Hebrew Bible and Christian Scriptures

Within one chapter of 1 Samuel we get seemingly contradictory portraits of God’s knowledge:

15:29 – “Moreover the Glory of God of Israel will not recant or change his mind: for his is not a mortal, that he should change his mind.”

15:11 – “I regret that I made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me, and has not carried out my commands.”

It would seem that if one does not change their mind, they couldn’t regret something.  If God’s vision of the future is exhaustive, how can he do something that he would “later” regret?  I have always heard that biblical texts that present aspects of God that seem to give him human attributes are merely examples of the Bible “speaking on our level” since we are not perfect and all knowing individuals and the Bible must accommodate our shortcomings; but if we aren’t all knowing, how could we possibly possess the ability to distinguish which biblical texts to take literally?  What are we to do with such texts?

I am not sure of the significance of this but I found it interesting that the only descendent of Eli left was Ichabod (“no glory”) and the only one of Saul’s was Mephibosheth (“from the mouth of the shameful thing”).  It sure didn’t bode well to be a descendant of a judge or ruler who didn’t remain in power.

Hannah’s song anticipates a king (1 Sam 1:10).  Yet Samuel does not seem to think it wise for Israel to have a king.  Does this tension demonstrate two opposed bodies of tradition?  When Samuel rebukes the people in 12:16-17 is Saul’s reign severely jeopardized?

The Israelites were commanded to gather twelve stones from the bed of the Jordan River, which were to stand as a memorial to God’s power and as a reminder of their connection to God.  Memory is a powerful tool when it is employed to ground identity in the experiences and traditions that formed as a result of those experiences.   Perhaps it is so important because there is such a tendency to take for granted and forget what has gone before.  Perhaps it is vital because it points to a defining narrative.  In our day, there are many symbols and reminders.  Most people have personal items which hold particular significance to them (a family photo, a souvenir, a piece of jewelry, an award, etc.) There are also symbols which hold corporate significance, such as 9/11.  Many of these memorials point to some formative or altering experience that holds importance that need be transmitted to the next generations. As I read these stories, I wonder what we must do to transmit such formative knowledge to subsequent generations.  How do we incorporate memory into our ministry?  It seems vital we consider this as there are so many narratives available today which form and alter, while the biblical narratives are largely unknown.

The complimentary pictures of the Israelite inhabitation given in Joshua and Judges parallel the dominant mental models many Christians create when thinking about divine providence.  Either God works gradually and little by little or he does so in great and mighty acts.  Often we look for one method while excluding the other.  We may praise God for a sudden and unexpected miracle, while ignoring the “still small voice” that is with us constantly.  I think Gideon fits well into such an impatient model.  When we first meet Gideon, he questions God’s providence – “if the lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us?”  The audience can smile or cringe at the dramatic irony, since we know that the “Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the LORD.”  Dramatic irony does not get Gideon off the hook, however.  He continues to ask for signs from God (6:17, 39).  It is clear that Gideon can only see the acts of God that are right in front of him at any moment.  He is blind to the big picture; but his ways of thinking and doubting are not so far from our own.  Questions of “where was God” are all too common among believers today because many assume that God only acts in big and mighty ways.  We must constantly be reassured of his presence, because we are insecure and cannot trust the simple and understated ways of God.  Perhaps the question we should be asking is not “where was God,” but rather “where am I looking for God?”

There are a lot things in the Old Testament I don’t understand.  I don’t understand why God commands the Israelites to slaughter whole groups of people, women and children included, and I don’t know why a woman who coldly hammers a tent peg through a man’s head is celebrated as a hero.

Occasionally there are stories I do understand though, and even in those I don’t I can sometimes pull out some meaningful truths from it.  Take for instance the story of Gideon.  In Chapter 6 Gideon has an incredible encounter with either a manifestation of the Lord Himself, or an Angel of the Lord, who tells Gideon that God will use him to defeat the Midianites.  Through an infamous test with fleeces, God miraculously confirms not once, but twice to Gideon that He will do this.

You would think that after all this Gideon would surge into battle with boldness and confidence bubbling over, knowing that the Lord is on his side.  Yet in Chapter 7, he has had his army culled down (by God) to only three hundred men; they look out on the Midianite army and the Bible says that the Midianite’s numbers were like “the sand on the seashore” (Judges 7:12).  I can only imagine how overwhelmed and desparate those 300 men must have felt on the brink of battle as they looked out into the valley and saw  thousands of enemy soldiers ready to crush them at the first sound of a trumpet blast.  Despite all that Gideon had witnessed God do, discouragement set in.

