David and Jonothan's Homosexual Love

2 Samuel 1:25-26

I've heard people try to use David's affection for Jonathan to suggest
that homosexual love is okay. The only thing that is okay according
to this relationship, is strong affection to a person of the same
sex. This cannot be confused with homsexual sex. Though David
lamented that Jonathan's love was more wonderful than that of women
that he loved, you have to know that David was straighter than the
straightest dude. He virtually invented "Bro's before Ho's". It is
very possible for men to have a deep and special connection with a man
without it being homosexual (meaning that they actually have sexual
intimacy and penetration). In fact I dare say that the only thing
that separates best friend relationships from homosexual relationships
is the sex. Sex with same sex partners is a sin, but deep love and
affection for that same person is not. Sex is not love and love is
not sex.

Trials come to KILL YOU, not to make you stronger

A lot of people say things like, "What doesn't kill you will make you stronger", so we automatically jump to the conclusion that trials, troubles, tribulations must come to make you stronger, which in turn leads us to the erroneous conclusion that God must be the one sending the trials, troubles and/or tribulations. After all, surely God is the one who would want us to be stronger, right?

Now don't get me wrong. If you happen to have a healthy reaction to a trial or trouble in your life, good for you. But most people are hurt, hardened, and discouraged when bad things happen to them. Some people's "stronger" is really just a hardened heart and disposition on life, rather than a healthy response to a test or trial.

For instance when someone hurts you and betrays your trust, you can either react in a way that teaches you to have a greater sense of forgiviness and unconditional love, which is healthy, or you could react by never trusting again.

So here are the questions we should ask ourselves. Who is causing our pain, troubles, or trials? God, satan, our friends or family, or ourself? Why is that person causing the pain? To make you stronger? To kill you? To piss you off? Or to make you stronger. Now you can choose to believe whatever makes you feel happy, but the truth will make you free.

Let's take on a terrible disease like cancer. Most people think that God is in control of any and everything that happens in life. So when we or someone we love get's cancer, we're trying to figure out how and why would God give us cancer. If we have enough sense to know that he didn't give us cancer, we're trying to figure out why is he allowing cancer to wreak havoc in our bodies.

Here's where we need ot be able to separate fact from religious fiction in order to get to the how and the why. If you've ever been to a funeral or been to a church service, you've probably heard things like, "God won't put more on you than you can bear" and "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away". These false and misleading statements gleaned from the bible tend to reinforce the confusion that we face about the "how" and the "why" in our lives.

Let's look in the bible to find out where cancer is coming from and what is the role of God, satan and us in dealing with cancer (or any other test trial or tribulation). First, let's ask ourselves is cancer a good thing or a bad thing? Most people would say cancer is bad, so if it's bad, could we also say that it is evil? Yes. Cancer is evil and bad. So if someone is in control of the evil things, who would it be? God, satan, or you? Well, surely we can eliminate God (and Jesus) right? In John 10:10, Jesus says that satan came to kill, steal, and destroy, while he on the other hand came so that you can have and enjoy life. So according to Jesus, satan is the one trying to kill you or your loved ones with cancer. Why? Satan is jealous and envious of the power and love that God has given mankind (see Psalm 8). He decieved a third of the angels, is sentenced to hell and wants to take as many of God's creation with him (Isaiah 14:12-15).

So now we can see that satan is evil and he's behind the bad stuff. So why doesn't God stop him? Well, God has stopped him in Heaven, but you have to remember that God gave man control and dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:26-28). So in short, I'm saying that God, who can't lie (Numbers 23:19) put you and I in control of the earth, so God allows what what we allow (Matthew 16:19; 18:18) Ironically though, to fight the cancer we have to submit to God (his way of doing things) resist the devil (the guy with the cancer) and he (satan) will flee from you (James 4:7). Of course it takes faith to do this, but you have to have the truth of God's word to have the faith and act on the kind of faith that it takes to get rid of cancer.

There is sooooo much to know about how to walk in faith, so I hope to have a different post laying out the whole faith thing later, but hopefully now, you can start rejecting the idea that God is in control of everything that happens in your life and that those things are happening to make you stronger.

Let me hear your thoughts in the comments.

Does God Hate Divorce?

