Prophecies of Muhammad in the Bible

Posted on March 29, 2019 by Jerry

by Vijay Chandra

Introduction:

One aspect of the Qur’an’s claim and teaching that captures the attention of most Christians is its claim that the Bible makes prophecies regarding Muhammad, and that by name. Given that most evangelicals are not even certain whether Islam came before or after the days of Jesus, it is fully understandable why they would be unaware of how important it is for the Qur’an, and hence for modern Muslims, to find biblical prophecies about Muhammad. But as to the Qur’an, if in fact, it insists that Muhammad is prophesied in the Bible and we discover this is not the case, we have a clear example of, at best, a misunderstanding for us. Islam insists that the author of Qur’an is God himself. Documentation of a specific error relating to the Scriptures of those who came before Muhammad would be a crucial element of any honest examination of Muhammad’s claims and Islamic faith. No Muslim who seeks the truth, [al-Haqq], could ignore such a problem in the text.

 

First, it is our desire to examine the key Qur’anic texts [or surah] and then look at the main biblical texts that Muslims say fulfill the Qur’an’s claims. We face the issue of ‘multiple views’ for while many Muslims point to specific texts and insist that many biblical passages refer to Muhammad, others, especially in the West, hesitate to be specific and some observe that the Qur’an leaves the matter vague and does not provide specific references and hence they will not firmly identify exact texts. The more conservative the Muslims, the more likely he or she is to believe that at least the texts we will examine here are directly related to Muhammad as a prophet.

 

“The Unlettered Prophet’’

 

We will look at some of the texts from the Meccan period, in Surah Al-Araf, 7:157.

“Those who follow, the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, whom they find described in their Torah and the Gospel—he will enjoin on them good and forbid them evil, he will make lawful for them good and forbid them evil, he will make lawful all good things prohibit for them what is foul, and he will relieve them of their burden and the fetters that were upon them—those that believe in him, honor him, support him, and follow him the light which has been sent down with him, they were successful”. Let us look carefully at this Qur’anic quotation. The key line “whom they find described in their Torah and Gospel”. Yet some translations, such as the Saheeh International, depart from the majority of other English translations and show a particular apologetic bias on the matter of preservation [or lack of] of biblical text [represented in Torah and Injil]. These render this phrase “in what they have of Torah and the Gospel”, implying a loss of a portion of the Scriptures. Nothing in either the context or the language indicates a reference to the corruption of Torah and Injil. There are some other renderings. Here are some:

 “whom they will find described in Torah and the Gospel [which are] with them” [ Pickthall].

 “whom they find mentioned in their own[scriptures],–in law and the Gospel”[ Yusuf Ali].

“whom they find written down with them in the Taurat and Injeel” [ Shakir].

‘whom they find written down with them in the Torah and the Gospel” [ Arberry]. Some of the more imaginative renderings expand upon the phrase.

 “whom they find mentioned in their own Law and Gospel [Deuteronomy 18  and John[ Aziz] follow the Messenger, the Prophet who is non-Israelite, and who was unlettered before the revelation [29:48]. They find him well described” in the Torah and the Gospel with them. [The note that is added reads, “Deuteronomy 18:15 and Deuteronomy 18:18, Gospel of John 14:26, 15:26, 16:7, PARACLETOS—COMFORTER, from original Greek [ PERICLYTOS—THE PRAISED ONE [Shabire Ahmed] whom they find written with them in the Taurat [Torah] (Deuteronomy 18:15), and the Injeel [Gospel] (John 14:16)”.

There is much discussion of just what ‘unlettered prophet’ means, but we need not be detained by it, we need to focus on what the Qur’an is claiming.

 

The context includes a discussion about Moses and the prophet of Israel. Right before this ayah, we read, “I shall ordain it for those who fear [Allah] and pay the zakat and those who believe in our signs” [the Qur’an]. This defines ‘who’ follows ‘the Messenger, the unlettered prophet’, which is confirmed in the ayah. We will look further in the verses below. The point I want to make is the Qur’an has lots of Biblical citations which Muhammad borrowed from the Bible. They use these citations and in turn, they claim that the Bible is corrupted. I will examine a few more verses which they use to show that Muhammed was prophesied in the Bible.

 

  1. Deuteronomy 18:18

 

Muslims bring up in support of their claims the promise of a coming prophet in [Deuteronomy 18:18] “I will raise up for them a Prophet like you among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him”. Muslims claim the prophet to whom God referred was Muhammad. I must point out here that Muhammad was not a Jew, he was an Arabian.

Let us examine the fact that the statement made to Moses was divinely intended to refer to Jesus Christ—not Muhammad.

Shortly after the establishment of the church of Jesus Christ and the Christian religion [A.D. 30] in Jerusalem on the first Pentecost after the death and resurrection – Acts 2, two of the 12 apostles, Peter and John, went to the Jewish temple and healed a lame man (Acts 3:1-11). When people began to gather in large numbers out of amazement at what had happened, Peter used the opportunity to preach the Christian message to them [Acts 3:12-26]. He made several crucial points pertaining to the person of the Christ.

 

Point:

  1. The recently crucified Jesus was, in fact, the One Whom the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had glorified (Acts 3:13).
  2. God had raised Him from the dead (Acts 3:15).
  3. It was the ‘name’ [i.e., authority/power] of Jesus, and faith in Him, that procured the miraculous healing of the lame man (Acts 3:16).
  4. The suffering of Christ was predicted previously by God through the prophets (Acts 3:18).
  5. At the conclusion of human history, God will send Jesus [not any of the prophets, let alone Muhammad—an unmistakable reference to the second coming of Christ immediately preceding the Judgment (Acts 3:20, 21, Romans 14:10, 2 Corinthians 5:10, 2 Thessalonians 1:7, 8, 9). It is at this point that Peter quoted from the passage from Deuteronomy and applied it to Jesus—not to Muhammad (Acts 3:22, 23). Peter’s inspired application is unmistakable, he clearly identified Jesus as the fulfillment: “God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities” (Acts 3:26). Let us note further that God stated explicitly that the prophet that He would raise up would come ‘from your brethren’ (Acts 3:22. cf. Deuteronomy 18:18). In context, He was speaking to Moses, who was a descendant of Isaac and not Ishmael. Arabs are descended from Ishmael and not from Isaac. Ishmael was the son of a bondwoman [Hagar]; she was a maid to Sarah. So Muhammad was not from the brethren of Moses and the Jews. Muhammad was an Arab. He does not fit in the prophecy of Deuteronomy 18.

