Genesis 33:10, The Face of God

Sunday, February 20, 2011 in Bible Commentary | 2 comments

…for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me.

//Said by Jacob to Esau at their meeting.

A few days ago, in a review of Karen Armstrong’s book, In The Beginning, I discussed the day Jacob fought with God.

Actually, the man Jacob wrestled with refused to identify himself. Desperate to escape before daybreak allowed recognition, Jacob’s opponent begged to be let go, but Jacob refused, and held tight to the mysterious man until he blessed Jacob. Jacob then decided he must have been wrestling with God, and changed the name of the place to Peniel, “face of God.”

Karen Armstrong wonders if the author didn’t mean to imply that Jacob dreamed the whole affair. I guess that makes sense, since the Bible is clear that no man can see the face of God and live. But how, then, did Jacob’s thigh get out of joint?

Sorry, Karen, this time you’re wrong, it was no dream. Let’s continue the story. The next morning, along comes Esau, Jacob’s long-lost brother. Jacob feared the meeting, for he had stolen Esau’s birthright through deception. Curiously, Esau meets Jacob not with anger but with forgiveness! What brought about this sudden change?

As they hug one another, Jacob makes this strange pronouncement: “I have seen your face, as though it were the face of God.” Jacob suddenly identifies the man he wrestled with in the dark … it was the face of his brother, Esau.

Book review: Jesus Christ: The Jesus of History, the Christ of Faith

Saturday, February 19, 2011 in Book Reviews | 0 comments

by J. R. Porter

★★★★★

I have no idea how this book slipped through the cracks. I never heard of it until one day it appeared on the discount rack at Borders. With lots of colorful pictures and insightful sidebars, does it not look scholarly enough? Would that explain its obscurity?

This is more than a beautiful book; it’s carefully researched and fun to read. Oh, that’s another sin, isn’t it? Scholarly books are supposed to be boring, reserved for the studious.

Here’s the deal: If you’ve ever wondered about all the hoopla surrounding the Historical Jesus, this is a highly recommended first book, taking you deep into the world of first-century Palestine. It’s respectful but not evangelical; the typical Christian will find it enlightening while the fundamentalist may not. In a simple example, Matthew and Luke provide long genealogies of Christ, that unfortunately contradict one another. Porter points out that such genealogical compilations were common, and were for political or religious reasons, never intended as a straightforward historical record. They are, in the biblical instance, artificial constructions with a theological aim, needing no harmonizing, and the contradiction between the two should not disturb Christians.

Let’s take another example. When Porter discusses the Massacre of the Innocents (King Herod’s slaughter of children when Jesus was born), he discusses how the story in Matthew is woven from various biblical themes, probably influenced by Jewish embellishments of the story of Abraham in the book of Genesis. Many scholars hold the view that Matthew has manufactured the entire story. But Porter doesn’t downplay the possibility that such a massacre did occur at the hands of Herod; it may be authentic, its victims simply not numerous enough to draw the attention of contemporary historians. Such brutal acts were not unheard of for the time.

This constant determination to present all sides of a discussion—in particular, his portrayal of both the Jesus of history and the Christ of faith—is not being wishy-washy. It’s merely good scholarship, and it makes you think.

Beautiful, quite readable, highly recommended.

Genesis 22:10, 15-16, Did Abraham Kill Isaac?

Friday, February 18, 2011 in Bible Commentary | 1 comment

Then [Abraham] reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore.”

Oops. That’s not how the story goes, is it? Abraham doesn’t really kill Isaac, does he?

Yes, quite possibly, he does. Several midrashic sources actually confirm that Isaac was indeed sacrificed. Why else does Abraham now appear to descend the mountain alone? The story continues: Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba.

Scholars have long recognized that the books of Moses are a collection of multiple authors’ writings, and this particular story is contributed by what scholars label the “E” writer—the one who refers to God as Elohim. Not surprisingly, this “E” writer will never again mention Isaac (though other sources will). But inserted after the sentence where Abraham appears to slay his son are a few verses that I’ve left out; verses written in a different style, verses in which an angel of Yahweh intervenes and stops the sacrifice. Likely, these verses were inserted into the story much later.

The story of Abraham and Isaac may mark a turning point in Hebrew history, when human sacrifice became repugnant. But what’s not exactly clear is when this turning point came … when the story of Isaac was rewritten to be morally acceptable. We don’t know.

Book review: The Unworthy Servant

Thursday, February 17, 2011 in Book Reviews | 0 comments

by Bob Williston

★★★★

The Unworthy Servant is a fictional narrative of a young man who joins an obscure Christian “cultic” group. Bob Williston was raised in such a sect (sometimes called the 2x2s or the “Friends and Workers,” hereafter abbreviated F&Ws), and anyone who knows the author knows precisely the religious group which forms the inspiration for his writings, but this isn’t meant to be a story about only the F&W’s. Bob purposefully introduces idiomsand rituals that don’t derive from the F&Ws. For example, he writes about foot washing, which the F&W’s don’t practice; he speaks of “confessing” (the common F&W term is “professing”) and of attending “retreats” (F&W’s will call them “conventions.”) When I asked about this, Bob explained: “The reason I used some different language and some different practices was to make the book focus more on the dynamics and personalities in a cultic group, rather than have it appear to be simply a presentation of life among the 2x2s.”

