According to Numbers 22:6, Balak (king of Moab at that time) hired Balaam to curse Israel because Balak saw the great number of the Israelites and became afraid.  Cursing or hexing is hurting someone or something by means of supernatural powers such as a magical spells, prayers to a god, or summoning a spirit.  Throughout the Bible, I see the word "curse".  Now my question is: when I see this word, does it always mean harmful supernatural powers?

Sincerely,
Hexed Out

Dear Hexed Out,

The word ‘curse’ does not inherently involve supernatural consequences.  Balak was seeking a magical curse against Israel, but the word ‘curse’ simply means ‘to condemn or speak evil of’.  In Lk 6:28 and Jas 3:9, the word ‘curse’ is used to refer to someone saying bad things to or about another human (an Old Testament example of this is Ex 22:28).  The word ‘curse’ only involves the supernatural elements you mentioned if the context demands it.  If God (or a prophet from God) is cursing someone, then it obviously involves supernatural power.  If it is a human cursing someone – it just means they are saying unkind things.

Throughout the Bible, I've seen the words "god" and "God".  Someone told me that the capital "G" for god is for a reason.  So I assumed that for the small "g" god, the Bible is referring to any god like Molech, Dagon, Marduk, Bel, etc.  The capital "G" for God in the Bible is referring to an all-powerful and almighty God and also the creator of heaven and Earth, and there's only one god that matches that description: Yahweh.  No other god is all-powerful and almighty and also the creator of heaven and Earth, only one.  In other words, no other gods can compete with His authority.  The same thing can be said about the Holy Spirit.  When there's "spirit" with a small "s", it's referring to any spirit, but with a capital "S", it's the Holy Spirit.  Am I correct about everything I've just said?

Sincerely,
Feeling Capital

Dear Feeling Capital,

The capital letters were added into the English translations of the Bible, but they didn’t exist in the original Greek and Hebrew.  The capital ‘G’ is intended to tell you that it is talking about Jehovah… not idols, and the capital ‘S’ was added to tell you that the verse is talking about God’s Spirit, not any other spirit.  These capitals were added for clarity’s sake, but in reality, they are merely commentary from the translators.  The Greek and Hebrew do not provide the capitals, and context is what decides whether a verse is talking about the God or a god.  Most of the times that the translators added this capitalization, they have been right… but to be fair, we must remember that this punctuation isn’t found in the originals.

I have a question regarding Isaiah 3:1-3 (NIV).  Someone told me that for first-time Bible readers, if they were to look at this Scripture first, they would think that enchanters and soothsayers were ranked among heroes, warriors, prophets, judges, elders, counselors, etc.  Why then were "enchanters and soothsayers" included in this "positive passage" when other verses condemn them?

Sincerely,
Not A Mind-Reader

Dear Not A Mind-Reader,

Isaiah 3:1-3 is simply telling the people that they will be deprived of all that they value.  All of the classes that are considered superior by the people would be wiped out.  The soothsayer was honored by the people in Jerusalem, but that doesn’t mean that God was pleased with enchanters and soothsayers.  As you said, God makes it clear in other verses that He detests such occult behavior (1 Sam. 15:23).

I was talking to a Jehovah’s Witness about the eating blood policy.  I told him about the Old Testament laws being replaced by the New Testament laws, but he said that since Acts 15:29, the passage that say to abstain from blood is in the New Testament, we as christians should avoid eating anything that has blood because eating blood is a sin and, therefore, make sure the meat has no blood.  He tripped me up with that, so I didn't know what to say.  Is this true what he said about modern day christians should obey Acts 15:29 regarding blood?

Sincerely,
Bad Blood

Dear Bad Blood,

Although there is some controversy over the subject, drinking blood is a sin.  The Jews knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that drinking blood was a sin (Gen 9:4).  A Jewish law is not the same as a christian law though, so we must find a New Testament teaching on the subject.  In Acts 15:19-20, a letter is sent by the apostles to all the Gentile christians telling them to abstain from drinking blood or eating meat that had been strangled (thus leaving the blood in the meat).  Drinking blood is put side by side with fornication as something to be avoided at all cost.  The life is in the blood, and, therefore, it should be treated with respect (Lev 17:11).

Why does God command the people of Israel not to kill, but then He orders them to kill enemies of Israel… even the women, children, and livestock?  Then Jesus tells His disciples to "turn the other cheek."  I haven't been a christian for very long, but I've always been confused about this.

Sincerely,
Double Standard

Dear Double Standard,

The Hebrew word used for ‘kill’ in the Ten Commandments literally means ‘murder’.  There is a difference between killing someone in self-defense and pre-meditated, intentional murder of another human being.  The Bible has plenty of examples of faithful people going to war (David killed Goliath in battle – 1 Sam 17:49-50).  The Bible is also full of examples of capital punishment for certain crimes (Num 15:35).  Num 35:15-16 makes a distinction between accidentally killing someone and premeditated murder.  A police officer may have to kill someone while serving the community, but that isn’t murder.  There is a difference.

It is wrong for an individual to purposefully seek to harm another unless they are acting as an agent of the government (God has given national governments the authority to use ‘the sword’ of punishment – Rom 13:4) or reacting in self-defense.  God commanded the nation of Israel to kill in times of war, but He condemns vigilante murder.  The teaching of “turn the other cheek” (Matt 5:39) is an individual command that applies to everyday living.  The context has nothing to do with war-time actions.