 

 

  1. John 14-16.

 

The Muslim apologists try to give credibility for their argument by linking their beliefs to the Bible and its multiple allusions to the Holy Spirit [again, how can they use Holy Spirit since they do not believe in the Trinity] in John 14, 15, and 16. John 16:7 reads “Nevertheless I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I go not away, the Helper will not come unto you, but if I depart, I will send him to you”. Muslims claim that Jesus was referring to Muhammad. Yet anyone who has spent even a minimal amount of effort examining the teaching of John chapters 14, 15, and 16 is astounded that anyone would claim that the “Helper’ [NKJV], “Comforter” [KJV]—the one who stands beside [paracletos]—is to be equated with Muhammad. The three chapters have as their setting Jesus giving His 12 apostles special encouragement and specific admonitions in view of his imminent departure from Earth. He reassured them that even though He was about to exit this earth, He would not abandon them. They would not be left “orphans” (John 14:18). He would send in His place the Holy Spirit Who would teach them and bring to their remembrance those things that Jesus had taught them (John 14:20). The term translated “Helper” occurs three times in the context (John 14:26, 15:26, 16:17). Without question, Jesus was referring to the power and directional assistance that the apostles would receive from the Holy Spirit beginning on the day of Pentecost [Did Muhammad descend on the day of Pentecost? The Qur’an does not even mention that].

 

Since Islamic apologists do not believe in the notion of Trinity [God in three persons—Matthew 28:19, 2 Corinthians 13:14], they reject the reality of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit is referred to in the Qur’an, it is speaking of the angel Gabriel [Surah 2:89; 16:102]. But using their own reasoning, the ‘Helper’ cannot refer to Muhammad since the context especially identifies the “Helper” as the “Holy Spirit”. “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (John 14:26). If Qur’an is correct, and the Holy Spirit is Gabriel, then John 14:26 teaches that the Helper is Gabriel—not Muhammad! NO, John 16:7 does not refer to Muhammad.

 

  1. John 1:19-21.

 

Muslim scholars bring another passage in an effort to show biblical support for Muhammad’s claim to be the prophet of God (John 1:19, 20). According to Muslims, they claim that the Jews were waiting for the fulfillment of three distinct prophecies. The 1st was the coming of Christ. The 2nd was the coming of Elijah. The 3rd  was the coming of the prophet. Muslims point out that the three questions that were posed to John the baptizer in this passage show the expectation to be true. They further maintain that since the Jews distinguished between the Christ and the Prophet, Jesus Christ was not the prophet mentioned in Deuteronomy 18:15, 18. Muslims certainly are correct in their observation that the Jews of Jesus’s day thought that the Christ and the Prophet were two separate personages. But the meaning and proper application of the Bible does not rest on the perceptions and misconceptions of mere humans. The Bible records the opinions and viewpoints of a wide range of individuals throughout human history—including Satan himself (Matthew 4:3, 6, 9)—even though their opinions and viewpoints were incorrect. The Bible does not authenticate such opinions simply by reporting them. The Jews were confused.

 

But the real question is, does the Bible indicate the Christ and the Prophet were/are to be understood as the same person? As seen already, the apostle Peter certainly thought so (Acts 3:12, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23). So likewise did the great evangelist and Christian martyr, Stephen—standing before the highest-ranking body of Jewish religion, the Sanhedrin and in the presence of the highest-ranking religious figure in Judaism, the high priest—when Stephen recalled the words of Moses from Deuteronomy (Acts 7:37), and then forthrightly declared Jesus to be the just One Whom they have betrayed and murdered (Acts 7:52). The “Just One” is precisely the same person that Peter declared as the fulfillment of Deuteronomy 18:15, 18,  that is Jesus Christ [not Muhammad] as the “Just One”. An objective appraisal of the biblical data yields the unmistakable conclusion that the Bible identifies the prophet of Deuteronomy 18 as Jesus Christ—not Muhammad. Jesus is both the Christ [the anointed one] and the Prophet.

 

  1. Song of Solomon 5:16

 

This is another passage that the Muslims use to indicate that Muhammad was the prophet predicted in this passage. This is found in Song of Solomon 5:16, where it is claimed that Muhammad is actually referred to by name in Hebrew. In English, the verse reads “His mouth is most sweet, yes, he is altogether lovely. This is My beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem” [ NKJV]. A phonetic transliteration of the underlying Hebrew text reads “ Kheeco mahm- tah- keem vuh-coollo ma-kga-madeem zeh dodee veh- tiseh ray-se beh- note -yerushalayim”. Muslims claim that the bolded word, though translated ‘altogether lovely’ is the name of Muhammad [Naik.n.a] We will consider six linguistic evidences that dispute and refute their claim. They have taken the verse out of context and made a pretext, which is wrong interpretation.

