Quicksand Theology
“If you do this thing and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all these people also will go to their place in peace.” Exodus 18:23 NASB
To endure – Maybe you feel a little like a James Bond martini these days. “Shaken, not stirred.” Maybe you feel as if all this exploration into the language and culture of ancient Israel leaves you with more questions than answers. Yes, it’s nice to know that the Bible is a consistent whole, that there really isn’t any “Old” Testament and “New” Testament, but rather one story of God’s interaction with Israel and the nations. Yes, it’s nice to know that a lot of those troubling doctrines you learned in church are resolved from a Hebrew perspective. But the task of recovering the truth seems overwhelming. So much to learn. So many technical issues with grammar and meaning. So hard to put yourself in the place of those ancient writers. So much interference from the modern culture. It’s just possible that you’re feeling very much “shaken, not stirred.”
One person expressed it like this: “I just want to know what’s true! I feel like every time I get some insight, then there’s another question. Why can’t we just have something solid to stand on, something that never changes?”
I replied: “Maybe faith is more about whose hand you’re holding than it is about having firm footing. After all, you can even stand up in quicksand if you’re being held there by someone who’s on solid ground. Maybe what we really need is a firm grip instead of firm feet.”
The pursuit of truth can have a decidedly Greek orientation or a consistent Hebrew one. If I’m Greek in my thinking, then I will want solid answers, statement and propositions that aren’t in doubt. I’ll look for a theology that’s much more like mathematics where once I know the axioms, all the rest is simply logically derived. But Hebrew thought doesn’t appear to work like this. It’s much more flexible. There are many more legitimate interpretative opinions. It’s fluid, contextual, messy. In other words, it’s like relationships, not mathematics. “Close attention to actual experience means learning to live with ambiguity.”[1] What relationship do you have that’s as stable as a math formula? None, I hope, for if it were, I doubt there would be much more to the relationship than control.
Faith isn’t facts. Yes, of course, faith includes history, theology, linguistics, grammar and the facts of culture. But that doesn’t really describe faith. Faith is much more like holding on to God’s hand while you walk through the quicksand of experience. As soon as you start being concerned about what you’re standing on, you’re likely to be like Peter, sinking slowly into the mess. Moses used the word ‘amad. It’s about leaning into something, being propped up, finding support. Standing doesn’t mean being a sole pillar. It means finding the “hold on tight” relationship.
Topical Index: endure, faith, holding on, relationship, Exodus 18:23
[1]Terrence Fretheim, God and World in the Old Testament: A Relational Theology of Creation, p. 218.
Skip,
“What relationship do you have that’s as stable as a math formula?”
As an aside, I am a member of a military email listserve…a bunch of us old military guys chat back and forth and share stories, what is going on in our lives, re-tell “war” stories (the things we did in the old days), etc. It is great to keep in touch with the guys even though I have only met a few of them in person. But we “KNOW” each other because we share everything…heartaches, the passing of friends or loved ones, accomplishments, etc.
I got to thinking (which might be dangerous), this is also a community, and other than the comments about what you write each day (which is wonderful — your posts and the replies), we don’t have much dialogue with each other. Would it be acceptable to have a daily post in the comments section just for talking to each other?
For starters, I live in Bowling Green, VA. Married to my beautiful wife, Vi, for 36 years. Two adult children — Ryan, 30 and Bethany 28. I look forward to “meeting” each of you and getting to know more about you in the community!
Great idea. We tried something like it in the past when a few people started a separate blog for this purpose. I’ll talk with Mark, but I am pretty sure it would have to run without my direct involvement.
Skip, on a similar path, would it be possible to ‘share’ Today’s Word to Facebook? A share ‘icon’ would spread these teachings to our ‘friends’ on FB and would have a ‘multiplier’ effect for your ministry.
I will ask Mark to do this
It’s already possible. There’s a Facebook link at the bottom of each TW…just under the line that says “Click Here for a Printer Friendly Version.” I posted one a few months ago.
Judi, I am not seeing anything like that at the bottom of TW and nothing that says “Click here for a Printer Friendly Version’.
