Even people who haven’t heard of Choice Theory relate to the Caring and Deadly Habits when first introduced to them. Through the nodding of their heads and the chuckling sounds they make you can quickly see that they “get,” on a personal level, what it means to criticize and blame and threaten and punish and to anger, in general. And as people identify how deadly their behavior has been to the important relationships in their lives, they also become inspired to know more about the Caring Habits and how these kinds of habits can show up in their interactions with others.
I recently had a possible epiphany when considering a passage of the Bible through a Choice Theory lens. I say possible, because maybe what I am thinking is controversial. It doesn’t seem controversial to me, but I am interested in your reaction on this point.
It started when I read the April 18 passage in Jesus Calling, the devotional book by Sarah Young. The emphasis is on the gift of peace that God gives to us for each day, no more and no less. Since she is basing the emphasis on the instruction the people received about the collecting of manna, she writes that “Just as the Israelites could not store manna for the future but had to gather it daily, so it is with My [God’s] peace.”
This brought me back to the passage from Exodus 16:15-20 that reads –
Moses said to them, It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. This is what the Lord has commanded: Each one is to gather as much as he needs. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.”
The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little . . . Each one gathered as much as he needed.
Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.”
However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.
It is that phrase, “So Moses was angry with them,” that got my Choice Theory attention. This is what some would call a natural, and maybe even appropriate reaction. But did Moses need to be angry here? It seems to me that a matter-of-fact response would have been more helpful, to both the people and to Moses himself.
Spoiling of the manna as punishment vs. natural consequences.
Instead of anger, his response could have been marked by –
- You were told to take what you need for each day and don’t try to store it.
- So this is what happens when you store it.
- Reminder: Don’t store it.
- There is a lesson here about hearing and trusting God.
This got me to thinking and wondering if Moses’s tendency toward anger (this same anger led him to kill the Egyptian earlier in his life) bled into his interpretation and writing about God. Moses himself got angry in certain situations and he pictured God being angry, too. I don’t say this about Moses’s tendency toward anger as a criticism. I still respect him deeply and hold him in very high esteem. Remember that while he had the ability to get angry he was also described as the “meekest man on earth.”
What the passage does alert me to is the possibility that God may be different from how the Bible writers were able to capture and to represent Him. Am I off here? I can see danger in edging toward a view like the one I have just described, yet I keep coming back to Jesus – the beliefs He taught and the way of life He modeled – and Him saying clearly that if you have seen Me, you have seen the Father. There is no difference between them. NONE! And so, while the Bible writers of old could not do this, we now have the advantage of seeing God through the lens of Jesus. There doesn’t seem to be much danger in that.
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Does the Bible misrepresent God, and if so, how often does this kind of thing occur?
What do we do, for instance, when in 1 Sam. 19:9 it refers to the “tormenting (evil) spirit of the Lord coming upon” Saul? And yet, in 2 Timothy 1:7 we are assured that “God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”
For me, such discrepancies, rather than causing doubt or discouragement, invite me to become a Biblical detective on the hunt for clues of understanding. Such a view does create a shift in how I see the role of inspiration, but it does not weaken my faith in Jesus or my drive to seek His character.
For everyone who asks, receives.
Everyone who seeks, finds.
And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
Matt. 7:8
The Better Plan . . 
You are not off. I see more and more of the author in scripture. That does not lessen its value, but any time the divine and the human combine, you may often see each. Inspiration is a topic we need to discuss and study more.
Very good to hear from you, Ed. As I read different passages of Scripture, I sometimes find myself asking, “What did Moses get right?” or “What did Paul get right?” Of course, asking the question infers that sometimes Paul got things less right, or maybe even wrong. But that is where my thoughts go when I read certain things in the Bible.
It is my human belief that The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit are the only ABSOLUTE TRUE TRUSTWORTHY SOURCES of Truth and Divinity in the Bible. All other examples, people and passages are mere reflections of the SOURCE through human teaching, understanding, personalities, experiences, and perceptions as shared in the Choice Theory Model. The Word says that the Holy Spirit will guide to All Truth. One cannot use their own perception as Truth. Scripture must be funneled through “lens” and “filters” of the Holy Spirit, and even then it is our personal truth, not Truth for all. Human lens and filter are in danger of distortion. The problem comes when we believe “our minds” have the Truth, the Whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth based on our brilliance, education, status, title or position. When that happens, I believe we have placed ourselves in the position of Divinity. I believe God has provided a “fail safe,” “questioning,” leading us to “Lean not unto your own understanding.” When passages in the Bible do not make sense regarding the character of God, it pushes us to deeper study, interpretation and understanding. There are also limits to our ability to completely understand. “Finites” cannot understand “infinite” things, nor are they suppose to. “Everything is in His Time.”
