Reference links:
Old Testament
David is punished for sleeping with Bathsheba and having her husband killed. The punishment: God kills their newborn son.
After Nathan returned to his home, the Lord sent a deadly illness to the child of David and Uriah’s wife. David begged God to spare the child. He went without food and lay all night on the bare ground. The elders of his household pleaded with him to get up and eat with them, but he refused.
Then on the seventh day the child died.
Of course, I think it rather terrible that God killed a baby for the sins of its parents, but I am also reminded of opinions I have heard on abortion. Some people say that abortion should be illegal, even for women who were raped. They say the child does not deserve to be punished for the sins of its father. Compare and contrast that view with this story.
New Testament
I realized today the point of all of Jesus’ blabbing in this gospel. Here’s what I think: The gospel of John was written something like 50 years after Jesus was crucified. By this point, it was probably pretty clear to Jesus’ followers that the “the end is near” tone taken in the other gospels was no longer holding water.
Jesus’ followers needed to start transitioning their religion from an end times religion to one that could last for an arbitrarily long period into the future. To handle this, the emerging church needed some way of being able to claim authoritative revelations and now and in the future. Thus, the author of John really stresses the importance and authority of the Holy Spirit.
Psalms and Proverbs
ט (teth) and י (yodh).
Also, today’s first proverb proves that I, the evil atheist, am useful!
The Lord has made everything for his own purposes,
even the wicked for a day of disaster.