New Egyptian Chronology

New Chronology (Rohl) is an alternative Egyptian chronology developed by the English Egyptologist David Rohl and other scholars (see John Bimson).

It's re-dating Egyptian kings of the Nineteenth to the Twentyfifth Dynasties,
bringing forward conventional dating by up to 350 years.

It directly affects the Third Intermediate Period of Egypt. Rohl argues that this would allow scholars to identify some of the most important events in the Old Testament with events in the archaeological record. It makes it possible to identify some of the well-known biblical characters with historical figures appearing in contemporary ancient texts. Rohl's view is that the biblical text (like all other ancient documents)
should be treated as a potentially reliable historical source until it can be shown otherwise.

The main reason for Rohl's re-dating is as follows: He claims that the identification of "Shishaq King of Egypt" (1 Kings 14:25–26; 2 Chronicles 12:2–9) as Shoshenq I is based on faulty inference. Rohl instead argues that Shishaq should be identified in the Bible as Ramesses II, which moves forward the date of Ramesses II's reign by up to 350 years.

Rohl disputes that the military activities of Shoshenq I match the biblical account of Shishaq on the grounds that the campaigns of the two kings are completely different and that Jerusalem doesn't appear in the inscription of Shoshenq I as a subjected town.

The New Chronology (Rohl) therefore rejects the identification of Shoshenq I as the biblical Shishaq, and instead offers Ramesses II as the real historical figure behind the biblical Shishaq. Ramesses II, who campaigned against Israel, was also nicknamed Shysha. Due to a change of a letter character in the meantime, the name Shysha became Shishaq in the Bible, which means that they are the same person. Pottery is used for dating.

This means that Rohl moves the Israelite sojourn, Exodus and conquest from the end of the Late Bronze Age to the latter part of the Middle Bronze Age (from the Nineteenth Dynasty to the Thirteenth/Hyksos period). Rohl argues that this solves many of the problems associated with the historicity question of the biblical narratives. 

He uses the archaeological reports from Avaris in the eastern Nile Delta, which show that a large Semitic-speaking population lived there during the Thirteenth Dynasty. These people were culturally similar to the population of Middle Bronze Age (MB IIA) Canaan. Rohl identifies these Semites as the people on whom the biblical tradition of the Israelite sojourn in Egypt was based.

Towards the end of the Middle Bronze Age (late MB IIB) archaeologists have uncovered a series of city destructions, which John Bimson and Rohl have argued correspond closely to the cities attacked by the Israelite tribes in the Joshua narrative. Most importantly, the heavily fortified city of Jericho was destroyed and abandoned at this time.

Rohl shows this and provides evidence that the Exodus isn't a myth but a historical fact, see in The Biblical Exodus. Fairytale or Historical Fact? (by David Rohl):

• Time      0:40–   15:15: Why Shoshenq I can't be the biblical Shishaq.
• Time    15:16–   19:04: Why this dating is so important.
• Time    19:05–   31:14: Why Ramesses II is the biblical Shishaq.
• Time    38:30–   54:55: Ramesses II defeats the Israelites.
• Time    57:33–1:12:07: Why academical archaeologists dismiss Exodus.
• Time 1:12:08–1:14:22: Made assumptions for New Chronology (Rohl).
• Time 1:14:23–1:30:25: The Israelite stay in Avaris (the land of Goshen).
• Time 1:30:26–1:47:37: Joseph.
• Time 1:49:40–1:54:10: The alphabet.
• Time 1:54:11–1:59:57: Moses.
• Time 1:59:58–2:02:52: The Egyptian collapse and the Hyksos invasion.
• Time 2:02:53–2:14:57: The new timeline, Jericho, Hazor, and Shechem.

See also Was There An Exodus from Egypt?

• Time      2:26–   5:06: The city of Avaris.
• Time      5:07– 15:48: Joseph.
• Time    15:49– 18:20: Rapid growth of Semitic people in Avaris.
• Time    18:21– 20:26: The time of slavery in Avaris.
• Time    20:27– 24:00: The killing of the newborn boys and Moses.
• Time    24:01– 25:30: The so-called wrong time period.
• Time    25:31– 37:30: Moses and the judgment of Egypt.
• Time    37:31– 41:34: Problem having Ramesses II at the Exodus.
• Time    41:35– 43:33: Excavations supporting the Exodus.
• Time    43:34–>       : The Egyptian collapse and the invasion of Hyksos.

See also Evidence that the Jews were in Egypt and that King David has Existed.

