The God of
Abraham is singular. Always
singular. Except in four verses, where
in dialogue God says “us” and “our.”
Modern
Christians often say these instances acknowledge the Trinity. Except: Trinity is not universally accepted
in Christianity, nor would any Jew acknowledge its legitimacy. If Christian theology is the correct
interpreter of these passages, then Abraham, Moses, all the prophets, and the
apostles misunderstood the basic concept of who God was. How then can we trust anything they
believed? Since Christianity is built
upon their foundation, then Christianity falls with them.
There have
always been explanations besides Trinity for these passages. Not all clarify the context. For example, “God spoke like a king” is not
consistent with overall scripture since everywhere else God speaks of Himself
in the singular. Therefore, the passages
need explanations acceptable to the Jewish writers, which do not distort their
message. Clarification must come from their
texts or it misrepresents their understanding of God.
Isaiah 6:8b – “Whom
shall I send? And who will
go for us?” (NIV)
Isaiah’s vision
did not depict a human-shaped god, not the Son, not a Trinity. The Holy One did not command from a mighty
castle or sit upon a baroque throne.
Isaiah saw the Jewish God who descended within the Holy of Holies, above
the Mercy Seat, between the wings of the bronze cherubim. His train filled the temple like a copious
textile depiction of glory.
God reigns as
the eternal King, in contrast to the governmental transition recently held in Jerusalem . But here, a crowd did not bow in joyous
celebration or anticipate each possible desire.
Isaiah knelt alone and God pled for someone to hear and act.
He used a
singular pronoun in the first question: only God sends. Other entities, not deities, support His call
for a righteous messenger. God’s second
question recognized them all.
Instead of an
inflated ego, our God acknowledges His followers.
Genesis 3:22a – “…Behold,
the man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil.” (NIV)
Obviously,
humans were not included in “one of us.”
The only other beings mentioned in the Bible, who know the difference
between good and evil, were angels (obedient or fallen).
Immediately
after this statement, Cherubim guard the garden. Here again, God informs those involved. The dialogue allows us to know why.
Instead of
arrogance, God engaged His subordinate.
Genesis 1:26a – “…Let us
make man in our image, in our likeness…” (NIV)
Several
theological interpretations exist to explain this passage. Besides Trinity, the most popular says God
spoke to angels who were the lights of Day 1.
However, Genesis One never gives spirituality to this light or
introduces any sentient being until humans.
The writer of
the poem presented only two characters: Creator and creation. Instead of God talking to himself or someone
else, He spoke to the only other character, Everything Else.
Creator
informed creation that what came next was something different. Then, He commanded creation to help create
humanity. With this explanation of the
word “us” and “our,” God employed evolution, not rejected it. We evolved in the likeness of the Creator’s
good universe and then He infused His likeness.
Instead of haughtiness,
God enjoyed including everything.
Genesis 11:7a – “Come,
let us go down and confuse their language…” (NIV)
The only
problematic passage of the four is this one.
Paul described
church communication troubles in 1 Corinthians.
He would have known the Babel
story, but did not believe anarchy characterized God (v. 14:33 ). Jesus
prayed that his followers would live unified, as He and His Father “are” One
(John 17:11 ). He clearly told them circumstances make that
goal difficult.
So, where does
confusion come from?
In the literal
translation of the Hebrew, Genesis 11 verses 3, 4, and 7 begin with the same
imperative, often translated “come.” The
leaders of the people and God used the exact same words to enlist
assistance. Jesus and the Spirit do the will
of Father/God innately. They are not
minions that need to be compelled.
So, who helps
God and why?
The text does
not present another character, but the Bible mentions possible options. Listed below are two spiritual and one
natural case that satisfy the mystery without imposing a Trinity. One or more could be the hidden character(s)
that help accomplish the task of mingling language and ending the building
project.
1. Satan:
He loves twisting words. In the parable
of the sower, Jesus said the Devil’s children choked the word from those who
heard the Good News (Matthew 13:37-39; Mark 4:15). This case is like the Isaiah 6
interpretation: God acknowledges the one willing to work.
2. Angels:
Before the Israelites entered Canaan , God sent an angel
(messenger) before them (Exodus 23:20 -30). It brought terror (confusion) into the
enemy’s camps, aiding in their destruction.
The angel would not even tolerate rebellion within the Israelite’s camp. This case is similar to the Genesis 3:22 interpretation: God informs the assistant
of its task.
3. Neighboring
city-states: Nothing in the Babel
story requires this group to be the only people on Earth. If other people existed, they probably spoke
other languages. When diverse people
mingled, the cultural differences caused division. This case is like the Genesis 1:26 interpretation: God used natural events
to shape the future.
[Excerpts from Creation’s
Parables by Jo Helen Cox]