Reflections on the Pentateuch

Introduction Genesis 1-11 Genesis 12-5 Exodus 1-18 Exodus 19--Leviticus--Numbers 10

Introduction

The Old Testament in much of Christian culture today is a bit like the British monarchy. Nice to have and parade around, good for ceremony and pomp, and while completely irrelevant is oftentimes adored. It is still celebrated more for what it is then what it does. It is also a fine reminder of the past, and causes thankfulness for the present situation, for who would want it to have real authority now. Yet the reality of the Old Testament in Christian life cannot hardly be overstated. For one who knows the stories, the narratives of God's interaction with humanity and humanity's various responses back to God, these books are full of treasures immeasurable. For they tell us of God, his personality, his priorities, his delights and his hates. We are not given a systematic theology of God's traits and being, rather we are shown God in action, a God not just who is, but primarily a God who works. And through this activity we discover a God that is oftentimes much different than what we expect or even want him to be.

He is not simply a moral force, but has a personality. He is not simply a ruthless judge, but a lover of humanity and creation. He is a God primarily of relationship, who eagerly desires to be in community with people, simply because he loves the community. In the Torah, we find this "couple" getting to know each other, getting to know the quirks and traits which may sometimes endear and may sometimes infuriate. Through these five books we find a God who changes his approach and a people who grow in their understanding and response. Through these books we discover a God who is calling persistently, and is eagerly awaiting a response. In this paper, I will simply offer some reflections on this narrative of discovery, seeking to show along the way the wonderful relational qualities which God so eagerly seeks to share with all of creation.

Genesis 1-11

This story is about the beginning and foundations of humanity, who we were meant to be, what we were meant to do, how we were meant to go about life -- and why we don't these days seem to reflect a "perfect" product. This story tells of what was intended, and why things seem a bit broken. It tells of why there is hardship in basic areas of life: eating, childbirth, etc. -- but also seems to express the reason for the longing in all of us for "something more. We are not just told that God created man, we are told that he formed him from the dust, breathing into his nostrils the breath of life itself, and he created him so that it seems he could walk in the garden in the evening breeze and have someone to talk with.

In chapter One of Genesis we find the story of all of creation, from God's perspective. All is from God, and all is good. Chapter two begins the same way, but it is focused specifically on one creation, humanity. We first hear the overarching narrative as it begins, with the focus then changing, which the rest of the Bible follows, on the role and place that we, as people, play in the story. The Story becomes our story, as the text tells why and how we are, no longer telling us the story of everything else. It is as if we were given a magnifying glass to look deeper into 1:26-29. In the first passage God created, and everything was good, and everything was running smoothly. In the second, God is upstaged by humans, who seek to bypass him for something better, and end up mucking up the whole show. And for the rest of the Biblical text God seeks to re-establish the bonds of the relationship, not because it seems his honor is hurt, but because he lost a dear relationship and will do anything to restore this relationship.

God is an interesting sort in these chapters. He seems more like, in some respects, the mythological characters of other religions with his strong expressions of personality. He is exasperated, worried (it seems), frustrated, but still loving and seeks to have his creation turn out all right in the end. He seems like a parent whose kid keeps causing troubles and who keeps trying new things to put the kid on the right path. He yearns for humanity to go in the right direction, but will actively prevent it from continuing too long down the wrong direction.

God is good, and he makes good things in Genesis 1. He provides bountifully to his creations. Humans have been given the responsibility to govern the land and the animals (Cain as farmer and Abel as herdsman are archetypes of this). Sin in Genesis 2-3 came in when the people decided they wanted to know what God knew without knowing it through God, jumping the gun to reach beyond themselves. This gave them knowledge of good and evil, with the assumption that all they knew before was the good, the right functioning of creation. Their sin was against God, but it was not until Genesis 4 that the result of knowing good and evil becomes clearly evident. In a passage in which we are not given near the amount of information we would like, God chooses Abel's sacrifice over Cain's. He did not reject Cain though, urging him even then to choose the right path, and avoid the path of sin. Cain was given a choice between good and evil. Cain, however, in his apparent frustration thought to, and did, kill Abel. He knew the difference between good and evil and chose the evil. God even still did not reject him, but continued to drive him away from the ideal that he had created. At each point God did not completely reject humanity, but continually sought to restore that which was broken, at least in some way. The story throughout these chapters, however, is one of descent, with the people continuing to choose evil over good, until they no longer seem to have a choice in the matter. The infinitely complex system deteriorated into a destructive pattern which required more than a casual interaction by God in order to save. Yet God sought to save it.