Rohl answers questions about New Chronology (Rohl) in 

Ancient Egypt's New Chronology by Egyptologist Dr. Rohl:

• Time      1:11–    2:28: Background information about Dr. Rohl.
• Time      2:46–    4:50: Questioning the conventional chronology.
• Time      5:37–    6:40: Implications for Egyptian dynasties.
• Time      7:03–  11:47: Problem having Ramesses II at the Exodus.
• Time    12:12–  13:07: Why the Bible is a reliable historical source.
• Time    13:39–  16:05: Circular arguments in conventional chronology.
• Time    16:33–  18:52: How to reconstruct the chronology.
• Time    19:38–  21:58: Carbon dating versus archaeology.
• Time    22:35–  28:26: The Amarna letters.
• Time    28:51–  34:15: The Greek dark age.

Rohl identifies, among other things:

• Amenemhat III as Pharaoh in the time of Joseph, who was his vizier. 
• Sobekhotep III as "the king who didn't know Joseph" (Exo (2 Mos) 1:8).
• Neferhotep I as a very powerful Pharaoh who continued to enslave them.
• Sobekhotep IV as the Pharaoh from whom Moses fled to Midian.
  He was Moses' stepfather and a very powerful Pharaoh.
• Dedumose II as the Pharaoh of the Exodus.
• Ramesses II (nickname = Shysha) as Shishaq.

Dates proposed by Rohl for these Egyptian monarchs (all dates BC,
NC=New Chronology (Rohl), CC=Conventional Egyptian Chronology):

• Senusret III:      NC: 1698–1660. CC: 1878–1839.
• Amenemhat III: NC: 1678–1634. CC: 1860–1814. Joseph was his vizier.
• Sobekhotep III: NC: 1568–1563. Enslaved the Israelites.
• Neferhotep I:     Reigned after Sobekhotep III.
• Sihathor:           Reigned less than a year as co-regent with Neferhotep I.
• Sobekhotep IV:  NC: 1530–1508. Moses fled from him.
                           Reigned after Neferhotep I and his co-regent Sihathor.
• Dedumose II:    NC:1450–1446. The Exodus took place in 1447.
                          He was Pharaoh about 45 years after Sobekhotep IV. 
                           He became the last Pharaoh of that dynasty.
• Ramesses II:     NC:943–877. CC: 1279–1213. Same as Shishaq.

See also Scientific Proofs of the Bible.

The Book of Peter

The author is Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ (1 Pet 1:1a). The first letter is written to Christians who lived in the western parts of present-day Turkey (1 Pet 1:1b).
Peter wrote this first letter to people who were suffering and being persecuted
(1 Pet 1:6). He therefore begins this first letter to describe the blessings they have
in Christ. He wants to give encouragement and hope in their situation. In his second letter he warns against false teachers and calls for fidelity in the end times.

God the Father has given us birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead (1 Pet 1:3). We are given a new birth to a living hope and have become born again Christians. It's given to those who come to Jesus Christ,
receive what he did on the cross, confess their sins, and turn away from their sins, see Salvation. It's available to everyone.

Jesus is the one who came up with the term born again (John 3:3–8), see
Jesus and Nicodemus. How then do I know that I am truly born again?

• We have the promise that everyone who receives him, who believes in his name, gives Jesus the right to become a child of God (John 1:12). We are born of God (John 1:13). We become spiritually connected to God 
  (1 Cor 6:17). The disciples were born again when they received the
  Holy Spirit after Jesus' resurrection from the dead (John 20:22).
• When I receive Jesus as my Savior, it means that Jesus took my punishment when he physically died on the cross (1 Pet 3:18), and that the Holy Spirit comes to indwell me. It's a spiritual process, and it doesn't necessarily involve emotions. As Jesus said: "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit" 
  (John 3:8). The Holy Spirit reveals Christ in my life and strengthens me to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. In reality it's by faith, I believe I'm God's child.
• The Spirit of God testifies with our human spirit that we are children of God (Rom 8:14–17), see Body, Soul, and Spirit in 
  The Danger with Gnosticism.
• We need to regularly come back to God's word and choose to believe it (Rom 10:17). Because the natural man will always try to come back with natural explanations. I need to put my faith in God's word, in what the Bible teaches.