I hope people see your response, Tom. It is thought-provoking. You have challenged me when you say, given that the Father, Son, and Spirit are the only absolute trustworthy sources, that “all other examples, people and passages are mere reflections of the Sources . . ” Such a position challenges the text that states that “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God,” which then brings us to considering what the inspiration of God looks like, and sounds like. I think these considerations are essential, and getting more so each passing day. Yet, I am comforted by your closing statement, too, when you write that “There are also limits to our ability to completely understand. Finite cannot understand infinite things, nor are they supposed to. Everything in His time.”
Hello, Jim. Other Jim here. 🙂
Thought I’d send in my own comment to chase Ed’s and Tom’s. When you start modifying a description of God based on what you know about the author of a book of the Bible, you do open the door to personal interpretation of Scripture, and three people in the same room can arrive at three different convictions about the same passage. Sounds scary, but I think that in reality, that is always the case, no matter what method of interpretation the three agree to.
“Study to shew thyself approved” must go deeper than spending much time on rote memorization. Seeing how one portion of the Bible fits with the general “hum” of the rest of the Book is often a fruitful study. So, I would agree with Ed, “You’re not off.”
In fact, I would go farther. When I was doing my deepest study of the Bible, book-by-book, I coined the term “cultural crust” since it seemed I often had to look through some layers of assumptions that were prevalent in the author’s day in order to see the things that Jesus would later point to as the truth. He drew from Hosea, Micah, Isaiah, but not from the passages you’ve found troubling in Moses’ writings. There must be a reason for that. So the caution in interpretation must include the cultural values and assumptions of the day, as well as the author’s personality. I think Ellen White’s comment that God inspired the penmen, not the pen might fit here. (I hope it was Ellen and not Einstein or some other social media meme. 🙂
However, towards Tom’s comments (if I’m understanding them correctly) I would agree, we need to be very careful and humble. Each person has a strong drive to understand things in a way that does not demand too much of him or her. And, of course, we tend to be drawn to interpretations that would confirm our biases. So you would be right to be very careful of any interpretation that seems too conveniently like your own beliefs.
Bottom line: You are probably on track, but still keep your ears open for another way of interpreting the troubling passages. Occasionally I will hear an experienced Bible scholar explain something so convincingly that I’ve had to back up and drop my best thoughts. Amazingly, the superior way often takes me back closer to a simple reading of the text without all the work-arounds I may have found.
I do want to keep my ears open to explanations that educate me in the inspiration and authority of Scripture. I am not a scholar in this area, yet I desire to understand how a non-coercive God can be pictured as coercive in a number of passages of Scripture. This is important stuff that has everything to do with our freedom (hugely important to God) and our power of choice.
I also appreciate your sharing the “cultural crust” metaphor, which can explain a lot when it comes to understanding Scripture.
It’s wonderful that we can be on opposite sides of the world, yet converse like this about topics that are important to us.
Good morning, Jim!
I commented on your latest post. Sorry it got so long. Sometimes I don’t quit when I should. I didn’t want to share this in the comment, because it could look like I was looking for subscribers, but I am posting somewhat regularly on a project I’ve titled “Catching Fire”. In it I’ve just finished an eight-part series on “The Wrath of God” That was also a lot longer than I intended! 🙂 I took a very different approach, but also end up trying to reconcile the “Wrath” passages, even the Wrath of the Lamb in Revelation, with what we witnessed when God walked among us.
One of my Academy teachers here at AIIAS is a subscriber to “The Better Plan” and “Catching Fire” and pointed out to me the similarities in some assumptions you and I share.
Truly a smaller world than was possible 40 years ago.
Best to you, Friend,
Jim
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I remember you pointing out to me that you and I would never work together. “We’d be redundant,” you observed, with a bit of a smile. I took it as a compliment.
I think it is fine to let people know of your Catching Fire project. How do I (and others) access it?
