Hey everyone, can you believe it? Today we are on part 5 of our series on Why is the world the way it is? I wanted to let you guys know it has been a blast going through this with you. This is hands down one of favorite things to teach about. I enjoy it so much because when I first learned about this topic, it literally change the way I study the bible. Up to that point in my christian walk after reading the bible I would for the most part import my own interpretation of what any given text meant.
After I saw how big of a gap existed between my modern christian perspective and the biblical authors Ancient Near Eastern context I was shocked. What I found was missing was a robustness to the likes I had not been aware of up to that point in my christian life and I feel in love with The Bible anew. Its been years now and that honeymoon stage is still as strong as ever.
This is why we want to answer the question of why is the world the way it is? with the biblical authors perspective not with our modern christian worldview. We typically give an incomplete answer to a very complex question. Our response is usually the world is this way because of sin in the garden which all started in Genesis 3.
Yes but no
That is a partial answer to what should be a much richer response. In the Ancient Near Eastern Biblical Authors worldview yes sin does enter the world in Genesis 3, but as for why the world is the way it is that answer is because of
A proliferation of evil cause by three dual rebellions of both spiritual and human members of Gods family detailed in the opening chapters of the book of Genesis.
This is the biblical authors response for why the world is the way it is. We spent a ton of time going over each of the three dual rebellions that took place in Genesis 3, Genesis 6, and Genesis 11 in our last episodes. We will be using those prior teachings as our foundation today so if you have not checked out the other parts to this series yet please do so by clicking here.
Quick recap
We have been talking in this series how the main literary devise that the biblical authors used was that of repetition. By using repeating motifs and patterns these skilled artists of their trade forge a powerful reckoning in the minds of their audience to the truths they are proclaiming. Repetition is a simple but effective tool in story telling.
In all three of these dual rebellions we noticed that the biblical narrative is correlating the dual rebellion stories in the audiences mind by the use of motifs. The motif was that in all three cases we have people who are living with in the ancient boarders of Eden, who have been given the same exact Edamic mandate to “multiply and fill the earth” while exercising dominion over creation. By different means an interaction with the spiritual world takes place. In the case of Genesis 6, and Genesis 11 after people multiply, although access to the spiritual world had been forbidden for human beings and these two worlds must now remain separated, the people make contact anyways. Disobedience ensues, and judgement is rendered on both the physical and the spiritual side of Gods family. Amazingly each time after all this a promise is given to humanity that one day God will provide a chance for redemption while the spiritual family is condemned forever.
Further still God gives sinful humanity the moon not only by giving them hope for the future but by reestablishing with them the Edemic mandate within the ancient boarders of Eden.
Everything is the same until now
This motif is on repeat for the first eleven chapters of the book of Genesis. Blessing, the people multiply, contact with the spiritual world, disobedience from both spiritual and human beings, judgement pronounced, promise given, reestablishment of the Edamic mandate set in the ancient boarders of Eden. This is how it was up until Genesis 12. In that chapter we get the same old thing in a new way.
Last time on Critical Thinking Aloud we talked about how after the Tower of Babel rebellion we saw God doing the same thing as before but in a completely new way. The creator is fed up with the unfaithfulness of humanity and their desire to interact with the spiritual world apart from Him. Therefor God hands over the 70 disobedient nations of Genesis 10, after they rebellion in Genesis 11, to spiritual beings and places them under their authority. These loyal Sons of God (spiritual beings) were supposed to be ambassadors for God ruling over these nations in the same way He would His own nation.
“Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; ask your father, and he will show you, your elders, and they will tell you. When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. But the Lord’s portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage.”
Deuteronomy 32:7-9 ESV
As we could surmise, these spiritual beings become corrupted by a desire to become Gods themselves and another rebellion happens.
“God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment: “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. I said, “You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you; nevertheless, like men you shall die, and fall like any prince.” Arise, O God, judge the earth; for you shall inherit all the nations!”
Psalm 82 ESV
This is the biblical authors answer to the question of where the other gods come from. They are the corrupt Sons of God who reject the authority God gave them to rule over the nations and seized the opportunity to be worship as gods by human beings.
I stated last time how I am aware how different this sounds to our modern worldview. I was there too guys and I remember it like it was yesterday. I did a ton of research on this subject to make sure these concepts are what the biblical authors really had in the minds when communicating this to us via the Holy Scriptures.