In these promises we can rejoice, even when we are distressed by various trials 

(1 Pet 1:6–9, 4:16, Acts 5:40–41). Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake (1 Pet 4:14, Mat 5:10–12). It may be God's will that we must go through suffering (1 Pet 4:19). We should endure all hardships as discipline, see the first part of The Book of James. A purpose of our sufferings is also to test the authenticity of our faith (1 Pet 1:7, 4:12, Mark 4:16–17), see

The Parable of the Sower. The sufferings of the present time aren't worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed to us (1 Pet 4:13, Rom 8:18, 2 Cor 4:16–18).
There will be a new heaven and a new Earth (Rev 21:1), see A New Heaven and a New Earth. Death will be no more, and there will be no more mourning, nor crying, nor pain, for the former things have then passed away (Rev 21:4).

As obedient children of God, we should strive to be holy in all our conduct 

(1 Pet 1:14–16), see Sanctification. We need to conduct ourselves with reverent fear of God during the time we have on Earth (1 Pet 1:17, Mat 10:28), see
To Fear the Lord in Fear of Man. As Christians, we need to love one another deeply from our hearts (1 Pet 1:18–19, 22, 4:8–9, Proverbs 10:12, 1 Cor 13). We should have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind 
(1 Pet 3:8). We should get rid of all malice and deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind (1 Pet 2:1, Rom 6:6, 11–14), see the following definitions:

• Malice: The intent and determination to do evil to someone.
• Deceit: The act of deceiving someone by being intentionally deceptive.
• Hypocrisy: Claiming to be moral against specific sins that one secretly commits.
• Envy: A resentful longing for another's possessions, gifts, or qualities.
• Slander: Making a falsely uttered statement with intent to damage a person's reputation.

We shouldn't repay evil for evil or or insult for insult, on the contrary we should bless (1 Pet 3:9), see Love and not revenge in The Sermon on the Mount.
We should pray that those who persecute us will be blessed. We should dress in humility towards one another (1 Pet 5:5, Mat 11:28–30).

Jesus is the cornerstone, the foundation of Christians
(1 Pet 2:6, Isaiah 28:16, Psalm 118:22, Zec 10:4, Mat 21:42, Mark 12:10,
Luk 20:17, Acts 4:11, Eph 2:20). The foundation is founded on Jesus Christ. All true Christian churches must be built on faith in Jesus and what he did on the cross, see Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life. 

We as Christians are called to be a holy priesthood (1 Pet 2:5, 9). As Christians,
we should abstain from the passions of the flesh (1 Pet 2:11, Eph 4:17–19). 
We shouldn't compromise with God's word and with God's values (1 John 2:15–17).
We should wait for God's timing.

It's a gracious thing when you are aware of God, you endure sorrows while you suffer unjustly (1 Pet 2:19–21). We are blessed when others revile and persecute us because of our faith in Jesus (Mat 5:11–12, 10:22, 24:9). However, it's not a blessing if we suffer because we break the law or disobey authorities
(when it's not against the will of God) (1 Pet 2:13–15, 20a, Rom 13:1–7), see
This World is Not Our Home in The Book of Romans. It's not a blessing to suffer for being disrespectful (1 Pet 2:17–18). In this, Jesus is an example for us to follow (1 Pet 2:21–23).

The main reason Jesus came was to die for our sins (1 Pet 2:24). Jesus became cursed for us when he took our sin on the cross (Gal 3:13, Deu (5 Mos) 21:22–23). 

By his wounds we are healed (1 Pet 2:24b, Isaiah 53:5b). Note that the word healed in this context doesn't refer to physical healing. There are many false teachings about healing and about these verses. See this explained further in chapter False Teaching on Healing in Word of Faith Movement in the U.S.
In this context it's about spiritual healing. It's about Salvation.
Christ's sacrifice heals our sinful condition and satisfies the penalty for our sin. Spiritual gifts also exist in our time, we can pray for healing and people are healed. But Christ's sacrifice doesn't mean that all true believers are promised physical healing in this life.

There is beauty that is external and beauty that is internal. We shouldn't focus on external beauty but on God. A woman's beauty shouldn't derive from the outside
but from the inside (1 Pet 3:3–4). The use of jewelry or fine clothing shouldn't be excessive (1 Tim 2:9). We must not focus on such things,
see How should a woman dress? in The Woman's Place in the Congregation.

A leader in a congregation should oversee and shepherd the flock of God that's among him (it's not the flock of a leader, it's the flock of God), not under compulsion, nor for shameful gain, not being greedy or focused on money, but serve eagerly and willingly (1 Pet 5:1–2). Don't be domineering or controlling, 
see the end part in The Book of John, but be an example to the flock (1 Pet 5:3).
To summarize:

• Not serving under compulsion.
• Not greedy or focused on money.
• Not domineering or controlling.
• Be an example to the flock.