 

We will break down this particular verse as seen in Song of Solomon 5:16 for further clarification:

  1. The second syllable [kha] utilizes the Hebrew letter ‘heth’ which has a hard initial sound like ‘ch’. It is to be distinguished from the Hebrew letter ‘he’ which is the same as the English letter ‘h’. If Muhammad was being referred to, the simple ‘he’ would have been more linguistically appropriate.
  2. They claim that “eem [or] im” in ma-kha- madeem in the Hebrew language was “added for respect” [Naik]. This claim is untrue and unsubstantiated. The letters constitute the standard form for changing a singular to a plural—like adding ‘s’ or ‘es’ in English [cf. Weingreen, 1959, pp. 35ff.]. As one scholar who was a professor for oriental language and who also was a student of the well-known German Orientalist [H. F. W. Gesenius] noted in his editorial comment in the Gesenius Hebrew Grammar, “the use of plural as a form of respectable address is quite foreign to Hebrew” [Weingreen. J. A Practical Grammar for Classical Hebrew,  Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. 418].
  3. The meaning of the Hebrew ‘ma-kha- madeem’ is different from the meaning of the word ‘Muhammad’ in Arabic. According to Sheikh Abdal-Aziz, Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, the word ‘Muhammad’ is derived from the Arabic root word ‘hamd’ meaning “peace”. It is the emphatic passive participle of the root and can be translated as “the Oft-Praised One”. However, the Hebrew term [makh-mahd] in the passage under consideration has a completely different meaning: it refers to ‘grace’, ‘beauty’[Gesenius, 1979, p.464], “a desirable thing, delightfulness” [Brown Driver and Briggs, 1906, pp. 326-327], “a pleasant thing” [Payne, 1980], or “precious” [Holladay]. English translations render the term “altogether lovely” [ NKJV< NIV, “whole desirable” [ NASB], and “altogether desirable” [ESV, RSV].

 

No English translation would render the underlying Hebrew as “Muhammad”. All that Muslims and their apologists have done is happen upon a Hebrew word that phonetically sounds somewhat like “Muhammad” and have erroneously concluded the word must be referring to him. Such a thought or handling of linguistic data is wrong and irresponsible. The question again is asked if the Bible is corrupt according to Islamic scholars, why do they use the Bible to justify the prophecies concerning Muhammad?

 

Further, the claim that Muhammad is intended in the verse completely disregards the context and message of the book of Song of Solomon. The book consists of a dialogue between Solomon, his Shulamite bride-to-be, and the daughters of Jerusalem, with perhaps even God interjecting His comments (Song 5:5), as well as the Shulamite’s brothers (Song 8:8, 9). The term used in Song 5:16 that the Muslims claim refers to Muhammad is also used in Song 2:3 to refer to the Shulamite’s beloved: “Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down in his shade with great delight”. “Great delight” is the Hebrew word also used in Song 5:16. In both cases, the words of the Shulamite refer to her beloved and not to Muhammad.

4.  Forms of the same Hebrew word are used elsewhere in the Old Testament, yet Muslims do not claim that those passages refer to Muhammad. Rightly so, since those verses cannot be forced to fit the notion that Muhammad is under consideration. For example, Isaiah 64:11 mourns the destruction of Jerusalem: “Our holy and beautiful temple, where our fathers praised You, is burned up with the fire. And all our pleasant things are laid waste”. “Pleasant things” is a form of the same word in Song of Solomon 5:16. Would the Islamic apologists contend that Muhammad was “laid waste” in Jerusalem? Additional occurrences of the same word—which dispel the misuse of the term by Muslims—are seen in 1 Kings 20:6, 2 Chronicles 36:19, Lamentations 1:10, 11, Ezekiel 24:16, Hosea 9:9, 16, Joel 3:5 [Wigram, 1890].

5. If the Hebrew word ‘lovely/desirable’ in Song of Solomon were the Hebrew equivalent of the Arabic word ‘praised one’ it still would not follow that Muhammad is being referred to in the Bible. Instead, it would simply be an indication that the underlying word stands on its own as a term used for other applications. For example, the Hebrew word for ‘bitter’ is ma-rah. It is used throughout the Old Testament to refer to the concept of bitter. Yet, due to the unpleasant circumstances in life, Naomi [meaning ‘pleasant’] requested that her name be changed to bitter ‘mah-rah’ to reflect her bitter predicament. It does not follow, however, that when the Hebrew word ‘bitter’ appears in the Old Testament it refers to Naomi. If parents were to name their child Peter, it would not follow that they intended to reflect an association with others in history who have the same name as Peter. Muslim apologists have put the cart before the horse. Their claim is equivalent to parents naming their child “wonderful” or “special” or “beauty”—and then claiming that an ancient had their child in mind when the writer used the word ‘wonderful’ or ‘special’ in referring to another person contemporary to the writer.

 

Conclusion:

 

All the above verses may be understood with careful study and consideration of the context. The passages in the Bible must be exegeted in their context and not out of their context. The Islamic scholars are devoid of the right hermeneutics. Those who would attempt to use and misuse these words to apply to Muhammad demonstrate that they have a very superficial, cursory understanding of the Bible. One needs to “check it out”. But searching for the truth requires hard study and great effort. It requires faith in God and in His word, a proper motivation, sincerity, and much integrity.  But it can be done (John 8:12, 32). Only the Bible gives the truth and this truth makes one free from the bondage of sin. Christ is the truth (John 14:6).

 

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Daily Bible Nugget #516, Deuteronomy 21:15

Posted on March 28, 2019 by Jerry

The Nugget:

Deuteronomy 21:15  If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated:

My Comment:

This verse seems to be a “stronghold” or major “proof text” which my Muslim Facebook friend uses repeatedly to support his view that the Bible itself authorizes polygamy.

This verse does no such thing. God, in mercy and justice, is setting forth His commandment that should a man have more than one wife in the culture where he lives, that he must treat each wife with full justice. Read the context.

I was surprised that some of the older standard Bible commentators make reference to the issue of polygamy when discussing this verse:

Deuteronomy 21:15

One beloved, and another hated – That is, one loved less than the other. This is the true notion of the word hate in Scripture. So Jacob Hated Leah, that is, he loved her less than he did Rachel; and Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I Hated, that is, I have shown a more particular affection to the posterity of Jacob than I have to the posterity of Esau. See the note on Gen_29:31. From this verse we see that polygamy did exist under the Mosaic laws, and that it was put under certain regulations; but it was not enjoined, Moses merely suffered it, because of the hardness of their hearts, as our Lord justly remarks Mat 19:8. [Adam Clarke]

