Posted by Steve Benjamin (by Proxy) on September 9, 2009, 7:58 am
Wednesday, Exodus Chapter 3 vs 8 thru End
Yesterday, we started in Exodus 3 covering primarily vs 1 thru 8 and
highlighting some points about the Name of God, and pointing to Vs 15.
We pick up again there and continue.
EXCERPT Chapter: “The Names and Nature of God” from Pgs 58, 59 of “THE
COMPLETE BIBLE HANDBOOK: An Illustrated Companion” By John Bowker.
“As in Cannanite religion, so also in the Bible God is El, supreme
over the Earth and all other heavenly beings. El was brought into
contact with the Earth by association with particular places (El
Bethel, Gen. 35:7) or functions, as El Roi (God who sees, Gen
16:7-14), El Berith (God of the Covenant, Judg 9:46), or attributes,
as El Olam (God who endures, Gen. 21:33). God in supreme majesty was
also called Elohim. Elohim is, strictly speaking, the Hebrew plural,
“gods,” and it is sometimes used in the Bible in a plural sense (the
images are called ‘elohim’ in Gen. 31:30, of Judg. 17:5, Dan. 11:8).
But usually Elohim means “the” God, the one above all others that are
claimed to be God. That is why we get the strange phrase in Genesis
33:20, El Elohe Israel, meaning “El is the Elohim of Israel.”
I have another quote or two by Bowker, as we look at Exodus chapter 3
further, but before I do, I want to stop and note here that he points
to a time in Hebrew culture when there was not a dogmatic monotheistic
worship, a recognition that there was only one God. Such is true to
some point as we see illustrated by Jacob’s wives and those in his
company who are noted to worship strange gods. But what is key, and
we are about to emphasize further in Exodus 3, is that those figures
who ACTUALLY KNEW GOD, as in first hand encounters, knew the truth of
the matter. SO if Bowker is correct and elohim in Hebrew meant, at
least at times ‘gods’ in it’s plurality and not ‘God-head’ as we
associate such plurality, and I think to be more correct, but if there
is room for Bowker’s idea of such, then we should note the act of
Jacob in Genesis 33:20, summing up that El, was the summation, the
embodiment of all gods, illustrating Jacob had a monotheistic belief
in God, recognizing El and no other, whether the El whom he worshipped
was indeed the El in the Canannite pantheon of gods or not. We have
to take into account Jacob actually spoke to God, and his declaration
in Genesis 33:20, maybe insight to information in those conversations
which are not recorded in more detail in scripture.
EXCERPT Chapter: “The Names and Nature of God” from Pgs 58, 59 of “THE
COMPLETE BIBLE HANDBOOK: An Illustrated Companion” By John Bowker.
“A NEW NAME GIVEN:
All this a Canaanite would recognize. But Israel voyaged into a new
world of faith and understanding when an entirely different name of
God was entrusted to the people – a name that we no longer know how to
pronounce. Because of it’s holiness, Orthodox Jews would not even
wish to pronounce it, and they refer to it in Hebrew as haShem,
literally “the Name.” This rests on three key passages: Exodus 3
(esp. 3:13-15), Exodus 6 (esp. 6:2-3), and Exodus 33-34 (esp. 33:19,
34:6-7). What is said here about the name of God is set on God’s own
lips and is spoken to Moses alone. No matter how we may now think
these passages came to be written, they remain the foundation of
Isreal’s faith and new direction in life. But what is the name, and
what is the significance?”
Okay, first of all, I disagree that Israel was set on any new course
or direction, as the promise was given prior to Abraham, so they were
merely continuing. Who was set on a new course however, was to be the
World at large. Through Israel, a testimony is give to the rest of
the world, that all it’s idols are false gods, that there is ONLY ONE
GOD, not just one SUPREME GOD, but ONLY ONE GOD. To be sure there
were Canaanites who heard of the deeds of Israel, and the God whom
they worshipped, El, the God of Israel as declared by Jacob. But A
Canaanite may recognize the things Bowker presents, but the same
Canaanite upon closer examination, would have to realize his concept
of El, one of Many gods, whether supreme or not, was not the same
concept, and much like we see the name JESUS CHRIST, and the name of
Yehoshua not even appearing in our bibles, we see the world placing
the truth into ‘an image’ of the truth, but a flawed image. His name,
is “THE LORD GOD” and we see him acknowledged long before there ever
was a Canaan despite the written record of Moses coming much later, we
see in Genesis 2, one called “THE LORD GOD” and a generation of the
Heavens and the earth, which was made in a single day, not seven
days, and that ONE DAY creation, containing within it, the prior
Generations including the generation Seven Day Creation and that Earth
Age of Heaven and Earth as recorded in Genesis chapter one through
Genesis 2:4.
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