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Today on Critical Thinking Aloud we are continuing our series of What is the Bible while studying the Bibles main character, Yahweh.
We will be adding to the portfolio that we have been compiling about the Bible to use as a guide while reading the scriptures.
We will be building off of the previous teaching of this series so if you haven’t gone over those installment yet, you can do so now by clicking here.
In this installment we will be studying Yahweh the Bibles main character.
How we are going to learn
Today we will be looking at the topic of the Bibles main characters in light of the ancient Near East. As I have done in the past with other teachings I want to quote from scholarly sources to make my point. I do this in hope that you will see this isn’t just my interpretation of the Scriptures but that this view is steeped in academia.
We will be using two amazing sources which we highly recommend.
- Faithlife Study Bible: This is an amazing resource that is free if you download the app or use it online. To download the app or use this resource online visit their website here. This resource is also available in print which you can purchase here.
- The NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible: This is my favorite resource for gaining a better understanding for the ancient Near Eastern worldview of the Biblical authors. This is available in a multitude of variations all of which you can find on our resource page here.
Let’s get started
Ancient Near Eastern Background
Critical Thinking Aloud is dedicated to teaching the ancient Near Eastern context of the Bible. We must not forget this context is key while we are reading our Bibles. By keeping this in mind a whole new world will be revealed during your Bible study.
Since we are talking about Yahweh as the Bibles main character it will do us well to first take a look at what the average person in the ancient Near East believe about their gods.
Lets jump right in with this quote from one of our recommend resources
“‘The Great Symbiosis.’ People in the ancient world believed that the gods had made people as slave laborers because they were tired of growing their own food and taking care of their own needs. People cared for the gods (who lived an opulent, pampered lifestyle including food, drink, clothing, housing, etc.) and in turn, the gods took care of the people (because they had vested interests in doing so). Thus there was a codependent relationship of mutual need. This provides the context for understanding temples, rituals, worship, and religious obligation in the ancient world. Israel is called to a far different way of thinking, as Yahweh has no needs.”
NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible: in the Article on Major Background Issues From the Ancient Near East
As far fetched as it may seem to us this ancient way of thinking about ones god as a codependent was the normal way of relating to your deity in the ancient near east.
Codependence basically means the gods needed you to continue to live a luxurious life of pleasure and you needed them to provide for your food, and basic needs.
Not with Yahweh
Yahweh’s as the creator and sustainer of all things, has no needs. Therefore the relationship He shares with His community is fundamentally different.
What Does God Want?
Yahweh doesn’t need nor want slaves. He created us in His image with the freedom of a will to chose right and wrong or to worship Him or not. See on a foundational level a relationship with Yahweh runs completely contrary to the ancient Near Eastern cultural belief system.
Yahweh didn’t create humans to be slaves, He created them to be His family! That is what God has always and will always want. Check out this post we made that covers this topic in more detail by clicking here.
Dependent
Those who follow Yahweh were not to be codependents but ever dependent on Yahweh. He needs nothing from you, while He provides for your food and basic needs. This concept is radically different than that of the ancient Israelites Near Eastern constituents.
Check out this other quote from the same resource as above.
“Presence of God in Sacred Space. This is an extension of the previous item. People in the ancient world highly desired that their god to take up residence among them. It was important for the god so they could be pampered, and important for the people so that they could receive blessing. The presence of the god created sacred space that had to be respected and honored. Limited access and purity requirements were taken very seriously. Combined with the Great Symbiosis, this shows why all religion in the ancient world was local. Only those who lived in the vicinity of the temple could be engaged in caring for the gods. And the gods would only be interested in providing for and protecting those who could take care of him/her. It is not that the gods were powerless beyond their local area; rather, they were disinterested in other places. Their needs were all that mattered. Israel took its scared space very seriously, but Yahweh was a very different sort of God.”
NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible: in the Article on Major Background Issues From the Ancient Near East
Shared Context Different Motives
Though the Bible accounts for this notion of sacred space among the Israelites, Yahweh provides for humans needs regardless of their proxy or ability to “care for His needs” unlike the belief system of the national gods of the other ancient Near Eastern nations.