If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated — In the original and all other translations, the words are rendered “have had,” referring to events that have already taken place; and that the “had” has, by some mistake, been omitted in our version, seems highly probable from the other verbs being in the past tense – “hers that was hated,” not “hers that is hated”; evidently intimating that she (the first wife) was dead at the time referred to. Moses, therefore, does not here legislate upon the case of a man who has two wives at the same time, but on that of a man who has married twice in succession, the second wife after the decease of the first; and there was an obvious necessity for legislation in these circumstances; for the first wife, who was hated, was dead, and the second wife, the favorite, was alive; and with the feelings of a stepmother, she would urge her husband to make her own son the heir. This case has no bearing upon polygamy, which there is no evidence that the Mosaic code legalized. [Jamieson, Faussett, and Brown]

The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury:

Deuteronomy 21:15
two wives. One after the other, not necessarily at the same time (Young). +Gen 4:19; Gen 29:18; Gen 29:20; Gen 29:30-31; Gen 29:33, Lev 18:18, 1Sa 1:4, 5.

hated. FS121C2C2, +Gen 29:31, i.e. the one loved more than the other, as in the case of Rachel and Leah. In scripture language that which is loved less is said to be hated (Young). Gen 29:31; Gen 29:33, +**Luk 14:26.

firstborn. +Gen 27:32; +**Gen 41:51, +Lev 27:26, Job 18:13, +**Col 1:15.

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Polygamy and the Qur’an

Posted on March 26, 2019 by Jerry

by Vijay Chandra

 

Those people who have modeled their thinking after the New Testament  Christianity are, to say the least, a bit surprised (if not shocked and appalled) to learn that the religion of Islam countenances polygamy. This polygamy was propagated by none other than Muhammad. But the Christian mind must realize that Muhammad’s Islam arose out of Arabia in the sixth and seventh centuries A.D.

 

The Arab culture was well-known for the practice of polygamy, in which the men were allowed to have as many wives as they desired. The Qur’an addressed these social circumstances by placing a limitation on the number of wives a man could have. The wording of the pronouncement is in a Surah titled “Women”. “And if ye fear that ye will not deal fairly by the orphans, marry of the women, who seem good to you, two or three or four; and if ye fear that ye cannot do justice [to so many] then one [only] or [the captive] that right hands possess” [Surah 4:3].

 

Setting aside the issue of why Muhammad himself was exempt from this limitation [Surah 33:50—see Miller, “ Muhammad’s polygamy” (2004)], the divine origin of the Qur’an is discredited on the basis of its stance on polygamy.

 

  1. In the first place, for all practical purposes, the Qur’an authorizes a man to have as many wives as he chooses since its teaching on divorce contradicts its teaching on marriage. Unlike the New Testament, which confines permission to divorce on the sole grounds of sexual unfaithfulness (Matthew 19:9), the Qur’an authorizes divorce for any reason. One only has to look at these Surahs: Surah 2:226-232, 241; 33:4, 49; 58:2-4: 65:1-7. If a man can divorce his wife for any reason, then the ‘command’ that limits a man to four wives, is effectively meaningless—merely restricting a man to four legal wives at a time. Theoretically, a man could have an unlimited number of wives—all with the approval of Allah. So how could Allah allow this when the Bible clearly teaches one man one wife (Genesis 2:24)?
  2. In the second place, Jesus declared in no uncertain terms that “whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery, and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery” (Matthew 19:9). Jesus gave one, and only one, reason for divorce in God’s sight. In fact, even the Old Testament affirmed that “God hates divorce” (Malachi 2:15). The teaching of the Bible on divorce is a higher, stricter, nobler standard than the one advocated by the Qur’an. The two books, in fact, contradict each other on this point.
  3. In the third place, the question is asked as to why the Qur’an stipulates the number ‘four’? Why not three to five wives? The number four would appear to be an arbitrary number with no significance—at least, none is given. Though the passage in question indicates the criterion of man’s ability to do justice to those he marries, there is no reason to specify the number four, since men would vary a great deal in the number of women that they would have the ability to manage fairly.

 

The answer may be seen in the influence of the contemporaneous Jewish population. Sixth century Arabia was a tribal-oriented society that relied heavily on oral communication in social interaction. Muhammad would have been the recipient of considerable information conveyed orally by his Jewish, and even Christian, contemporaries. Many tales, fables, and rabbinical traditions undoubtedly circulated among Jewish tribes of Arabia. The Jews themselves probably were lacking in book learning, having separated from the mainstream of Jewish thought and intellectual development in their migration to the Arabian peninsula. The evidence demonstrates that the author of the Qur’an borrowed extensively from Jewish and other sources. The ancient Talmudic record [Arabian Turin, Ev Hazer, 1] stated: “A man may marry many wives, for Rabba Smith stated it is lawful to do so if he can provide for them. Nevertheless, the wise men have given good advice, that a man should not marry more than four wives”. The similarity with the wording of the Qur’an is too striking to be coincidental. It can be argued quite convincingly that the magic number of four was drawn from currently circulating Jewish writings.

 

Just as the Qur’an contains material from the Bible, so folk writings have been integrated into the Qur’an.

 

We need to look at the Bible and how it views polygamy. The Bible is an incredibly candid book when it is compared to the religious writing of another tradition. Rather than covering up the faults and flaws of its key figures, the Bible in many ways shows us humanity in its deepest sin. A prime example of this is the transparency of David’s adulterous relationship with Bathsheba and his murder of Uriah (1 Samuel 11).

These sinful actions have real consequences from which we can draw lessons, and David’s repentance gives us a model to follow when we fall into sin. The Bible records many instances of polygamy in the Old Testament, involving some patriarchs of Israel. Though our common usage of polygamy is applied to a man with multiple wives, the word ‘polygamy’ simply means ‘multiple spouses’, while polyandry would be one woman with multiple husbands. Bigamy is another word used for having two spouses. As we look at the Bible, none of these arrangements matches the structure of marriage given by God from the beginning.

 

 

When God created the universe, he did things in a very specific manner. Those descriptions are provided for us in Genesis 1-2. In Gen 2, we learn details of the creation of mankind. After creating the beast of the field and birds of the air, God created Adam from the dust of the ground. When Adam found no suitable ‘helper’, God formed the first woman from Adam’s side as recorded in Genesis 2:18-25.

