Tuesday, November 26, 2013

God's Story: Which God? [3]

I bet a lot of people think God is going a “poor” job of running things (feel free to insert whatever expletive you want). Truth be known, I bet you have had a similar thought in your lifetime too. In fact, this truth goes for those claiming to be atheists (perhaps this thought was a step on their journey to rejecting a belief in God), those who are agnostic (perhaps this thought keeps them from trusting in God), and even many Christians. Yep, you read that correctly, even many Christians too.

Yet I will assert that if you are thinking this, or something similar, then you really do not know God’s Story as well as He would like you to know it… So, let us get back to exploring God’s Story together.

If you had someone read Genesis 2:4-3:24 out loud to you, your ears undoubtedly heard a major shift in Genesis 3:1. Yet the shift was not simply that a serpent entered the narrative. No, the shift was from the use of YHWH God to simply god in the text. Not only was this shift on the tongue of the serpent…but on the lips of Eve as well.

Eve, who was in a covenant relationship with God, shockingly bought into the distorted view of God put forth by the serpent…started by the omission of the word YHWH when referring to God. When the serpent used the distant, non-covenant word for “god,” it put forth a deity who was distant and uninvolved – perhaps even uncaring. And Eve took the bait. Sadly many take the same bait today – but I am ahead of myself.

Eve taking the bait is clear as she too calls YHWH God merely god. But she goes further. Not only does Eve not correct the serpent’s words in Genesis 3:1, which is a total trashing of YHWH God’s generous provision in Genesis 2:16-17, she also distorts what YHWH God said. On the lips of Eve are words YHWH God never said, “neither shall you touch it, lest you die.” Again, as far as we know, YHWH God said no such thing. The serpent jumped on this continued distortion of God, twisted things a bit more, and the rest of humanity – in fact all of creation – have felt the brunt of the next decision for millennia.

I like the words of Gordon Wenham as he says of Eve’s comment, “The creator’s generosity is not being given its full due, and he is being painted as a little harsh and repressive, forbidding the tree even to be touched. Indeed, the way “lest you die” follows “touch” suggests that not just eating it but touching it may be lethal.[1]

After Eve, and then Adam, ate of the fruit, the gig was up. God’s Story says their eyes were opened, and among other things, they hid from “god.” However, who is it that shows up in Genesis 3:8? Yep, it is YHWH God once again (remember the 20x YHWH God is in act two as compared to the four times god is used here). This shift back to YHWH God is significant.

In my sanctified imagination I cannot help but wonder if Adam & Eve were hiding from “god” because since they did not immediately die, they thought He was coming to finish them off. Yet the text says it was YHWH God who came looking for them.

You may scoff at such a notion. But let me ask you. When you are caught in sin (whatever it may be), do you run to God immediately, or do you hide it? Do you run to the Body of Christ on earth (The Church), or do you isolate yourself from community and cover it up? Answer truthfully…because if you do not, you will not be able to appropriate the beauty of God’s Story.

You see, what is so amazing about God’s Story, and learning about God based on who the Bible says He is, is that the God of the Bible is not much like what people expect. I think many Christians cower from God in fear. I think many Christians are afraid and ashamed of what they have done and are wondering how God could possibly love them. Oh He may have loved me in the past…but I have crossed the line this time… Whenever you think thoughts like that, you are thinking of a god, and not YHWH God.  

I say this because what we see in Genesis 3:8 is that, even in the midst of their rebellion, YHWH God moves toward Adam and Eve. Can you imagine that? The Creator of everything, longing to be with the crowning point of His creation so much that He seeks them out while they are hiding from Him – in fear and rebellion.

There is much more that could be said about act two of Genesis. I am not sure I will get to it before moving onto the next chapter in “The Story.” My goodness, I expected to do a short post per chapter highlighting something. Well...

But I want to leave you with this encouragement; before you reject God…or hide from Him in fear…make sure you know which God you are rejecting and/or hiding from. Is it a god formed from a variety of readings and experiences? Or is it YHWH God, who reveals Himself in the Bible (and Jesus - but that is later), who is at work undoing the effects of sin on His creation – which includes you reading this right now. 





[1] Gordon J. Wenham, Genesis 1–15, vol. 1, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1998), 73.

No comments:

Post a Comment