Are Old Testament stories normative for today?
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| David and Saul (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Ezekiel displayed even more bizarre behavior after God told him to lie on his side, put “the iniquity of the house of Israel” on himself for 390 days, burn his hair and cook his food over human excrement! (Ezek. 4:4-5, 12; 5:1-2, 4).
Isaiah was told by God to walk naked through Jerusalem for three years proclaiming judgment on the city (Is. 20:2-3)
Saul’s nakedness cannot be used as normative behavior for Christians today. If it were, we would be compelled to parade around naked as a sign of spiritual enlightenment?
The basic hermeneutical principle that narrative passages must always be interpreted in light of didactic or teaching passages (e.g., Scripture records Judas hanging himself, but it teaches that suicide is wrong).
This passage clearly reveals God’s judgment against Saul, not his blessing. In context, Saul is seeking to destroy David but instead is humiliated by the Holy Spirit. While the Holy Spirit had once come upon Saul to minister through him, on this occasion the Spirit came upon Saul to resist his evil intentions.
Some claim that Ezekiel 4–5 that Ezekiel displayed even more bizarre behavior than Saul. By this reasoning do we move beyond even nakedness into other areas of weird?
The very fact that Ezekiel was engaged in an unusual process is precisely why it should not be considered normative for us today. If, indeed, it were the norm, it would not be much of a sign.
One need only take the time to read this passage in context to grasp God’s explanation for the symbolism of Ezekiel’s behavior. While unusual, it is neither random nor bizarre.
As with Saul, Ezekiel’s actions represent God’s judgment, not His blessing.
In Isaiah 20, the fact that God told Isaiah to walk naked through Jerusalem for three years should be noted that the wording in Isaiah does not necessitate the notion that the prophet was stark naked. Complete nakedness would have been considered religiously, as well as socially, unacceptable — particularly in light of Middle Eastern culture.
As Hebrew scholars Keil and Delitzsch point out, “With the great importance attached to the clothing in the East, where the feelings upon this point are peculiarly sensitive and modest, a person was looked upon as stripped and naked if he had only taken off his upper garment. What Isaiah was directed to do, therefore, was simply opposed to common custom, and not to moral decency.”
Regarding Saul, if God had instructed Isaiah to walk around stark naked and if that is justification for weird activities today, then if they really do start stripping, God can be blamed for setting the precedent for their bizarre behavior. Give that a try!
Tragically, these verses are not the norm, but are exceptions and are forms of judgement pointing to a specific historical time.
- Should we expect such behaviour today when the Holy Spirit comes upon people?
- Is Christianity just a rationalistic non-emotional experience on an intellectual level or should it include subjective spiritual experiences or both?
- Do the above texts justify odd behaviour today from Glory Gathering churches?
1 Samuel 19:20-24. The fact that Saul stripped off his clothes, prophesied before Samuel, and laid down naked all day and night (v. 24) provides no validation for the peculiar manifestations today.
Saul’s nakedness cannot be used as normative behavior for Christians today. If it were, we would be compelled to parade around naked as a sign of spiritual enlightenment?
The basic hermeneutical principle that narrative passages must always be interpreted in light of didactic or teaching passages (e.g., Scripture records Judas hanging himself, but it teaches that suicide is wrong).
This passage clearly reveals God’s judgment against Saul, not his blessing. In context, Saul is seeking to destroy David but instead is humiliated by the Holy Spirit. While the Holy Spirit had once come upon Saul to minister through him, on this occasion the Spirit came upon Saul to resist his evil intentions.
Some claim that Ezekiel 4–5 that Ezekiel displayed even more bizarre behavior than Saul. By this reasoning do we move beyond even nakedness into other areas of weird?
The very fact that Ezekiel was engaged in an unusual process is precisely why it should not be considered normative for us today. If, indeed, it were the norm, it would not be much of a sign.
One need only take the time to read this passage in context to grasp God’s explanation for the symbolism of Ezekiel’s behavior. While unusual, it is neither random nor bizarre.
As with Saul, Ezekiel’s actions represent God’s judgment, not His blessing.
In Isaiah 20, the fact that God told Isaiah to walk naked through Jerusalem for three years should be noted that the wording in Isaiah does not necessitate the notion that the prophet was stark naked. Complete nakedness would have been considered religiously, as well as socially, unacceptable — particularly in light of Middle Eastern culture.
As Hebrew scholars Keil and Delitzsch point out, “With the great importance attached to the clothing in the East, where the feelings upon this point are peculiarly sensitive and modest, a person was looked upon as stripped and naked if he had only taken off his upper garment. What Isaiah was directed to do, therefore, was simply opposed to common custom, and not to moral decency.”
Regarding Saul, if God had instructed Isaiah to walk around stark naked and if that is justification for weird activities today, then if they really do start stripping, God can be blamed for setting the precedent for their bizarre behavior. Give that a try!
Tragically, these verses are not the norm, but are exceptions and are forms of judgement pointing to a specific historical time.