When choosing a leader in a congregation, it's about recognizing a person
called by God to be a leader in that congregation. 

God's divine power has given us everything we need, both for life and for a godly life through our experiential knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness (2 Pet 1:3). But we shouldn't base our faith on experience alone, but on God's promises in Scripture. That's why we should do everything to supplement our faith with virtue, virtue with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with steadfastness, steadfastness with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love (2 Pet 1:5–7).

People will gather around false teachers who will tell them what they want to hear, and who will secretly bring in destructive heresies (2 Pet 2:1–2). Many of them will deny central Christian doctrines. They use the words of the Bible but give them false interpretations. They teach doctrines that make people feel good. Greed is one of their major motives (2 Pet 2:3). They are wolves in sheep's clothing (Mat 7:15–20). They follow the way of Balaam, who loved the gain of unrighteousness (2 Pet 2:15), see Balaam and Balak. We shouldn't be deceived by these false teachers, see 
Beware of false prophets in The Sermon on the Mount. It would have been better never to have known the way of righteousness if one turned away from Jesus after believing in him (2 Pet 2:20–21). God judges sin in one way or another
(2 Pet 2:4–6).

The present heaven and Earth are preserved for fire and are preserved until the day of judgment and the destruction of the ungodly (2 Pet 3:7, 10–12, Isaiah 66:15–16,
Mal 4:1), see A New Heaven and a New Earth. The Lord isn't slow to fulfill his promise but is patient with us and doesn't wish for anyone to perish, but for all to come to repentance (2 Pet 3:9), see Salvation.

See also The New Testament of the Bible.

The Book of Jude

The author introduces himself as Jude, brother of James (Jde 1:1a, Gal 1:19),
see The Book of James. Jude and James were half-brothers of Jesus. 

Jude warns of godless people in the church, who have taken God's grace and made it to a license to sin (Jde 1:4). The Lord rescued the people of Israel from the land of Egypt, but on the way to the promised land he destroyed those who didn't believe (Jde 1:5), see for example Twelve Spies Exploring Canaan in 
Moses; Part 13: Rebellion and Paganism. Such people can have a devastating 
influence in the church (Gal 5:7–9, 1 Cor 15:33). People in Sodom and Gomorrah
gave themselves over to sexual immorality and is presented as an example and suffers the vengeance of eternal fire (Jde 1:7), see Homosexuality. What happened in Sodom and Gomorrah is a reminder for us, see The Life of Abraham. 

Likewise, these godless people also defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries (Jde 1:8, 2 Pet 2:9–11). They live only to please their flesh.
We shouldn't pronounce a blasphemous judgment against anyone (Jde 1:9–10), see
time 13:37–14:37 in Bible Q & A With Pastor Paul │December 2023. They have walked in the way of Cain (Gen (1 Mos) 4:6–11), have greedily run in Balaam's delusion for gain, see Balaam and Balak, and perished in Korah's rebellion
(Num (4 Mos) 16:1–35), see 6. Korah’s Rebellion in 
Moses; Part 13: Rebellion and Paganism (Jde 1:11). False teachers do all of this. 

They are shepherds who feed only themselves (Jde 1:12a). They follow their own sinful desires, show favoritism to gain advantages, and cause division
(Jde 1:16, 18–19, 2 Pet 3:3–4a). 

Instead, you should aim to do as follows, see Sanctification:

1. Build yourself up in faith (Jde 1:20a), see How to Build Your Faith.
2. Pray in the Holy Spirit (Jde 1:20b), as the Holy Spirit leads in our heart.
3. Keep yourself in God's love (Jde 1:21a), see Faith, Hope, and Agape Love.
4. Wait for God's mercy (Jde 1:21b), see The Parable of the Persistent Widow.
5. Exercise mercy toward doubters (Jde 1:22).
6. Share your faith with unbelievers (Jde 1:23a).
7. Show mercy to people who live in sin, but keep your distance (Jde 1:23b).
8. Hate all sin (but not sinners) (Jde 1:23c).

See also The New Testament of the Bible.

Jesus and the Young Rich Man

Jesus confronts the question what wealth can do to a person related to his desire
to be saved, to follow God, and to live for God. 

