R
eading the Old Testament is peering into another world -- it is practically like peering into a dream. The rules that seem to govern the behavior of the Patriarchs of Genesis appear both concrete and inexplicable, to us modern men. Actions are pithily described, as though their motivation and provenance were the most obvious thing in the world, but their very existence is baffling to us now; what is the purpose of Lamech's boast to his wives? why does Abraham keep telling kings that his wife is just his sister? why does Noah curse his grandson, after his son saw him naked? These, and many, many more, do not come off as random per se, but as profoundly alien. These people seem to feel and act from radically different foundations than we do today.
One of the most fascinating aspects of Genesis is the way that the blessings (and curses) of the Lord appear to function. One can't help but notice how terrible the recipients of these blessings are, even within the terms of Genesis. Abraham, Noah, Lot -- wrathful drunks, liars, incestuous tyrants. The point of the Fall could not be more clearly stated. The world following the barring of the Garden appears inhabited by wild children, grown powerful and mad. And yet the Lord blesses a people, and jealously guards them.
One aspect of the puzzle is just this: God has slim pickings. He has no one but criminals to choose from to begin weaving His long plan, and if this means defending criminals from other criminals, then it must be so; their education will take millennia.
But I am also drawn to thinking about the relationship of Law to Morality. Ever since Rousseau, it has become increasingly common to believe that law distorts moral action, if not outright prohibiting it. But the ancient Hebrews (and, to be clear, nearly every civilization) were adamant that Law is the prerequisite for morality; that without Law, man is just another beast, cast into a roiling sea of confusion in which he can never discern a motive beyond self-interest, and usually violent self-interest.
And God has not yet promulgated his Law. He is dealing with a lawless people in a lawless world, and consequently His actions seem to reflect this Lawlessness, to a certain degree. He is slowly taming them, choosing favorites (to our eyes, almost arbitrarily), and readying them for the time when the Law might be able to open their eyes, and give them the tools to treat with one another as rational beings. Eventually, he will fulfill that Law -- and give men an even higher calling. But in the days of the Patriarchs, all that is yet a dream, and God's early people struggle to see their way in the world, as through a glass, darkly.