Prohibition and provision in paradise

As Bruce Waltke describes it, Satan distorts the perspective of our first parents by emphasizing God's one prohibition, not his provision:

Adam and Eve are surrounded by wonderful trees and provisions in the garden, including the tree of life, but all Eve can see is the one tree of which they cannot partake. Once Satan can get our eyes on what we cannot do, we are sure to do it.

The garden is Paradise: if humanity fails in this ideal setting, then there is no hope for humanity to keep faith anywhere else... In contrast to much sociological thinking, namely, that the way to improve humans is to improve their environment, humanity at its best rebels in the perfect environment. Sodom and Gomorrah, where humanity sunk to the lowest levels of violence and sex, was at the time like the "garden of the LORD" (Gen. 13:10). Our modern world is no better.

(pp. 31-32, Kelly M. Kapic, With Justin L. Borger, God So Loved, He Gave: Entering the Movement of Divine Generosity, citing p102, 101, Bruce Waltke with Cathi Fredricks, Genesis: A Commentary)

Women in the Old Testament

Bruce Waltke in his lectures on Judges is asked:

• Please comment on the author's attitude to women in the book of judges.

This is his response.

In a word I would say: very, very favourably. In fact the whole Deuteronomist is very favourable to women.

Who do you know better, Deborah or Lappidoth? Deborah. You don't even know who Lappidoth is. That's her husband [Judges 4:4].

Who killed Sisera? Jael [Judges 4:21].

Who killed the wicked Abimelech? A woman of theives [Judges 9:38].

Whom did I say was smarter, Manoah or his wife? Who had the instruction to raise the boy, Manoah or his wife? His wife [Judges 13].

Who is greater Hannah or Elkanah, in the book of Samuel? Obviously Hannah.

Who is greater Abigail or Nabal? Abigail.

You see what I am driving at? This whole idea that the Old Testament puts women down is rubbish.

And that was just what he was able to rattle off from the top of his head. More could be added.

My real history

when we repeat the words, "I believe," which introduce the Creed, we affirm our participation in that history and we confess that we are figures drawn into involvement in that history. The history of Jesus Christ, precisely, that is my history! It is closer to me than the various events of my own life.

(p. 83, Karl Barth, The Faith of the Church)

Bruce Waltke had something similar to say as he embarks on a lecture series on Judges:

To a large extent your definition of yourself is your memory ... history is memory. It is our memory. Every sociological community has both a memory and a destiny for its own self-identification. Now there is something more important than your memory, and that is your spiritual commitment.... You and I have made a spiritual commitment to Jesus Christ. This memory of the Old Testament, is his memory. It shaped him. And when we were baptised into Christ we became Abraham's seed, and this whole history is our history. So this is your history you are going to be learning. It is skeletons in the closet for the most part; but it is a tremendous testimony to God's grace. And I am suggesting therefore to you that as a result of this course, and through this gift of memory, you will know yourself better as a Christian

(MP3 lecture, A01, Course Introduction, Light from the Dark Ages: An Exposition on Judges and Ruth)

Karl Barth points us to where we can have hope. If we look at ourselves and our own lives we often see little to be hopeful about. Death appears the end, and a justified end of a short brutish life. But if Jesus' history is ours then his resurrection and justification is ours too.

But even then you may have a nagging doubt. I may identify with Jesus, but if Jesus doesn't identify with me then the union on which all our hope rests breaks down. However, when Jesus makes Israel's history his own, and identifies with the representatives of humanity who again and again went away from him and 'did what was right in [their] own eyes' (Judges 17:6; 21:25), then our hope is a certain one.