A rich man came to Jesus and asked what good thing he must do to inherit eternal life. That is, to be admitted into God's Heaven (being saved by one's own work)
(Mat 19:16). He believed the following:

1. Eternal life with God can be earned.
2. The payment for eternal life with God is good works.
3. He was potentially good enough to make the payment.

The Jews at that time believed that their salvation was based on what good things they did, that they kept the Mosaic Laws, and that it was possible to keep those Laws. This was also taught by the Pharisees at that time. God never promised eternal life to those who kept the Mosaic Laws. What God promised was to bless the Jews in the Promised Land if they kept these Laws. However, the Jews began to believe that it also provided a free ticket to Heaven with God. 

A common belief today is to hope that all the good deeds they do outweigh the bad things they do. In this way, they will be admitted to God's Heaven when they die.

Jesus answered the man that only one is good (Mat 19:17a). Only God is good  (Mark 10:18, Luk 18:19). This means that no man is good according to Jesus.
We are all sinners (Rom 3:23, Isaiah 64:6), and we all need a Savior (Rom 3:24).
No person can be good enough by trying to keep all the Laws with the intention of inheriting eternal life in Heaven with God (James 2:10, Gal 5:4). Salvation is always received by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (John 6:27–29, Eph 2:8–9). 
See also What Happens to Those Who Have Never Heard About Jesus?

The rich man said that he had kept all the commandments, even the one to love his neighbor as himself, and asked what more he should do (Mat 19:18–20). Jesus told him that if he wanted to be perfect, he would sell all he had and give it to the poor, then he would have a treasure in Heaven, and then he would come and follow Jesus (Mat 19:21, Mark 10:21, Luk 18:22). When the young man heard that word, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions (Mat 19:22, Mark 10:22). 

Jesus exposed the self-deception this man was living under. He didn't keep all the
Laws. If he truly loved his neighbor as himself, there should be no problem in selling all he had and giving to the poor. But he couldn't do that because he had great possessions. Riches can take hold of a person's heart (1 Tim 6:6–10). Jesus even said that it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God (Mat 19:24, Mark 10:25, Luk 18:25).

This young wealthy man had not kept the commandments in the Mosaic Laws as
he said. Nobody can. No one can get into God's Heaven by being good enough,
by keeping all the Mosaic Laws, which he believed was possible (Rom 3:19–20). But what is impossible for man is possible for God (Mat 19:26, Mark 10:27, Luk 18:27).
It's only possible by grace through faith in Jesus Christ to be saved (John 14:6),
see Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life and Jesus and the Law.

Another person who was an expert in the Laws asked Jesus the same question
but with the intention of testing him (Luk 10:25). Jesus gave him the same answer, that is, to love your neighbor as yourself (Luk 10:26–28). See this explained at time
2:50–11:57 in Luke 10 (Part 3) 25-42 • The Good Samaritan and the Good Sister
and in The Parable of the Good Samaritan.

The God-fearing people in the Bible who were also very rich, such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David, put their trust in God and not in their riches, see
The Love of Money. That faith enabled them to be saved. It's always faith and trust in Jesus Christ that makes the impossible possible. No one is good but God, as Jesus said. We can't save ourselves by good works (Luk 13:1–5).

This young man's attitude can be compared to the man who had no wedding garment in The Parable of the Wedding Feast. We can’t be justified and saved by
our own works or by being good enough. Believing is a decision we make. We must receive Jesus into our heart (John 1:12). Righteousness is imputed to us by doing so. It means getting a right standing with God. We haven't earned it, it has been given to us as a free gift when we come to Christ (Isaiah 61:10). It's the righteousness of Christ that we literally put on almost like clothing.

The response of this rich man can be compared to the response of another rich man, Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector (Luk 19:2). He was seen as a sinner 
(Luk 19:7). Jesus said to him: "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today." The man received Jesus joyfully and said to Jesus: "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold." Jesus answered him: "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." (Luk 19:5–6, 8–10). The response of Zacchaeus shows what biblical repentance is all about (2 Cor 7:10–11). He voluntarily gave away a significant amount of money to the poor without Jesus having to say anything about it. True 
repentance often results in some form of action. Note that it's those who believe in Jesus who are the sons of Abraham (Rom 9:7, Gal 3:7). Zacchaeus had expressed true faith in Jesus.

Some people respond to grief with repentance as Zacchaeus did, and some with worldly sorrow that leads do death, see Why Judas betrayed Jesus. Judas was sorry for what he did and tried to return the money. However, his response to his grief was hopelessness, and because of that he took his own life. When faith enters into a sorrow it produces hope, repentance, and life. The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost (Luk 19:10), see The Parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin.

