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.

     Does the word “perpetual” in Leviticus 3:17 refer to today?

Sincerely,
Continually Questioning

Dear Continually Questioning,

It refers to today if you are a Jew, but if you are a Christian, it has nothing to do with your life.  Lev 3:17 says that the burnt offering laws were a perpetual law for “your generations”.  The ‘your’ in that context is the Jewish people.  God gave the Old Testament law to the nation of Israel (Deut 4:44).  The word ‘perpetual’ means that something is to be done over and over again, but it doesn’t tell you who it applies to or in what circumstances.

     Let’s say there’s a king, a good one, in Israel.  He makes sure the nation is well and obedient.  He would make sure that the Mosaic Law and God’s commandments were followed.  But let’s say there’s something he’s not sure about, like say, something political about how the laws should be enforced.  He would want inquire of a prophet or seer because they’re gifted to divinely talk to God.  Since a prophet serves as a mouthpiece for God, would he provide the king with political advice as well as spiritual?

Sincerely,
Reviewing Roles

Dear Reviewing Roles,

The kings of Israel would inquire of God all the time for all sorts of things.  The first king of Israel, Saul, was upset because God would no longer answer his inquiries when Saul started behaving wickedly (1 Sam 28:6).  King David asked for God’s advice even when it came to battle tactics (2 Sam 5:23).  It was commonplace for the righteous kings to ask God for advice in all sorts of spheres.

     When God confused those who were building the tower of Babel, He gave them all their own language.  Was that mixed language perfect because God gave it to them?  God is perfect; man is flawed.  How could fallen builders understand and use perfect language?

Sincerely,
Linguist

Dear Linguist,

The word ‘perfect’ simply means that something is ‘suitable or fit for the task’.  A perfect car part is the part that fits your car.  Sometimes, we get confused into thinking that perfect always means that something is without any flaw or problem, but that isn’t true.  Two people can get married and be a perfect marital match… but that doesn’t mean they won’t have struggles or that they both don’t sin at times.

The languages that God created at the Tower of Babel were perfectly suited to the task at hand – confusing the crowds and getting them to scatter (Gen 11:9).

    Who or what are the sons of God in Genesis 6?  I’m not sure if they are literal, as in someone like Jesus, or figurative.  Please help; I’m not understanding this very well.

Sincerely,
Guess Who

Dear Guess Who,

The sons of God referred to in Gen 6:2 are mortal men.  This language seems confusing at first, but it is perfectly scriptural to refer to mankind as ‘sons and daughters of God’.  In fact, Jesus mentions that we are all sons of God (Jhn 10:34-36).  Gal 3:26 refers to christians as children of God.  Humans are made in the image of God (Gen 1:27), and that makes Him our Father (Eph 4:6).  Gen 6:2 is simply stating that men married women, had children, and populated the earth.

     It troubles me that God caused an evil spirit to come on King Saul.  I don’t know another place in Scripture that says He does this.  Does God do that today?

Sincerely,
God Is Good

Dear God Is Good,

God caused that evil spirit to come upon Saul because Saul had turned away from the Lord (1 Sam 16:14).  Saul had failed to serve the Lord, and God withdrew His blessings from him and rejected Saul as king (1 Sam 16:1).  God didn’t randomly curse Saul; Saul had made choices that earned punishment.  As far as whether God does that today, Rom 1:21 says that God allows the hearts of the wicked to be darkened, and He removes His protection from them. How God does that, we don’t know, but He does warn that He punishes the wicked.