Controversy

Controversy

June 26, 2024

Many self-appointed critics of God, Jesus, and the Bible go to great lengths to find contradictions in the Bible text. They are often intelligent and even well-meaning crusaders for truth and their own ideas of righteousness, and judgment, and morality.

I find two main problems with their logic: the basis for their conclusions are established on suppositions which are, in reality, misconceptions and misunderstandings of Biblical texts.

I suppose, as I see it, their overconfident denials are, at least, partly due to the majority opinions propagated throughout the ages which, in turn, are based on philosophies, and populist trends, and social or political influences or conveniences, or some combinations of all those dynamics.

Perhaps an additional ingredient is the self-confidence in their own intellectual prowess and the reassurance from others of similar ilk.

Recently, I was exposed to a controversy in the Old Testament in the Book of Exodus which I hadn’t even noticed before — even though I have read it a half dozen times, It seems, apparently, that God destroyed the Egyptians’ livestock three times.

Say what?!? Hmmm…

In an essay I wrote about a misconception in the earlier Book, Genesis, starting in Chapter One. It might be a clue to the livestock problem as well.

Time.

Today, we can compose quickly and thoroughly and type accumulated history in rapid succession.

Not so with Moses. With clay tablets and papyrus pens made out of reeds, it took days to record events. Often there is no indication of the time table scheduling the specific events. Also, as in the Exodus story, we have received a condensed version of the story in its entirety. For example, are there any records written down about the 430 years of Hebrew life in the land of Goshen? Not that I know of. Further, our understanding of Genesis’ “six days of creation” is based on our understanding of time. While the original Hebrew word simply means “a period of time,” not the 24 hour days as we understand them. We are locked into our circadian rhythms of sunrise, sunset. The Bible stories need to be read with such awareness of nuances from our everyday life as it is actually experienced.

I have to ask, was there a day and night cycle on the first day of Creation? Obviously not. So when did the day/night cycle begin? Somewhere further down the line, right?

Besides, let me interject here that most Bible stories have been edited for little children’s educational level, and that is how we remember them. However, aren’t we now adults? Weren’t the events of the Bible recorded by adults and for adults and about adults? Why, then, should we base our current understanding as if we were still kindergarteners? Shouldn’t we reconsider the Bible stories — not like Aesop’s Fables or Jack and the Beanstalk (although those fables do have their rightful place in the development of our imaginations). So, wouldn’t it be smarter to approach the Bible as a serious and earnest attempt to record a factual history? Shouldn’t we consider revisiting the Bible, seeking to understand its possible significance to our adult lives and to understand God’s good intent and desires for our lives today? Shouldn’t we give heed to not only the natural benefits of following its precepts, but be mindful of the warnings of deserved consequences arising from our wandering into bad behaviors, for doing harm and causing hurt?

As for the Genesis account, one idea which I came to understand was that all of Mankind came into being specifically on the 6th “day” in Chapter One.

Then God took a break. As He saw it, I suppose, He had completed His good work up to that point.

So, how long was His break?

Again, time.

Afterwards, God began a complimentary project, continuing to supplement, grow, and expand His everlasting plans recorded in the story of Adam and Eve.

Now, God gave them the same basic responsibilities as He had given to all Mankind: Take care of what He gave us and where He put us, that is, Earth, and in the ensuing creation, the smaller, but more significant, Garden of Eden.

Among other things, I think this view resolves another controversy: “Where did Cain’s wives come from?” They could not have come from Adam’s progeny — the “Sons of God” — because they only had two children, and one was dead already. They came from Mankind’s population — the “Children of Men.”

God had begun the melding of the two separate pedigrees into one with their fates intertwined, with their human condition alike, and both their salvation and condemnation under the same laws. Also, the realities of free will, choice, and consequence, and the eventual time of redemption, all came under the same roof.

In the meantime, regarding the controversy of Egypt’s livestock, as recorded in the Book of Exodus, I must admit that I didn’t understand the problem immediately.

Because of my experienced studying and personal experiences, I knew that the Bible came to us by way of God’s direct supervision. What we don’t understand comes from our own lack of knowledge, our own intellectual conceit, and/or our own stubborn personalities.

Missing the point is a natural human condition.

Misunderstanding the Bible’s origins and purposes seems to have birthed an intense, even personal, crusade for some — a movement to defeat God, Jesus, and the Bible by whatever means. The authority behind this crusade, the who, what, or why, has yet to be made clear to me…

At any rate, I was still deeply puzzled by the same livestock repeatedly erased. So, I resolved to find the answer.

Accordingly, I researched what others might have thought and understood about the story’s apparent error.

To my chagrin, it was very similar in dynamics to what I had found in the Creation Story as mentioned above. I should have known.

Time.

Oh precious Time.

You see, the events were recorded without a specific written time schedule. There very likely was an interruption in the sequence where the Egyptians had time to replenish their stocks by purchase, conquest, or confiscation from the Hebrew’s healthy herds. It was not at all like the 1956 movie, “The Ten Commandments,” where events conveniently occurred in quick succession — with only a brief intermission for soda pop, candy, and popcorn.

My conclusion is that we cannot determine the exact span of time involved. Weeks? Months? Maybe even years? Again, the modern world simplified it even more for children so that they could understand its basic message. Then, the story was put in a Hollywood movie format solely for entertainment and profitable purposes — not for an expansive edification of our minds and souls. Again, as adults, are we to continue to be spoon fed Pablum, or are we ready for a richer, more opulent diet of the meat and potatoes of the understanding of the Bible?

We live in the real world, and so did the people whose stories span the entire Bible, including the people in the Exodus Story.

So, the omitted details can be understood because of whatever length of time existed between God killing all the livestock existing on the several different occasions.

The Egyptians would still need to eat, wouldn’t they? So they would have replaced their livestock by purchase from surrounding countries or by confiscating the Hebrew’s healthy cattle. Whatever. Thus, after each time God killed all the existing livestock, the Egyptians must have replaced them, and, more importantly, Pharaoh could conveniently disregard God’s demand to give the Hebrew people their freedom.

Wouldn’t that be a normal reaction of stubbornness from the great Pharaoh, ruler of all the Egyptian Empire?

It makes sense to me.

Want a modern day example of a stubborn king? How about King George III of the British Empire? He wouldn’t give his Colonies their freedom, either.

Therefore, in real world terms, each time Pharaoh refused God, he could keep on denying God, because the Egyptians continued to obtain relief.

Finally, from this story, there should be some relevant understanding with our own relationship with God, Jesus, and the Bible today:

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with {us}, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” — 2 Peter 3:9, New International Version.

Likewise, we can choose to ignore the realities of God, Jesus, and the Bible, because we, too, find relief in one form or another — intellectually, pragmatically, socially, materially, and so on.

We misread the coming reality.

We see our environment becoming less and less habitable.

We see wars all over the globe.

We see social norms and traditional structures falling away…

These situations are overwhelming.

How do we escape?

Where can we find our freedom?

Should we look for some kind of pharaoh, a political leader, to save us?

Shall we rocket to Outer Space to some unknown planet far, far away, and try to start all over again?

Is it even a real possibility to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps?

I’m pretty sure we’re all kind of stuck here in this modern day Egypt…

People! We have to start dealing with the reality of God, Jesus, and the Bible, returning to the Way provided by the Creator of the heavens and the Earth — the living God who planned for our redemption from the beginning of time. Oh! Time, precious time.

For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation. — 2 Corinthians 6:2, NIV.