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Pretty messed up
The way God repeatedly gets His blessings thrown back in His face by His creation is all super messed up. It is just a rollercoaster of God forgiving His family members after they have sinned against Him, and then reinstating them to positions of authority, only to be slapped in the face, then turning around and forgiving, and reinstating them again. Amazing! How great is our God. As we said earlier though this time God is going to use this same motif in a completely new way.
We ended last time by looking at the judgement part of the motif in the third dual rebellion account. This was God placing all the nations under the rule of spiritual beings. Today we are going to talk about the last part of this dual rebellion motif which is Gods blessing and reestablishing His plan to have a big blended family of both Spiritual and Physical beings who He shares His authority with to bring His kingdom to the earth.
Bye Bye cruel world
God is not going to try to re-establish the Edamic blessing with the all these nations again. No, this time He is going to choose a nation for Himself. Before we get into the details of how God changed the way He did the same old thing, It may be helpful for us to ask this question. What did God choose Israel for? The way we answer this question is going to effect the way we process the biblical text.
Let’s take Reformed Theology for an example. Most calvinist and reformed believers would argue that God chose Jacob (who’s name is later changed to Israel) and by extension Abraham for salvation. Using this passage in the Book of Romans as their basis for this conclusion
Not only that, but Rebekah’s children were conceived at the same time by our father Isaac. Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
Romans 9:10-13
This is one of the main text for their belief that unless God choose you you cannot be saved. God chose Israel for salvation in the minds of the Reformed believer and their answer to our question dominates the way the read the scripture. The U. of Unconditional Election in the T.U.L.I.P. acronym of the calvinistic system is dedicated to this line of thought. In their world view because of the way they answer this question every page of the bible is filtered through this lens.
This is getting out side the scope of this study but a simple rendering of the Ancient Near Eastern Concept of hate meaning an idiom for not preferring something. This rendering of the meaning of hate clears up not only this passage but others which use this same word by biblical authors and Jesus Himself. Lets plug this way of thinking into the verse above. Jacob I loved, but Esau I didn’t prefer. To make it even clearer. Israel I preferred and Esau I did not.
Thats it!
What did God choose Israel for in the Biblical Authors worldview? For the Messiah to come from the one He preferred. Jacob was chosen for the linage of the Messiah to come from, not Esau. Salvation makes no sense, for it would mean that all Israelites were saved (contrary to the biblical narrative). Adopting this Ancient Middle Eastern idiom helps us to understand the texts intended meaning.
I hope this was a helpful example of how a small amount of information can change your whole outlook on the biblical text. This is one of the many reasons I feel it is so important to put in the work to learn more about the Ancient Near Eastern context of The Bible.
He does it again
Ok back to the final part of this three dual rebellion motif. God chooses for Himself a man named Abram. For all we know he was an ordinary guy living in the Ancient Near East. There is nothing special out side the fact that God chose Him to become the head of the nation He was going to use to complete His plan to get what He has always wanted. Interestingly enough, all the suspected place for where Abram was originally from when He was called are nowhere else except inside the ancient boarders of Eden.
Remember Eden was huge. It spans from modern day Turkey to Iran and Iraq down as far as Ethiopia. Within these boarders once again God shows up and calls Abram to leave where he has been living and go to a place that God had promised to give to him.
“The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him.”
Genesis 12:1-4 NIV
There is a lot going on here within the Ancient Near Eastern context that I want to bring to our attention. In the same way I drew from The NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible in the third part of this series I am going to use this source again today.
Time to dive deep
Leaving home
“Go from your country, your people and your fathers household to a land that I show you.” This is a big deal for people in the Ancient Middle East. Check out this quote from The NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible
“God’s covenant with Abram targets the most essential elements of identity in the value system of the Ancient Near East. Land was connected to one’s survival, livelihood and political identity…. Inheritance fixed one’s place in the family and ensured that the generations past would be remembered in the present and future…He was putting his survival, his identity, his future and his security in the hands of the Lord.”
The NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible Pg.33 (in the note section on verse 12:1-3)
These days we have lost the sense of an inheritance. Broken families, debt, retirement homes all play a part in this but if there is still a vestige of inheritance left in our minds it is not the same picture as these ancient people. Again this has to do with making a name for ones self. This is carrying the same meaning as in part 3 of this series when we talked about how the motives of these rebellious nations at the tower of babel were to be remembered by making their name great. There is an element to being remember in the next generation that has to do with the after life. Being remembered was directly correlated with ones ability to secure a place in the after life and in some cases it even granted access there to.