And it certainly does not stop with Gideon.  In the Gospels, Jesus’ disciples witness Him perform dozens of miracles, teach the multitudes, heal the lame, feed thousands with a few loafs of bread, and still we find them on a boat in the middle of a storm in Mark, and you can hear them practically scream at Jesus over the crashing waves that surround them “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” (Mark 5:38)

And it really doesn’t stop with the disciples either, does it? I mean I’d like to think I’m different than Gideon or Peter, but I’m really not–you’re really not.  We can all think of times in our lives or our ministries when we knew we were exactly where God wanted us, doing exactly what God called us to do.  Still, when the waves set in, when the enemies begin to surround us, we become discouraged; suddenly we don’t believe we can handle it–that God can handle it.  We witness God work miracles in our lives and yet a few minutes later we have lost our trust in Him again.  “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” God, “allow me one more test…” (Judges 6:39).  God, are you sure you want me for “I am the least…” (Judges 6:15) are you sure that You can really handle this.

Thankfully for Gideon, and for us, God was/is patient and He knew exactly what Gideon needed.  When it looked like there was no hope for Gideon to complete God’s calling, God sent encouragement.  At perhaps the scariest point in Gideon’s life, God leads Gideon into the camp where he overhears a soldier talking about a prophetic dream he had; the soldiers says he is sure this dream means that “God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into [Gideon's] hands” (Judges 7:14).  The Scriptures then say that Gideon was encouraged–emboldened. ”He worshiped God. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, “Get up! The LORD has given the Midianite camp into your hands,” and the Israelites would go onto defeat the Midianites that day.

I pray that when the circumstances seem overwhelming, when the task seems impossible, when our purpose feels hopeless, that God would send an encourager into your life like the one He sent to Gideon;  I also pray that we would be these kind of encouragers in other people’s lives. 

And finally I pray that we will learn what Jesus meant when He said “”What is impossible with men is possible with God” (Luke18:27)

Soul competency and individual autonomy are staples of Baptist life and in the war against fundamentalism they are highly emphasized.  It seems that in an effort to combat legalistic conservatism some have sworn blind allegiance to individual freedom that liberalism can offer.  But what is the liberated Baptist to do with lengthy lists of laws, commands, and punishments as listed in Leviticus 8-20?  Certainly the liberating and fulfilling actions of Christ must be taken into consideration, but OT commands certainly cannot be dismissed without consideration.  How do we as Baptists deal with seemingly black and white/yes or no statements?

Reading through some of these passages, I am reminded of objections that come from many non-believers. I have heard many non-Christians claim that the Bible and Christianity portrays a vengeful, blood-thirsty God.

Certainly, these people must have read up on at least some of their Old Testament. Its when reading passages like Leviticus 20 and 24 that I can understand their objections. These chapters mandate death for sinful acts such as adultery, wizardry and blaspheme. In Leviticus 10, God causes Aaron’s sons to die in a fire because they offered “unauthorized fire before the Lord” (10:1). Furthermore, a quick search of my concordance in Leviticus shows about 20 different references to stoning and the phrase “put to death” in this book alone.

I know all the Sunday School answers regarding this issue, but my question is how can we address this issue in a way that makes sense to modern minds?

It would seem that at best, the Israelites only indirectly considered God in their complaining in Exodus 2, if at all.  They critique and insult Moses when he first discusses the potential for freedom (2:14) and complain continually both during and after he delivers them from Pharaoh (5:21, 15:24, 16:2, 17:3, etc..).  Based on their complaining attitudes, it is difficult to even remotely consider their cries in 2:23 as prayers asking God for deliverance.  It would seem that God is responding to a perceived need, not a direct request.  Does this action of God influence our view on the power of prayer?  Does a prayer from a believer have more influence on God’s actions or does God respond based on the severity of the situation, regardless of the faith of the person praying?  In Genesis 18 we see Abraham intercede for the potential righteous individuals in Sodom and God responds to his direct request, but here in Exodus we see God responding to a request that is implied at best.  What conditions determine how God responds (if at all) to prayer?

The Israelites’ cries have been heard.  God has not forgotten them.  Their despair is overcome by hope and they bow in worship.  Yet, no sooner than the good news begins to spread, their oppression gets worse.  Pharaoh increases their burden by forcing them to cut their own straw without reducing the quota of bricks.  The people are incensed with Moses, who directs these questions to God.  Though God reaffirms his promise, the people do not believe Moses.  Their newfound hope is a fragile thing indeed.

There is a difficult road between the believing of the promise and seeing the promise fulfilled.  In this case, the journey is even more difficult after the promise is made.  This story has great relevance for many today who desperately want and need hope, but find that struggle often accompanies the offer of a new tomorrow.