To watch the recording of this teaching click here
Welcome back to Critical Thinking Aloud, today we are continuing the series What is the Bible while studying the second part of the Bibles main character, Yahweh.
In this installment we will be adding more information to store in 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.
During this installment we will be studying the second part of Yahweh as 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 Pt. 2
Here at Critical Thinking Aloud we are dedicated to teaching the ancient Near Eastern context of the biblical authors because we believe that by doing so we are empowering our audience to view the Bible in a new way.
Yahweh used an ancient Near Eastern culture to relate His love story to all people, therefore the better we understand this culture the better we will understand the intended meaning of this love story in its original context.
One of the best way to get a better understanding of the biblical authors view of Yahweh in the ancient Near Eastern context is to look at what was the general thought about deities in the same context of the ancient Near East.
Here is a quote from one of our recommend resources
“In the ancient world, most cultures believed in many gods, and they imagined that the business of the gods was done in a council (as typically happened in human governance). This council was made up of prominent members of the pantheon and presided over by the chief god (at various times and places, gods such as Enlil, Marduk, Asshur or El)…
This means of corporate operation was a reflection of the idea prominent in the ancient world that one’s identity was found in their community…
This theology did not eradicate the divine council from Israelite thinking; instead the council was transformed. Rather than being comprised of various gods, the council featured the “sons of God” over whom Yahweh presided and whose activities he delegated (Job 1:6,…).”
NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible: in the article Divine Council on page 615
The Divine Council
I cannot emphasize enough how much depth was brought to my Bible studies once I learned about the theology of the divine council. Seriously it changed the way I read my Bible. This is the topic that sparked my passion to share the ancient Near Eastern context of the biblical authors with others.
Why?
At the root of the Divine Council is the answer to the question of What does God want? I have said before that I believe that this question above all others can help us with maintaining a sound theology (the study of God), and which can act as a guide to weed out good theology from bad.
If we answer the question, what does God want correctly, we can use that answer as a plumb line for the rest of our theological conclusions. At the heart of the answer to this question lies, Yahweh’s divine council.
How?
Our conviction here on Critical Thinking Aloud is that God wants a big blended family of both spiritual and human beings who He can share His authority with as they spread Gods Kingdom over the earth. This has and always will be want God wants.
The Divine Council theology bears this out. God does not want to control everything. Contrary to what a many good intending christians might think, God does not meticulously control all things. This is bunk and not sound theology.
How do we know? Because the divine council deals a death blow to a view of Gods sovereignty described as meticulous control. God wants His family members to spread His kingdom and live in a relationship with Him voluntarily, not under compulsion.
One powerful proof of this true is Gods Divine Council.
Check out our post dedicated to what God wants by clicking here.
Gods Sovereighty
Yahweh is at the top of the council, there is none like Him and He is in charge. Now just because God is in charge does not mean that He wants to control all things or that he actually controls all things. Could He? Of coarse He could, He is God. If He was unable to control all things He would not be God, for God can do all things.
Just because a being can do all things should not be taken to mean He actually operates as so. The two should not be conflated. Even though God can control all things, God chose to rule with His family and spread His kingdom by sharing His authority.
Yahweh chose to rule as He saw fit, which is the true biblical definition of Gods Sovereignty.
God = Elohim
Durning this study we have been using the name Yahweh for God but the word that has been translated into God in our Bibles is actually the Hebrew word elohim.
Here is a quote from our other recommended resources to help us understand this word better.
“The Hebrew word elohim lies behind the word “God” in the OT…
Several different entities are referred to as elohim in the OT. …
The Hebrew text of the OT refers to the following as elohim: Yahweh, the God of Israel (over 1000 times); the members of Yahweh’s heavenly council (Psa 82); the gods of foreign nations (1 Kings 11:33); demons (see note on Deut 32:17); spirits of the human dead (1 Sam 28:13); and angels (see note on Gen 35:7). This variety demonstrates that the word should not be identified with one particular set of attributes: elohim is not a synonym for God. …
Yahweh is unique and above these entities- yet the same term can be used to refer to all of them. All beings called elohim in the Hebrew Bible share a certain characteristic: they all inhabit the non-human realm. …
Elohim- as a term- indicates residence, not a set of attributes; it identifies the proper domain of the entity it describes.”
Faithlife Study Bible: in the article Elohim as “Gods” in the Old Testament
God of gods
All spiritual beings are elohim, because they reside in the spiritual world. Yahweh is an elohim because of his domain being in the spiritual world, but no other elohim is Yahweh. Again this can be likened to the King of kings. The King of kings is a king, but no other king is like that King.
Yahweh presides over His council of other elohim who He shares authority with to rule the world. Every being on Gods divine council is an elohim including God, but no other elohim is God. Yahweh’s council exists not only to do Yahwehs bidding for Him but Yahweh has given them autonomy for them to rule with Him, as long as they are loyal to Him.
Loyal Family Members
Yahweh wants to live in community with His family on His holy mountain. This is true for both His spiritual and physical sides of Gods family.
“Mount Bashan, majestic mountain,
Psalms 68:15-16
Mount Bashan, rugged mountain,
why gaze in envy, you rugged mountain,
at the mountain where God chooses to reign,
where the Lord himself will dwell forever?”
God dwells on His mountain, which is where His council is located. Check out this previous installment of Critical Thinking Aloud for a deeper look at how we draw the conclusion that Eden, Gods holy mountain, and His divine council are all one and the same by clicking here.
God wants all of His created spiritual and human beings to join His family and rule with Him. All that He asks for is loyalty. Spiritual and physical beings alike must remain loyal to Yahweh to live in relationship with Him on His holy mountain. Trust is the only prerequisite.
If one does not remain loyal to Yahweh, access to His holy mountain is denied and the relationship with Him is barred. In upcoming installments of this series on the other main characters of the Bible we will talk more in detail how Yahweh in the end will get what he wants, after all He is Yahweh.
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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U.K. Link: NKJV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible- Hardcover Bible, Kindle Edition
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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.
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