In the Ancient Near East worldview not only is Abram cutting ties to that which will help him to make his name great one day and by the accumulation of wealth through his inheritance secure his earthy future, he is forsaking his ability to pass it on to the next generation so as to be remembered and gain access or security in the after life. This is the exact opposite of the what happened in the three dual rebellion motif. Abram is trusting in God to give sustain him in the physical world, and in the life after.
Leaving country
Heres another quote from The NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible to help ground us a little more in what’s going on in the Ancient Near Eastern mindset.
“The gods one worshiped tended to be national or city (“country”), the clan god (“people”), or ancestral gods, i.e., ancestors who have taken a place in the divine world (“father household”). As Yahweh severed the ties Abram would have had with other deities, he then filled the resulting void as the only God Abram would need.
The NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible Pg.33 (in the note section on verse 12:1)
Moving away from his home town would sever Abrams ties to the Spiritual world. A desire to contact their city/ country, clan/people, ancestral or household gods is exactly why the dissident nations built a ziggurat in the first place. The temple structure attached to their city called the Tower of Babel was really just a gateway they were using to access the spiritual world. Again we see the exact opposite of this taking place with Abram. Apart from God Abram is severing all ties to the Spiritual world.
Multiplying
“I will make you a great Nation” What an incredible thing to hear for anyone, let alone a guy who doesn’t have any kids yet. Here is one more quote from The NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible.
“The prospect that an individual would grow into a great nation is not broached in any other extant literature from the ancient world”
The NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible Pg.33 (in the note section on verse 12:2)
This has never happened before and is unprecedented in all of the ancient literature. God is doing something completely different, but as we have seen He is doing it in the same way as before. Isn’t it striking that the nations before were able to multiply but still would not leave and fill the earth as God intended. Abram is told he will become a nation the only problem is, they have no children. They haven’t been able to multiply but he obeys God anyway. Yet again it is the exact opposite from the repeated dual rebellion stories. Despite having no children Abram trusts Gods promise to help him multiply.
Promise of Redemption
“All peoples on earth will be blessed through you”. God promises Abram and his wife that they would bless every single person on the planet through their children. What a powerful statement. I love it! The fact that this meta narrative keeps on saying that all people are going to be given this chance of redemption is not lost on me. Again how you answer the question of What did God choose this man for? is going to shape how you interpret this meta narrative and ultimate how you think about God.
It never changes. It’s a motif. It’s the meta narrative of the bible. It is the same promise repeated over and over and over again. No matter how far they fall or how far they run, God is going to send forth His promised redeemer for humanity. Eve, Noah, Abraham, Mose, David, The Israelite nation, us living in the modern world, to all humanity through out space and time, it is this same promise that will give everyone the same chance to be made right.
Have you seen it?
I’m betting you guys see the whole picture now even with out me having to say it, but because I love this stuff so much I will anyways.
With in the ancient boards of Eden God tells Abram he will be given land to occupy. When God asks Abram to depart from the land in which he was dwelling, he is faithful and leaves his home. This was to forsake his inheritance which provided security in the physical and spiritual world. He trusted God to make His name great not by interacting with the spiritual world but by cutting ties to all other deities except Yahweh. Unprecedented throughout all of history despite the fact Abram was not able to multiply, He placed his trust in God to make him a nation. Not only does God bless Abram but promises that one day all peoples on the earth would be blessed through Abrams children.
Come on now, Its just too good! Isn’t that just so rich with meaning. By using simple repetition a comic wonder emerges. We can and should spend a lot of time marveling over the beauty of the scriptures and contemplating the fact that God has related such massively important truths to us through the simplest literary device, Repetition. It is truly amazing.
Thats it for today and we will continue on with Critical Thinking Aloud next time. We really hope you have enjoyed this as much as we have. Peace and blessing.
Citations:
1.NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible Grand Rapids, Michigan USA Zondervan 2016
U.K. Link for the NRSV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible
U.K. Link for the NKJV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible Kindle
U.S. Link for the NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible
U.S. Link for the NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible Kindle Edition
BIBLICAL DOCTRINE DERIVES FROM THE BIBLICAL TEXT