Judi is talking about the email version sent out daily. The FB link (and others) is at the bottom of the email after the Printer Friendly version link. The FB link is not on the web pages.
Hello David, Sharing a TW on FB or any other social media platform is very easy and the functionality is built into this blog. All you need to do is highlight the URL > right click and select copy > then wherever you want to share it(as in your FB Timeline) just right click and select paste. It will add the custom graphic we’ve made and the TW you’d like to share.
Mark, I was thinking more of the share icons that I normally see, i.e., you click share and then select the social media icon you want to share it on. (This is the lazy person approach, of course.)
Yes, I understand what you’re asking. And yes I could install social sharing icons and plugins. The problem is they add to the load of resources necessary to operate this website. Thereby slowing down the website. For the small added effort it takes to share a TW, as I described above, I don’t honestly think it’s worth it.
Skip has asked me to put together an instruction post so people know how to share a TW. So, I will, in fact, make a little screen cast that will lay that out for Y’all.
Currently, this week, I’m busy with our congregations “Family Camp” but, I’ll put something together after that.
Create a Facebook Group called “Today’s Word Community.” Post the article to the group page each day. Invite those who post to these comments. Include me. 🙂
Skip already has an FB it just doesn’t get used. https://www.facebook.com/At-Gods-Table-by-Skip-Moen-159285227460678/ Feel free to post any TW there if you’d like.
I am looking at the Facebook page. There is no option for others to post to the Group. One can only reply to Skip’s posts.
Yes, it looks like you are correct.
Like I said, I’m currently attending my communities yearly “Family camp” for the next week. When I return I’ll see what I can do with having the TW’s automatically posted to FB. Then people could respond to each other as well as share it. Skip, however, most likely will not have the time to interact on social media. That will still need to be done here.
Faith is a Fact
To borrow a song lyric, “we’ll understand it all “by-and-by.” What do we know? – What are the “facts?” We know we are instructed to “walk by faith.., -not by sight” We are to “trust and obey,” – we are to “shema” (both hear and obey) the instructions of our always good, always faithful Father. Our God knows what He is doing – (another fact) – He is conforming us to the image of the Son. Sometimes heat, sometimes pressure – all the time “necessary.”
How was the Son “made perfect?’ or “matured?” Friend, the servant (me) is not above His Master!
And one other “fun fact,” — His ways are NOT our ways, and His thoughts are NOT our thoughts! Again, what is our (right) response? Trust. God instructs Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. What does “sight” say? That was one restless, sleepless night for Abraham! But, because of Abraham’s established faith, he lined up all the markers of the events that occurred in his life and saw with 20/20 hindsight – God is (always) Faithful, and (always) good. Abraham’s conclusion and Job’s were the same: “though He slay me, – yet will I trust HIm.” – Abraham trusted His intimate Friend, and “by his works!” – saddled his donkey and set out to do (according to God’s instructions) what God said to do. Hebrews chapter 11 gives us a “hall of fame” of those (victorious ones, btw) who “walked by faith – and not by sight.”
When we trust Him, – God is pleased. Another Biblical fact: ~ And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists (He is intimately and intricately involved in our lives!) and that He (richly) rewards those who earnestly seek Him ~
~ Blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence ~
In an effort to start with the relationships in front of my face, I found that I had to break every ‘rule’ I was ever taught about love. To follow my heart meant to turn my back on a whole lot of stuff that I thought meant safety. With love, there IS no safety! Not as the world understands it, anyway. Working from the flesh understanding of things like love, faith, the safety of obedience, even, means focusing on forms (there’s that “control”!) because form is all the flesh can see. There has been so much form that has replaced the function of love in our society and religious institutions, that the attempted exercise of love, in application, is going to ‘fail’ (at least by those world’s standards of success), and I think it is because the function of love CREATES forms, not FOLLOWS them. Love follows a great Pattern, but that Pattern is off the page of our ability to understand because that Pattern is a living Person (I believe the form of that Person ‘follows’ Him, too, but I digress). Because our eyesight is limited by our paradigms, even standing in our flesh and looking directly at Torah, we are going to miss it. I know I did.