Genesis 12-50

Beginning in this section of Genesis we find God choosing the person, and family, and people that will be the focus of most of the rest of the Biblical text. He chose Abram -- for reasons which we are not given, and which remain pure speculation. God specifically chose him, however, and called him to move to a different place We find that having chosen Abram God also makes a covenant with him, a covenant which is grand indeed. Here we find God stating what will be a character trait throughout the text -- having made a covenant God will be faithful in following through with his part and promises. This includes defending his people, though at times they seem to have brought trouble on themselves, as the incident with Pharaoh suggests.

For the most part God's role in this section is to defend his promises and covenant through whatever happens, whether through the intentional assault by others or by the continual bumblings of his own chosen. He is committed to Abram, later Abraham, and to a distinct line of people. He reasserts his covenant to Isaac, and then Jacob who are both surprisingly the ones chosen to carry on the role of heirs to the covenant. Neither is shown to be especially righteous, indeed both have questionable stories at the beginning of their lives, but God still chooses them. Jacob especially becomes an increasingly unsavory character as one studies him more closely. Even to the end, it seems, he was not particularly a model for ethical behavior. But God was faithful despite his character, showing his commitment to be stronger than even the offensive moral flaws could destroy.

Why this is so is certainly puzzling, though it is interesting that in each case God chooses the second son to be the bearer of the covenant, though certainly not abandoning the first, and original heir. Each character who has a dealing with God, and who seeks him, is blessed in some way, though not all equally. We do not find in these passages much in the way of ethical counsel or directives, with lying seeming to be a way of life for those who are God's chosen. Rather, the simple trust and relationship of his people is what God seems to be wanting -- and even without trust or relationship, however, he still is faithful.

He is seeking to bless those he has chosen and will not let their mishandling of the situation ruin this attempt. His willingness to bless is stronger, seemingly, then their willingness to be blessed. God is surprisingly shown to be able to be reasoned with and actively strives with his people, sending his representatives at times to discuss or even to wrestle for a bit. The impression in this section is one of God dealing with teenagers, giving them counsel and boundaries, but increasingly involving them in decisions, and letting his people even make mistakes as they learn about the God who has called them and is committed to them.

It is also apparent that while this is mainly the story of Israel, God is present and working at times in other cultures -- but these interactions are simply not part of the story we are told. In the story of Abraham, we find the positive work of God in Melchizedek and the fury of God against the people of Sodom. In neither case are we told why these, and certainly other unmentioned people and events, were part of God's activity. God is working through his people, but God is not limited to working through his people. Indeed sometimes he will use others to correct his people. For the most part it seems that the characters in this story spend a lot of time being worried about their lives and God's promises to them, forcing the issue if they feel in danger or see no answer. They lie to get out of trouble, they engineer disastrous circumstances, they are not generally full of faithful words. Their machinations make everything worse, though God still does not abandon them, but their decisions have long lasting consequences. The Christian Faith has likewise tried to force God's kingdom into existence for much of its history, not really trusting that God is able or willing to do what he has said he will do.

God, however, continues to let us participate in what he is doing, allowing us to join with him as we learn about him, making mistakes as we go, but also finding deeper truths. This participation is God letting us join into community with him, letting us share and even argue with him, making himself at times appear on the wrong end of moral choices so that his people can learn to be righteous as they contend with him. I believe this is the concept of divinization that the Eastern Orthodox promote, that we are supposed to be raised to the point of enjoying full community with the divine, and dialogue is an important part of community. One author notes that Abraham, who is a model for us, "is intended not only to pray for the world's blessing but to stimulate the world into praying for blessing for itself." [1] We pray that the world will want to be blessed as much as God wants it to be blessed, and in doing so begin to adopt the pattern of true love that God has for all of his creation. The pattern of growth through participation is exemplified in the story of Joseph, who in making decisions throughout, was led down a path that eventually led to glory and honor, for both Joseph and God.

