Old Testament Today, 2nd Edition: A Journey From Ancient Context to Contemporary Relevance by John H. Walton & Andrew E. Hill

Author:John H. Walton & Andrew E. Hill
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Religion, Old Testament, Biblical Studies
ISBN: 9780310498223
Publisher: Zondervan
Published: 2014-02-10T22:00:00+00:00

In light of this focus on the historical literature as God’s story, when we turn our attention back to issues of plot and character development, again a little reorientation of our expectations is necessary. If, for instance, we are looking for character development and plot in the story of King Shallum (2 Kings 15:13–16), we will be extremely disappointed. If we shift our focus, however, to consider plot and character development in terms of God, we will find different results. The part of the story concerning Shallum blends in with the parts of the story concerning the other kings, and together they show God working with Israel through the ups and downs of the monarchy period. As each king takes his place in the pattern of the monarchy, a pattern of God’s interaction and response also develops. We do not need to look at the Shallum story in isolation, but we see it as contributing to the overall picture of God developed in Kings.

God’s View of Tolerance and Pluralism

Perhaps the most pointed Old Testament passage for addressing these qualities in our postmodern world is Deuteronomy 13. Here the law indicates that if anyone tries to entice the Israelites to worship another God, whether that person is a highly respected spiritual person or a close relative, he or she should be put to death. It should be noted that this is neither a text that prohibits proselytizing nor one that condemns to death all who practice a different religion. It insists on integrity of the faith within Israel. The Old Testament does not seek to convert and to that extent tolerates the existence of other religions. It does not, however, go so far as to suggest that any given religion or god is as valid as the next. In fact, the Old Testament condemns idol worship as worthless (Isa. 41:24–29; 42:17; 44:9–20; Jer. 10:1–16) and characterizes the gods as no-gods (Deut. 32:17). It portrays Yahweh as the only true God—there is no other (Isa. 43:10–11; 44:6; 45:5, 21; 46:9). The concept of equal standing for every variety of religious practice finds no support in the Bible: “I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols”(Isa. 42:8).

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