Dr Paul Allen

Image via Wikipedia "Then Job replied: Doubtless you are the people and wisdom will die with you." ( Job 12:1-2 )   It is remarkable that the Bible , with its great variety of literary forms and numerous personal conversations and discourses, contains very few examples of sarcasm or satire .   Nevertheless, the few examples of biblical irony are well worth noting, with one of the most notable being Job's response as above to the self-righteous platitudes of his three philosophizing "friends."  In their intellectual and moral arrogance and with no real understanding of God 's purposes, these critics were far out of line and well deserved Job's cutting sarcasm.  Examples of such combined spiritual ignorance and intellectual arrogance are not hard to find today and, occasionally perhaps, a satirical commentary may be effective in changing them or preventing their effect.   One other well-known case of biblical sarcasm is Elijah 's taunting monologue t

Image via Wikipedia "Then Job replied: Doubtless you are the people and wisdom will die with you." ( Job 12:1-2 )   It is remarkable that the Bible , with its great variety of literary forms and numerous personal conversations and discourses, contains very few examples of sarcasm or satire .   Nevertheless, the few examples of biblical irony are well worth noting, with one of the most notable being Job's response as above to the self-righteous platitudes of his three philosophizing "friends."  In their intellectual and moral arrogance and with no real understanding of God 's purposes, these critics were far out of line and well deserved Job's cutting sarcasm.  Examples of such combined spiritual ignorance and intellectual arrogance are not hard to find today and, occasionally perhaps, a satirical commentary may be effective in changing them or preventing their effect.   One other well-known case of biblical sarcasm is Elijah 's taunting monologue t

Image via Wikipedia "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High." ( Isaiah 14:14 ) These are two of the "I will's" of Satan --or Lucifer --as he aspired to usurp the throne of God as ruler of the universe (see   Isaiah 14:12-15 ;   Ezekiel 28:11-17 ). Not content to be "the anointed cherub," the highest of the angelic hierarchy ( Ezekiel 28:14 ), he wanted to be God, and this monstrous pride became "the condemnation of the devil" ( 1 Timothy 3:6 ), so that he is now "fallen from heaven" and will soon be "brought down to hell" ( Isaiah 14:12, 15 ). Lucifer, of course, is not the Creator, for he was "created" ( Ezekiel 28:15 ) himself. It would seem therefore that for him to rationalize his ambition to be like the most High, he must somehow persuade himself that he   is   like the most High--that is, that God is a created being like himself, and thus can be defeated. He only had