I’m just going to be honest here and own that the early chapters of Exodus (the later ones may as well but in this reading I’m to chapter 10) pose a couple problems for me in that I don’t understand why God is doing what God is doing. Fortunately for me, it seems a lot of biblical scholars, both Christian and Jew, seem to struggle with the same passages. So here’s what happens:
• The Hebrews, the descendants of Joseph who saved Egypt from famine and were welcomed by Pharaoh, have prospered.
• Many generations later, a Pharaoh who did not know Joseph, has perceived the Hebrews as a threat and as such, has enslaved them, a condition that persists for 400 years or so.
• Moses, who is a Hebrew, is raised in the house of Pharaoh, but after killing an Egyptian slave driver, flees to Midian where he becomes a shepherd, gets married, and has a kid or two before,
• he finds a bush that is burning but not being consumed. God speaks to him and tells Moses to return to Egypt where through him, Israel will be restored.
(Sidenote: Moses was happy where he was. Wife, kids, career, he was most likely a content man, and he doesn’t necessarily go along with God’s plan willingly. God seems to frequently pull people out of comfortable situations to serve divine purpose. Moses, Noah, Job, David, the Blues Brothers, Jonah, and the list goes on. Why is that? Maybe those who need help cannot always help themselves. I don’t have the answer this, really.)
Anyway, here’s where things get interesting to me. On the way back to Egypt, Moses and family and camped for the night and Moses is asleep along with the kid(s) but Zipporah, like most moms, is sleeping lightly. God shows up with the intention of killing either Moses, or the child (language nuance allow either interpretation). Strange, no? Moses is on a mission from God, a big one too, but it seems he failed to circumcise his son. Zipporah quickly pulls a blade and does the deed before touch the foreskin to Moses’ foot thus absolving him and saving the day, but still strange, innit?
Let’s move on. There are a number of passages about Pharaoh’s heart and the hardening thereof. Sometimes Pharaoh hardens his heart, sometimes God hardens it. But every time his heart is hardened bad things happen. Scholars point out that Pharaoh hardens his own heart after the early plagues and God only does so in the later plagues but why would God do so at all? At worst, God seem to be compelling a man to sin and then punishing him for it and not only him, but an entire nation, nasty, brutal punishments at that. At best, God is negating Pharaoh’s free will. Maybe the plague of boils would have been enough.
Reading what the “experts” say isn’t overly helpful. In short, their explanation is: God is sovereign and gives mercy where God chooses and was doing this so that God’s glory and authority would be clear. Translation: They don’t know why any more than I do.
This is ponderous. This text has been around thousands of years. By the time Julius Caesar was born, it was like, 2000 years old. Yet the above is the best answer I can find and one, by the way, that has stood for thousands of years. Maybe that’s all there is to it but it seems a little soft, maybe that’s just me.
I believe the intent of God, is to reconcile all of creation, as such, every human can have a part and be an instrument in that plan. So it’s hard for me to see God saying, “Hey, let’s go kick around some Egyptians. Anybody up for a plague or two? I’m thinking locusts but I’m open to suggestions.”
Ponderous.
All in all though, the bible should be ponderous. It should leave us with furrowed brow wondering “Really?” or even “WT…” This is God after all and it’s not reasonable to think we can understand everything. You get what you get.
So I don’t get these parts in Exodus. I’d love to hear any brilliant thought from anyone who reads this, but spare me the “glory and authority” bit.
BTW, not knowing doesn’t shake my faith. What I know, I know in spades. That’s not to say I’m not occasionally plagued by doubt. Every Christian I’ve ever talked to has been at some point in time, most are at various times. It’s okay, doubt is part of the game. But not understanding the bible here and there isn’t going to destroy anything for me.
Y’all know I love ya.
© Carl Mealie, 2011
• The Hebrews, the descendants of Joseph who saved Egypt from famine and were welcomed by Pharaoh, have prospered.
• Many generations later, a Pharaoh who did not know Joseph, has perceived the Hebrews as a threat and as such, has enslaved them, a condition that persists for 400 years or so.
• Moses, who is a Hebrew, is raised in the house of Pharaoh, but after killing an Egyptian slave driver, flees to Midian where he becomes a shepherd, gets married, and has a kid or two before,
• he finds a bush that is burning but not being consumed. God speaks to him and tells Moses to return to Egypt where through him, Israel will be restored.
(Sidenote: Moses was happy where he was. Wife, kids, career, he was most likely a content man, and he doesn’t necessarily go along with God’s plan willingly. God seems to frequently pull people out of comfortable situations to serve divine purpose. Moses, Noah, Job, David, the Blues Brothers, Jonah, and the list goes on. Why is that? Maybe those who need help cannot always help themselves. I don’t have the answer this, really.)
Anyway, here’s where things get interesting to me. On the way back to Egypt, Moses and family and camped for the night and Moses is asleep along with the kid(s) but Zipporah, like most moms, is sleeping lightly. God shows up with the intention of killing either Moses, or the child (language nuance allow either interpretation). Strange, no? Moses is on a mission from God, a big one too, but it seems he failed to circumcise his son. Zipporah quickly pulls a blade and does the deed before touch the foreskin to Moses’ foot thus absolving him and saving the day, but still strange, innit?
Let’s move on. There are a number of passages about Pharaoh’s heart and the hardening thereof. Sometimes Pharaoh hardens his heart, sometimes God hardens it. But every time his heart is hardened bad things happen. Scholars point out that Pharaoh hardens his own heart after the early plagues and God only does so in the later plagues but why would God do so at all? At worst, God seem to be compelling a man to sin and then punishing him for it and not only him, but an entire nation, nasty, brutal punishments at that. At best, God is negating Pharaoh’s free will. Maybe the plague of boils would have been enough.
Reading what the “experts” say isn’t overly helpful. In short, their explanation is: God is sovereign and gives mercy where God chooses and was doing this so that God’s glory and authority would be clear. Translation: They don’t know why any more than I do.
This is ponderous. This text has been around thousands of years. By the time Julius Caesar was born, it was like, 2000 years old. Yet the above is the best answer I can find and one, by the way, that has stood for thousands of years. Maybe that’s all there is to it but it seems a little soft, maybe that’s just me.
I believe the intent of God, is to reconcile all of creation, as such, every human can have a part and be an instrument in that plan. So it’s hard for me to see God saying, “Hey, let’s go kick around some Egyptians. Anybody up for a plague or two? I’m thinking locusts but I’m open to suggestions.”
Ponderous.
All in all though, the bible should be ponderous. It should leave us with furrowed brow wondering “Really?” or even “WT…” This is God after all and it’s not reasonable to think we can understand everything. You get what you get.
So I don’t get these parts in Exodus. I’d love to hear any brilliant thought from anyone who reads this, but spare me the “glory and authority” bit.
BTW, not knowing doesn’t shake my faith. What I know, I know in spades. That’s not to say I’m not occasionally plagued by doubt. Every Christian I’ve ever talked to has been at some point in time, most are at various times. It’s okay, doubt is part of the game. But not understanding the bible here and there isn’t going to destroy anything for me.
Y’all know I love ya.
© Carl Mealie, 2011
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