Re: Reading Genesis literally

Dick, you wrote:
 Due to rub off with the Sumerians, they picked up a plethora of gods.
I agree with the idea that there was a falling away from the truth. I see a
closely related significance in the promise of God to Noah that he would never
flood the earth (mesopotamia) again. In my estimation, this was a very
pointed promise that looks forward specifically to the time of Abraham. By the
time of Abraham the falling away was so complete that the "church" of God's true
followers had dwindled to just one patriarch and his family (just as in the
time of Noah) and the culture had become completely polytheistic, ungodly and
violent. If Abraham had not known about God's promise to Noah, he might have
expected another flood. But because God had promised NOT to destroy
Mesopotamian culture with another flood, this provided explanatory power to Abraham to
help him understand God's plan when God chose to send him away from his home.
It was not that God had become weak or simply forgotten about justice. It was
that God was keeping a promise. Sending Abraham away from Mesopotamia was the
new way that God was protecting and rebuilding his remnant of followers. So
I see Abraham's exit as being anticipated and literally **intended** by the
promise to never send another (culture-destroying Mesopotamian) flood. It was a
completely literal fulfillment.

Phil Metzger
Received on Thu May 4 20:11:21 2006