Allow Me to Explain (45 of 439) – Say What?

December 16, 2011 in TheyReasoned with 0 Comments

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45. How many languages were there before the Tower of Babel was built? Gen 11:1, 6-9 vs. Genesis 10:5, 20, 31

No, it’s not a question from Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?.

Genesis 11:1
Now the whole earth had one language and one speech.

Genesis 11:6-9 says the same thing.

Genesis 10:5
From these the coastland peoples of the Gentiles were separated into their lands, everyone according to his language, according to their families, into their nations.

Genesis 10:20 and :31 say the same thing, referencing different families.

Genesis 11 and 10 are not in chronological order.

It is not an uncommon literary tool throughout scripture, especially where genealogies are listed.

Genesis 10 covers a lot of time. The descendants of Noah’s son, Shem, are given, starting in verse 21, through five generations. Then, the first nine verses of Genesis 11 tell us about the Tower of Babel incident, and verse ten goes right back to Shem’s descendants.

The Tower of Babel account is an aside, a parenthesis, an event that needed recounting in order to explain two big things:  Continue Reading…

Allow Me to Explain (44 of 439) – Baasha Lives!

December 15, 2011 in TheyReasoned with 0 Comments

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44. When did Baasha die? 1 Kings 16:6-8 vs. 2 Chronicles 16:1

I should have read through some of these before I committed to this project. I thought we were going to have some good conversations. Had I but known …

1 Kings 16:6-8
So Baasha rested with his fathers and was buried in Tirzah. Then Elah his son reigned in his place. 7 And also the word of the Lord came by the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha and his house, because of all the evil that he did in the sight of the Lord in provoking Him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, and because he killed them. 8 In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha became king over Israel, and reigned two years in Tirzah.

2 Chronicles 16:1
In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah and built Ramah, that he might let none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.

1 Kings 16 says Baasha died in the twenty-sixth year of Asa. 2 Chronicles mentions Baasha going to war in the thirty-sixth year of Asa.  Continue Reading…

Book Review: Sherman

December 14, 2011 in Reviews with 0 Comments

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Sherman: The Ruthless Victor is a very interesting book, although it reads more like an attempt to set the record straight than a true biography, or leadership text.

I don’t think the authors, Agostino von Hassell and Ed Breslin, are really much to blame for Sherman being a less passionate and inspiring text than Pershing was. Sherman, apparently, was a cruel, racist, egotistical, insecure, and largely inept man.

I rather wonder why his story was chosen for Thomas Nelson’s The Generals series at all.

From the beginning, the authors admit that Sherman had his shortcomings – and that they were pronounced and seriously damaging. They seem to hope that some leadership can still be taught from his example, that some redeeming quality will shine through, perhaps, even, that his success in spite of being a badly damaged man will inspire readers.

I, for one, found none to be true. Continue Reading…

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