But don’t be fooled: while Bob writes “generically” of such sects, his storyline and characters derive from an actual living, breathing religious movement. The F&W religion originated in the late 19th century, and maintains a worldwide nondenominational Christian fellowship of a few hundred thousand members that meet in homes and are directed by a homeless, travelling ministry. The group prefers to keep a low profile, and doesn’t have a legal organization or website to tell about it, but here is a website maintained by a prior member that can provide more information: http://www.tellingthetruth.info/home/

F&Ws will, of course, bristle at Bob’s use of the word “cult” as he describes the book, because this word can be misinterpreted in some very derogatory ways. I don’t want to put you in mind of another Heaven’s Gate or Waco, Texas. The F&W religion is benign by comparison, in my opinion only slightly more “cultish” than mainstream Christianity. Its members are satisfied, happy members of society. Nevertheless, Bob’s story will carry you deep inside a world that is very foreign to most Christians.

Meet Aaron Finkelstein, a young man who finds his spiritual emptiness met by a Christian group called “The Way.” Enamored of its simplicity and friendliness, he offers to become a “servant” (a minister, or, in F&W terms, a “worker”). As instructed, he signs over his life savings to the group so that he can become homeless and penniless.  Thus begins a journey into a world of critical fundamentalism, aggressive exclusivity, under-the-surface legalism, subtle extortion and irrational over-admiration for group leaders. (Note to members of such groups: Yes, whether you feel it’s deserved or not, many outsiders and former members really do see your group in exactly these terms. The lack of financial accountability does not help.)

Ninety percent of the book is dialogue, which can be a challenge for an author. At times this style makes the book appear unimaginative and preachy (you can only do so much with “he said, she said”) but at other times makes it insightful and hard to put down. For me, perhaps because of my religious background, it was a page-turner. I particularly recommend it for anyone with connections to similar religious groups.

Song of Songs 8:8, Premarital Sex

Wednesday, February 16, 2011 in Bible Commentary | 0 comments

“We have a little sister too young for breasts. What will we do if someone asks to marry her? If she is chaste, we will strengthen and encourage her. But if she is promiscuous, we will shut her off from men.”

Hey, wasn’t that quite an inspiring love story in the verses I quoted on Valentine’s day? The language isn’t exactly contemporary … try comparing your lover’s hair to a flock of goats and see how far it gets you … but you have to admit, it’s some pretty poetic literature!

So, who are the lovers this book is about? Solomon and his new wife? The book never once mentions God, which may be why some interpreters consider it a love poem between Christ and his bride, the people of God. We have to bring God into the picture somehow, right? Or the book remains no more than a secular love poem of unknown origin that somehow sneaked into the Bible.

The shocker doesn’t arrive until the end of the story, when the young maiden’s brothers arrive, and we learn she isn’t married. “What will we do if someone asks to marry her?” Wow, that’s some risqué stuff for an unmarried couple in a revered book of the Bible! The young maiden argues that she has been chaste, but now her breasts are full and they satisfy her lover. Then, she calls for her lover to come.

What happens next is anyone’s guess. It’s there in black and white, but it’s hard to decipher between the many translations. Some say the young woman shoos her lover away so that she may remain chaste. Others say she defiantly hurries her lover’s sexual climax, consummating their love before it can be prevented. I guess you may write your own ending, to match your own religious standards!

Book review: The Irresistible Revolution

Tuesday, February 15, 2011 in Book Reviews | 0 comments

by Shane Claiborne

★★★★

Welcome to the world of radical Christian Shane Claiborne, where compassion and brotherly love trump all else. It’s a world of protest rallies, sleeping alongside the homeless, frequent jail time, caring for others alongside Mother Teresa at Calcutta, and visits to leper colonies and wartime Iraq. Shane believes in works, and has written a book for a new generation of Christians who want to live their faith to the fullest. Church is no longer enough: Shane jokes that if someone had a heart attack on Sunday morning, the paramedics would have to take the pulse of half the congregation before they would find the dead person. A friend of his put it this way: “I gave up Christianity in order to follow Jesus.”

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. For Shane, these are no longer repetitious words, atonally muttered in anticipation of a future era. They are today’s conviction.

Song of Solomon, chapter 4

Monday, February 14, 2011 in Bible Commentary | 0 comments

Young man:

“How beautiful you are, my beloved, how beautiful! Your eyes behind your veil are like doves. Your hair falls in waves, like a flock of goats frisking down the slopes of Gilead.

