A LOOK
AT SEEKING TRUTH WHEN OTHERS THROW US ROADBLOCKS
Some
time ago, when reading in the Psalms, I came across a notation in my study
notes that “blew my mind.” It was a note that said Psalm 6 was a prayer “in
time of severe illness.” I immediately questioned that, and sought resources to
help explain that to me. As I did, I found that the most trusted resources
believe this to be a cry for help in a time of depression; his son was hunting
him down like an animal; he was realizing that he had somewhere failed his son
as a father; and he was exhausted*
from his physical and mental trials.
This
latter description is what I have long believed and, after researching other
comments on this, I struck the NIV note out of contention with a big X.
Now I
have come upon an otherwise unnoticed damaging bias of the NIV scholars who put
these notes together: They very quietly indicate in several places that they
believe the theory that Genesis 1, and perhaps all of Genesis, is a tale based
on Ancient Near East mythology. WOW.
I had
never even heard a whisper of such a thing until I was reading Psalm 36 and
came across the phrase: “…surely when the mighty waters rise they will not
reach him.” (vs 6)
But as I
read through the notes on this chapter, I was astonished to find these words:
mighty waters – Powerful imagery for
threatening forces or circumstances. This and related imagery was borrowed from ancient Near Eastern
creation myths.
I pulled
my jaw back up from where it fell and immediately put a huge question mark
beside that note. What a lie that is! The writers of the Old Testament did not
have any need to seek out mythology to write the stories of our God! That is a
reference to the flood and to all the carnage it created in a sinful,
unbelieving world; while lifting the believers up and out of harms way in the
ark.
It is a
reminder to us of God’s promises to us that He will never do that again, nor
will He allow us to ever be totally overcome in any “waters” that besiege us in
this life on earth. The very worst thing that can happen to us is actually the
very best thing that can ever happen to anyone: In an instant we will be face
to face with our Lord. There is a powerful lesson in these verses and it is not about any ancient mythology.
SO… I
set about taking a look at other notes on this chapter and found that this
verse has no notes at all in many Study Bible versions, and that most – well
actually all of the places I found discussing this verse – completely ignored
the claim of mythological foundations and went straight to how powerful a
promise this is to us from our God. My buddy, J Vernon McGee, simply said,
“When David refers to ‘the floods of great waters,’ I think he is referring to
the flood of Noah’s time.”
He goes
on to say, “Noah was in the ark when the Flood came and that flood, which
destroyed others, simply lifted him up because he was in the ark. The waters of
judgment could not reach Noah.” Bless
his heart, he agreed with me! :)
SO…
being the snoop that I am, I went back to check notes in Genesis 1. I have
never paid any attention to them because I felt no need to check notes for
clarification since I have studied this chapter many times under many scholars
and teachers and I have it down pretty well.
At first
the notes seem to be supportive of the common ground that God created and he
did it in six days and He declared it good. But in this NIV version, the notes
declare that some think this was a six day period and others declare that is an
indefinite period of time. Uh oh. That simple statement may be true in fact – there are different opinions out there – but suggesting that these
beliefs exist side by side and implying that this is okay does not ad up to
truth. The impact is not equal. But even bringing it up indicates to me that they are unsure. The note is saying
that there is room to maneuver here. More disappointment in trusting these
notes at all.
As for
creation “being good,” they speak of “no lingering traces of disorder and no
dark and threatening forces arrayed against God or man.” This seems innocent
enough, but I have also found a very excellent description of these mythological beliefs, and this is a direct reference to those beliefs.
They
also use poetic terms in describing words used: In this chapter when they say
that “in place” (referring to God giving the seas boundaries,) is a picturesque description of the seas, it
belittles the fact that God placed the water where He wanted it and set real boundaries, holding the water back
from covering the earth as it had previously.
The
worst, though, comes in verse 16 which describes the duties of the sun and the
moon (and the starlight) and they have this to say about that:
two great lights The words “sun” and “moon” seem
to be avoided deliberately here, since both were used as proper names for the
pagan deities associated with these heavenly bodies.
And
then, for emphasis, they say that the term “govern,”
refers to the myth that “the Great
Creator-King assigns subordinate regulating roles to certain of his
creatures.” That is a direct quote
from the mythology of the godly role of kings in Ancient Near Eastern
Mythologies.
You see,
these myths are used in factual history for initiating kingly power with each
new king as he came along. It gave each one supreme power over the people,
allowing him to declare who would be favored and who would not. It was a way of
passing deity from one to another. Thus each one took a turn at being god.
None of
this has anything to do with our God or with the writing of Genesis or any
possibility that Genesis was written under the influence of mythology.
Our
belief that the Word of God is true and sufficient relies, partially, on the
fact that nothing is written in any one
place that is not supported in other places in the Word. And the creation account is recounted over and
over again in the Word of God: no mythical accounting is required or found
there!
Be
careful what you let others put into your mind to cause confusion in your
faith. That is one of Satan’s sneakiest ways to weaken you and make you doubt
what you have been taught from God’s Word. If you have a wandering doubt, catch it and ASK about it. Find a
leader, even your Pastor, and tell them that you are confused and need some
help. Don’t put it off. Don’t let it
take root.
And,
since you are reading this online, I am assuming that you have a favorite
search engine. Use it. Watch out for people who are biased against the Bible
being completely true and sufficient for God’s people, but don’t be afraid to
read alternate thinking now and then. It can strengthen your own thinking.
Just
check your resources for who they are and what they represent and if you aren’t
sure about them, ask. Always be
ready to ask someone you trust to tell you the truth before settling for
believing things you are told by “strangers.” I generally turn my deepest
questions into emails to my Pastor. He is willing to take a look and give an
answer. If time is short he will say so and come back to it later. I trust his
judgment, and that is good because he is our guide and leader in this family of
Christians.
One of
the reasons I do not insert a lot of scripture addresses in my own remarks is
that my desire is to get you interested in finding out if I make sense or not.
Go for it. Get curious and stand your ground when people try to make you think
that what you have been taught is wrong.
May God
help us, as He has promised, when we set out to discover the mighty truths of
His Word and of His heart. May we seek, always, to know just a little more
about Him and about what He wants us to know and believe. And may we become
stalwart in our beliefs and ready to stand firm in them no matter who tries to
persuade us away from them. In Jesus name. Amen.
*Exhaustion is a very serious open
door to confusion and depression; Watch out for it.
Note: This page is very, very long... just the first few paragraphs will give you an idea what I am talking about.
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