Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge...

I have wondered whether writing down doubts about biblical interpretation would violate my fear of the Lord. I completely believe in this concept, about fear of the Lord, because it implies that the Lord exists, outside of us, independent of us. Fear of Him removes us from our own interpretative pride and lets us remember that it is really not about us, it is about Him. Once we recognize that, and live it, all other things fall aside, and knowledge truly can begin.

In the OT reading today, there were a couple of points that were interesting to me. First there is the introduction of evil, which is shown to be a willful disobedience to God. This is represented in the serpent. The downfall of Adam and Eve is conjoined. Some people make a big deal about the misogynistic theme of the initial downfall of Eve and her subsequent entrapment of Adam, but in reality, that pursuit of women is begun here, and who among us guys has not behaved this way. It is our nature. As I believe that all things start from a fixed point, it seems that this simple disobedience is the fixed point from which all other evil flows. Is eating the forbidden fruit the same as rounding up and killing six million Jews? In degree, of course not, but the latter is the end expression of the former, the willful disobedience to God.

Second, I was touched by God's love in Genesis 3:21. After banishing them from the garden and handing down a whole host of punishments, it states: "And the Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife." Even when sending them from the garden, God made provisions for man's safety. The overwhelming mercy of God is exhibited in this description.

Third, I was reminded of "naked and ashamed." The fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil initially gave Adam and Eve self-awareness. There first feeling was to be ashamed of their nakedness. They were not ashamed of any evil act they had just performed, but only of their nakedness. Why is nakedness the first "evil" act of which man is aware? Obviously it is the disobedience that is the first evil act, but they are not ashamed of that. Why is shame of nudity the first admission of sin? Does it relate simply to self-awareness and human shame? Or is it related to sexuality? Is it related to an overall feeling of guilt for never being "good enough," and is guilt itself the very first sin? God did not read their hearts, he observed their actions. What if they hadn't been ashamed and sewn fig leaves together? Are we supposed to give ourselves more credit than we do, and is the actual subtext of this story that we are being told not to be so hard on ourselves? I don't know the answer to that, but I know there is an answer, and the knowledge of it starts in fear of the Lord, so I won't press too much.

Finally, there is a final nod to legalism and interpretative loosening. The first words of Genesis 4:17, "Then Cain's wife..." Who??? His sister?? Some other derivation from some other Adam and Eve?? Does the use of that simple phrase, and the lack of its explanation completely undermine the legalistic interpretation of the Adam and Eve story? I don't know, but the ambiguity keeps the door open for interpretative license, giving fuel to those who want to use it as a Chinese menu. And once one starts that process, then the bible loses its authority over man, and begins to become a tool for man to bend to his own intellectual and interpretative will, potentially in manipulative and destructive ways.

But still, the answer lies out there, some where, beyond us. And Fear of the Lord is the beginning of that knowledge.