“God is not a man…” (Numbers 23:19)
Does Numbers 23:19 militate against the doctrine of the incarnation? Believers in the doctrine of the incarnation assert that God became a man—the man Christ Jesus (Yeshua the Anointed). How does the incarnation relate to this passage?
Does Numbers 23:19 militate against the doctrine of the incarnation? Believers in the doctrine of the incarnation assert that God became a man—the man Christ Jesus (Yeshua the Anointed). How does the incarnation relate to this passage?
Our entire passage in context reads:
וַיִּשָּׂא מְשָׁלוֹ, וַיֹּאמַר: קוּם בָּלָק וּשְׁמָע, הַאֲזִינָה עָדַי בְּנוֹ צִפֹּר.
לֹא אִישׁ אֵל וִיכַזֵּב, וּבֶן-אָדָם וְיִתְנֶחָם; הַהוּא אָמַר וְלֹא יַעֲשֶׂה, וְדִבֶּר וְלֹא יְקִימֶנָּה.
הִנֵּה בָרֵךְ, לָקָחְתִּי; וּבֵרֵךְ, וְלֹא אֲשִׁיבֶנָּה.
And he took up his parable, and said: Arise, Balak, and hear; give ear unto me, thou son of Zippor: God is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent: when He hath said, will He not do it? or when He hath spoken, will He not make it good? Behold, I am bidden to bless; and when He hath blessed, I cannot call it back.
It is critical to note that this passage answers the exigency of Balaam’s commission to curse Israel. Balaam here comments on the nature of God relative to the inextricable nature of His relationship to His people Israel. It will be found that this passage is not didactically attempting to relate the inner nature of God. Rather, as already stated, this passage confirms the inability of God to abrogate His covenant relationship with Israel.
2 comments:
How telling that some who are militantly against pulling stuff out of context in the Apostolic Scriptures are willing to wrench this passage from its moorings to support their pet doctrine (or should I say, "anti-doctrine").
Frankly, it testifies to the reality that many today are using differing weights and measures when it comes to the TNK and the AS. Critical thinking and literary criticism is all well and good, but it must be applied with a consistent rule.
Thank you, Peter, for evidencing an equal balance in this and your next post.
Hello Nate:
Thank you for the encouragement. It is amazing to me how people literally grasp for Scriptures to justify an irrational allegiance. Yes, many are using different weights and measures when it comes to "Jewish" Scripture and "Christian" Scripture.
kol tuv,
Peter
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