Exodus 1-18

Joseph, a man who finally chose the path of life rather than death, ends the book of Genesis. At the beginning of Exodus we find the story of the people has somewhat deteriorated. This is one of those stories where perspective really changes how we see the activity of God. From God's perspective he heard the cries of his people who were in slavery, feeling deep concern and sought to bless them through children and through their eventual release. He raises up for them a single leader, who is specially appointed by God to be their spokesman before Pharaoh and eventually their overall leader in all things. He works actively to preserve the lives of his people, though not always their prosperity. He listens and he responds, miraculously changing the situation.

Yet, except for the plagues, God does not show himself very visibly until after they leave Egypt. Though for us the space takes only a few paragraphs before the tension of the slavery is relieved, for the Hebrews decades of silence and seeming inactivity passed. Then when after a very long time Moses to start the process of relieving the situation, things got even worse for the people. We are not told how long it took between the first plague and the last, though it seems like it may have been a long process. God did not simply pop in and take the people out when things started getting bad. He let them stay in slavery for a very long time, and let their babies be killed, and let the Egyptians abuse them terribly. He did not, from the perspective of the people, seem like he was working. But he was. He kept his promises, heard the cries of his people and acted on their behalf, releasing them from bondage. He protected them from overwhelming odds and continued to personally lead them to a new land.

Though God seemed silent, the people seemed to have waited for him to act, continuing to cry out to him, hoping he would save them. They suffered, but they do not seem to have abandoned God. When Moses came and told them God had heard their cries, they bowed and worshipped, thanking God and praising him, responding with thanks as they had previously cried out in desperation. They did, however, waver in their faith, getting discouraged as things got worse. A pattern seemed to have developed in which God would act, the people would praise him, then time would go by and they would get discouraged again. Though God kept acting, they also kept losing faith, thinking that the current crisis was going to be the one in which God abandoned them. But, they did respond to God when they needed to. They trusted enough to pack their belongings and go through the events of the Passover (which certainly required actions done in faith).

For us, it seems, this is a perfect story of life lived in faith and a story of how God works in the lives of his people. We all have troubles, and we all seem to waver in the face of whatever current crisis assails us. This story, however, tells us that God does act, that he is not oblivious to our pain and sorrow, and that he is eager to bring us to a place of new life and being. Though, however, this journey is not necessarily easy and may not necessarily be instant joy. God's salvation may bring temporary pain, which itself requires even more faith as it seems God is making things worse than before. God's timing is not ours, and indeed it seems as if God waits past what we think we can bear, but that does not mean he is not working.

The point of this story, it seems to me, is dependent on its historicity -- it tells us of a God who does act, not a God who can act. And for us, this God is still acting on our behalf and on the behalf of all those who trust in him. This story reveals a God who is beginning a real relationship in which such words as idolatry and adultery could be interchanged. God is committed to the people, but the people are wary and unsure, glorying in the triumphs but wavering at any point of discouragement. We find, though, that God is willing to prove himself, to do acts which justify love and honor from his people. The relationship of love finds a real beginning here.

Exodus 19--Leviticus--Numbers 10

At this point we find a pause in the narrative, a pause of movement but not necessarily of relationship. This is also the point at which many readers decide to close their Bibles, or at least skip ahead to where there is more action. Yet, this section, these laws, establish the relationship formally, with the implication that this has become something serious and needs to be defined. The law then could be seen as the theological equivalent of a DTR. [2] With this, we find what to us are oftentimes odd or curious commands, yet in the context given are significant ways of interaction, definition, and response. God lays out what it means to be in relationship with him, what he requires and desires, and how best the people could respond to him at times of need, joy, or contrition.

The delightful image of sacrifice as equivalent to the modern day giving of flowers helps us to understand this is not a legal transaction, with God as severe judge, but rather a relational conversation in which God yearns to be in an ever growing relationship with a people whose eyes tend to stray towards things forbidden. [3] As the story develops God becomes more severe, with the relationship falling into a pattern more comparable to something we would see on Jerry Springer. God does not break the relationship even still, but in effect creates even stricter limits to what they are allowed to do. Bad relationships must be cut off, poor influences need to be removed, and the people must submit more closely to the pattern God insists upon.