The Tabernacle, and Temple complex as sacred space had nothing to do with Yahweh needing to be pampered. The “clean”/”pure” and “unclean”/”impure” in the Bible was more of a “fit”/”unfit” to be in the presence of Yahweh.
While adherents to Yahwehism shared common cultural practices in observing their sacred space the intent of their motive for doing so was to be drastically different. Yahweh wants a relationship with His children, He Does not want to be served at a distance by a slave.
Sacred Space
As we just read above the concept of sacred space in the Hebrew Bible is one that is shared through out the ancient Near East.
Here is a quote from our other recommended resource
“People in ancient Israel considered places of encounter with God to be holy. Such places were sacred space- geographical space set aside only for the presence of Yahweh, or for those whom Yahweh sanctified in order to occupy it (e.i. priest). The world of the divine intersects with the world of people in such places…”
“Since the temple was the abode of God, It served as the primary location of sacred space.”
“Since in theory, every place yahweh dwells is His abode, the entirety of creation also serves as His temple. God, who is distinct from His creation, nevertheless enters it, making it His abode. Since doing so was a sovereign decision, God asserts His ownership of the space.”
Faithlife Study Bible: in the article Holiness and Sacred Space in Israelite Religion
Although the Israelites share the same concept of sacred space as the rest of the ancient Near East, Yahwehs abode is not restricted to a specific region like the gods of the other nations, but is universal.
Stay Tuned!!
We will go over this concept more in detail in futures post when we talk about Yahwehs war against the gods of Egypt.
Yahweh is Holy
Holy simple means to be other/separate from the ordanary. This may seem little bit of a strange way to think about holiness given our experiences with the Church or religious speech. But Holy simply means separate. Yahweh is completely other/distinct than anything else we know.
The act of something or someone becoming “Holy” is the process of a person or thing being made distinctly “fit” to enter into any space occupied by Yahweh.
Here is our last quote from our recommended resources.
“Proximity to God renders a wide range of things “holy” in the Old Testament… People dedicated to the service of God must be “made Holy” (or “sanctified” or “consecrated”; qadosh or qiddash in Hebrew) by undergoing certain procedures (e.g., Exod 19:10-23; 30:29-30)…Rituals for consecration therefore put the person, objects or place into a state of “purity,” making then fit for divine use and proximity…”
Faithlife Study Bible: in the article Holiness and Sacred Space in Israelite Religion
Similar beliefs about the way that sacred space operated and the concepts that lie behind “holiness” were shared commonly through all the ancient Near East. However as we have seen and discussed today when it came to the ancient Israelites and their adherence to Yahwehism there was to be fundament difference based on the fact that Yahweh is the One True God.
Trust
Yahweh created everything and wants a big blended family of both spiritual and human beings to share His authority with as they speed His kingdom over the earth. He has no needs nor does anyone have to provide anything for Him. It is He who is the provider and He needs nothing from his adherence.
Yahweh has always wanted any and all who so desire to, to be a part of His family. Since the beginning of time Yahweh has asked for one thing and one thing only to be in relationship with Him, Trust.
Those who Trust in Yahweh have access to His spirit. Where Yahwehs spirit dwells is Yahwehs abode, it is sacred space. By placing your trust in Him the spirit of the living God makes His abode in you, thus you become sacred space.
Check out this short video series on Spiritual beings by our friends over at The Bible Project by clicking here. They are amazing and super helpful to better grasp what we will be covering in this series.
Citations:
Faithlife Study Bible. J. D. Barry et al. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2012.
NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible Grand Rapids, Michigan USA Zondervan 2016
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Our Favorite Bible
U.K. Link: NKJV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible- Hardcover Bible, Kindle Edition
U.S. Link: NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible- Hardcover Bible, Bonded Leather Bible, Bonded Leather: Thumb Index, Imitation Leather Women’s, Imitation Leather Men’s, Kindle Edition
Our Favorite Book
U.S.- Supernatural: What the Bible Teaches about the Unseen World And Why It Matters- Paperback book, Kindle Edition, Audiobook
U.K.- Supernatural: What the Bible Teaches about the Unseen World And Why It Matters- Paperback book, Kindle Edition Audiobook
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Let us know your thought about our series in the comment section. If you have any topics you would like to suggest please let us know and we will add them to the list of future subjects we will covered.