Sol Abrams (TSR, March/ April 2002) believes that some of the predictions we find in the Bible were actually written after the predicted events occurred. He described one example of this: events surrounding the building of the temple in Jerusalem including promises made to Solomon.
As Abrams presented his case, we immediately saw that he, as skeptics are prone to do, misread the passages describing the situation leading to the building of the temple. We get the impression that he does not understand what the Bible says. He ended up providing no support for his position. We can assume that Abrams simply wrote of those things he believes and randomly selected an event that he thought would support those beliefs.
Abrams began his argument with the historical narrative in 2 Samuel 7 that describes King David's desire to build a temple for God. Abrams misread the text and thought that Nathan had informed David that God would like a temple built for Him. The opposite is true. Nathan told David that God had never asked any of the sons of Israel to build Him a temple. The tone of the text is such that we understand that God had not put that idea into David's head. However, God was willing to let a temple be built, but while David may have initiated those efforts, God would not allow David to build the temple. David's son Solomon would build the temple.
Abrams second point was that God promised that a descendant of David would always occupy the throne of the kingdom of Israel and that this throne would last forever. He argued that the promise was unconditional. To reach his conclusion, Abrams had to leave out verses crucial to understanding fully this promise. The events surrounding the building of the temple were described in several places in the Old Testament historical narratives. These include 2 Samuel 7, 1 Chronicles 22, and 1 Chronicles 28. Abrams noted that, in these passages, we find the prediction that God promised an everlasting Davidic dynasty, and he claims that this prediction turned out to be false. Has Abrams told the reader everything about that prediction? Let the reader judge what the Bible tells us. In the separate narratives that described the promises to Solomon, we find the following verses that, coincidentally, Abrams omitted from his argument.
2 Samuel 7:13-16 [Solomon] shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:_And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.
1 Chronicles 22:11-13 Now, my son, the LORD be with thee and prosper thou, and build the house of the LORD thy God, as he hath said of thee. Only the LORD give thee wisdom and understanding, and give thee charge concerning Israel, that thou mayest keep the law of the LORD thy God. Then shalt thou prosper, if thou takest heed to fulfil the statutes and judgments which the LORD charged Moses with concerning Israel.
1 Chronicles 28:7-10 Moreover I will establish [Solomon's] kingdom for ever, if he be constant to do my commandments and my judgments, as at this day. Now therefore in the sight of all Israel the congregation of the LORD, and in the audience of our God, keep and seek for all the commandments of the LORD your God: that ye may possess this good land, and leave it for an inheritance for your children after you for ever. And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever. Take heed now for the LORD hath chosen thee to build an house for the sanctuary: be strong, and do it.Later, when David was on his death bed, he gave these instructions to Solomon.
The issue is whether God's promises to Solomon were absolute and unconditional as Abrams wants the reader believe. My understanding of the promises to Solomon is that they were conditional, and that God would fulfill those promises only if Solomon obeyed God's commands. Let the reader study these verses and decide whether Abrams has accurately portrayed what the Bible really says.1 Kings 2:1-4 Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die and he charged Solomon his son, saying,_be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man And keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself: That the LORD may continue his word which he spake concerning me, saying, If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne of Israel.
Abrams’ third point was that the historical narratives describing these events were invented by a Biblical writer around the fifth century BC about 400 years after Solomon's death. He does not offer evidence to prove that allegation. The issue here is whether a historian in the fifth century BC reviewed historical Jewish documents, much as a historian today would do, and published an up-to-date history of Israel or whether some person just made it all up.
Abrams would like the reader to believe that someone just made it all up. His purpose is clear. If someone just made up all the stories in the Bible, than neither Abrams nor anyone else would be accountable to God for their actions. Abrams must be an old man who realizes that he will not escape death. He fears that the Bible is true, that he is accountable for his actions, and that he has no hope.
(Roger Hutchinson, 11904 Lafayette Drive, Silver Spring, MD
20902 e-mail: rhutchin@aol.com)
