Is there error in the Scriptures? 1

[Note: To avoid confusion, I'm posting what I wrote and what Jack wrote as seperate posts.]

I've been wondering over the last few days. I'd say considering, but wondering is more appropriate. I have always been a staunch believer in absolute truth. There are immutable truths that can't be changed, are clearly understood, and no amount of differing, objective views can change. The LORD our God, the LORD is one, is such an immutable truth. He alone is God, there is none other...another absolute truth. I have built my understanding on stepping blocks of truth. I know such and such is true, therefore anything that contradicts it is false. Of course I find that each new step must be firmly established, and that the farther I get from the most foundational, the more I wander into probabilities instead of certainties. Nothing that follows is meant to contradict the most basic truth that there is absolute truth.

But the more I study God's Word...the more convinced I am that the most valuable of all study methods is in fact the question. I find that if someone trys to keep me from asking a question (usually by accusing me of heresy by way of their facial expressions), that there really must be some truth there that we are afraid of. We are imprisoned by our fear of the truth. Afraid of what it will ask of us, afraid of what we might know. 

I found myself wanting to commune with God the other day. I started thinking and praying about all the things I'd like God to tell me. Then it occured to me that maybe I'm not wise enough to know what I really need to know. So I prayed for God to just give me whatever he wanted me to have. I told him I wanted to hear what he wanted to tell me. To my sudden surprise, I found myself afraid. What if God did tell me what he wanted to tell me? I tried to think of all the things that I might have to give up. It was alright, I could trust God for money, nourishment, a place to stay. What about Alisa? What if God had something to tell me that would take me away from her? I found myself afraid to hear from God. 

Fortunately, I rebuked myself and now I'm perfect. =)

One of my questions recently, is an old one revived. God made man a physical being, he was man before he had spirit or lived. God gave him a spirit and he became alive (soul). So my mind/heart (scripture actually points to the heart as being the seat of recollection) while it may have been tainted by the fall was not a product of the fall. Yet as believers Unless we're trying to conjure the dead...then we are dead and in opposition to the old man we...

Eph 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 
23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

The spirit of our mind is renewed. So then why would God renew our minds unless he wanted us to use it? Well of course he wants us to use it, we say. So what do when our minds find something in scripture that appears to contradict another portion of scripture? We come up with the quick answer that 'it only appears to contradict, we really just don't understand how it works together.' And certainly that is often the case, and there is also the possibility that both are true.

But does that quick answer satisfy our renewed minds? It doesn't satisfy me that the same word tells me to test every spirit, to take captive every thought, the same word that commanded false prophets to be put to death, could be from the same God who would then tell me to blindly just accept that an apparently false word was in fact from him. Enough intangibles, give me an example! David asked God to save him because in death there is no rememberance of God (Psalm 6), but Yeshua said in the gospels that the rich man in hades had memories and in Revelation that the saints and angels in heaven both give praise and remember what has happened on Earth. Anyway you slice it David is wrong. The book of Job also is filled with statements of God, and in the end not one of them does God endorse as being true. You can say that the scripture is accurately recording people's words and feelings and so it is true...but what is the use in that then if anything recorded in it could be false, but merely recorded accurately? A tape recorder can accurately record, but unless it's recording God it's not the Word of God.

Questions are good, but how about some answers? I put to you firstly that we don't understand as a people what the Word of God is. The word of God, if you search scripture is two things and two things only. The Word of God is literally the Word of God. Not all scripture is the Word of God. The word of God comes from God directly, and it is usually marked by the phrase "The Word of the LORD came unto..." or "Thus said the LORD God unto..." The other, is Yeshua who is the WORD (not scriptures) made flesh. The "Word of the Lord is perfect..." "the Word of God is tried..." Having established that, the recorder is facing God. Scriptures are not the Word of God, but the Word of God is in the scriptures:

Mat 22:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. 
30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. 
31 But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, 
32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. 

So what is scripture then? It is context and commentary. What about all the times the more recent scriptures say 'thus the scriptures were fulfilled.' What was fulfilled? A prophecy. Where did the prophecy come from, Isaiah (or insert prophet), what does a prophet do? Relays the word of God. The scriptures that are referred to as being fulfilled are things spoken by God that are being fulfilled, not possibly wrong but accurately recorded things. The Word that God spoke recorded in the scriptures was being fulfilled. 

So can we take the rest of scripture that is neither the words of Yeshua nor "Thus saith the Lord" and rip them from the bible as useless? How can that be Yeshua himself reasoned from the scripture! The Apostles always told us to test against the scriptures! And most importantly, what of Paul?

2Ti 3:15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 
17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. 

Truly, if this is true, then scripture in general is affirmed...but how does he describe scripture? Able to make you wise...inspired by God, literally meaning God breathed which as we know when God breathes on something it becomes alive, or in fact in-spirited by God...helpful for instruction, conviction, correction...

But David is still wrong. And Job's uncommented-on-friends are still wrong. Can God inspire something that is wrong? Or is it possible that we don't really understand what is right and wrong? Consider the following:

Police respond to a report of shouting from a house:
Policeman: knocks on the door, woman answers looking haggard and wide eyed.
Woman: Yes officer?
Policeman: Ma'am we've had a report of some disturbance coming from your house and we were just checking to see if you were alright.
Woman: Yes, yes, I'm fine (her eyes wide and shifting). 
Policeman: Are you alone in the house tonight?
Woman: Oh yeah, I just had the TV up too loud and was watching a movie.
Policeman shifts about trying to eye beyond her: If there's something going on we can help.
Woman: No, I'm fine. (then silently mouths "back of the house").