 

Let us look at this passage and note several key phrases that indicate for marriage to be monogamous—one man for one woman. God intended to make ‘a helper’ for Adam, not several helpers. Secondly, from one rib God made one woman for Adam (Genesis 2:21, 22, 24), revealing the pattern of a man leaving his family to be joined to his wife (not wives).

 

The first reference to ‘polygamy’ is found in Genesis 4 in the line of Cain. Lamech, a descendant of Cain, as we read in Genesis 4 of Lamech’s actions and deeds, had more than one wife. He was the first polygamist before the Flood. We have seen the description of what God had intended for marriage already in Genesis 2. To confound Lamech’s sin, God ultimately sent the flood which was brought upon the earth to judge the sinfulness of mankind.

 

After the flood, there are many mentions of polygamous relationships, including among the patriarchs of Israel—Abraham, Jacob, David, and Solomon all had multiple wives and concubines.

 

It is interesting to note that there are no passages in the Bible that clearly state “No men should have more than one wife”. So what are the consequences of polygamous relationships? We will bring out the following cases in the Bible record: Abraham—it led to bitterness between Sarah and Hagar her maid, and the eventual dismissal of Hagar and Ishmael, which led them to be driven into the desert. Jacob—it led to Rachel’s jealousy of Leah and to Joseph being betrayed and sold by his half-brother to the Ishmaelites. The only direct command against polygamy is given to the kings that were to rule Israel: they were told not to multiply wives for themselves (Deuteronomy 17:17). Jesus did not command polygamy—he cited Gen 2:24 (see Matthew 19:4, 5 and Mark 10:7).

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Daily Bible Nugget #515, Titus 1:6

Posted on March 22, 2019 by Jerry

The Nugget:

Titus 1:6  If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.

My Comment:

I have a Facebook friend who is a devoted follower of Islam. He has posted several comments on Facebook where he challenges Christians to prove that there is a verse in the Bible that explicitly and directly forbids polygamy.

My Response:

Muniru Adebambo, I believe you need to learn to read the Bible more carefully.
 
Your claim is that “There is no single verse in the Bible that commands one man one wife.”
 
In one way, your claim is correct, but it is flawed.
 
The first flaw in your claim is that it is posed in the “exact word” manner, which is a logical flaw.
It is a logical flaw because
(1) the Bible teaches what you deny but does not teach it in the way you are demanding.
(2) It is a logical flaw because your assertion or claim does not take into account the Rule of Interpretation which requires us to take into account what is taught in the Bible by necessary inference.
 
I shared with you before that God certainly intended that marriage be between one man and one wife. We see that from Genesis 2:24 and context in the Old Testament. We see this from the fact that Jesus quoted this very verse in the New Testament when addressing the question about proper grounds for divorce (Matthew 19:4, 5;  Mark 10:7). Jesus never condoned polygamy.
 
There are echoes of the Bible’s stance on monogamy as opposed to polygamy in both the Old Testament and the New Testament.
 
In the Old Testament, kings were commanded by the Law of Moses not to multiply wives to themselves, as stated in Deuteronomy 17:17. If language means anything, and as a linguistic scholar I am certain it does, the necessary inference to be taken from this command is that God only approves of monogamy, not polygamy.
 
In the New Testament, God gave the command by divine inspiration through the Apostle Paul that Christian leaders must be the “husband of one wife” (1 Timothy 3:2 and Titus 1:6). By necessary inference, such a standard for Christian behavior and living does not apply only to Christian leaders but to all Christians. The New Testament does not teach a two-tiered standard of morality and holiness, one that applies to the leadership and another that applies to all other Christians.
 
Yet, when we consider the Bible in its cultural setting, it is clear that the Bible existed at the same time that some cultures practiced polygamy. Therefore, the Bible is culturally sensitive and does not directly denounce and forbid polygamy. But it must also be observed that the Bible never commends the practice of polygamy. It does denounce and forbid adultery.
 
So, as a hypothetical case, if a polygamist in Africa or some other part of the world were to become a genuine Christian, would he be required to divorce all but his first wife? There is no evidence in the Bible that I am aware of that would require this. But the Christian who carefully reads and studies the New Testament, and the Bible as a whole, would surely come to the necessary conclusion, derived by necessary inference, that his children if they in turn become faithful followers of Christ, would practice monogamy not polygamy, as is seen quite uniformly by the spread of Christianity throughout Christian history.

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Daily Bible Nugget #514, Ruth 1:13

Posted on March 21, 2019 by Jerry

The Nugget:

Rth 1:13  Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD is gone out against me.

My Comment:

I noticed that Ruth 1:13 was given as one of the important cross references for Job 23:10  in my post of March 13, 2019. That post may not have been posted at my Real Bible Study Facebook page, so it must be accessed here at www.realbiblestudy.com.

It is easy to become very discouraged and depressed when too many things go drastically wrong. We may feel, like Ruth, that “the hand of the LORD is gone out against me.”

Don’t let the devil get you down! Be encouraged by the cross references I have gathered for Ruth 1:13 shared below. They will raise your spirits, for sure!

Ruth 1:13,

tarry. Heb. hope. *Gen 38:8; *Gen 38:11.

till they were grown. or, till that they grow up (Young). Gen 38:11, Deut 25:5.

it grieveth me much. Heb. I have much bitterness. +*Rth 1:20, Gen 26:35 mg. *Job 3:20, 1Sa 30:6 mg. 2Ki 4:27 mg. Jer 45:3, +2Co 7:6, +*Heb 12:15.

[*S# H4843: Kal, Preterite: Rth_1:13, 1Sa_30:6 mg. *2Ki 4:27 mg. Isa_38:17, Lam_1:4, Kal, Future: Isa_24:9, Piel, Future: Gen_49:23, Exo_1:14, Isa_22:4 mg. Hiphil, Preterite: *Rth 1:20, Job_27:2 mg. Hiphil, Infinitive: *Zec_12:10, Hiphil, Future: Exo_23:21 (provoke). Hithpalpel, Future: Dan_8:7 (choler). Dan_11:11].

for your sakes. Rth 1:8, 1Jn 4:7.

the hand. Exo 7:4, 5; +Exo 9:3, +Deut 2:15, Jdg 2:15, 1Sa 5:6; 1Sa 5:11, +*Job 2:10; Job 19:21; *Job 30:20; Job 30:21, Psa 32:4; %+**Psa 37:24; Psa 38:2; Psa 39:9, 10; +*Psa 77:3, %**Isa 29:24, +*Eze 18:25, +*Mat 5:45, +*Luk 6:35, Act 13:11, +*Jas 1:13; +*Jas 1:17.

against me. Gen 42:36, +*2Ki 6:33, +**Pro 19:3, %+**Jer 29:11, Lam 3:3.

