|
Our discussion revolved around Numbers 13:25-33 as a prelude to Professor Travis's comments on Numbers 14 in our book, The Bible in Time.
What Unifies the Old Testament?
We opened with a description of the Hebrew Scriptures, what Christians call the Old Testament (OT). At a literary level it is an anthology of ancient Near Eastern texts reflecting the history and religious views of ancient Israel. What unifies this collection of texts, texts that vary remarkably in genre, authorship, and date of composition? At a most basic level, the OT can be seen as an interpretation of an unfolding (and incomplete) narrative of YHWH's collaborative mission with his covenant people to restore shalom, peace, and justice to the world.
Leading Up to Numbers 13
We reviewed the basic content of each book of the Pentateuch (GELND). We then rehearsed the major dramatic elements in Israel's story that led them to Numbers 13, the pivotal passage in Numbers when the people find themselves for the first time on the verge of entering the long-promised land of milk and honey. Once established in the Palestine, the heart of the ancient world, sitting between the two large empires of Mesopotamia and Egypt, the people of God could function to showcase how a community thrives who follows the wise instructions of the God above all gods.
Going Forward Amidst Difficulties: A One or Two Dimensional View?
A group of 12 scouts had been sent north into Canaan to check out both the land itself (is it fruitful?) and the people who live there (are they frightening?). When they return to give their reports we see the disparate perspectives the scouts held.
Entry into the land would surely be a mixed and ambiguous experience, including both promise and problems, hope and hardship. Isn't that how life works? It's often a strange combination of good things and bad.
Some people have impaired vision, so to speak, and are able to see but one of these two co-mingled and intertwined dimensions.
The first group tends to be frightened and anxious, or grumpy and pessimistic, or hesitant and sometimes paralyzed, overwhelmed with the foreboding obstacles that seem to impede the path that God has called them to tread. The 10 more grumbly spies represent this group.
Perhaps just as unrealistic are those can see only the promises without awareness of the complexities and difficulties that life inescapably brings. This group tends to downplay the hardships of life, tries to be glibly cheery and chipper, and attempts to literally thank God for "all things." Fortunately, this flat, semi-stoic unidimensional take on life is neither endorsed nor commanded by Scripture. A survey of the complaints, tears, struggles, aches, puzzlement and grief articulated in the pages of the Psalms, the prophets, Job, and Ecclesiastes, for example, is sufficient to lay this misconception to rest. Tragedies cause even God to weep and mourn. And if we are to reflect his image, then we shouldn't be surprised if we also weep and mourn when faced with the harsher elements of life.
Better to see life as multi-colored, a mysterious mix of good and bads, full of God's promises, but freighted as well with problems and peril. Joshua and Caleb saw the entry into the land as two-dimensional. Yes, there were problems ahead. But if God has promised them the land, then surely he will help them through the difficulties. Here is faith linked with realism. Life can be tough but God is here to help us go forward, even amidst the difficulties.
What Has God Promised Us?
If we are going to draw some lessons from this passage we need to clear about God's promises for us. Here is where a contextually sensitive interpretation of Scripture is critical. It is key to recognize that promises are spoke by God to particular people, at particular times, in particular circumstances, with particular ends in mind. Some transcend their original context. Many do not. It's important to figure out which is which. It can be misleading to disregard the literary and historical contexts in which a promise is anchored. To make the point, here's a contextually insensitive reading of the "land promise" text that fails to heed the who, when, what, and why of the Bible's promise.
Can you see the mishandling of the promise, the gross disregard for the particularities of the passage?
Over the years I have seen hundreds of people claim promises that may not be as substantive as they think. Here are just two examples:
The Timeline
What has God promised us? Here is can be helpful to have in mind the timetime of the story in which we find ourselves. We now live in a fallen world, besought with sin, disease, heartache, disunity, and death. There is coming a day in which God will make all things right. This is not that day. (For more on this eschatological timeline, see our earlier discussion here.) Yes, God will heal all our diseases, but that promises awaits another day, another era in salvation history.
Honor Your Parents
Another example involves children's obedience to their parents to which God attaches a promise that they will live long in the land. We read this "command with a promise" in both the decalogue (Exod 20; Deut 5) and in Paul's family injunctions (Eph 6). Does this mean that if a child today honors their parents they are sure to live to a ripe old age of 87? Hmmm. Let's attend first to the context of the promise. The decalogue, as we noted earlier, is a collection of instructions given to the tribes of Israel. These words, if followed, would help them as a group thrive as a harmonious community and function as a light to the surrounding world. If the tribes at large loved God and neighbor, and was the kind of community that avoided adultery, deceit, theft, and idolatry (all community-destroying behaviors) then they would be blessed of God, a blessing which would include remaining in the land, living long, and prospering. It was NOT the case that every little individual Jacob and Hannah that honored their parents was guaranteed to live 3 score and 10 years in the land. In fact, in that day, 50% of children died by age 5. (Yikes!) This promise of God was not an individual guarantee but a community promise for the whole nation. An obedient nation would be a blessed nation and a disobedient nation would surely, in time, forfeit those blessings. Review Deuteronomy 28 to see this spelled out all too clearly (and graphically!).
Name Some Promises
Here we reviewed a few promises that are highly relevant to us in our day, between the times of Jesus' first and second coming:
|