God created humanity as Godlike and has commissioned us to share in his work in the world so he allows us the chance to really participate in what goes on. We are not in charge, but neither are we voiceless slaves -- more of a constitutional monarchy maybe. He has firm plans, but allows our voices, our actions, and sadly even our mistakes to actually make real differences in the working out of this plan. What it seems he is seeking is our own maturity and development as we are restored to what we were meant to be, he seems to be harsh at times or even "legalistic" but this is a reflection of humanity's tendency to drift into destructive patterns. God yearns for community, and knows what kinds of patterns it will take in order for humanity to relate back to him. In the giving of the law he makes clear the distinction between good and evil, and continues to let his people choose which to follow.

God is not a tame God. Growing closer to God entails danger, because life itself is at risk. The Source of life is awesome, but stringent. For Moses, who God let near him, meeting with God was seemingly a time of restoration, confidence building, maturation, and guidance. His meeting with God seemed to have been the source of his ability to properly lead the people out of Egypt and through the wilderness. Meeting with God solves a lot of theological questioning and confusion as God simply reveals himself. To know who it is one is serving in an close way is to be given confidence and joy beyond what anything else could offer. God is overwhelmingly powerful, more so than our souls can seemingly handle, and to meet him is to be laid bare. A scary thing indeed. Our being cannot handle meeting with God, unless God himself prepares and invites us.

Numbers 10-36

The primary issue it seems in these stories is faith. These stories tell us of faltering and murmuring, complaining and fearfulness. We find God continuing to provide, but not always in what the people considered an abundant manner. The people get weary of the struggles of life and start complaining to the leaders and ultimately to God. Increasingly, God becomes weary of all this whining -- so he keeps trying to punish and even destroy them. We find, however, that when it comes to finally solving the problem in the wilderness, the people still do not have enough faith to actually follow through. They falter whenever things seem a little difficult and seemingly prefer a life of unthinking slavery to a life blessed but demanding courage. Those who represent faith in God become offensive to the people, so there are demands for a change in leadership continually. God, however, keeps working through Moses, though even Moses at the end of this passage shows the complaining has gotten to him and he begins to exhibit undesirable qualities. We find through these stories God's faithfulness in the promise, but also how attitude can radically affect the working out of these promises.

One of the key distinctives in each story is the response of God. Rather than having a stock response we find God reacting differently in each situation. Overall, it seems he gets increasingly weary of the people, and gets a "shorter fuse" as the story goes on. He at first tries to spread out the burden of leadership to keep Moses from feeling too stressed, then proceeds to answer the complaints (albeit not without some negatives). He gets angry, but responds. As individuals begin not only to complain about leadership God becomes quite firm. Miriam develops leprosy, and both Aaron and Miriam are told quite clearly that Moses is God's man. Later acts of rebellion lead to massive deaths for those involved, and indeed for all the people. God decides not to put up with any kind of lack of faith by the end of these stories and condemns the faithless to dying in the wilderness. Attitudes which were allowed early on, were no longer accepted by the end.

In the story of Balaam we find that God is sovereign over all people. In this story we find one who must have been quite well known as able to converse with the gods. He was asked to come down and curse the Israelites. Yet, at each point he attempted to do what was expected of him, he was stopped by God, and made to offer appropriate blessings. God showed himself to not only be the god of the Israelites, but able to work in significant ways outside of that specific community, orchestrated the circumstances and showing himself to be the highest, most important god. The story of the Torah seems to express this as well. God is not simply the God of Israel, though he has chosen to work through them. He is in fact the God above all, able to work in power among all people. The scary thing is that people seem to be able to be used by God, but not necessarily be in relationship with God. God will use people he does not relate to.

Deuteronomy

It seems there are two basic thrusts to this book. The first is that Israel really needs to make sure they do not even think about following other gods, worshipping idols, or doing anything which would lead them to do so. They must create an environment in which temptation for doing thus is removed, and continually keep in mind their devotion to God alone. The second part is they must continually keep in mind all of the commandments, doing that which God has called them to do, and following the precepts he has handed down. God is constantly reminding the people that they are God's representatives to other people, and they must fulfill their part of this and remain faithful in all things. If they do, they and God will be extolled. If they do not, they will be scattered. Israel must remember who they are before God and act accordingly. All of the laws and commands are basically there to ensure a right relationship, and a right attitude as these people begin to interact with other cultures. They must remember they are dependent on God for all things, and must stay in step with him, not wandering off or being seduced by the apparent charm of other beliefs or cultural models.

