Subject: Why is history repeated in Genesis? |
Bible Note: Hi there, brother Hank! It is always good to hear from you! You're right that we ought never presumptuously impute meaning to God's Word that isn't there. And, of course, we are commanded to avoid vain speculations. Also, you may well be right that the "safest answer" is "Because He did." :-) However, I would suggest that it certainly wouldn't be the most satisfying! :-) If I write a post that starts with "Hi there, brother Hank!" and ends with "In Him, Doc" it is not presumptuous or speculative to believe (1) There is a guy Hank, (2) There is a guy Doc, (3) Doc considers himself a brother of Hank, (4) Doc can write, (5) Hank can read (or at least Doc thought Hank would be able to read when he got the message), (6) Doc has something to say to Hank, etc. etc. None of these beliefs are explicitly stated in the message. However, they are safe inferences. God gave us minds with which to think. Furthermore He gave us a revelation in which He spoke in some detail about a variety of subjects, including about the message itself. The very fact that He did give us His Word presupposes a lot of things, like (1) God exists, (2) God communicates, (3) Man can understand what God has to say, (4) God and Man have some form of relationship, etc. etc. Now, while it is true that God gave us His Word "Because He did," we can and should make observations beyond that simple statement. One thing that human brain is very good at is seeing patterns. This is part of how God made us. When we see repeated patterns in scripture, it is not inappropriate for us to ask why (in fact, the scripture even commands us to seek answers). As you cautioned, we must be careful to be reasonable. Human beings use repetition for a number of reasons, including for emphasis and for education. Why are we commanded to love God, believe God, obey God, etc. so frequently? Is it such a reach to assume that these things are important to God? Since humans are so slow to learn and God is said to be a teacher, is it such a reach to assume that repetition is used as a teaching method? I really very strongly believe we ought to encourage people to ask questions. Christianity is about truth -- I find no where in scripture where we are called to the "blind faith" that the world complains about so often. I believe the vast majority of questions people ask have answers. We may be able to validly answer questions about the intention of God with "Because He did" and I suspect that this answer is also a bit closer to the truth than a simple "I don't know." However, the "Because He did" answer discourages questions. The long and short of it is this: If we don't know an explicit answer, and we avoid the dogmatism that brother Ed warns about, its okay to say, "possibly" or "perhaps" and to speculate on the basis of what we DO know. After all, the forum is an open forum. If there is scripture that contradicts our answer, it is likely that someone will point it out. You probably weren't expecting a long answer. But I hope it helps you to understand "where I'm coming from." If not or if you feel I've made an error somewhere along the line, please offer specifics. I may be slow and stubborn sometimes... but I do know Proverbs 9:8-9! :-) In Him, Doc |