See also Some stories in the gospels at the bottom of The Four Gospels.

The Book of James

The ancient church tradition says that the author is James (Jas 1:1a) who was the half-brother of Jesus (Gal 1:19), the leader of the congregation in Jerusalem until his martyrdom around 62 or 69 AD. James was a very straightforward person, something that can be seen in his letters. James is speaking to Jews who have become Christians (Jas 1:1b), but it's also very applicable to Gentiles (non-Jews). 

A great persecution was going on against these Christians (Acts 8:1). It was a hard and difficult time for them. We shouldn't give in to it. We should rejoice when we face trials of various kinds because it gives perseverance (Jas 1:2–4):

1. Allow God to use difficulties in our life as training (Deu (5 Mos) 8:2).
   We should accept hardship as discipline (Psalm 26:2), see
   God rebukes us to become more sanctified in The Book of Hebrews. 
2. Continue to trust God that he wants our best (Rom 8:1, 28). 
   God has intended that the trials we face will eventually bear good fruit
   and will be a blessing to us.
3. Don't give room to discouragement and bitterness.
   Trials either make us better or bitter.
4. Don't give way to self-pity. It can help to do something for someone else.
5. Be responsive when confronted with sin and repent of it (Jas 1:21).
6. Stay in touch with Christ. Don't let hardship chase you away from the Lord, from spending time reading the Bible, praying, or Christian fellowship.

God doesn't show partiality, as men do (Jas 2:1–8). When we receive Jesus into our lives, we become children of God (John 1:12). We are all children of God equally, whether we are popular or not popular, male or female, reach or poor 
(Proverbs 22:2). We shouldn't show partiality, it's a sin (Jas 2:9–10), see Unity.
See this explained at time 6:17–13:27 in James 2 (Part 1) :1-13.

God tests us, but God doesn't tempt people (Jas 1:13), Satan does. Every person is tempted when he is enticed by his own evil desire (Jas 1:14).
Jesus quoted the word of God when he was tempted by the devil (Mat 4:1–11, 
Luke 4:1–13). He never fell into temptation, he was without sin (1 John 3:5,
Heb 2:18). See time 13:47–15:29 in August 2024 Bible Q&A.

We should strive to resist temptations. "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (Jas 4:7b, 1 Pet 5:8–9). "In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one." (Eph 6:13, 16, 1 Cor 10:13,
Gal 5:16), see The Book of Ephesians. Sin brings destruction and death (Jas 1:15),
see The Book of Jude.

How to minimize the impact of sin in our lives:

• Temptations come from Satan or from desires in our heart. We should spend time in God's word and let it judge our heart (Heb 4:12).
  We should be opened to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit can convict us of something that needs to change in our life.
• We shouldn't do what our evil desires want us to do (John 3:20–21).
  We should bring our sin into the light and confess it to God as sin.
• We should avoid places where we are weak to avoid falling into temptation.

We should be doers of God's word and not just hearers (Jas 1:22–25, Mat 7:24–27), see The Parable about the Wise and Foolish Builders.
We are saved by grace through faith and not by work, but faith leads to works
(Jas 2:14, 17, 20, 24, 26), see The Parables of the Talents and the Ten Minas.
There should be no contrast between what we say and how we live (Jas 2:15–17). What we do is a result of what we believe. True faith is seen in our actions.
The faith that Abraham had led to actions (Jas 2:21–23), see The Life of Abraham.
"Faith was active along with his (Abraham's) works, and faith was completed by his works." (Jas 2:21–22). Our faith is proved by our good works, see
time 35:43–40:40 in Bible Q & A With Pastor Paul - June 2023.

Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Luk 6:45b). We must think about what we say (Proverbs 10:19, 11:9, 15:4, Psalm 141:3). Our tongue can start a big fire (Jas 1:26, 3:5–6, 1 Pet 3:10). We can use it to bless the Lord, but also to curse other people (Jas 3:9). It must not be so (Jas 3:10–12, Mat 12:36–37).
We must allow the Holy Spirit to change our heart to prevent that (Jas 3:8).

Wisdom from God is pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, and sincere (Jas 3:13–18).