Pay careful attention to the cross references marked with the “contrast” symbol (%).

Psalms 37:24
24  Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.
King James Version

Psalms 37:24,

Though he fall. Psa 34:19-20; Psa 40:2; *Psa 91:12; Psa 94:18; *Psa 145:14, *Pro 24:16, Jer 8:4, *Mic 7:7; Mic 7:8, Luk 2:34; *Luk 22:31; Luk 22:32; Luk 22:60, 62, Joh 21:15, 16, 17, 1Co 10:12, 2Co 4:9; 2Co 6:4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.

shall not. Psa 116:8, *Pro 24:16, +*2Pe 1:10, **Jud 1:24.

cast down. Psa 55:22; Psa 73:18; Psa 77:7, Job 8:20; Job 41:9, Pro 16:33, 2Co 4:9, +*2Pe 1:10.

for the Lord upholdeth. *Psa 37:17, +*Psa 119:116; *Psa 145:14, Pro 2:8, **Isa 41:10, **Joh 10:27, 28, 29, 30, Rom 14:4, 1Pe 1:5.

with his hand. Psa 63:8; Psa 73:23; **Psa 104:28, %+**Rth 1:13, 2Ch 30:12, Ezr 7:9; Ezr 8:18, *Neh 2:18, **Isa 41:10, +*Joh 10:28, +*Jas 1:13; +*Jas 1:17.

I know by experience that reading and studying the above sets of cross references will give you a spiritual experience, a spiritual treat, that you will never forget!

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Daily Bible Nugget #513, Romans 1:16

Posted on March 17, 2019 by Jerry

The Nugget:

Rom 1:16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

My Comment:

Today is St. Patrick’s Day. How different is the true history behind this day than what is commonly believed today!

I inherited many books and booklets from my elderly friend, Uncle Frank, after his death in 1975. One of those booklets is titled The Real Saint Patrick, by H. A. Ironside. I quote from the final two pages, pages 15 and 16, of this booklet:

His closing years were spent in Ulster, between Armagh and Sane in County Down, where he died as he had lived, in lowly dependence on the Lord alone for his salvation, on the 17th of March, A.D. 465. This day which has been observed as a papal holiday for many centuries, is really a memorial of the value of the great doctrine of justification by faith alone, which was the foundation of the Protestant Reformation twelve centuries later.

His letters to Coroticus are as thoroughly evangelical and free from later papal errors as any that an enlightened Christian preacher and teacher might write today, and give added proof that this one-time swineherd, who was the greatest missionary of his day, knew and loved the gospel of Christ which alone is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth. In this faith Patrick lived and died, leaving behind him a great host to be his “crown of rejoicing” in that day.

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Daily Bible Nugget #512, Job 23:10

Posted on March 13, 2019 by Jerry

The Nugget:

Job 23:10  But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. (KJV)

Job 23:10 For he has knowledge of the way I take; after I have been tested I will come out like gold. (BBE, Bible in Basic English)

My Comment:

Thirty-three years ago, that would be Thursday, March 13, 1986, at 7:15 in the morning, I was shot at point-blank range in the back of my head while entering Denby High School from the back teachers’ parking lot.

The motive for the crime against me has never been determined. It might have been simply robbery. But my assistant Union Representative called me at home afterward and warned me not to return. She believed the motive was murder. One of the English teachers wrote me a letter and expressed a similar opinion, warning me not to come back, for she feared for my life. The school athletic coach who was on duty that morning came to see me in the hospital. He brought me my broken glasses, found in the mud of the school parking lot. He warned me that the person who shot me intended to murder me. Strangely, one of my nicest students spoke to me after class one day, warning me to get another job immediately because I was about to be murdered. That was three weeks before I was shot. At the time, I took his advice “with a grain of salt,” but he turned out to be correct. I have never learned what he knew, or how he came to know it.

At the hospital, I was joined by my wife and our children and my mother-in-law who drove them there. Apparently the athletic coach had called my wife to let her know what had taken place. When he called, my wife was on the phone arranging for repair of an appliance that stopped working. The operator broke in on that call so my wife could get the emergency message. My near-fatal incident was by this time on the news. My long-time teacher friend and mentor, Mrs. Vida Malik, came to the hospital to see me. My name had not been mentioned in the news yet, but Mrs. Malik told us that she “just knew” it was me who had been shot, so she came immediately. I was thankful to see her there.

The next day I heard on the radio news an official from the Detroit Public Schools disclaim any responsibility because, she said, there were 212 school buildings and they could not guard all of them.

At the time unexpected things happen to us, we may wonder just why the Lord allows such events to take place. The answer to that question can be found in the Bible by studying the cross references given for Job 23:10.

Job 23:10
he knoweth. Job 10:7, *Gen 18:19, *Deut 2:7, Jos 22:22, +*2Ki 20:3, *Psa 1:6; Psa 31:7; +**Psa 40:17; Psa 103:14; Psa 139:1, 2, 3; Psa 142:3, Jer 12:3, +**Joh 21:17, *2Ti 2:19.

the way that I take. Heb. the way that is with me. Job 22:3, %+**Rth 1:13, +*Psa 37:34; *Psa 142:3, +*Pro 4:18, Isa 26:8.

he hath tried me. Job 1:11, 12; Job 2:5, 6; Job 13:15, Deut 8:2, Jdg 2:22; Jdg 3:1; Jdg 7:4, 2Sa 22:22, Psa 17:3; Psa 66:10, *Pro 17:3, *Isa 48:10, Zec 13:9, Mal 3:2, 3, Heb 11:17, *Jas 1:2, 3, 4; *Jas 1:12, +1Pe 1:7.

