"Heaven helps those who help themselves" is not in the bible from my understanding, rather its the opposite. God helps the helpless, the powerless etc. please enlighten me more on this, thank you.
It is not in the Bible. However, we should not completely discard the "possible" underlying interpretation the initial writer of the quote was trying to convey
The phrase "rebuke the devourer" is found in the book of Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament. (Malachi 3:11 KJV) And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. In this verse Malachi records a wonderful promise of God to the nation of Israel. The Hebrew word translated “devourer” means “eater” and refers to the locust or caterpillar or any such creature that devours crops. The NIV translates Malachi 3:11 as “I will prevent pests from devouring your crops.” The “devourer” could also refer to plant diseases—really, anything that would destroy Israel’s crops: the NLT says, “Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease.” Swarms of locusts were common in the Middle East in those days and could destroy virtually all the produce of an entire country. The devastation brought by locusts could be horri...
Many Christians thought that Jacob worked seven years for Laban, realized that Laban deceived him to marry Leah, and then worked seven more years before finally getting married to Rachel. However the bible shows that he took both Leah and Rachel immediately before he began serving Laban. For clarity, I advise you to read this Jacob's story in other translations of the Bible aside King James Version (KJV). Meanwhile lets look at look at some of the facts from the Bible: (Genesis 29:21 KJV) And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her. Please note that the 7 years of service required of Jacob were the total dowry and not the customary waiting period before a wife was given to the groom. In other words, Jacob took Leah after the customary waiting period which was a couple of days just like we read in vs 21. Notice that he said, "Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled" implying a certain number of d...
Genesis 6:6 is one of those difficult verses in the bible of which different bible commentators have varied interpretations. The verse seems to suggest that God regretted His action of creating man on earth. But how can one attribute regret to the All-Knowing God? Genesis 6:6 (ESV) And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. Genesis 6:6 (KJV) And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. Genesis 6:6 (NASB) The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. The Hebrew word translated as “ regretted ” or " repented" or " sorry" in the above verse is yin'nā'hem , from the root word nacham . The word is exclusively about emotions: a feeling of pain, sadness, or unhappiness. The word does not imply that God feels He has made a mistake, or that He wishes to have done differently . However, this wo...
In my previous post, I explained what it means to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit. You can read the post here . Jesus stated in Matthew 12:31 and Mark 3:28-29 that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven. The question is why wouldn't blasphemy against the Holy Spirit be forgiven considering that Jesus died for the sins of all mankind and is willing to forgive anyone that truly repents and believes in Him. (Matthew 12:31 KJV) Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. (Mark 3:28-29 KJV) Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: The main reason why this sin cannot be forgiven is because the "non-forgiveness" is linked to ...
(Prob 3:9-10) Give honour to the Lord with your wealth, and with the first-fruits of all your increase: So your store-houses will be full of grain, and your vessels overflowing with new wine. Should I give my whole first month’s salary to my church as ‘first-fruit’? Usually when I am asked this question, my answer is straightforward. “It is your money and you can do anything you like with it.” I mean that simply! Now, if the question is “did the Lord command that Christians should surrender their whole January salary (income) to their church as first-fruits?” Then I give another unequivocal answer: No, He never did . There is no such thing in the whole Bible, not even under the Law of Moses. Yes, many churches ask their members to do it, but it is a decision of the elders of the church and is not the commandment of God or the Lord Jesus to Christians. God doesn’t have any special blessings attached to it, and so I hope the elders can pray a special blessin...
The concept of meditation has been mostly appropriated to other religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism and other eastern religions. Sadly, some Christians today have never practiced meditation the bible way, and typically when you ask some believers how many of them meditate on a regular basis, the answer is only a few. There are many forms of meditations encompassing practices from different traditions, cultures, spiritual disciplines, and religions which are not in line with the concept of biblical meditation. Some of them include: Silent meditation which involves simply sitting in quiet without thoughts for anything. Calming meditation which involves focusing on a particular object which could be your breath, a mantra, a visualization without focus on God and His Word . Yoga meditation which may include sitting calmly on a rug, and/or listening to sonorous music. Biblical meditation is not even primarily for relaxation, although you may find it calming and comforting. It is...
There is so much misunderstanding in the Church today regarding the gift of prophecy. Many people believe that prophecy only refers to telling something before it happens. However, even in the Old Testament, the messages of the prophets contained as much, if not more, about the present than they did about the future. In Hebrew, the word translated prophecy is based on the word stem nābā, which simply means “to speak by divine inspiration, either in prediction or simple discourse.” “ Prophecies ” is transliterated (i.e. brought straight over from Greek to English) from the noun prophēteia . It is made up of pro , meaning “before, in time or position” and a form of the verb phēmi , meaning “to tell.” The verb form of this word can refer EITHER : Foretelling (predicting or telling something before it happens). It seeks to predict the future. It predicts or reveals personalities, occurrences, circumstances that will hap...
As a Christian, you need to first understand your position in the spiritual realm. That will tell you whether you need deliverance or not from any authority. Let's look at the following scriptures: (Ephesians 2:6 KJV) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: The above verse shows that you are seated with Christ Jesus in the heavenly places. Where exactly is Christ Jesus seated in these heavenly places. Look at other verses below: (Ephesians 1:20-21 KJV) Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. From the verses it can be deduced that a Christian is seated with Christ Jesus in heavenly places; at the right hand of God; far above all principality, and power, and might, an...
Jesus’ twelve disciples were probably young, almost all under the age of eighteen and some as young as 15. All were most likely bachelors, but for one. There is no indicator in Scripture of a specific age for any disciple. So we look through the lens of historical context as well as clues derived from Scripture. In the time of Jesus, a Jewish man received a wife after the age of 18. Peter was the only one known to have been married. In Matthew 8:14-15, we learn that Peter had a wife when Jesus healed his mother-in-law. Again, Scripturally, no other disciples’ wives are mentioned. Education Of That Time Why are we to assume Jesus’ disciples were so young? The tradition of education of that time indicates it. Education for the Jewish child concluded at the age of 15. For those bright (or wealthy) enough, higher education consisted of studying under a local rabbi. If they didn’t find a rabbi that accepted them as a student (much like a college entrance applicati...
Many Christians believe that the word translated “whole” in Luke 17:19 KJV refers to both physical and spiritual healing and that the nine lepers in the chapter received only physical healing because they did not return to give thanks to Jesus where as the leper that returned to give thanks to Jesus received both physical and spiritual healing. They believe all the lepers were cleansed but the one that returned to Jesus got something extra which is that he was made whole (i.e his limbs which may have been lost or deformed as a result of the leprosy were restored or that he got salvation for his soul). Though this may be true, there's however a more likely possibility that the leper did not get something more than the rest of the nine. Let's first read the story: (Luke 17:12-19 KJV) And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when h...
"Heaven helps those who help themselves" is not in the bible from my understanding, rather its the opposite.
ReplyDeleteGod helps the helpless, the powerless etc.
please enlighten me more on this, thank you.
Nice try Nze. Let's wait for comments from others.
ReplyDeleteNze, you are absolutely correct.
ReplyDeleteIt is not in the Bible. However, we should not completely discard the "possible" underlying interpretation the initial writer of the quote was trying to convey
ReplyDelete