In Acts 1:20, Peter quotes Psalm 109:8.  Can it be said that Psalm 109, especially verse eight, serves as a prophecy as well as a hymn by King David?

Sincerely,
Pointing To Prophecy

Dear Pointing To Prophecy,

Sometimes, Old Testament verses are quoted in the New Testament because they are prophecies that are being fulfilled – like Peter did in Acts 2:16-21.  However, we must also remember that the Old Testament does more than just prophecy about Christ and His kingdom.  The Old Testament is full of examples and principles that are useful to us (1 Cor 10:11).  In the case of Acts 1:20, Peter and the rest of the apostles had to decide what to do about Judas’ death.  Should they leave his position vacant?  Should they replace him with another apostle?  How should they handle the void created in the apostleship by this wicked man?  Peter quotes Ps 109:8 because that Psalm addresses the principle that it is a good thing when a good man replaces the office of a bad man.  Peter referred to Ps 109, not because it was prophetic about their specific circumstance, but because it is a universal truth that good people should take the place of bad people in positions of authority.

     In the Old Testament, God tells groups of people to go and completely wipe out another group.  How can this be just?  I believe I remember there was an instance where He did it to prove to the Israelites that He would be with them if they followed His directions.  How can this be explained as an acceptable thing?

P.S love the website! It does so much good! Thanks!

Sincerely,
Looking To Justify

Dear Looking To Justify,

God has to make complex decisions that allow individuals the freedom to choose while still keeping the rest of mankind safe.  Every time that God has destroyed a nation, He has done it for the safety of other nations and because that nation had become so corrupt that it was unsalvageable (Gen 15:16, Gen 6:5).  God knows that infants will be safe in His arms when that nation is destroyed, and it is important to remember that there is a difference between God taking someone’s life and a human making that decision.  God is our Creator, and He is intimately aware of where we will go when we die – after all, He is the Judge (Heb 12:23).

When wicked nations are allowed to continue, they inhibit the possibility of future generations obeying God, and they are destructive influences on the rest of mankind.  Thankfully, we have a God who knows where to draw the line – not too soon, and not too late.

     Thank you so much for using God’s Word as a light to our paths; you have helped lots of people with the health of their souls!!!  My question has to do with the ‘spirit of heaviness’ cited in Isaiah 61:3 “To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He might be glorified.”

I have a friend that says depression is a demonic entity that attacks us; he then says the only way around it is praise to Jesus.  Is there any truth to this doctrine?

Sincerely,
Friend Of Eeyore

Dear Friend Of Eeyore,

Isaiah 61 is dealing with the blessings and victory that exist in Christ’s church, and it has nothing to do with demon possession.  Though it is true that focusing on our blessings and showing praise can help us when our spirits are heavy, demon possession is an entirely separate issue.

Evil spirits are real, but they were cast out and their powers greatly reduced by Christ and the apostles.  Demon possession ended not long after the days of Christ.  Jesus made it clear that one of His jobs was to bind the devil and take His strength away by casting out his demons (Matt 12:28-29).  When Jesus’ disciples had come back from their evangelism trips and related to Him that they had cast out many demons, Jesus told them that they were defeating Satan by getting rid of Satan’s demonic minions (Lk 10:17-18).  When Jesus and His disciples cast out demons, they did it permanently (Lk 8:30-33) and bound Satan by their acts.  We no longer have to deal with such overt attacks by the devil because he has been bound by Christ’s sacrifice (Rev. 20:2).  Demon possession no longer exists; the devil must use subtler methods to deceive us now.

     Since Jesus was literate, why didn’t He write the New Testament?  And why doesn’t anyone discuss the fundamental differences between the Old Testament and the New Testament?  How did God talk to Adam and Eve and tell them not to eat the apple when they had never ever spoken any language and wouldn’t have known the words of ‘don’t eat the apple’ or anything else?

Sincerely,
Linguist

Dear Linguist,

When God made Adam and Eve, they were fully-grown adults with a fully-functioning language.  On the same day that Adam was “born”, Adam named all the beasts of the field (Gen 2:20).  Adam and Eve were fully capable of understanding language.  Just like everything else that was originally created, Adam and Eve were fully-formed and mature at inception.  On a separate note, God warned them to not eat the ‘fruit’ of the tree of knowledge of good and evil… it wasn’t an apple (Gen 3:6).

As far as why Jesus never wrote part of the New Testament, anything we say would be purely speculation.  It wasn’t a matter of literacy; it was a matter of God’s wisdom that He didn’t have Jesus write the New Testament.

And lastly, we recommend you read the post, “Two Covenants, One God”.

     How does Psalm 110:3 relate to everyday life?

Sincerely,
Applying Myself

Dear Applying Myself,

Psalm 110 is a Messianic Psalm, which means that it is a psalm that prophesies about Jesus.  Ps 110:1 is quoted by Jesus in Mk 12:36 as referring to Him, and Heb 5:6 quotes Ps 110:4 and says that it is talking about Jesus.  Therefore, we can conclude that the 110^th Psalm is about Jesus.  Ps 110:3 says that Jesus’ people will willingly serve Him and give their youthful strength to the cause of Christ.  As Christians, this should be our character, to always serve God willingly and place Christ first in our lives.

     In Isaiah 24:21, who are the “hosts of heaven on high” or “powers in the heavens above” (NIV)?

Sincerely,
Identity Verification

Dear Identity Verification,

The “hosts of the high ones on high” that Isaiah says will be punished and cast down are synonymous with the “spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” found in Eph 6:12.  These represent the spiritual powers that have attacked and attempted to devour mankind since the beginning.