The Mosaic Laws aren't bad, but keeping those Laws for the purpose of being saved or righteous is wrong (Rom 3:20). We should love our neighbor as ourselves,
then we fulfill these Laws (Rom 13:8–11), see The Golden Rule in
The Sermon on the Mount. See also Jesus and the Young Rich Man. Therefore, we shouldn't speak evil or judge each other by speaking bad of other people 
(Jas 4:11–12), see Do not judge others in The Sermon on the Mount. We should condemn sin when it's committed by other believers (1 Cor 5:12–13a). But then it's important to speak the truth in love. We shouldn't be condemning or unkind to the person if we condemn a sin in the person's life, see Dealing With Sin in the Church.

We should involve God in our plans (Jas 4:13–17), see time 12:46–15:43 in
Bible Q & A With Pastor Paul │ January 2024. He is the Lord of our lives.

James confronts the rich who exploit their employees (Jas 5:1–5). He isn't saying that wealth is evil. But it can corrupt a person's heart (1 Tim 6:6–10), see 
The Love of Money.

There is a great blessing in bringing back a Christian who has wandered away from the Lord (Jas 5:19–20), see The Parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin.

See also The New Testament of the Bible.

Balaam and Balak

The Israelites had been out of Egypt for almost 40 years. They are just ready to enter the Promised Land (Numbers (4 Mos) 22:1). Balak was the king of the Moabites. He was afraid of the Israelites (Num 22:2–4), and wanted Balaam to curse the Israelites in order to defeat them (Num 22:5–6). 

There was no reason for Balak to be afraid of the Israelites. God had told Moses
not to attack Moab because God had given Ar to Lot's descendants as a possession (Deuteronomy (5 Mos) 2:9). The Moabites came from one of Lot's daughters. 
Lot was a nephew of Abraham, making the Moabites related to the Israelites.

The Moabites had fallen away from the Lord at this time. Balak was nervous about nothing. God doesn't want us to fear people or things, but we should fear the Lord (Deu 10:12), see Fear of Man. It would have been better to send for Balaam to get a word from God what to do in this situation, and not to curse the Israelites. 

The elders of Moab and the elders of Midian were now sent by Balak to Balaam with fees for divination, and they gave Balak's message to Balaam that he wanted him to curse the Israelites (Num 22:7). Balaam asked God what he should do. God told Balaam not to curse the people of Israel because they were blessed, and he wouldn't travel with them to Balak (Num 22:9–12). Balaam then told the men that he couldn't travel with them because God had refused him to do so 
(Num 22:13–14). 

Balak then sent princes to Balaam, more numerous and more honorable than the first, promising him great honor if he cursed them (Num 22:15–17). Balaam now understood the following:

• Balak wanted Balaam to curse the Israelites in order to defeat them.
• God didn't want to curse the Israelites.
• God didn't want Balaam to travel to Balak.
• It was a long way to travel for Balaam, about 600 km to Balak.
• Balaam could receive a great reward if he did what Balak wanted him to do.
• He probably wouldn't get any reward if he just prophesied the word of God to Balak.

Balaam was very faithful to God in his prophecies (Num 22:18). But even though it was very clear what God wanted, he decided to ask God again what to do 
(Num 22:19). The reason he didn't just send them away was because he had a serious weakness, and that was money (Mat 6:24). He was greedy (Jude 1:11). He loved the gain of wrongdoings (2 Pet 2:14–15). That can be devastating, especially if you are in a service for God. God now told Balaam to go with them, but only do what God told him to do (Num 22:20). It wasn't that God had changed his mind. Sometimes God brings his discipline upon a person by allowing him to walk the sinful path he desires to walk. God knew Balaam's weakness and warned him by saying so. Balaam then travelled with them against Balak (Num 22:21).

But God’s anger was kindled because he was going, and the angel of the Lord took his stand in the way as his adversary (Num 22:22). (Each time the angel of the Lord 
is mentioned in the Old Testament, it's believed to be Jesus Christ.) Balaam's donkey could see the angel of the Lord and turned aside, but Balaam couldn't see him
(Num 22:23–27). This obstacle that Balaam was frustrated with was God's mercy. God warned Balaam to turn back. Sometimes an obstacle can be God's mercy upon us. The Lord even opened the donkey's mouth so the donkey could speak to Balaam (Num 22:28–30). The donkey had more spiritual insight than Balaam had.
The Lord opened Balaam's eyes so that he could also see the Lord, who said that he should have killed him unless the donkey had turned aside, because the Lord knew that Balaam's way was perverse before him (Num 22:31–33), see God is omniscient (all-knowing) in God's Attributes. It was madness (2 Pet 2:16).
God looks at our heart and our motives. God saw that Balaam wanted to find a way to get the rewards from Balak. Balaam then said to the Lord that if it didn't please him to go to Balak, he would turn back (Num 22:34). It was very obvious that it displeased the Lord, so he wouldn't have to ask. The Lord answered Balaam that he could go, but only the word that the Lord spoke to Balaam he would speak
(Num 22:35). But that would probably mean no reward for Balaam. 