They are yearly remembering that it was God who gave them the land, who let them be their own masters, who gave them the basic ability to give away anything. God does not need these things, but the people need to have a set way of being continually reminded that it is not there own efforts and ingenuity which brought them success. We have much to learn from this, especially in a context in which personal ability is so overwhelmingly highlighted, not just in the culture in general, but also very much so in the church. We pride ourselves on what we can do or have done, grasping greedily onto our property and "stuff" and rights that we are more willing to give up our concern for people than our concern for our cash.

The church especially needs to be a people who forgive debt, who support the poor, who see their wages not as personal rewards, but as coming ultimately from God. This kind of activity is not fiscally responsible, but it is not meant to be, and when we learn that fiscal responsibility and squeezing the last bits of cash out of every available source is not God's ideal we may find that our churches, our communities, and our missions will find renewed blessings. God is not simply interested in bestowing blessings upon us, this is not a relationship of lord and vassal, but a relationship of love. Blessing may come, but more important than material growth is relational growth, and the people must never be "gold-diggers" in this relationship, seeking to be close to God simply for the baubles and treats he may hand out.

Conclusion

It seems it is the tendency of humanity to try and make God manageable. People interpret Scripture or devise theology which would allow us to get a handle on God, to know what we can expect in each instance and to manipulate the relationship for our own benefit. This effectively is the trap of the Law, understanding it is as a clear set of legal guidelines, with God as the legislator and judge, and his people as the subjects and enforcers. So, God then is removed from a relationship of love and understood as being simply a moral force, under the Law himself in fact. Such a view leads to such outspoken heretics as Marcion and his demiurge, as well as less theologically intentional views that have been and still are prevalent in Christian circles in which the wrath and terror of God is only placated by the mercy of Christ on our behalf.

The relationship of love becomes a relationship of fear, and this fear drives a wedge between God and those who he desires to be in relationship with. We ignore these initial books, and look only at the story of the cross as being relevant to our day and age. The Psalmist, however, can declare with passion "Oh, how I love your law! It is my meditation all day long." [4] He declares this because the Law, the Torah, the instructions for living life abundantly, are at their core not simply a moral code but a relational covenant in which one lover is telling the other how to respond in different situations.

The Torah is the story of this relationship, with its ups and downs, stormy battles and exuberant experiences. God has called a people to be in relationship with him, and as with all relationships, the working out of this is terribly complicated. God is not manageable because he is not simply a vending machine kind of God who doles out good for good and bad for bad. Rather he is a God who yearns, who loves, indeed who is jealous and fears that his beloved will fall away. And so we find in the Pentateuch a God who at points seems logical, but at other times defies explanation. We find in the Torah a God who seeks us out, who runs after us, who works on our behalf with or without our assistance. God, we find, yearns for our response, and the Torah tells us how to be contrite when we sin and how to celebrate when we are joyous.

Though the specific patterns may be different in our era and context, the basic tone and emphases which are contained in these stories, and declarations, and instructions still tell us about the God who calls even us, a God who we now know will not only bring his people out of slavery, but will also send his son to die so that we might live. Relationships are oftentimes messy things, but the joy of continual discovery of one another and shared delight brings with it an incomparable satisfaction. What is amazing, startling in fact, is that this is what God in the Torah reveals he desires, and is willing to do whatever it takes to make this relationship work out in the end. Incomprehensible, yet true. And with this thought, a glorious thought, I thus end my seminary education. Like the Israelites I too now face a river, with giants on the other side waiting to be conquered, but I know, because I know their story, that God is with me, and that I, even I, am with God. Amen.

[1] John Goldingay, "What is the Logic of Intercession? Why Does it Work (When it Does)?", Pentateuch course packet, J1.

[2] "Define the Relationship" conversation -- the point at which a couple realizes they are dating more than casually and need to sit down and discuss more deeply for the first time the reality of their connection.

[3] See John Goldingay, "Old Testament Sacrifice and the Death of Christ", Pentateuch course packet, R1-R14 for a further development of this theme.

[4] Psalm 119:97.