Man. I am a ludite. I just saw your comment. Can you believe it?! Almost a year later. My Catching Fire project is on hold. I’m still writing my weekly Friday Reflections and I’m on day 57 of writing a daily devotional. 🙂 Hope you’re still writing.
Have gotten off the writing horse a bit, but am wanting to get back on and get going. I am glad you are in such a productive mode. May it continue!
I think of the wrath of God as God letting us have our way. When Moses did not want to speak for God. God poured out his wrath on Moses by letting Moses have his way and let Aaron do the speaking. So those that want nothing to do with God oh, eventually get their way and sleep for eternity. he has no need to punish the wages of sin is death not the wages of God’s love.Letting us keep the natural consequences of our rejection of him and our love of sin.
It’s been too long, Chris. Would love to catch up.
Hosea pictured God’s agony well when he wrote, “How can I give you up? How can I let you go?” And C.S. Lewis, in The Great Divorce explained that “There are but two classes of people in the end – those who say to God ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says ‘thy will be done.’
Universalism, I think, is based on the idea that everyone, somehow, eventually, will be saved. I agree with my friend, Jason Decena, that we should all want to be universalists, but there is a problem. Universalists don’t really know what to do with the power of choice. Why would God value freedom to the extent He does, and create human beings with internal control, only to have neither matter in the end? Universalism is forced eternal life. Like the movie, Groundhog Day, people will just keep reliving life until they get it.
Some reply that no one would not choose God if they really knew Him, but Lucifer and almost half of the angels prove otherwise.
Fortunately, God is relentless in His quest to save everyone. He has made a way for it to happen.
Just some thoughts.
Hi Jim, I think this has to do with “trajectory of understanding ” . Moses and Abraham did not have the understanding of God’s love that we have at this time. For example they did not even correctly understand the great controversy or cosmic conflict. Truth is progressive. So yes Moses saw so many of his own characteristics in God. But we have Jesus so we have a clear picture. but even Jesus was moving us along the trajectory. The writers of the New testament did not condemn slavery and child abuse. but as we have moved along the trajectory of understanding we understand that those things are against God’s will also. Chris Larson
I like your phrase – trajectory of understanding. It can be threatening to some to think of truth as progressive, but I see a lot of good news in it. Did miracles stop happening after John wrote Revelation? Did the Spirit stop communicating with people when the New Testament was completed? I do think the Bible is needed, along with Spirit, for us to grow spiritually, but the Spirit is so much more important than we realize.
Check in with me at thebetterplan@gmail.com
Hello Jim
I may be a little off your discussion, both in topic and time, but I just read your post and got some thoughts reading it I just want to share:)
I like your humbleness towards the scripture. I really think that is important. The Bible is one of the main sources to learn about God,so to me and my faith it is important that I can trust and understand enough of scripture to get to know him. What is special about Moses to me is that he is one of the persons in the old T that God really showed his glory to. His loving character was proclaim to Moses on the mountain. He got to “see” God. He is also the one whom God talked to “face to face”. I think he knew God and his character really well, better than me. Even though he did not know Jesus as we do, was it not Jesus who was the “rock” following them in the wilderness?
And what lies behind the word and feeling of “anger” – is that not a feeling we should acknowledge along with other feelings? They all give us information in some way. Maybe Moses became angry because he knew God so well, and his anger was frustration because God was so misunderstood by the people? The problem is what we do when we feel angry, what it leads to?
Hmm – still – I also think there are things written in the scripture coloured by the people who wrote them, and the culture the authors lived in, and remembering that may help us understand difficult passages. In the same way I am coloured by my culture when reading, and that may also make it difficult to understand ?
I really enjoy when I have been struggling with texts and God has shown me a little more of his beauty through it. Somtimes it takes more time than I like. Thanks for your openness, Jim – I think God loves that we ask him questions and listen to his answers – in his time.
Hope you are well in every way!
You captured something I think and feel when you wrote, “I really enjoy it when I have been struggling with texts and God has shown me a little more of his beauty through it. Somtimes it takes more time than I like.” For me it has to do with discovering what matters in the Bible. Are there things that matter less or that matter more in Scripture? I think so. And some things are so timely because of specific situation I am experiencing. Always good to hear from you.
On a personal note, I am actually retiring tomorrow. I will keep teaching at PUC, it looks like, during Fall and Winter quarters, but things in my life will start to be a little different starting Wednesday, July 1. 🙂