Your teeth are as white as sheep, newly shorn and washed. They are perfectly matched; not one is missing.

Your lips are like a ribbon of scarlet. Oh, how beautiful your mouth! Your cheeks behind your veil are like pomegranate halves–lovely and delicious.

Your neck is as stately as the tower of David, jeweled with the shields of a thousand heroes.

Your breasts are like twin fawns of a gazelle, feeding among the lilies.

… Your lips, my bride, are as sweet as honey. Yes, honey and cream are under your tongue. The scent of your clothing is like that of the mountains and the cedars of Lebanon.

You are like a private garden, my treasure, my bride! You are like a spring that no one else can drink from, a fountain of my own.

You are like a lovely orchard bearing precious fruit, with the rarest of perfumes.

… You are a garden fountain, a well of living water, as refreshing as the streams from the Lebanon mountains.”

Young Woman:

“Awake, north wind! Come, south wind! Blow on my garden and waft its lovely perfume to my lover. Let him come into his garden and eat its choicest fruits.”

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Matthew 10:18, Is Jesus God?

Sunday, February 13, 2011 in Bible Commentary | 0 comments

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.”

Book review: In the Beginning

Friday, February 11, 2011 in Book Reviews | 0 comments

by Karen Armstrong

★★★★★

This is not a new book, but it’s one I enjoyed and want to share. It’s short, especially so when half the book is a reprint of the text of Genesis, which, surely, no one reads.

This is the story of the Bible’s first book, raw and unchurched. Karen introduces us one by one to the characters and their stories, making no effort to turn them into saints, for they are nothing like the impossibly and depressingly flawless characters we met in Sunday School. Throughout, the authors of Genesis remind us that we can expect no clear-cut answers. We wrestle with the text, measuring its inconsistent doctrines and contradictory lessons, as we struggle to grasp the character of God. How can God be omnipotent, but powerless to control his creation? How can God be benevolent but a killer; wise but arbitrary; just but partial and unfair; omniscient but ignorant of human yearning?

Let me tell one story to set the tone of the book.

Jacob and Esau were twin brothers destined to conflict from the moment they emerged from the womb; Esau, first, to claim the coveted birthright, but not for Jacob’s lack of trying, who followed with his hand grasping his brother’s heel. As adults, the day came when the two would meet, and Jacob feared the meeting, for he had stolen his brother’s birthright through deception.

Jacob didn’t sleep the night before. Instead, says the Bible, he wrestled all night with a stranger, and became aware only at the end of the match that he had been fighting with God. Jacob brushed with the divine, and no two people experience God the same way. Was it real, or was it a dream? Psychologists speak of the “dream work” that we all accomplish at night at some profound level of our being, which enables us to look at issues that our conscious, daytime self finds impossible to face. Perhaps in some deep reach of his memory, Jacob recalled his wrestling match with Esau in the womb, as he internally prepared for his meeting with his brother in the morning.

Transformed and enlightened, Jacob set off at daybreak to meet his brother face to face.

Ezekiel 1:16, Ezekiel’s Antics

Thursday, February 10, 2011 in Bible Commentary | 0 comments

This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: They sparkled like chrysolite, and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel.//Ezekiel? Who reads Ezekiel? Not me, at least not before I began researching for my book on Revelation, when it became a necessity. But now, I find Ezekiel a fascinating character. Dennis Rodman couldn’t hold a candle to the publicity stunts Ezekiel dreams up.

Ezekiel, a priest, was part of the first deportation of Jews into exile in 597 BC, where he prophesied to his fellow captives. His visions are among the most psychedelic in the Bible. Artists have had a heyday trying to portray Ezekiel’s “wheels in wheels.” Ezekiel’s most famous vision, of course, is the valley of dry bones, which God brought to life before his eyes. But his views of a vengeful God and his doomsaying about Jerusalem’s upcoming destruction didn’t win him many friends, so he needed a way to get his message across. From laying on one side for 390 days, to remaining mute for seven years, to digging a hole through the wall of his house, to eating human dung, Ezekiel knew how to draw attention. (Some interpret the Bible to mean Ezekiel didn’t eat human excrement but used it only to fuel the fire for baking, but that’s unlikely: human dung won’t burn).

One of his methods was colorful language; I wouldn’t dare repeat the sexually explicit verbiage Ezekiel uses to describe the wayward Israel in chapter 23. But was Ezekiel right? Bet your backside he was! King Nebuchadnezzer savagely razed Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple only eleven years later. Now, Ezekiel’s oracles began to shift against others: God remained violent and vengeful, but now bent on the extermination of other nations in order that they be forced to acknowledge that “I am Yahweh.”

Soon, even Ezekiel ran out of steam, and began to promise the restoration of Israel. God would gather his people from the nations and return them to His homeland, and establish a new covenant. Right again!

Enter the Book of Revelation, centuries later, where it all plays out a second time.