Where Did God Come From?

Every parent has shuddered when asked by a child, “Where did God come from?”
Based on experience I am convinced most parents have a ready answer: “Let’s wait and ask the pastor.”

Children ask childish questions and deserve childish answers not long complicated ones. God has just always been. There never was a time when He wasn’t and there never will be a time He isn’t.

When thinking of time we think in a straight line. Physicists call it the arrow of time. (For more on this see the “Time Helps Us Understand Eternity” under Price Tags.)

To aid a child’s understanding holdup an object such as a pencil or piece of string. Explain to the child we tend to think of beginnings and ends. Point to the two ends. A day begins and a day ends. A new year begins and an old year ends. A child is born and an elderly person dies.

With God there is no beginning or ending.

Hold up a ring in such a way that the child can see through it. Then ask, “Where is the beginning and end of the ring?” Rings don’t have beginnings and endings. Neither does God. He just always has been.

Where Did Cain Get His Wife?

Adam was the “first man” (I Cor. 15:45). Eve was “the mother of all living” (Genesis 3:20). There was no pre-Adamic race. Cain was the first son of Adam and Eve (Genesis 4:1). After he killed his brother Able he was fearful “others” might kill him (Genesis 4:14). It is said had a wife (Genesis 4:17).

From where did these “others” come? Genesis 5:4 says of Adam “he begat sons and daughters.” Adam and Eve had many children.

Later as the race developed for genetic reasons interfamily marriages were forbidden. At this early stage the gene pool was such that to initiate the expansion of the human race brothers and sisters married. There is no other explanation.

Adam lived to be 930 (Genesis 5:4). It is likely some of the offsprings were of such diverse ages that they were not reared in the same family setting.

What Difference Would It Have Made If Christ Had Not Been Born?

Every Christmas we are reminded by the classic film It’s a Wonderful Life, how George Bailey discovered what life would be like if he had not been born. Now there is a thought to personalize!

Our world would be considerably different if a certain baby had not been born in a manger in Bethlehem. Christmas has been trivialized, commercialized, and almost crowded off the calendar by Kwanza, Hanukkah, and now Ramadan. While giving the last three their holidays Christmas and the one whose birth is celebrated deserves their hour. Those who celebrate it have reason to say, “Merry Christmas.” Had Jesus Christ not been born there would be little reason for any celebration of anything.

Infants have reason to celebrate because of Mary’s infant. At the time of His birth in Roman and Greek culture abortion was prevalent. Unwanted infants were left in the forest as animal food or for deviates to use for their pleasure. Followers of Christ started foundling homes, nurseries, and orphanages.

Women have reason to celebrate. At the time of His birth females were considered incompetent for independence. In the Orient, Rome, and Greece wives were considered property of the men. Female infanticide was common. In India and other societies widows were burned alive on their husband’s funeral pyres. British missionaries were instrumental in stopping the last vestige of this.

A Hindu woman said the Bible must have been written by a woman. When asked why she said, “Because it says so many kind things for women. Our pundits never refer to us but in reproach.”
Some women, with little knowledge of history, claim Christianity has oppressed women. Had it not elevated them most of these critics might never have been born or lived long.

Though some Christians betray their Master in matters of sexual purity it was Christ who ameliorated family values. Aristides, writing to the Emperor Hadrian in 125 A.D., recorded the result of the Christian ideal: “They do not commit adultery or immorality….Their wives, O King, are as pure as virgins, and their daughters as modest. Their men abstain from all unlawful sexual contact and from impurity…” That was a dramatic change.

Johannes Kepler, Blaise Pascal, Robert Oppenheimer, and Alfred Whitehead are but a few notable scientists who have been motivated by their faith in the baby of Bethlehem.

The source of education for the masses goes back to John Calvin during the Reformation. Following the example of Christ who encouraged learning they believed the Reformation could only succeed if the people could learn to read the Bible for themselves. Most of the first 123 colleges in America have Christian origins.

It was the emergence of the work ethic advocated by Christ that gave birth to the free enterprise system.

Had Christ not been born there would be no traffic jams around malls. Giving of gifts would not be practiced as did the wise men. Our economy would know no boost in December.

Those are some of the reasons Christians should be allowed every liberty to say, “Merry Christmas,” anywhere.

Values To Be Taught Children

And By Which You Should Live

Teach your children some basics. Such as:
* All of life isn’t fun. Fun isn’t the criteria by which you judge what you should do. Sometime it isn’t fun to do right. If having fun had been the basis of action there would have been no willingness on behalf of Columbus to suffer privation in order to sail the ocean blue. It wasn’t fun to defend America against the Nazi threat in World War II.
It isn’t fun to do homework, be responsible and show up on time for engagements, attend choir practice, or do your home chores.

* Don’t whine because life isn’t fair. It isn’t. It never was and never will be. Don’t expect it. “Fair” isn’t the issue “right” is.

* Some things are special, some places sacred, and some persons worthy of respect. It is proper to respect the flag and stand for the playing of the national anthem. Don’t lose a sense of awe and wonder regarding life.

* It is OK to respect those with whom we differ while lovingly defending our beliefs.

* You are a responsible person. Don’t look for excuses or someone to blame. Assume responsibility for your own actions.

* Life takes on meaning when you have a Biblical world view. Base you beliefs and conduct on God’s Word.

The Twelve Tribes

The tribe of Levi, the priestly tribe, is sometimes not numbered according to the instruction given by the Lord to Moses (Numbers 1: 47-50). When they are omitted the two sons of Joseph are included. They were Manasseh and Ephraim (Numbers 1: 20-47).

When Levi is included along with Manasseh and Ephraim there are thirteen (Gen. 46: 8-24).

Numbering of the tribes is confusing. In the N.T. the number “twelve” is referred to in Matthew 19:28; James 1:1; Acts 26:7; Revelation 7:1.

Confusion results, in part, from various listings being for different purposes. Some are genealogical, some geological, some priestly, and some non-priestly.

In general the number “twelve” is used to refer to “all Israel.”

The tradition of twelve maintained in most lists: Genesis 35:22-26; Deut. 27:12,13; I Chron. 2:1-2, Ezekial 48:1f.

The most common grouping is:
Judah
Benjamin
Joseph
Ephraim
Mannasseh
Issachar
Naphtali
Zebulon
Asher
The Transjordan tribal territories
Gad
Ruben
The Half-tribe of Manasseh
The Remaining West Jordanian Tribes
Dan
Simeon