Old Testament Question & Response #1

Meredith Kirk Thompson
Sep 24
7 min read

We are three weeks out from the Torah Portions study and I have already recevied questions from several subscribers. I thought I would do a quick Q&R to address the questions that have come in.

Ya’ll didn’t hold back, and I love it!

If you have a question that goes beyond what we are currently reading (like some of these do) don’t feel like you have to wait for us to get to that passage to send your question. Feel free to send it to me via email (atimelesstestament@gmail.com), text or post it on the group forum that will launch on the first day of our study.

I'd like to do Q&R's weekly or bi-weekly, depending on the volume of questions recevied. My goal is to be as thorough as possible without turning it into a lengthy lecture or history lesson. For those wanting to get into these topics further, I’ve included footnotes with additional resources for independent exploration.

Genesis 2:18-24 & 3:16 reference the creation of Eve and the curse that falls on the woman after sin entered the world. These texts are often used to emphasise the inferiority of women and justify the ongoing presence of the patriarchy. How should we understand these passages, and do they really teach that women are lesser?

Unfortunately, these verses have been used throughout history to devalue the role of women. Consider how Genesis 2:18 has been used in damaging ways:

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

In Western culture, we often misinterpret “helper” to imply women serve men as subordinates without power, voice or agency of their own. This misreading further distorts our understanding of Biblical submission, reducing “help” to a passive, slave like figure.

This is a far cry from what the Hebrew word “helper” means. The Hebrew word “ezer”describes a particular kind of strength and rescue in times of desperate need, and partnership of the highest order. It is used 21 times in the Bible. Outside of its usage in Genesis 2, the remaining 19 are used almost exclusively to refer to God as Israel’s helper (often by God Himself!).¹

The God who parts seas, and defeats armies is called an "ezer." Hardly the picture of a subordinate, passive slave!

The final verse in this passage confirms that women are not less than men in God's design. The relationship of a man and a woman is to become one, not one who is dominant over another.

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” - Genesis 2:24

So what are we supposed to do with Genesis 3:16 that says:

“Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”

Doesn't that sound sort of dominating?

This is where we must attend to careful reading of the Scripture. Genesis 3:16 describes the consequences of sin entering the world, not God's design for human relationships. Sin destroys dignity. But God’s vision is for men and women to stand as equal partners, in a collaborative relationship to fulfill his redemptive purposes.

Why is God sometimes referred to as “God” and other times “LORD” in my Bible?

When the word LORD appears in all caps in your Bible, it indicates that the original Hebrew text uses God’s personal name, Yahweh (YHWH). Most modern translations adhere to Jewish tradition by replacing the divine name with the title LORD to show respect for its sacredness. This distinguishes it from lowercase "god" and "lord" which are titles that have separate Hebrew words (elohim and adonai). The Hebrew word for "god" denotes any spiritual being, whether referring to foreign gods or Yahweh. Similarly, "lord" also means "master” and can be applied to humans and spirit beings.

Why are we starting on October 18th? Don't most reading plans start at the beginning of the year?

Well the truth is, you can start the Torah Portions whenever you want. There is no hard and fast rule around when you should open your Bible and study.

But there is Biblical significance to starting in October. In Nehemiah chapter 8 the exiles returned to Jerusalem and were called to gather together for Torah readings on the first day of Tishrei, which is the seventh month of the Hebrew Calendar. This usually lands around the end of September or the middle of October on our calendar.

Today, Jewish communities celebrate this same rhythm with a holiday called Simchat Torah (which means “Rejoicing in the Torah”). They celebrate the first five books of the Bible and then begin the annual reading cycle on the first Sabbath after the holiday.

So why start in October? Partly to honor the tradition, and in part because I'm a nerd and the thought of waiting until January was simply unbearable to me!

Did the Israelites believe Yahweh has a wife? How do we make sense of those claims with what the Bible teaches?

Yes and no. There was a period of time when some adopted this belief as a part of Israelite religious life. But that was not a good thing.

Asherah was the Canaanite goddess of fertility. She was worshipped through the use of sacred wooden poles or trees that involved rituals believed to aid fertility. This is the Canaanite god that is associated with being the wife of Yahweh. Archeological evidence suggests some Israelites worshipped her, and considered her Yahweh’s wife.²

Syncretism, the blending of multiple religious practices into one, was an unfortunate reality of how the Israelites compromised on their faith after entering the Promised Land. A modern day example would be identifying as a Christian while also consulting a horoscope or enneagram in some effort to gain spiritual insight.

However, the Bible strongly rejects this idea and numerous passages denounce the worship and veneration of other gods as idolatry. God is clear that their devotion is to Him and Him alone and He does not associate Himself with any other gods.

Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land where you are going, or they will be a snare among you. Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles. - Exodus 34:12-13

This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols in the fire. For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. - Deuteronomy 7:6-7

The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord; they forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs. - Judges 3:7

See also Judges 6:25-30; 1 Kings 14:15; 2 Kings 21:7

What did the ancient Israelites believe about the afterlife?

Some of the earliest Israelite texts are relatively quiet on the matter of the afterlife. Later writings speak more clearly about resurrection and life after death.

It is clear that early Israelites believed in the underworld, called Sheol (or “realm of the dead”). Sheol is a deep underwater pit where all people go when they die, both the righteous and the wicked. It is described as dark, dusty, sad place.

There are also some references to supernatural beings who were believed to live after their passing. This shows us that Israelites had a category for life after death, but the references are not extensive enough to formulate a fully detailed picture.³

By the exilic and post exilic times, the concept of the resurrection becomes more clear. Daniel 12:2 says:

Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.

Although the idea of resurrection that we think of today was not yet fully articulated until later periods, all of Israelite history spoke of Yahweh has having ultimate power over death and the underworld.

I will deliver this people from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction? - Hosea 13:14

See also: Ezekiel 37:1-14; Psalm 30:3, 49:15; 1 Samuel 2:6

Did the concept of Yahweh evolve from an older storm-god tradition of the ancient Near East into Israel’s one true God?

In the ancient Near East, nations worshipped gods that were connected to natural phenomena - like storms. Storm gods like Ba’al, Adad and Tarhunna were some of the most well known in this region.⁴ Communities believed these gods controlled the balance between life and death through their command of rain, storms and other weather patterns.

Some scholars argue that Yahweh evolved from these traditions because of early Israelite descriptions of Him which use storm-god imagery. For example, Yahweh is described as a thundering voice from the heavens, accompanied by shaking ground and the ability to control weather (Exodus 19:16-19 and Job 37).

It was not uncommon for the Biblical authors to borrow familiar language from surrounding cultures to communicate Yahweh’s power in a way their audience would understand.

For example, Exodus portrays Yahweh as having “a mighty hand and outstretched arm,” deliberately echoing phrases that were reserved for Pharaoh. Similarly, texts describe Yahweh as a warrior who defeats kings and armies, mirroring descriptions of Marduk, a Mesopotamian god known for defeating rival kingdoms.

This was not for the purpose of suggesting that Yahweh evolved, but to demonstrate his superiority over these gods. In other words, Yahweh could do all of the things other gods claimed to do - and more.

Another historical fact to consider is the Soleb inscription. The Soleb inscription is the earliest inscription to contain Yahweh’s name, from 1400BCE.⁵ This is an Egyptian hieroglyph that existed well before the composition of the Bible. This is important because it shows that very early on Yahweh was already a distinct deity and not a derivative of other gods.

Old Testament Question & Response #1

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