It has been long held by religious people that God hates divorce based on an inaccurate interpretation of Malachi 2:16, as well as verses in Matthew and Mark. So in this article, we'd like to take a real hard look at this question. When I first heard this, I was married and I was in a pretty bad marriage, but in my mind, divorce wasn’t an option. So I wanted to find this notorious piece of scripture where a loving God says that he hates divorce. At the time, my favorite version of the bible, the New Century Version wasn’t available, so I did a web search and found the suspect verse:

“For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.”

(Malachi 2:16 KJVS)

Most other versions including some of my favorite translations, render the Hebrew word translated in the KJV as “putting away”, as “divorce”. Now I know already that most religious people would stop reading here and decide that this article is seeking a way to give people a free license to divorce their spouses at will, when this is not the point of this article at all. However, I will stand by the three basic points of this article:

1. According to Malachi 2:16, God DOES NOT HATE divorce. It should be noted that divorce is defined as “the legal dissolution of a marriage.”

2. God DOES hate putting away, and specifically putting away, or separating/leaving your spouse to marry someone else; as well as marrying someone who is “put away”.

3. AND in the SAME VERSE, GOD hates abusive spouses. That’s what the whole “covereth violence with the garment” thing means (i.e. punching your wife in the face and trying to hide it.) It really is a shame to really hate someone enough to physically beat them.

Now do these points give spouses who hate their significant other right now free course to rush down to the courthouse to file divorce papers? NO. There are still really good, firm, biblical reasons for divorce. But since there are reasons for divorce that God is pretty clear on, it would seem to continue to contradict the notion that God hates divorce. How can an almighty, all-knowing, God hate a thing and then give provisions for it and even in some cases, command divorce.

This post is not for those of us who believe with all of our heart that God Hates Divorce and the only way a person can get remarried after divorce is after their ex-spouse dies. This post is for those of us who HAVE already been divorced or are going through an inevitable divorce as we speak. This is in light the reality of divorce in our world, so let's study it out.
 

My point. The original Hebrew bible does NOT say that God hates divorce. The verse actually reads that God hates putting away, and that’s only if you render that "God is hating" anything in the first place... Hebrew is a crazy language, but that's for another thread.
Let’s look at a few different ways our English versions of the Hebrew text render this verse in two groups:

Group 1
“For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.” —Malachi 2:16 KJV

““For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the LORD, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the LORD of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.”” —Malachi 2:16 ESV

““If he hates and divorces his wife,” says the LORD God of Israel, “he covers his garment with injustice,” says the LORD of Hosts. Therefore, watch yourselves carefully, and do not act treacherously.” —Malachi 2:16 HCSB

Let’s also take note here that while the KJV renders the Hebrew word “shalach” as put away, the other translations I’ve used renders “shalach” as divorce.

Now let’s compare those renderings with the ones that we’ve heard in church:
Group 2
““For I hate divorce,” says the LORD, the God of Israel, “and him who covers his garment with wrong,” says the LORD of hosts. “So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.”” —Malachi 2:16 NASB

““I hate divorce,” says the GOD of Israel. GOD of-the-Angel-Armies says, “I hate the violent dismembering of the ‘one flesh’ of marriage.” So watch yourselves. Don’t let your guard down. Don’t cheat.” —Malachi 2:16 MESSAGE

““I hate divorce,” says the LORD God of Israel, “and I hate a man’s covering himself with violence as well as with his garment,” says the LORD Almighty. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith.” —Malachi 2:16 NIV

““For the LORD God of Israel says That He hates divorce, For it covers one’s garment with violence,” Says the LORD of hosts. “Therefore take heed to your spirit, That you do not deal treacherously.”” —Malachi 2:16 NKJV

Now which renderings do you disagree with? Group 1 or Group 2
Before we go to what Jesus said, let’s look at the law Moses gave… “When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement "kriythuwth" , and give it in her hand, and send her out "shalach" of his house.” —Deuteronomy 24:1 KJV

““When a man takes a wife and marries her, if then she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, and she departs out of his house,” —Deuteronomy 24:1 ESV

“If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house,” —Deuteronomy 24:1 NIV

Now let’s go to the NT and see what Jesus said in Matthew. “It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.” —Matthew 5:31–32 KJV
“They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.” —Matthew 19:7–9 KJV

The author of Mark records it slightly differently,
“And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you? And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away. And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” —Mark 10:2–9 KJV

Here’s my point restated. The original texts make a distinction between “putting away” and “divorce” while most translators of the bible did not probably because of the way they were raised. Remember that Jesus (or the writers of Matthew and Mark) is using the term "apuluo" (put away) and not the term "apostasion" (divorce). Remember that the Pharisees question was "Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement "apostasion", AND to put her away "apuluo"?