I shall. Job 42:5, 6, 7, 8, Mic 7:9, Mat 15:28, 2Co 1:12, Jas 5:11.

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Daily Bible Nugget #511, Colossians 1:10

Posted on March 12, 2019 by Jerry

The Nugget:

Col 1:10  That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; (KJV)

Col 1:10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. (ESV)

Col 1:10  We ask this so that you will live the kind of lives that prove you belong to the Lord. Then you will want to please him in every way as you grow in producing every kind of good work by this knowledge about God. (GW)

Col 1:10 Then you will live a life that honors the Lord, and you will always please him by doing good deeds. You will come to know God even better. (CEV)

My Comment:

Which Bible translation should you use? All of them! Notice that each different English translation of Colossians 1:10 cited above brings out the meaning the translators see in the original Greek text differently, each one adding insight.

Colossians 1:10 is the second verse on the list of my favorite verses and associated cross references that I gave in my post of October 23, 2018 about the hidden features in my Bible study resources. I have shared the Colossians 1:10 Treasury of Scripture Knowledge cross references with a number of people over many years. Some of these people were motivated to buy their own copy of the Treasury and thanked me afterwards.

The cross references are very encouraging. Here they are:

Colossians 1:10
ye: Col 2:6, Col 4:5; Mic 4:5; Rom 4:12, Rom 6:4; Eph 4:1, Eph 5:2, Eph 5:15; Php 1:27; 1Th 2:12
all: Col 3:20; Pro 16:7; Php 4:18; 1Th 4:1; 2Ti 2:4; Heb 11:5, Heb 13:16; 1Jn 3:22
fruitful: Joh 15:8, Joh 15:16; Gal 5:22, 23; Eph 2:10; Php 1:11; Tit 3:1, Tit 3:14; Heb 13:21; 2Pe 1:8
increasing: Col 2:19; Isa 53:11; Dan 12:4; Hab 2:14; Joh 17:3; 2Co 2:14, 2Co 4:6, 2Co 9:8; Eph 1:17, Eph 4:13; 2Pe 1:2, 3, 2Pe 3:18; 1Jn 5:20

For those who wish to dig deeper into the truths  contained in Colossians 1:10, I have expanded the number of cross references given above from the original Treasury of Scripture Knowledge after many years of study. Here are my more complete cross references as given in The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury:

Colossians 1:10
walk worthy. T1741, +*Col 2:6; *Col 4:5, +Gen 5:22, Deut 13:4, +*Psa 1:1; +*Psa 1:3; *Psa 119:3; Psa 128:1, *Mic 4:5; +*Mic 6:8, +**Luk 21:36, Act 9:31, Rom 4:12; +*Rom 6:4; Rom 13:13, *+Eph 4:1; *Eph 5:2; *Eph 5:15, *Php 1:27, *1Th 2:12.
all pleasing. *Col 3:20, Exo 33:13, Ezr 10:11, Psa 143:10; Psa 147:11; Psa 149:4, +*Pro 16:7, *Rom 8:8; Rom 15:2, *1Co 10:33, 2Co 5:9, %Gal 1:10, Eph 5:10, Php 4:18, *1Th 2:4; *1Th 4:1, 1Ti 2:3, *2Ti 2:4, *Heb 11:5; *Heb 13:16; *Heb 13:21, *1Jn 3:22.
fruitful. T1503, Col 1:6, Exo 28:34, +*Psa 1:3, Mat 7:17; *Mat 13:23, Mar 4:20; Mar 4:28, Luk 8:8; Luk 8:15, +*Joh 15:5; +*Joh 15:8; +*Joh 15:16, **Rom 6:22; **Rom 7:4, 2Co 9:10, +**Gal 5:22; +**Gal 5:23, **Eph 2:10, *Php 1:9, 10, 11; Php 4:17, *Tit 3:1; *Tit 3:14, *Heb 13:21, Jas 3:17, +**1Pe 2:2, **2Pe 1:8.
good work. Mat 26:10, Mar 14:6, +Act 9:36, *2Co 9:8, *Eph 2:10, *1Ti 5:10, *Tit 3:1; *Tit 3:8; *Tit 3:14.
increasing. Col 2:19, *Isa 53:11, +*Dan 12:4, *Hab 2:14, **Joh 17:3, 2Co 2:14; *2Co 4:6; **2Co 9:8, *Eph 1:17; Eph 4:13, +1Pe 2:2, 2Pe 1:2, 3; +*2Pe 3:18, 1Jn 5:20, 21.
knowledge. Gr. epignōsis (S# G1922, Rom 10:2). Col 1:9, +**Psa 9:10 note. +*Psa 51:6, +*Pro 15:14, Hos 2:20; *Hos 6:3; *Hos 6:6, *Joh 8:19, 1Co 1:5, 2Co 6:6, *Eph 3:19, +*2Pe 3:18.

For those willing and able to take the time to read the above cross references, much more encouragement and enlightenment will come by studying them.

Colossians 1:10 is taken from one of the Apostle Paul’s prayers. It would be a most interesting avenue of Bible study to study the prayers of Paul. What and who was on Paul’s prayer list? Paul speaks in his letters of individuals he prays for daily. Studying Paul’s prayers would be a great encouragement to our own.

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Daily Bible Nugget #510, 1 John 4:1

Posted on March 8, 2019 by Jerry

The Nugget:

1Jn 4:1  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. (KJV)

1Jn 4:1  Dear friends, don’t believe all people who say that they have the Spirit. Instead, test them. See whether the spirit they have is from God, because there are many false prophets in the world. (GW, God’s Word translation)

My Comment:

How are we to test the truth of those who claim to speak for God? The answer is plainly stated in the Bible at Isaiah 8:20,

Isaiah 8:20  To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

The expression “to the law and to the testimony” is a direct reference to the Bible itself. If anyone makes claims about what the Bible teaches, or about spiritual things, we are to test them and confirm what they say by the Bible.

