Even within the non-denominational church I grew up in, God was characterized in several ways. God is omniscient, all powerful, and mighty, but he is also kind, loving, and fatherly. He is the king of kings and also the rest for the weary. He is a mighty storm and a peaceful river. This marked difference in characterizations led me to seek counsel from the UChicago chapter of InterVarsity staff this past autumn quarter, when an opportunity to meet one-on-one arose. How can God have all of these attributes at once? Specifically, I was concerned with the unchanging nature of God my church professes, when it seems pretty clear that God is changing all the time. My conversation with one member of the InterVarsity staff brought me to the conclusion
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Other prophets depicted in the canon have tried to save towns from destruction, but have failed, or been ignored, or, as in the case of Isaiah 6, were told to lie about the deity’s intentions. A history that existed in the culture regarding prophets and the accuracy of their prophecies led to a convoluted framework that the author of the work of Jonah may or may not have been aware of. When Jonah was told to prophesy in order to save Ninevah, he abandons his mission, wanting God to destroy the town. Eventually he finds himself led to prophesy in Ninevah, and they repent and God spares them. Jonah uses similar vocabulary as Moses to now scorn God, saying, “For I know that You are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in kindness, renouncing punishment” (Jonah 4:2). Instead of using these to build up God and assuage his anger, Jonah uses these words to accuse God of not being angry enough. Jonah seems to think that he knew that God would not destroy the town of Ninevah, and is bitter about his role in their salvation. Would Ninevah still have been spared if Jonah never preached to them? Since God was eager to destroy Israel until Moses confronted him, but is shown to be merciful regardless of the prophet’s interventions in Jonah, does this mean God is constantly flipping between being vengeful and kind? This course has taught me that you can’t analyze these stories by appearances. …show more content…
But these questions of canonical accuracy make it difficult to continue assuming that. In Poetry With a Purpose, Fisch points out that in the entire book of Esther, God is not mentioned (13). However, Fisch argues that “He lurks behind the counterplot” and the king in the narrative, Mordecai, is supplanted by the King of all Kings, “able to manage the entire business of the kingdom and steer it in a direction different from that which any of the actors could have anticipated” (13). If this text were in isolation outside the biblical canon, this assumption that God is the real force behind the narrative would be almost baseless. Even when placed in the canon, the presence of a deity is only assumed because someone chose to either interpret it that way or found its contents complementary to the rest of the canon in some way, or any number of other reasons to include Esther in the canon. Are any conclusions about God’s character able to be drawn from the work of Esther, then, even though He is not present or mentioned? If we are to assume God is still the “driving force” in this story, what are we to make of His appearances in the flesh, or fire, or other physical form? If we look at God as a driving force in Esther, it’s easy to picture him as an invisible spirit. This certainly gives him a feeling of being all-powerful and
Other prophets depicted in the canon have tried to save towns from destruction, but have failed, or been ignored, or, as in the case of Isaiah 6, were told to lie about the deity’s intentions. A history that existed in the culture regarding prophets and the accuracy of their prophecies led to a convoluted framework that the author of the work of Jonah may or may not have been aware of. When Jonah was told to prophesy in order to save Ninevah, he abandons his mission, wanting God to destroy the town. Eventually he finds himself led to prophesy in Ninevah, and they repent and God spares them. Jonah uses similar vocabulary as Moses to now scorn God, saying, “For I know that You are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in kindness, renouncing punishment” (Jonah 4:2). Instead of using these to build up God and assuage his anger, Jonah uses these words to accuse God of not being angry enough. Jonah seems to think that he knew that God would not destroy the town of Ninevah, and is bitter about his role in their salvation. Would Ninevah still have been spared if Jonah never preached to them? Since God was eager to destroy Israel until Moses confronted him, but is shown to be merciful regardless of the prophet’s interventions in Jonah, does this mean God is constantly flipping between being vengeful and kind? This course has taught me that you can’t analyze these stories by appearances. …show more content…
But these questions of canonical accuracy make it difficult to continue assuming that. In Poetry With a Purpose, Fisch points out that in the entire book of Esther, God is not mentioned (13). However, Fisch argues that “He lurks behind the counterplot” and the king in the narrative, Mordecai, is supplanted by the King of all Kings, “able to manage the entire business of the kingdom and steer it in a direction different from that which any of the actors could have anticipated” (13). If this text were in isolation outside the biblical canon, this assumption that God is the real force behind the narrative would be almost baseless. Even when placed in the canon, the presence of a deity is only assumed because someone chose to either interpret it that way or found its contents complementary to the rest of the canon in some way, or any number of other reasons to include Esther in the canon. Are any conclusions about God’s character able to be drawn from the work of Esther, then, even though He is not present or mentioned? If we are to assume God is still the “driving force” in this story, what are we to make of His appearances in the flesh, or fire, or other physical form? If we look at God as a driving force in Esther, it’s easy to picture him as an invisible spirit. This certainly gives him a feeling of being all-powerful and