Did the woman tell the truth (assume that she was in someway under duress)? No she didn't SPEAK the truth, but she did tell the truth. Consider the Garden of Eden:

Gen 3:5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 

It was the Devil speaking but if you read the account this part of what he said was true. They did become as God KNOWING...and it was God who called the tree of the KNOWLEDGE, so God didn't want them to know something...

2Ki 4:27 And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught him by the feet: but Gehazi came near to thrust her away. And the man of God said, Let her alone; for her soul is vexed within her: and the LORD hath HID it from me, and hath not told me. 

Pro 25:2 It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter. 

God purposely withholds and conceals things.

Luk 24:15 And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. 
16 But their eyes were holden that they should not know him. 

They didn't fail to recognize him, they were PREVENTED from recognizing him. We don't know why God does all these things. And I would argue that God doesn't want us to know why he doesn't want us to know yet...at least in general.

Mat 13:10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 
11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 
12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

Why does he speak in Parables? To prevent understanding, not to give it. He's speaking in parables because it is NOT GIVEN to those others to understand. He then says to those that hath more will be given and those that hath not even more will be taken. What will be taken?

13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 
14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 
15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. 

Hearing, seeing, and understanding. What does Yeshua always say "Let him that HATH ears TO HEAR, let him HEAR..." If you're trying to hear, God will give you abundance. If you are listening, but not to HEAR then God will make you more ignorant. 
The word Hear is the same as in the Shema. The Shema is the greatest command in scripture, Yeshua said so. But God doesn't want you to just listen to the command, the implication of hearing is obediance. When you're Dad says "listen to me" he's not saying receieve my sound waves, he's saying pay attention and obey!
If you listen to obey, God will increase you hearing. If you listen without the intent to obey, God will speak babble to you.

16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. 
17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. 

You might note that Mark 11 preceeds Mark 12 where it is annouced "And he began to speak unto them by parables."
What does this have to do with the truth of scripture? If we know that God's word is entirely always true (thus saith the Lord, not scripture necessarily), and that all scripture is inspired, then we also know that God intentionally conceals truth from alot of people. Why? Because they have not determined to obey. Why would he do that?

Luk 12:46 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. 
47 And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 
48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. 

Ignorance won't get us off the hook entirely, but it's better to be ignorant than to know and no to to. I put to you that God conceals from those who do not have a heart to obey, so that they will not reap more judgment upon themselves.
So...since fleshy, deeper truth is concealed for somewhat protection of those not listening to obey, perhaps some of it is concealed behind the frailties of his imperfect servants? What if in fact everytime God lets a servant speak of him, like Solomon or David, but isn't actually dictating God's Words, he in fact let him speak something in error, but one that if a person actually seeks God will not disrupt the truth? If we dispute this, then what do we make differing scriptural manuscripts or manuscripts with missing words?
Am I saying that apart from the Word of the LORD, scripture might have error? Perhaps we should ask, can it really be error if God left it there on purpose? Let's just say, God let his servants distract some from some messages, so that there could be glory for Kings to seek past it!
If you let yourself get past pre-disposed, churchanese thinking, I think the idea begins to sound more and more like truth. After all, isn't scripture filled with people telling lies? The first recorded words of a person other than God are in fact a lie are they not? All through scripture there are people telling lies and a lot of times the scripture doesn't label it as a lie, but if you read it you see they are. So we already know there is accurately recorded falsehood in the scriptures. We also know that there is tons of doctrine that seem to fall short of the fullness we see once Yeshua shows up. We call this 'progressive revelation' but doesn't that in fact mean that the people before hand did not have a full picture which means what they have is a flawed picture? 

1Co 13:9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 
10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 
11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 
12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 

Prophesy and knowledge are in part and when the fullness comes, the incomplete passes...or rather since the incomplete is absorbed into the fullness, the incompletness itself passes away. 
What does it boil down to then? Is that scripture contains the perfect Word of God, but it also contains the commentary of men who were yes imperfect and imperfectly understood (that much cannot be denied), but it is all profitable because DESPITE human failings, GOD not man, chose to leave those imperfections in, to protect people who were not ready to obey, yet still retains ALL of the truth that Man can handle in this life and more. 
And in faith, in fellowship with God those imperfections are peeled back so that the Man of God who trusts in the Word of God, may be blessed. 

I've written a lot, I wouldn't say too much because it was on my mind to write this, but I'm interested to hear thoughts, especially disagreements. 

One last thought, I didn't like the phrasing that God is protecting those unwilling to obey by keeping them ignorant. I'd like to clarify that I think he's being gracious to allow people time to learn to submit, because at least all of those who have begun salvation with God I believe will complete it (we won't get into a debate about whether someone can reject their salvation, cause I don't know the answer to that). And to complete salvation, a slow to obey soul is going to have to become one with the obedient spirit. So if it takes a few or many lashes to do it, those sometimes-believers who are slow to obey, will eventually become always-believers instant in obediance. 

Thoughts? Questions? Stones? 
Better yet does anyone have a hard question that they have been told they should be ashamed for asking? Or made to feel less spiritual for it?