Page 20 - Pentateuch - Student Textbook

As the history of Nineveh moves on, God does relent in response to their obvious sorrow (Jonah 3:10).
Jonah does not like this. It seems wrong to him to forgive an entire pagan city. He had been conditioned
through God’s written word to expect God to act in specific ways. He expected God to be “a gracious
and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity”
(Jonah 4:2, cf. Exod. 34:6, 7). But now, seeing God in action forgiving an enemy capital city, Jonah is
angry.

The interaction between God and Jonah and Nineveh comes centuries after the flood reference to
regret. We use it here simply as illustration. Noah is learning about his God, one who is actively involved
and responsive to the decisions of his creatures. Noah learns something about God’s pain over the
sinfulness of mankind. Perhaps he is learning also something about belief in him. The same is true for
Noah. He too is learning about God’s grace to a sinful world.

Already we are invited to think of God as a trinity. The relational words “Father” and “Son” have not yet
been used, but we clearly understand God as someone who is Spirit and who walks about on this earth.
Theologians call this a “theophany” or Christophany.” God takes on temporary form to communicate
more clearly to humans. He is intervening in the sinful patterns of this
world to teach about his way of salvation. See, for example, the history in
Genesis 18. God again appears (v. 1). His feet are washed (v. 4), and he
eats (v. 8). He cannot be fooled by a hidden laugh (vv. 13-15). He strolls
along with Abraham in conversation (v. 16) and stands for more
conversation (v. 23). When finished, he leaves (v. 33). The entire picture is
quite normal, two humans sharing a day. Perhaps this is why later
scriptures refer to Abraham as God’s friend (Isa. 41:8). Abraham does not find the experience
remarkable, yet we are amazed at the simplicity of it all. God has taken on human form at least
temporarily to discuss matters with another human.

Other events in Genesis fall into the same category of
theophany, or God appearance. “A smoking firepot with a
blazing torch” appears and passes between the pieces of
several sacrifices to seal a covenant between God and
Abraham (15:17). Jacob has a dream with “a stairway resting
on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels
of God were ascending and descending on it” (28:12). The
LORD is there, identifying himself as “the LORD, the God of
your father Abraham and the God of Isaac” (28:13). The NT
seems to confirm the Son of God’s presence in this event Fig. 12: Jacob wrestling with God
(John 1:51). By the stream Jabbok, Jacob actually wrestles
with a very physical God (32:30) and encounters him once
more at Bethel in order to bless him (35:9).

All of these appearances are culled from the various incidents in Genesis. The theophanies demonstrate
the depth of knowledge about God possessed by these first generations on earth. They walked and
talked with the pre-incarnate Son of God. He was not yet the person Jesus, permanently human. He had
not yet died on the cross and risen from the grave. They did not have the amount of information
possessed by Christians. Still, he was the explanation of God in temporary human form.

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