Sunday Sermonette: Bizarro World

There are numerous candidates for most bizarre passage in the Bible. The circumcision of Moses is right up there, for example. Exodus 17 is actually two episodes -- remember that the division into chapter and verse was done my Medieval monks and does not represent any indigenous property of the text. The first story is well known, though it is rather strange. The second story, however . . . deeply, profoundly wacko. Here goes.The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as theLord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.2 So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.”Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put theLord to the test? ”3 But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”" Put the Lord to the test " is translated as " tempt the Lord " in the KJV. In any case the thrust of this story is that God is ultimately persuaded to provide water because of the people ' s discontent. The idea that God can be tempted (or tested) comes up several times later in both the Tanakh and the Gospels. (As always, the place names in this story are not real.)4 Then Moses cried out to theLord, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.”5 TheLord answered Moses, “Go out in...
Source: Stayin' Alive - Category: American Health Source Type: blogs