Skeptic Tank Text Archive File

Back Page: spring 1990


   A PERFECT WORK OF HARMONY?
     
     Inerrancy proponents often refer to the Bible's perfect harmony and 
consistency of theme as compelling evidence of verbal inspiration.  Our reac-
tion to their claim is what harmony? What consistency of theme?  Only some-
one determined to believe in Bible inerrancy no matter how convincing the 
evidence to the contrary could possible claim to see harmony and consistency 
in the Bible.

     Religious faction existed in Bible times as surely as it exists today, and 
Bible writers echoed their partisan beliefs as resolutely as do modern-day 
religious jour- nalists. We could cite several examples of factional disagree-
ment in the Bible, but the divergent views of Jehu's slaughter of the royal 
family of Israel will illustrate our point as well as any.

     Jehu's divine mission was mentioned as early as I Kings 19:15-17 when 
the word of Yahweh, as it was prone to do in those days, came to Elijah 
when he was seeking refuge in a cave on Mount Horeb.  Yahweh commanded 
Elijah to go anoint Hazael to be king of Syria and Jehu king of Israel. "And 
it shall come to pass that him that escapeth from the sword of Hazael shall 
Jehu slay; and to him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha 
slay," (v:17).

     For reasons that seem not to bother Bible inerrantists, presumably 
Ahab's repentance (I Kings 21:27-29), the anointing of Jehu was delayed so 
that "the evil" of Yahweh's judgment  would  instead be inflicted on Ahab's 
son.  That, by the way, was quite typical of Yahweh's style (a point we 
don't have time to pursue in this article). Anyway, as the story goes, Jehu 
wasn't anointed until Elisha sent a "son of the prophets" to Ramoth-gilead to 
execute the commandment originally given to Elijah.  After  being anointed, 
Jehu took an armed force against Jezreel and slaughtered not only the king of 
Israel, his seventy sons, and his mother Jezebel but also Ahaziah, the king 
of Judah, and forty-two of his brothers who were all visiting Jezreel, (II 
Kings 9; 10:1-17). Afterwards, we are told that Yahweh said unto Jehu, 
"Because thou hast done well in executing that which is right in mine eyes, 
and has done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in my heart, 
thy sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel," (II Kings 
10:30).

     If what Jehu did in executing these grisly deeds was so pleasing to 
Yahweh, why did he afterwards say to his "inspired" writer Hosea, "For yet 
a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu 
and will cause the kingdom of the house of Israel to cease," (Hosea 1: 4)? 
Why would Yahweh want to punish the house of Jehu for what was done at 
Jezreel if all Jehu had done there was "that which is right in mine (Yah-
weh's) eyes"?  
     Perhaps some enterprising inerrantist can explain this to us.

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DESTROY....
intelligent way to see if the inerrancy doctrine can be sustained, we will 
consider our work worth the time and effort we are putting into it. If after 
such a study, anyone chooses to continue believing in the inerrancy of the 
Bible, he will at least have our respect, but what we can't respect are the 
many who believe in Bible inerrancy without knowing why they believe it. 

They just know they are supposed to believe it.  This makes them no better 
than a Moslem who believes in the inspiration of the Koran, because... well, 


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just because he is supposed to believe it.


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