Now what about remarriage then?
"And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away "apuluo" his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away "apuluo" doth commit adultery. "

Notice, Jesus didn’t say who ever marries one that is divorced, but one who is “put away”. In other words, if you "put away" or "separate" from your wife for any reason outside of fornication AND you marry another, you are committing adultery. Everyone could agree that if a man who has been separated from his wife for 5 years is trying to marry another woman when he’s not legally divorced from his wife, that this is called adultery, no matter how you slice it. Now to get the gravity of this like we'll see the disciples got when they responded in verse 10, we have to consider that they were under the law... “The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.”” —Matthew 19:10 ESV

Back in those days, if you were married, and you found out your wife had sex with another man (or woman for that matter), your wife would (or should according to the Law of Moses) get stoned to death and there wouldn't be a need for divorce, because she would be dead! However, some men wouldn't have her stoned, but would just put her away, or if the tables were turned, maybe the guy bypassed the stoning. But lets say that she committed adultery by fornicating with another man and was indeed stoned to death. In that case, you could go ahead and marry another woman. However, if you "put away" or separate from your wife without giving her a legal divorce, but you go have sex with someone else, you are now committing adultery. The penalty for adultery again is stoning. So now as a man who doesn't want to have sex with his legally married wife, but goes after a prostitute or another woman will be stoned and killed. So either way you go, somebody's got to die.  If another man marries or has sex with your wife before you actually get legally divorced, you guessed it, the stoning and boom you're dead.

Now if you don’t agree with all of this, it is fine. I was married before and it was terrible. I didn't want to sign her divorce papers that she filed even though I was being hurt, because I thought that God hated divorce, but then I read my bible and found out that I was going on somebody else's revelation. I’m now married again and God has blessed me in this marriage beyond my wildest dreams and I love my wife (whom I actually prayed about this time) with all my heart. God has caused me to forget all the pain that I went through in my first marriage.

Be blessed y’all and know that God loves you.

How to Avoid Divorce

I thought it proper to spend a little time to talk about how to avoid divorce in the first place before giving the bible reasons for divorce.

First let me repeat the outline that Jesus gave in Matthew and Mark:

1. "He which made them at the beginning..." First and foremost God has to make them "at the beginning" of the relationship, implying that God has to be an integral part of each partner's life.

2. "...made them male and female..." Don't get it twisted, God DID intend for marriage to be between male and female, not male and male, and not female and female.

3. "For this cause shall a man leave father and mother and shall cleave to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." This statement alone is one of the most missed rules of marriage. People make the mistake of not making their spouse a priority once they get married. Then if they do an “o.k.” job in making their spouse a priority, the two people still go through life as separate individuals with their own separate bank accounts, separate cars and other assets, etc. Many times this is a result of distrust or bad upbringing. Marriage is designed to work with both partners being one with each other socially, financially, mentally and physically (hooray for sex!). Many people end up in divorce because they are breaking these three foundational laws of the institution of marriage. Jesus continues to reiterate, "wherefore, they are no more twain, or two separate individuals, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together (or “made”, i.e. this original intent or the institution of marriage), let no man put asunder (or depart from).”

Other scriptural guidelines for marriage that should be self-explanatory:

Gal 5:15, Ephesians 5:25-33, 1 Peter 3:1-2 and 4, Titus 2:3-5.

1. Love yourself.

2. Love your spouse.

3. Stop being selfish.

4. Be kind to your spouse.

5. Be respectful to your spouse.

6. Pray with your natural understanding. Don't just tell God about the problem though. He already knows what the problems are. You need to find out what His Words say about marriage, and pray about that and confess those words. Then you need to be quiet and just listen closely to see if He says anything to you. A lot of times we'll pray or talk, talk, talk, talk, then go on about our day or our business, not taking the time to see what God is trying to say. There is no magic amount of time to pray, but you at least need to get quiet and still long enough to hear something from God. You may not hear it right away, but you can be confident that he hears you 1 John 5:14.

