God, What's with All the Questions?

If you’ve been following my blog recently, you will know that I have just finished reading Brueggemann’s An Unsettling God: The Heart of the Hebrew Bible.  In the book, one of his primary points is the Old Testament picture of God is as partner in dialogue in contrast to the picture of God within classical theology.  I thought this morning’s lectionary reading from Genesis 3 was a good illustration.  I can imagine this conversation had the characters of Adam and Eve been versed in classical theology. I’m paraphrasing of course:

God: Adam, where are you?

Adam: What do you mean where am I?  Aren’t you supposed to be everywhere?  And, you can’t find me?  I’m right over here.  I was hiding because I’m naked.

God: Who told you that you are naked?  You’ve eaten from the tree I told you not to eat from.

Adam: Of course I did.  You knew I was going to do that ahead of time in your divine foreknowledge, didn’t you? Didn’t you? So, why did you put that tree here in the first place if you knew I was going to eat from it?

God: …

Adam: Anyway, the woman you put here gave me the fruit, and I ate it.

God: Eve, why would you do such a thing?

Eve: God, what’s with all the questions?  You’re supposed to be the omniscient one here.

God: …

Okay. Thanks for bearing with another one of my poor attempts at humor.

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