BIBLICAL STAGE, (THE FIRST QUESTIONS).

IS THERE  God? HOW DO I FIND OUT ABOUT HIM? WHAT ARE HIS PLANS FOR THE UNIVERSE, THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD, AND OUR PERSONAL LIFE? THE BIBLE NEVER DEBATES THE EXISTENCE OF GOD, BUT ACCEPTS IT AS A GIVEN. GENESIS  1:1 ASSERTS WITH MAJESTIC DIGNITY, " IN THE BEGINNING, GOD...", AND ALL THAT FOLLOWS PROCEEDS FROM THAT PREMISE. A SPATE OF QUESTIONS NOW PRESENT THEMSELVES: WHAT IS GOD LIKE?  WHERE DOES HE OPERATE? HOW DOES ONE FIND OUT ABOUT HIM, MAKE CONTACT WITH HIM? A LITTLE BIT LATER WE SPEAK OF THESE QUESTIONS. HE WHO SCANS THE HEAVENS WITH A TELESCOPE DOES INDEED SEE EVIDENCE WHICH POINTS TO GOD'S EXISTENCE. WE MIGHT CALL THIS EVIDENCE HIS "FOOT PRINTS IN CREATION",  PSALM 19:1. THESE FOOTPRINTS POINT TO HIS POWER, HIS WISDOM, HIS DESIGN AND ORDER, AND HIS KNOWLEDGE. THOUGH THE BIBLE INSISTS THAT GOD CREATED ALL THINGS, ITS GREATER PURPOSE IS TO SET FORTH CREATIONS PURPOSE. GENESIS 1:1 STATES THAT CREATION AND HISTORY HAD A BEGINNING AND THAT GOD WAS RESPONSIBLE
FOR THIS. AT THE SAME TIME, THE BIBLE INSISTS THAT GOD DID NOT SIMPLY CREATE THE WORLD, AND THEN WITHDRAW--LEAVING IT TO STUMBLE ALONG ALONE ON ITS OWN. NO!  HE SUSTAINS WHAT HE HAS MADE, AND INVOLVES HIMSELF INTIMATELY IN ITS HISTORY. THE BIBLICAL NARRATIVE STATES THAT GOD HAS SEEN FIT TO MAKE PLANET EARTH THE SPECIAL STAGE FOR HIS ACTIVITIES AND HAVE LEFT HIS FOOTPRINTS ALL OVER ITS HISTORY. WE LEARN HOW GOD IS INVOLVED IN OUR HISTORY BY STUDYING WHAT HE SOUGHT TO ACCOMPLISH IN THE HISTORY OF THE OLD AND NEW ISRAEL. THE CHALLENGE, THEN IS TO STUDY THE UNFOLDING DRAMA THAT UNFOLDS WITHIN THE SWEEP OF THE BIBLICAL NARRATIVE IN THE LIGHT OF IT. THE SETTING FOR OUR DRAMA IS THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST. THOUGH WE WERE NOT THERE TO WATCH THE EVENTS AS THEY ACTUALLY TOOK PLACE, THE SCRIPT (THE BIBLE) RUNS THEM BEFORE OUR EYES.  AFTER GOD RESCUED HIS PEOPLE FROM EGYPT, HE LED THEM TO SINAI WHERE HE MADE A COVENANT WITH THEM. THOUGH HE DESCENDED TO THE TOP OF SINAI, HE DID NOT ASCEND AFTER THE EVENT. HE TOOK UP PERMANENT RESIDENCE AMONG HIS PEOPLE IN TABERNACLE/  TENT OF MEETING. THE OLD TESTAMENT NARRATIVE WHICH FOLLOWS THE OUTLINES  OF HISTORY OF A PEOPLE LIVING IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD HIMSELF. FURTHERMORE, THE LAW CODES GIVEN AT SINAI WERE NOT GIVEN TO ISRAEL TO TEACH HER HOW TO BECOME GOD'S PEOPLE, FOR SHE ALREADY WAS.
 THEY WERE TO SERVE AS GUIDELINES TO HELP EACH PERSON WITHIN THE COMMUNITY COPY GOD'S BEHAVIOR. THEY WERE GUIDELINES FOR RESTORING GOD'S ORIGINAL PLAN FOR THE HUMAN RACE.THE NEW TESTAMENT SPEAKS OF THE SAVING EVENT OF JESUS LIFE, DEATH AND RESURRECTION AS AN " exodus."  BOTH THE OLD AND NEW EXODUS, SOMETIMES TRANSLATED AS "DEPARTURE" IS THE
CONSISTENT THEME: RESCUE. THE KEY WORD THROUGHOUT IS GRACE, MEANING UNDESERVING MERCY AND FAVOR OF GOD. IT IS IMPORTANT FOR CHRISTIANS TO REMEMBER THAT THEY LIVE IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH A PERSON, NOT A BODY OF DOCTRINE: THE LATTER MUST POINT TO, AND ENHANCE THE FORMER. THE CHRISTIAN RESPONSE TO GOD'S SAVING GRACE IN CHRIST IS TO BE AN ATTEMPT TO COPY CHRIST. MATTHEW 11:29; EPHESIANS 5:1; PETER 2:21. IT REMINDS US THAT HISTORY IS NOT JUST ONE FOOL THING AFTER ANOTHER.IT DOES NOT GO AROUND IN MEANINGLESS CIRCLES (CYCLICAL), REPEATING ITSELF ( AS THE BABYLONIAN BELIEVED) EVERY 3,6OO YEARS. HISTORY IS LINEAR IT HAD A BEGINNING, AND HAS A GOAL AND AN END. GOD BEGAN IT, AND INVOLVES HIMSELF IN ALL HISTORY POWERFULLY AND MEANINGFULLY. BY STUDYING HOW GOD ACTED IN THE PAST, ESPECIALLY IN RELATION TO OLD AND NEW ISRAEL (JESUS), WE LEARN TO UNDERSTAND BETTER HOW AND WHY HE ACTS AS HE DOES AND WHAT HE PURPOSES ARE IN OUR HISTORY. AND LIVES. THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT IN GOD "WE LIVE AND MOVE AND HAVE OUR BEING," ACTS 17:28. GOD LIVES IN AN 'ETERNAL NOW"; IN HIM THERE IS NO PAST, PRESENT, OR FUTURE- ONLY AM, EXODUS 3:14. YET THERE HAVE BEEN PARTICULAR TIMES WHEN HE ACTED OBVIOUSLY AND POWERFULLY, AND THE BIBLE OUTLINES THESE MIGHTY AND GRACIOUS ACTS.