7. Pray in the spirit. If you don't believe in talking or praying in tongues, it's just because you don't understand it. If you don't understand praying in tongues, you know you don't understand it. Every Christian has the right to pray in other tongues. Praying in tongues is simply letting your spirit do the talking when you don't know what to pray. Romans 8:26. There are only so many words in the English language and chances are you only know less than half. Let your spirit pray, when you don't know what else to say. But again, after you're done talking in the spirit, stop and get quiet to listen to see if God gives you any instructions. Chances are that He will give something specific and simple, like cook dinner today or stop nagging today.

Reasons for Divorce

There are a few legal reasons for divorce, however it would be best to avoid getting to the place of divorce in the first place by following the groundwork as laid out by God in Gen 2:24.

However, in some cases, divorce can be a way for many to move from being a victim to having victory in life. Whenever you have trouble and temptation in life, God will provide a way of escape (1 Cor. 10:13)

“If a man marries a woman and she does not please him because he has found something offensive in her, then he may draw up a divorce document, give it to her, and evict her from his house.” -Deuteronomy 24:1 NET

Now according to this verse, what is grounds for divorce? He has found something “offensive” about her! That is the law that was written in the bible for all to read and follow. Why would God give a command that if a man doesn’t like a woman to give here a bill of divorcement, if he hated divorce? No, the problem wasn’t divorce as we discovered earlier, the problem was men back in biblical times committing violence against women, just because after a time the man began to not like the woman anymore.

We have been taught that it was only if there was adultery would divorce be legal, but the law said that if adultery was found, the penalty was death;

And the man that committeth adultery with another man’s wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. –Lev. 20:10

What if your husband doesn’t want to be with you anymore? 1 Corinthians 7:14 gives a pretty clear answer on what to do there… Keep in mind when reading this that “depart” here doesn’t mean divorce, but rather Paul is exhorting married people not to simply walk away from the marriage, but rather be reconciled to one another.

“And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife. But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace. For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?”

(1Corinthians 7:10-16 KJVS)

Examples where God told someone to get a divorce or allowed divorce:

Example 1: Very few people seem to be aware or recognize the instances where God actually instigates a divorce. Of course the first such instance where God told a man to divorce a wife was before the law was written in Genesis 21. The back-story is that Sarah gave to Abraham a servant named Hagar to be his wife (Gen 16:3), because Sarah figured she was too old to have children to fulfill the thing God had promised them. Of course as with any situation where you have two women at odds with one another, things were getting pretty heated and Sarah, naturally, became jealous of Hagar (Gen 16:4). An of course, Abraham was right in the middle of the whole situation.

Everything finally came to a head when Sarah told Abraham to divorce (garash) Hagar because she didn’t want Hagar and her son to share Abraham’s inheritance (Gen 21:10). The word “garash” used there gives the sense of Sarah was telling Abraham to annul the agreement and send them both packing. Of course Abraham didn’t want to do this because he had a son by this woman, and you can imagine how heart-wrenching this situation was.

So God comes on the scene and simply tells Abraham to listen to Sarah, and “garash” Hagar (Gen 21:12). So with child in tow, Abraham gave Hagar a little food and a care package and sent them both, mother and child, packing. However, God being the good God that he is, took care of the woman and the child, Ishmael, and made him a nation too, since he was Abraham’s seed as well.

Example 2: Ezra 9 and 10. This was like a mass divorce where the people of Israel per usual got out of the will of God and married people they had no business marrying. The operative verse here would be Ezra 10:3 where the men decide to make a covenant with God to correct the past mistakes and put away their wives according to the law as prescribed in Deut 24.

Why do we (or should we) Participate in communion?

