detail is given about the creation of man and woman, the environment into which they were placed, the law that was given to them by God and the special relationship they were to have with one another. But, to interpret chapter two to be a second account of the entire Creation leads us to unwarranted conclusions which would indeed contradict chapter one. An example of this would be concluding that there was no growing venation on the earth until man was created and God brought the rain. A more reasonable and truthful interpretation is, first God gives us a wide view of the entire Creation in the seven day period (Gen. 1:1-2:3). Then, we are given a more narrow view of the Creation of humanity and the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:4-25). Contact Gary

Question 2. In Deuteronomy 31:2, Moses says "I am one hundred and twenty years old today. I can no longer go out and come in." That is, he is very weak. But when we move to 34:7 of the same book, "His eyes were not dim nor his natural vigor abated." This latter verse indicates that Moses is still as strong as when he was young. I see contradiction here. Could you explain, please?

Answer The two passages under consideration are below,

DEU 31:2 And he said to them, "I am a hundred and twenty years old today; I am no longer able to come and go, and the Lord has said to me, 'You shall not cross this Jordan.'

DEU 34:7 Although Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died, his eye was not dim, nor his vigor abated.

No, there is no contradiction here. Although Moses was physically capable of doing what he had done in years past, God had forbidden him from going into the land of Canaan as Israel's leader. Instead, it would be Joshua who would lead them. Therefore, the first passage and the following verses tell us that Moses was no longer going to be their leader, not because of lack of physical strength, but because God had told him he would not enter the land. Contact Gary

Question 3. Exodus 20:4b appears to contradict other passages of scripture, such as Ezekiel 18. Exodus 20:4b reads, "...for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sins of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me..." In contrast (it seems), Ezekiel 18 says, "[The righteous son] will not die for his father's sin; he will surely live. But his father will die for his own sin...The soul who sins is the one who will die."

Answer When faced with a seeming contradiction in the Bible, I try to keep two scriptures in mind. ASV 1Co 14:33 for God is not (a God) of confusion, but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, and ASV 2Ti 3:16 Every scripture inspired of God (is) also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness.

If God is not a God of confusion and every scripture is inspired of God, there must be consistency and no contradiction. If we look at the context of the two passages you mentioned, I believe we can see there is no contradiction.

Exodus 20 is the giving of the law to the Israelites. Verses 4 & 5 is the commandment to not make any idols, nor worship them. God says the iniquity of those who do will be visited to the third and fourth generations. God also equates the worship of idols with hating him. In verse 6 this is contrasted with showing lovingkindness to those who love God and keep his commandments. Think about this commandment and the Israelites. I remember specifically the nation under Jeroboam (1 Kings 12). Jeroboam divided the nation, taking the ten northern tribes. He built places of worship and golden calves in Bethel and Dan. Every king of the northern kingdom was wicked and caused Israel to sin. Finally God caused Israel to be taken into Assyrian captivity. The consequences of Jeroboam's sin, violating this commandment, truly caused trouble for generations who followed his error. Each generation followed the practice that Jeroboam started. Read the 1 Kings 13-22 to see this, especially about Ahab and Jezebel.

Ezekial 18:4. The word of the Lord comes to Ezekial. Ezekial wrote from captivity in Babylon. He was taken captive with the two southern tribes. In chapter 18 Ezekial gives hope to Judah. Their lives determine their state before God. The soul that sins shall die, but if a man practices righteousness he shall live. This is also taught in the New Testament. ASV Rom 5:12 Therefore, as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin; and so death passed unto all men, for that all sinned: "All sinned" means we are all under the penalty of sin, because of our own sin not Adam's or someone else's. And, we can walk in newness of life - ASV Rom 6:3 Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him through baptism unto death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.

So, Moses in Exodus 20 speaking for God knows that when the father's in Israel sin in making and worshipping idols that they will influence future generations to sin likewise. This agrees with Ezekial and the New Testament. Contact Larry

Question 4. Luke Chapter 23 verse 39-43 > >Mark Chapter 15 verse 32 > >Matthew Chapter 27 verse 44 I'm having some difficulty with these accounts of what happened on the cross.One says that a criminal repents and is saved, the other two say they both cursed him. The book of John mentions two others but makes no comment one way or the other regarding what was said.

Answer Mark 15:16 "And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Praetorium; and they call together the whole band." Mark 15:20 "And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him."

Matthew 27:38 "Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left." Matthew 27:41 "Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said," Matthew 27:44 "The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth."

Mark 15:25 "And it was the third hour, and they crucified him."

Luke 23:39 "And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us." Luke 23:40 "But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?" Luke 23:41 "And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss." Luke 23:42 "And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." Luke 23:43 "And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise." Luke 23:44 "And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour."

From the time Pilate released Jesus to the soldiers, all were mocking him: First the soldiers, the chief priests and the scribes and elders and finally the two thieves. It seems perhaps the thieves were caught up in the frenzy of the moment and expecting Jesus would save himself. After all how else could he become the king He claimed to be if he were dead? (According to their way of thinking.) AFTER THREE HOURS of hanging on the cross, perhaps the one thief realized this was not going to happen. And maybe the thief, seeing the reaction of Jesus during all this, came to realize as "the centurion and they that were with him" would come to realize: "Truly this was the Son of God." (Matthew 27:54). Would it not be reasonable to think: hanging out in the hot sun, bleeding, with nails driven through your hands and feet, knowing in a short while you were going to die, that a person would begin to examine some things and think about his situation? Many a person will not give Christ a serious thought until they stare death in the face. The amazing thing is that both thieves did not come to their senses and realize if Jesus was who He claimed to be, then He was their only hope. So I think the answer to the "discrepancy" is to realize there was a space of about three hours from the time the thieves mocked Jesus until the one thief repented. Ever heard someone say who has barely escaped death that his whole life flashed before him and that an instant seemed like an eternity? Contact Danny

Question 5. how did Judas Iscariot die? There are conflicting Scriptures in Bible.