Hey everyone we are back for the sixth part of Why is the world the way it is? Parts 1-5 have been a journey to say the least. If you have not gone through those posts yet please do so here.
We will be building off everything we have gone over so far and won’t be rehashing everything we have learned in past episodes. The information we will be reviewing from those past episodes taken by itself here may be a bit confusing with out the former context to bring sufficient clarity. Again if you haven’t gone through sessions 1-5 check out our overview directory of the Why is the world the way it is? here.
Reminder
Remember in this series we have been seeking to answer the question of why is the world the way it is with the Ancient Near Easterners worldview, not by our popular 21st century christian response. As we have said many times throughout this series we seek to do this not because the 21st century christian response is deceptive but because it is incomplete in the scope of the biblical authors worldview. Once we view the biblical narrative through the Ancient Near Eastern lease we see a much more robust answer come into focus for why the world is the way it is.
A greater clarity of the bibles most complexing elements and the vividness that comes from adopting the ancient biblical authors worldview is not limited to only this subject as we will explore in future episode of Critical Thinking Aloud.
Where we left off
Why is the world the way it is? In the biblical authors worldview the answer to this question is
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.
We spent a lot of time going over this in detail in our past episodes. The main thing we what to keep in our minds is that in each rebellion we saw the same pattern repeated. The Biblical Authors use repetition as their main literary devise to communicate important truths to their audiences.
Here is a quote from our last episode to sum up the motif we noticed.
“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.”
Why is the world the way it is? Part 5
Using this simple literary technique of repetition we are able to connect these three dual rebellions to each other and will be able to trace these patterns clear throughout the bible giving us our answer to the question we have posed.
As we briefly covered in the last teaching this pattern is stuck on repeat throughout the biblical narrative. The opening chapters of Genesis give us the foundation upon which the world is the way it is today. Sadly this mold which was cast in the first eleven chapters of Genesis replays throughout the whole of human history leaving just as destructive of a wake as we have previously covered.
Last time we left off with taking note of the fact that the biblical narrative was going to repeat the same motifs only this time in a new way. After God gave the rebellions nations into the authority of His loyal council members (other spiritual beings) who were to govern their allotted nations as God would His portion. God placed the nations under these spiritual beings control He chose Abram to become His chosen people.
Following the same pattern as the three rebellions that had come before in Genesis Chapter 3-11, in Chapter 12 we see in the call of Abraham a complete reversal of every element to this motif. Here is a quote from our last episode on this same motif which is reversed in Abraham.
“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.”
Why is the world the way it is? Part 5
Thus far we have three dual rebellions of both the physical and spiritual side of Gods family which led to a rejection of the nations by God and his placement of them under other spiritual beings authority. These loyal spiritual beings become corrupted by a lust to be worship as gods by humanity giving us yet another rebellion by the nations and spiritual beings alike. This is the biblical explanation for the origins of the other nations gods within the biblical text. God choses Abram to be there foundation for His own nation.
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Where we are headed
We have come along way together in this subject and hopefully by now you don’t need me to tell you where the story is headed. Repetition is still just as an effective tool today for teaching as it was thousands of years ago. This newly founded nation is not going to be able to break the mold, and as odd as it sounds that is the point.
God calls Abram and changed his name to Abraham who had a son named Issac. Issac had a son named Jacob who’s name is changed by God to Israel. Jacob had 12 sons which multiplied into 12 tribes which is the seedbed for Gods chosen people the nation of Israel. 400 years pass while they were in Egypt and God brings the house of their gods to ruins along with all of Egypt to free His people by the hand of Moses. We will revisit this all later in another series dedicated to the judgement of the gods of Egypt but for now we will skip ahead.
After God brings His nation out of Egypt we see our familiar pattern reappear only this time in relationship to Gods Chosen people. These people where hand chosen by God to be His people. He has already disinherited all the other nations after the Babel rebellion and chose this people to be His own nation. In time God freed them with His mighty arm from their oppressors.
