Some time after completing Old Testament class at seminary, I volunteered with a Marin County literacy program. While attending a training session at a large Catholic Church in San Rafael, I struck up a conversation with an older woman at my table. She was surprisingly pleased to learn that I was an aspiring minister. "I’ve never been a church-goer," she said. "But I just became a grandmother and am starting to think that my grandson needs some kind of spiritual training." Of course, I was quick to agree, and we went on to have a pleasant discussion. Later, this woman returned from a break clutching a large, colorful book. Taking matters into her own hands, she had purchased a children’s Bible for her grandson from the church bookstore, which she began to flip through excitedly. After a moment, though, her eyes grew wide with shock. "This is horrible!" she gasped. "It shows God sending snakes to bite people after they disobeyed Him. But God never did that, did He?" Here she held the book up to my face, where—sure enough—I saw a picture of cartoonish snakes attacking a mob of terrified Israelites. I was all-too familiar with this story from the book of Numbers, so pleading ignorance was out. But what could I say to this confused and upset woman? In hindsight, perhaps I should have launched into a lengthy explanation of the JEDP theory I had learned in seminary—in hopes of inducing a catatonic state that would last until the training resumed. But at the time I froze up like one of the kids who got eaten by Elisha’s bears in the box canyon, only managing to stammer, "Well, that story wouldn’t have been my first choice for a children’s Bible, that’s for sure." "So you’re saying these snakes really are in the Bible. That settles it!" And with that, my companion stormed off to get her money back, and I was left alone with my thoughts. Though, really, there was only one thought: "Lady, you don’t know the half of it."
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Elisha and the Bears - Part 2
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7 comments:
No, sadly she doesn't I wish you could still be in connection with her, but I assume that is unlikely.
What do you think of the story?
Monk - Unfortunately,I never saw her again after that day (and this incident occurred years ago).
As for this (and similar) Bible stories, I tend to think that the authors are writing out of their experiences and their own understanding of God--not presenting an end-all, normative view. So maybe the Israelites stumbled upon a nest of vipers and interpreted that misfortune as God's wrath.
I'm sure that interpretation is problematic in some ways, but I detect an evolving view of God in Scripture. Yes, there is plenty of wrath in both Testaments (and plenty of grace in the OT), but over time, there seems to be a growing sense that God is approachable rather than angry.
What's your take?
The God of the Bible never does anything without a reason. God's reasons may not be obvious to us, and might even seem contradictory, but God knows exactly what He is doing and why He is doing it.
God never killed anyone, at any time, or ordered anyone else to, unless He determined that it was justified. And since He alone is God, he can make those decisions. There is no moral standard above God to which He must answer. He is the moral standard Himself. God doesn't owe me, or you, or anyone else another breath. We live at God's pleasure and we die at his pleasure.
Are you aware that if we imagine God to be something other than He really is, we are idolators?
Steve,
The first thing I think of is the passage in Luke, where Jesus confronts the issue of accidents befalling people.
Typically people think that when a tower falls on you, or when a nest of vipers gets you it is YOUR FAULT, because of some sin. This is a protective emotion, because if you can avoid the supposed sin, u can avoid the bad thing happening to you. Control of our lives is an illusion, but most of us find that hard to accept.
Jesus tells us that these unfortunate events never were about sin. Even though we must all repent in general, this is not how God operates.
Gary - Thanks for your recent comment, which was thought-provoking. I agree with your last sentence about idolatry completely. In fact, the point I have made on other posts is that we're all idolaters/heretics because none of us has a completely accurate view of God. We all do the best we can with the available evidence, but the incredible variety of Christian sects shows that a uniform answer is impossible. I hope I'm not misrepresenting the intent of your statement, but I can't imagine that you are claiming to have a 100% accurate image of God. You might mean that the Bible is 100% accurate, but Scripture has to be interpreted, which leads us back to the countless sects and fallible human opinion.
I am in less agreement with your idea that God ordered mass killings and was justified in doing so. Scripture tells us that God is the same, yesterday, today, and forever, so if He ever did this, such acts continue to be in His nature. Therefore, if someone claims that God told him to blow up innocent people in a crowded market (which happens regularly), we have no basis to say that God does not behave that way. Instead, the best we can do is admit that God sometimes gives such orders, but we disagree with this particular application of the remedy.
For my part, I would tend to point to Jesus and say that his example to submit to violence rather than inflict violence himself is the best reflection of God's nature.
Steve,
Since God is infinite and I am not, will I ever have a completely accurate view of God? Probably not. But that does not mean I'm an idolater/heretic. A completely accurate view of God is not a requirement of true faith.
An idolater or a heretic is someone who refuses to accept what God reveals and instead tries to substitute fiction for fact, or men's thoughts for God's revelation.
God is holy and a God of justice and judgement, as well as a God of love and mercy. This idea that God is only love and would never do anything to harm anyone is not found in the Bible.
God has ordered mass killings and has even done them himself, The Flood being the best example. And, there is more to come. God judges and condemns people to Hell everyday. God always does right and never does wrong, or else he wouldn't be holy, and wouldn't be God.
Gary - Thanks for clarifying your definition of idolatry. Earlier you had stated that it was to "imagine God to be something other than He really is." Now you seem to be pointing to a more deliberate act of the will--intentionally substituting a false notion of God for one you know to be true. Based on that definition, I guess neither of us are idolaters, since we are both presumably making an honest search for God using the available evidence. So I like your last take better, though I suspect we both harbor some wildly incorrect views.
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