Love does not fit a formula. That does not mean that the Commands are not necessary for love to exist. They are. But the Commands are not the formula for love; they only set the foundation. This is why obedience to the Law does not save us. Obedience is only possible AFTER salvation, but obedience is about the APPLICATION of the Law, which looks different with each and every unique encounter. This is why we need the Holy Spirit to make the Law live in us.
Salvation puts us back on the starting line, but salvation only works on those who repent for what is really wrong. I bet none of us got that right the first time! Repentance allows salvation to reset the potential for relationship. Obedience is not even possible before that. Following form presupposes that obedience can make wrong (slavery to sin) right (freedom from sin). It can’t. Obedience is only possible for those who are already free, but only the guess and check of experience (trying to love from where we are) can show us what we need to repent for, so we can get free.
I tried my best to love by starting from a sinful place. Let me tell you, the sin in me had a field day with the sin in others. I ;failed’ and fell time and again. I had to learn what love wasn’t, first. Guess and check. The folks who insisted on following form, however, I noticed, never even left the real starting gate. They are still playing games, for all I know. Our understanding of how love works UP FRONT will never be right, even if we think we have all the right words and understanding to match. I had to meet the depths of self deception in myself before I began to realize that I could not even view the Law of love correctly from the flesh paradigm I started out with. Reality is strange stuff to sinful folks, y’all.
Faith is where I become willing to throw it all out and start over again, if necessary, with each and every encounter. Blind obedience is the only way to fix my eyesight, corrupted by the deception of sin. Even the eyesight I use to look at that great Law. Experience is not the best teacher; it is the only one. I cannot ‘teach’ myself the Law, post-Tree. Only experience can. Time to try to relate again today! I will ‘see’ how and why, later.
Laurita, you (and Skip) are among the few people I know who, so genuinely, have used your personal journeys, life experiences, hurts/pains, ups and downs for such effective personal growth.
And then, as if that wasn’t enough, you put it all out there for the benefit of others so we too can learn from your accumulated wisdom. Most people have a “story” to tell, but few are willing to share it, (at the levels you share) for the benefit of the community. Thank you (both) for such Godly and Biblical modeling!!
Dear Judy,
I wondered many years if the pain in my life served a purpose. I see that Qohelet (current topic) realized he needed to use his life to warn others. Well. There’s purpose! LOL!
Seriously, I need you just as much. Through the Holy Spirit, I write to my audience through their ears (it sure isn’t my credit!). When you hear it, so do I! I don’t plan what I write, I listen. Therefore, I am as curious as you about which pasture I end up in by the time I get something said. I am learning right along with you! Brand new thoughts are like breakfast in bed. So, thank you for sharing them with me.
I sweat and struggle with the shortcomings I never knew I had until i see them through others’ eyes. I tremble and repent all day, and am thankful for the opportunity to do so. Thank you for patience with my learning curve. That goes to everybody.
This issue makes me ponder the current state of relations between “believers.” It is amazing how our love for facts affects the nature of and expression within our relationships. “This person said this about me to someone else.” THAT is bad! “That person has a bad habit. I cannot tolerate being around something sinful.” “This person believes [a mere fact] that Jesus abrogated the Torah. Brand him a heretic.” The believing community constantly makes these judgment calls that create social disharmony and fragmentation. We slowly but surely pull away when some facet of someone’s personality or belief system is sub-par by our own standards. We emotionally disconnect and move on to the next relationship where we find better personal qualities, more emotional stability, less drama. [Maybe it has more to do with consumerism?] Yes, I expect relationships to be as stable as a math formula. But why? Maybe it is because my own faith is so shallow, so dependent on others to give me the stability I need to navigate life. This type of thinking and behaving leaves little room for Elohim or Yahweh. Jesus stuck with Judas to the end. OUCH! PAIN! HEARTACHE! BETRAYAL! As Skip mentioned in his study on Matthew, maybe we need a Judas to teach us what faithfulness is all about. Maybe we need a Judas to ensure that our actions are as authentic as we think they are.
Someday we will have to write an unauthorized story of Judas. I’m pretty sure he is a lot more like us than we wish. Thanks for your comments here. I appreciate them.