Question 1: When was Genesis 15:13-14 written?
It says, "Then the LORD said to him, "Know for
certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their
own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years.
14 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions."
If it was written before it occurred, then the verse is a prophecy that came true. It specifies the number of years, too.
Question 2: Why was the Pharaoh punished for Abram's lying?
"Since Abraham didn’t properly protect Sarah, who was the promised mother
of a new nation that would bless the whole world, God had to step in to
keep her away from Pharaoh’s bed.
... These plagues on Pharaoh and his house were not so much a punishment as a
message, but they are definitely an example of the sins of one person
causing others to suffer. Our cursed world is full of examples of
innocents suffering for the sins of others.
...God’s purpose in these plagues wasn’t to unfairly punish Pharaoh and his
court but to protect Sarah and to force Abraham to own up to the truth.
Abraham’s actions served as a poor testimony of God before this pagan
king, but God would not allow His long-range plans for sending the
Savior through Abraham and Sarah’s descendents to be foiled by Abraham’s
cowardice or Pharaoh’s lustful appetite. Pharaoh got to see that
Abraham’s God was indeed powerful, a good lesson for any pagan. Pharaoh
also saw that the God of Abraham didn’t let him get away with his lie." (http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2011/05/20/feedback-unfair-plagues)
Question 2: What is the relevancy of circumcision in the modern world? If you're not circumcised, does that mean you broke the covenant, as stated in Genesis 17?
Circumcision is apparently outdated.
"First Corinthians 7
makes it clear that if an uncircumcised man becomes a Christian, he is
not to have himself circumcised (at least not for religious reasons) (1 Corinthians 7:18).
To do so would be a bad testimony to others, as it tends to indicate
that the person believes that circumcision is a requirement of
Christianity. It is not. To claim that any work of man is required for salvation is heresy. Salvation is by grace, not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9). Circumcision means nothing to God, since Christ’s death (see Acts 6:15; 1 Corinthians 7:19)." (http://christiananswers.net/q-eden/circumcision.html)
"However, circumcision was not merely a physical and external practice.
It symbolized something internal. God described idolatry and
disobedience as a result of an uncircumcised heart (Leviticus 26:41); he
described repentance as a circumcision of the heart (Deuteronomy 10:16;
30:6)." (http://www.gci.org/law/circumcision)
Question 3: Why did Lot's wife turn into a pillar of salt?
"Lot ran, his daughters close behind. “But his wife, from behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt” (Genesis 19:26).
She lagged behind. She turned and watched the flaming sulfur fall from
the sky, consuming everything she valued. Then it consumed her. The
Hebrew for “looked back” means more than to glance over one’s shoulder.
It means to regard, to consider, to pay attention to. The Scriptures
don’t say whether her death was a punishment for valuing her old life so
much that she hesitated in obeying, or if it was a simple consequence
of her reluctance to leave her life quickly. Either she identified too
much with the city—and joined it—or she neglected to fully obey God’s
warning and she died." (http://www.gotquestions.org/pillar-of-salt.html)
Side note: In my opinion, Sodom and Gomorrah had what was coming to them. If there were just TEN people that were righteous in God's eyes, the town would have been saved. Abraham brought it down from 50 to 10... and there weren't even 10 righteous people!? And the men wanted to rape the men who were visiting Lot, when they were given the option of sleeping with Lot's daughters (that's another problem, but anyway...)? They screwed themselves over by letting sin overwhelm them.
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