The Bad Ole Days

                                      

Hearing complaints about the woes of today’s world has become commonplace. It’s easy to look at everything we see happening around us and come to the conclusion that we are living in unprecedented times of badness. That’s not really true, of course. A quick perusal of any history book will show you that people have been doing despicable things for ages. In fact, some of the uncomfortable developments we’re experiencing now (e.g., an abandoning of child labor laws and fair employment policies) are actually things that were commonplace in the past.

The Bible is another place we can look to understand how bad things were in the past. When it comes to the Book of Genesis, many people can recall the stories of Adam and Eve or Noah, but do people really understand what the world was like back then? We Christians know that, today, believers in Jesus have access to the Holy Spirit. Prior to Jesus’ sacrifice, the Hebrews had a set of laws given by God to keep them on a moral path. Most of the Bible takes place after the revelation of God’s Law or the advent of the Holy Spirit.

Genesis is the exception. Moses had not yet brought down the Law from God, and the Day of Pentecost had not yet occurred. So what were people doing back then? Pretty much whatever they wanted. It was like the Wild West. God wasn’t micromanaging humanity or dictating to the people what he wanted from them. For the most part, he was letting them act on their own accord. That’s not to say he wasn’t punishing them when they were in the wrong. He nearly cleansed the world of humanity in Noah’s story (Genesis 6-8) and destroyed whole cities like Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19) because of the people’s wickedness.

Nowadays, because of our access to the Bible, we better understand the concepts of good and bad. In the days’ of Genesis, morality didn’t seem as cut and dry. Some people stood out as being unquestionably good. Noah, Abraham, and Joseph were all portrayed as people who behaved the way God wanted. Others were a bit more questionable.

Consider Jacob (Previously discussed in the Bible Character Spotlight: Jacob entry). He’s the protagonist of his story, but it would be a stretch to say he was a good guy his whole life. He tricked his brother, Esau, out of his birthright and then stole Esau’s blessing. He was basically a scammer. He eventually became a more righteous person, but in the beginning of his story, he exhibited a questionable character.

Then came his sons. Their actions were even worse. They vindicated their sister’s rape, not just by killing her rapist but also by slaughtering the other men in the town even though they had nothing to do with the crime. What was Jacob’s response?

Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me by making me obnoxious to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land. We are few in number, and if they join forces against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed.” - Genesis 34:30

Jacob, a man of God, put no thought into how God would react to the atrocity. He wasn’t even worried about whatever laws people had at the time. His only concern was how he was perceived by the people in the area. That goes to show you how bad things were back then. A massacre wasn’t even seen as that deplorable.

On top of committing such a heinous act, Jacob’s sons plotted to kill their own brother, Joseph. They didn’t go through with the fratricide, but they still sold him off and led their father to believe he was dead, all because of jealousy.

It would be easy for us to condemn them, but we have to remember that it was a different time back then. They didn’t have explicit laws from God telling them not to lie or steal or kill. That’s not to say they didn’t understand right from wrong. After all, Adam and Eve ate the fruit that gave us all knowledge of good and evil. They simply lived in a time when humanity as a whole didn’t have anything driving them towards goodness.

Why would God allow periods of time to happen where humanity seems to be unchecked? Why would he let humanity run wild without intervening? Maybe Jacob’s words after reconciling with his brothers give us a hint of insight.

Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. - Genesis 45:4-6

God used an evil act committed by Joseph’s brothers to save not just them but all of the Hebrews. The Old Testament as a whole served a similar purpose. God used the tribulations and failures of the Hebrews to show us why we needed Jesus, and then he used Jesus to bring us salvation.

God always has a plan even when we don’t understand it. He knows we aren’t perfect. In fact, he uses our imperfections to our own benefit and for the benefit of others. As believers, it’s important to understand that. We often strive to put our best feet forward so we can appear righteous to others. Sometimes, maybe God wants us to be seen as works in progress. We are meant to help others find salvation. It’s not always the successes in our walks with God that inspire others to seek Him. It’s the transition from our old selves to our new selves that truly makes the difference. When people are allowed to see the grace that God has shown us and understand the depths from which he brought us, they really get to know how great God truly is.

Chris Lawyer