More and More

I've been really busy lately. I got a job. Finally. Thank God. But I've been really busy and tired when I'm not busy. However, as I get more used to it, I'll try to keep up with my blog better. Sorry it's been a while.

Today's post, however, is just going to be a song recommendation. We sang this at church last week, and prior to that, I'd never heard it before. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Wait. What Did He Do?

So, while I was reading in the book of Genesis - which I've finally read all the way through, yay! - I came across some verses that confused me. I am now going to show you the verses along with my thought process. The verses are going to be from the NIV.

Genesis 38:7 - But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the Lord's sight; so the Lord put him to death.
Okay. He was wicked and God slew him. I get it.

Genesis 38:8 Then Judah said to Onan, 'Sleep with your brother's wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to raise up offspring for your brother.'
Okay. That's a little more strange, but I guess it was common in those days. I get it.

Genesis 38:9 - But Onan knew that the child would not be [considered] his; so whenever he slept with his brother's wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother. What he did was wicked in the Lord's sight; so the Lord put him to death also.
Wait. What? I don't get it! What did he do that was wicked?

I read the verse again, and again, and again, and again. My Bible at the time was a KJV. So, I went to the Bible app on my phone, which I leave set to the NIV. I read the verses again. And again.

I paused. I put down my Bible. I stared at my wall. Then I stared at my blanket. I stared at the wall again. Then I picked up my phone to look at my Bible app again. I changed from the NIV to the amplified Bible. I changed it back to the NIV.

Then, I did the best thing I could have done. I opened the notes section and wrote one word. "Why?"

Why was it wicked? Then I really started to think about it. What did he do that was wicked? He was married to a widow, which wasn't bad.

Finally, it came to me. He was disobedient to his father, and deceitful. And he was using his brother's widow basically as a whore to satisfy him without giving her children to take care of her.

So, why was that so hard for me to figure out?

"It is better for a man's seed to fall in the belly of a whore, than on the ground."

Oh. That quote. That's what messed me up. That's why I was so confused. My mind immediately associated his preventing conception with God slaying him.

Wait. Where is that found in The Bible?

I searched, and searched, and searched. Finally, I just Googled it. Google is my friend.

It's not a Bible verse. Nowhere in The Bible does God say that it is okay to engage in sex with a whore. Nowhere does God say any of that is okay.

So, where is this quote from? Some websites say it might have been influenced from these verses about Onan and his brother's widow, but this quote is not in the Bible. I couldn't find any firm evidence of its origin.

What God does say about this quote can be found throughout The Bible, particularly in 1 Corinthians 6:18-20.

Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

So, don't be afraid to ask "Why." You might learn something new. I certainly did.

Also, this link also has a good thought process on this topic.