We see an example of this when the Bereans checked the teaching of the Apostle Paul with the Scripture in Acts 17:11,

Acts 17:11  These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

I read an interesting statement from Dr. John MacArthur on Facebook yesterday:

“We have no more chance of losing our salvation than Christ does of losing His deity because we are in Him.”

This is perfectly true so long as we are truly “in Him.” I express the same truth in a different way: “I believe in the absolute eternal security of the believer, not the unbeliever.”

I suspect that Dr. John MacArthur and I are not in agreement about the answer to the question, “Can a saved person ever be lost?” My understanding of Scripture is that it is possible to stop believing, because Jesus Himself said so in Luke 8:13,

Luke 8:13  They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.

There are some, Jesus said, who believe “for a while.” Did such persons believe? They certainly did, for Jesus said so. Did such persons “believe for a while”? They certainly did, for Jesus said so. Since they believed for a while, did they stop believing? It is certain that they did stop believing, for Jesus said so. For me, that settles the question.

To believe otherwise is to contradict Jesus Himself. To believe otherwise is to deny the possibility of apostasy. Yet the warnings in the Bible against apostasy are frequent and plain. You cannot properly believe one doctrine (“Once saved, always saved”) when it directly contradicts another doctrine of the Bible and be correct about both.

This is a complex subject, and there are many who firmly hold to either side of the question. In my Bible reference book, The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury, I have carefully assembled the evidence which supports each side of this issue.

From Luke 8:13,

for a while. Luk 22:31-32, +*Deut 29:18; Deut 30:17, Psa 106:12, +*Hos 4:10; Hos 6:4, +*Joh 2:23, 24, 25; *Joh 6:66; **Joh 8:30, 31, 32; Joh 12:42, 43; Joh 15:2; Joh 15:6, Act 8:13-23, 1Co 13:2; +*1Co 15:2, **Gal 1:6; +*Gal 4:11; *Gal 5:7, +**Col 1:23, +*1Th 3:5, +*1Ti 1:19, *2Ti 2:18; *2Ti 2:19, *Heb 10:39, Jas 2:26, **2Pe 2:20; **2Pe 2:22, **1Jn 2:19, %*Rev 2:26.

Matthew 10:22
22  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
King James Version

From Matthew 24:13,

shall be saved. or, delivered. This verse has absolutely no bearing on the absolute eternal security of the salvation possessed now by every individual believer in Christ (**Joh 10:28; **Joh 10:29, **Rom 8:30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, Eph 1:13; **Eph 4:30, **2Ti 1:12; *2Ti 2:19, **1Jn 5:13, *Jud 1:24), for it is in the context of prophecy respecting the final deliverance of Jews at the end of the great tribulation (+*Zec 13:9), who are delivered upon their final repentance (Isa 11:11 note) and turning to God out of desperate straits when seemingly all hope is gone, by the “deliverer out of Zion” (+*Rom 11:26). *Job 17:9, **Psa 37:24; **Psa 37:28; *Psa 138:8, +*Pro 4:18, Jer 32:40, Zec 13:8, 9, Luk 12:32; Luk 22:32, **Joh 5:24; *Joh 6:39; *Joh 6:51; Joh 11:26; Joh 14:19; *Joh 17:12; *Joh 17:24, *Rom 8:38; *Rom 8:39, *Php 1:6, **1Th 1:10, **2Ti 1:12; **2Ti 4:18, **Heb 7:25; Heb 9:28 note. *Heb 10:14, *1Jn 2:17.

Does the Bible contradict itself? Anyone who thinks that it does is not reading the Bible carefully enough.

So which doctrine does the Bible teach–absolute eternal security or the possibility of falling away? It actually teaches both. If you truly believe in Christ as your Savior and have been born again (John 3:7), so long as you continue to believe in Christ and continue to obey Him, you are saved.

If you once believed in Him but have since drifted away from Him and are now living in disobedience to His word in the Bible, you need to repent and confess your sin to Jesus and ask for and receive His forgiveness then live in obedience to His Word.

The Bible emphasizes the importance of continuing belief and obedience (Colossians 1:23), not a one-time act of faith to be saved.

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Daily Bible Nugget #509, 2 Timothy 1:7

Posted on March 6, 2019 by Jerry

The Nugget:

2Ti 1:7  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

My Comment:

I have spent nearly a month sharing with you insights to be gleaned from just one verse, 2 Timothy 1:7. I have barely scratched the surface!

Here is an example of my deeper, more extended study of the final phrase, “and of a sound mind,” in the promise expressed here that God has given us the spirit “of a sound mind.” This is taken from my latest Bible study resource, The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury.

a sound mind. +*2Ti 1:13, %Deut 28:28, *Psa 119:80, *Pro 2:7; *Pro 8:14; Pro 14:30, *Isa 59:15 mg. Jer 29:26, Dan 4:34, Hos 9:7, +*Mat 6:25 note. +*Mar 3:21; **Mar 5:15, *Luk 8:35; *Luk 15:17, **Joh 16:13 note. *Act 26:11; *Act 26:24; *Act 26:25, 2Co 5:13, 14; *2Co 10:5, +*2Pe 3:16, Gr. sophronismou, *S# G4995, only here. The word means self-discipline, self control, and prudence in living a “measured and orderly life” (TDNT, vol. 7, p. 1103) before the world. The concept connected with the word group to which this word belongs (in terms of associated words from the same or related roots) has reference to living soberly and righteously in this present world in watchful expectation of Christ’s coming, as well as reference to avoidance of ecstatic and eschatological frenzy (2Co 5:12, 13, 1Pe 4:7). Trench remarks of the related word sophrosunē at 1Ti 2:9 that it refers to “that inner self-government, with its constant rein on all the passions and desires” (Synonyms, Sec. 20, p. 71, 72). +*Pro 22:3, Act 26:25, +*Rom 12:3; +*Rom 12:16, Eph 5:4, 1Ti 2:9; 1Ti 2:15; 1Ti 3:2, Tit 1:8; Tit 2:2; Tit 2:4, 5; Tit 2:12, *1Pe 4:7.

 

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