Complaint department
It doesn’t take long at all to see this nation set out on the same pattern we have seen before. After much complaints God brings them to Mt. Sinai to enter into a covenant with them. He wants His people to come up on His mountain with Him to establish their covenant but they won’t go so they send Moses to go for them. Moses goes up and brings the stipulations of the covenant back down. The people accept and make the deal and Moses heads back up on their behalf.
The very next narrative in the bible is about how Gods chosen people break their newly established covenant with their God. Here we will see the same pattern as before reappear. The mountain is smoking with Gods presence. The people can see with their own eyes the physical manifestation of the creator God in the cloud right in front of them and the proceed to do this,
“When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.””
Exodus 32:1
There is something very interesting here to take note of. It is the peoples lack of a mediator that motives their actions. Look at what they said, “when the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down…” “we don’t know what has happened to him”. They seek to have something created in his stead.
Here is a quote from our handy NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible to give us a hand hold on what is going on here,
” the calf functions more to replace the absent Moses as mediator than to replace Yahweh as the one who delivered them from Egypt.”
NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible Pg. 167: notes on The Golden Calf
Did you catch that, these people want to replace their mediator (Moses) with a god who can go before them. Mose was chosen by God as the means to bring them out of Egypt. Remember what God told Moses He will be like
“He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him.”
Exodus 4:16
This does not necessarily mean they wanted to replace Yahweh as their God but they may have only been seeking a spiritual mediator as Moses was for them. Sound familiar? Yet again we have people in the ancient boarders of Eden trying to access the spiritual world albeit via a mediator. No matter the intent God deems this as wrong and sends Moses back down the mountain to deal with them.
If you are interested in this subject check out this podcast for a more in-depth study of The Golden Calf incident and the different interpretations of these events here.
Time to push another reset button?
God is ticked, and rightly so. After just having made a convent with His people they start repeating the same rebellious patterns as the nations did before. God wants to wipe His people out and start over with Moses but miraculously Moses stands in the gap for the people. Moses intercedes for the people and begs Gods forgiveness on these sinful people.
Instead of a promise for the future redeemer we have here in this story Moses taking on the role of the promised Messiah. Moses puts His life on the line and asks God to destroy him instead of this rebellious people. Indeed later in Deuteronomy we find out that the promised one to come will be a prophet just like Moses. God tells Moses that He will punish them for their sins but that His angel (His Presence) will lead them out.
Here is a short summary as a quick reminder of the same motif that the biblical author is repurposing. Blessing, 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.
The next thing we read is
“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of Egypt, and go up to the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I will send an angel before you and drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way.”
Exodus 33:1-3
Again we have a people in the ancient boarders of Eden who rebel against God by trying to bridge the gap of the spiritual world this time via a mediator of gold which they built and are judged. After this they are told to go up to the land flowing with milk and honey in other words Eden. Do you see what the author is doing here, this is the same exact pattern as before. This is the reinstatement of the Edamic mandate.
Unfortunately for Moses and these people this time God tells them He will not be joining them least He destroy them in His anger along the way. Moses is not happy with this pronouncement and again asks God to show them mercy. Moses knows Eden is not Eden without the Lord. Moses is not content on building His own Eden without the presences of Yahweh. This is a stark contrast to all of the other narratives we see throughout the bible. Over and over again we read horror stories about the pursuit of this creator free Eden that drives mankind to the brinks of Hell in attempts to acquire that which Moses knew is worthless all long.
It doesn’t matter how beautiful or fruitful this land is, Moses tells the Lord
“If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. “
Exodus 33:15
Here we see Moses following in Abrams footsteps. While people are generally eager to forge an Eden for themselves these two figures stand out for their complete abandonment of their self-reliance to gain that which can only be given. It is their trust in Gods provision and not their own strength or self willed ability to over come failure that has made them pillars in the faith throughout the eons.
These two figures are shinning examples of what our trust in Gods provision should look like. They both made huge mistakes but that is not what defined them. It was their willingness to trust in the Lord to make them right with Himself and grant them access back into the spiritual world to live as a part of His family. Unfortunately as we will see next time these faithful examples could not stem the tide of Gods chosen peoples disobedience and the negative implications which pursues.
Please join us as we will continue with the down fall of Gods nation in the next episode of Critical Thinking Aloud: Why is the world the way it is?
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