When Balaam came to Balak, he gave four amazing prophesies from God:

1. Num 23:6–12: Balaam said that he he couldn't curse whom God hadn't cursed, and he couldn't denounce whom the Lord hadn't denounced (Num 23:8).
   Israel is called by God.
2. Num 23:17–26: Balaam said that there is no sorcery that will help against Jacob, nor any divination that will help against Israel (Num 23:23a).
   Israel is accepted by God.
3. Num 24:1–13: Balaam said that blessed is he who blesses Israel, and cursed is he who curses Israel (Num 24:9b). This is a confirmation of the promise that God made to Abraham (Genesis (1 Mos) 12:3). It was to prophesy not only to Balak, but also to Balaam himself. Unfortunately, he didn't follow this rule. It still applies today to all people and nations, regardless of what they think of Israel. It's a matter of obedience to God.
4. Num 24:14–25: Balaam even gave a Messianic prophesy: "A star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel." (Num 24:17b).
   See The Christmas Star.

God doesn't necessarily require a person to be godly in order to give prophecies from God. Saul prophesied shortly after he had been anointed king (1 Sam 10:10–11).
He also did it when he tried to kill David (1 Sam 19:23–24). 

Saul proved to be a very cruel and ungodly king. 

God gives Spiritual Gifts of grace to be used, and not as a reward for long and faithful service. The person God uses doesn't have to be saved, godly, or righteous. God can use anyone. Ministering in spiritual gifts doesn't automatically provide a free ticket to Heaven after death (Mat 7:22–23). God is Love, Grace, Mercy, Forgiveness, but he is also Holy, see God is holy in God's Attributes. Therefore, it's important to fear God more than to fear people or things (Deu 10:12), see To Fear the Lord
in Fear of Man and Sanctification.

False prophets are recognized by showing bad fruits in their lives (Mat 7:15–20),
see Beware of false prophets in The Sermon on the Mount. The prophesies that Balaam gave to Balak weren't what Balak wanted to hear, and therefore would bring no reward to Balaam (Num 24:11), see The Love of Money. Balaam therefore proposed an alternative to weaken the people of Israel, with the aim of turning God's wrath against the Israelites. This shows that Balaam could be a very ungodly person while giving amazing prophecies from God. This made him a false prophet even though his prophesies were accurate. He gave the following advice to Balak, who probably gave him the rewards he was promised.

• Because God is Holy, they should make their women date the Israelites,
  in order to seduce them into sexual immorality connected to idolatry
  (Baal worship involved perverted sexuality) (Num 31:14–18).
• They should seduce them to eat meat sacrificed to idols and worship other gods, pagan deities, such as Baal who was a god of fertility (Rev 2:14). Pagan deities often involved sexual immorality. 

This led the people of Israel to commit fornication with the women of Moab.
The people of Israel sacrificed to their gods, they ate and bowed down to them.
God's wrath fell upon the Israelites. 24,000 of the people of Israel died because of the plague that resulted. (Num 25:1–9, Psalm 106:28–31).

One result of this was that no Ammonite or Moabite would ever enter the assembly of God (Nehemiah 13:1–2, Deu 23:3–6, Joshua 24:9–10, Micah 6:5).

The Israelites took vengeance on the Midianites because of this 
(Num 25:16–18, 31:1–2a). They killed all the male of the Midianites, and they also killed Balaam (Num 31:7–12, Joshua 13:22). This means that Balaam didn't get time to enjoy the rewards that he probably received from Balak because of his devastating proposal to Balak. Balaam disobeyed God's warnings to speak only
to Balak the words God gave him. We don't know if he was given time to repent before he was killed, or even if he understood that he was acting in disobedience.
We don't know if he went to Paradise or Hell when he died. This shows that
God can use a person and he still ends up in ruin. So it was for Balaam.

What we can take from this historical account is to learn from Balaam's disobedience; the sin that this led to by the people of Israel, and what this sin resulted in. There is always a danger for us as Christians to compromise who
we are in Christ, especially as we live in the world with many things thrown at us. 
This entails the risk of compromising in disobedience, see Sanctification.

See also The Old Testament of the Bible.