Communion is seen as a religious act carried out by Christians as just a part of something that we do either on the 1st Sunday or at other specially appointed times throughout the year.  Many people take communion or go through the ritual without really thinking about why.  Some churches use real wine and real bread, while other use grape juice and some type of styrofoam wafer that tends to melt in your mouth.  As to why we take communion, the answer there is pretty simple: because Jesus told us to do this to remember Him and what He did for us.  This episode is primarily referred to as the Lord's Supper.  The Lord's Supper can be found in 5 books of the bible, Matt 26:26-29, Mark 14:22-25, Luke 22:15-20, John 6:51-58.  The account in John is where Jesus shocks the crowd by telling them to eat His flesh and drink His blood, which I don't care who are where you are, that just sounds crazy.  However, He was making the point about him giving up his life for our sins, so instead of pouring out a 40 like we do to remember Tupac or other G's that have died "in the struggle", we should just take communion.  Here's the account from John in the Amplified Bible:

"I [Myself] am this Living Bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this Bread, he will live forever; and also the Bread that I shall give for the life of the world is My flesh (body).Then the Jews angrily contended with one another, saying, How is He able to give us His flesh to eat? And Jesus said to them, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, you cannot have any life in you unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood [unless you appropriate His life and the saving merit of His blood].He who feeds on My flesh and drinks My blood has (possesses now) eternal life, and I will raise him up [from the dead] on the last day.For My flesh is true and genuine food, and My blood is true and genuine drink.He who feeds on My flesh and drinks My blood dwells continually in Me, and I [in like manner dwell continually] in him.Just as the living Father sent Me and I live by (through, because of) the Father, even so whoever continues to feed on Me [whoever takes Me for his food and is nourished by Me] shall [in his turn] live through and because of Me.This is the Bread that came down from heaven. It is not like the manna which our forefathers ate, and yet died; he who takes this Bread for his food shall live forever."
(John 6:51-58 AMP)

The rules on communion come from the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:20-34.  I pasted below the account as read in The Message version of the bible, because it reads a little better than the KJV version.  However, I would encourage you to read it in other versions as well.

"And then I find that you bring your divisions to worship—you come together, and instead of eating the Lord's Supper, you bring in a lot of food from the outside and make pigs of yourselves. Some are left out, and go home hungry. Others have to be carried out, too drunk to walk. I can't believe it! Don't you have your own homes to eat and drink in? Why would you stoop to desecrating God's church? Why would you actually shame God's poor? I never would have believed you would stoop to this. And I'm not going to stand by and say nothing. 
Let me go over with you again exactly what goes on in the Lord's Supper and why it is so centrally important. I received my instructions from the Master himself and passed them on to you. The Master, Jesus, on the night of his betrayal, took bread. Having given thanks, he broke it and said, 
This is my body, broken for you. Do this to remember me. 
After supper, he did the same thing with the cup: This cup is my blood, my new covenant with you. Each time you drink this cup, remember me. 
What you must solemnly realize is that every time you eat this bread and every time you drink this cup, you reenact in your words and actions the death of the Master. You will be drawn back to this meal again and again until the Master returns. You must never let familiarity breed contempt. 
Anyone who eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Master irreverently is like part of the crowd that jeered and spit on him at his death. Is that the kind of "remembrance" you want to be part of? Examine your motives, test your heart, come to this meal in holy awe. 
If you give no thought (or worse, don't care) about the broken body of the Master when you eat and drink, you're running the risk of serious consequences. That's why so many of you even now are listless and sick, and others have gone to an early grave. If we get this straight now, we won't have to be straightened out later on. Better to be confronted by the Master now than to face a fiery confrontation later. 
So, my friends, when you come together to the Lord's Table, be reverent and courteous with one another. If you're so hungry that you can't wait to be served, go home and get a sandwich. But by no means risk turning this Meal into an eating and drinking binge or a family squabble. It is a spiritual meal—a love feast. 
The other things you asked about, I'll respond to in person when I make my next visit."
(1Corinthians 11:20-34 MESSAGE)

Last but not least are the scriptures from Matthew, Mark, and Luke from the New English Translation of the bible:

"While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after giving thanks he broke it, gave it to his disciples, and said, "Take, eat, this is my body." And after taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood, the blood of the covenant, that is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, from now on I will not drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.""
(Matthew 26:26-29 NET)
"While they were eating, he took bread, and after giving thanks he broke it, gave it to them, and said, "Take it. This is my body." And after taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, "This is my blood, the blood of the covenant, that is poured out for many. I tell you the truth, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.""
(Mark 14:22-25 NET)
"And he said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God."Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."Then he took bread, and after giving thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." And in the same way he took the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood."
(Luke 22:15-20 NET)