Interpreting Genesis and Exodus

After the initial 3 chapters of Genesis we launch into the family tree first of humanity in general and then of Israel in particular. The point of these for us today is not whether they are historically accurate so much as what principles do the stories attached to the various players in these stories tell us about God, relationship with him, and the lives of these early pioneers of faith. So whether you like to take the stories as a literal account of the generations or not, we can all read them as vehicles which carry important truths about faith and people and God. You can also trace in them a kind of development of understanding about God and faith. So for instance we have one motif about God which can be described as "The God of the Fathers". This is how he is known to the earliest characters in the sagas of Genesis. He is local, tribal, and one among many, but he is their God: the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This understanding develops and climaxes in the revelation to Moses at the burning bush, where the transcendence and eternity and holiness of God are brought out in a dramatic way. The implications of the utter might of God as Lord of all are then played out in the "let my people go" narrative where the God of the Hebrews is shown to be almighty and the Egyptian gods cannot compete with Him nor are they even mentioned, unless you except Pharoah who may have been seen as a god. The fact that there is an interplay quite early on between what seem different styles of understanding about God has led some authorities to postulate different editorial streams accounting for the differences we find. I am not sure these theories need bother the ordinary reader or even the professional pastor like myself, as we are looking for the truths which form the great principles of faith.

As a historical narrative, Exodus is much discussed and there is a division among scholars about the extent of the accuracy of the narrative. But as a literary device it seeks to give us a theological story about God, the Law, and the placement in Canaan which nestles in what we can call salvation history. This fits wonderfully well the Christian understanding of God as a God who saves. So the story is a goldmine for Christian expositors of the Old Testament whether they take Exodus literally or not. The transportable sanctuary which is the model for the later temple also gets huge exposure and is given to us in great detail. The great thing about this is its lack of representation of God and its huge emphasis on functionality in the detail about all the items used for making sacrifices and cleansing the worshipper. Despite the expensive and ornate furnishings, there is not much in there. It is a space within which one meets with the God who cannot be housed or contained.

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