My Ancestral Saga?

Is it possible to claim the Exodus story as an “ancestral saga” of my own? If I think about it honestly, I’d have to say that I’ve thought of the Exodus narrative as somehow removed from my own history. This is not to say that I didn’t accept the relevance of the story but it just seemed like someone else’s story. Exploring the wealth of commentary on the Exodus story has reminded me of a history that I do claim as my own. Just three and four generations ago, my own ancestors left behind trials, crossed the waters and settled in a hoped-for Promised Land. Subsequent generations have struggled to validate the heroic efforts of those who came before with a steadfast determination to make a better life for each coming generation. Never absent, at least has it seemed to me, was an unfailing faith in God. Surely, my ancestors were conscious of the Exodus story and perhaps they felt a kindred link to the wandering Israel. If I believe in the same God that delivered my own ancestors, then perhaps I can also claim the same freedom given to Israel.

A New Foothold

The scriptures that purport to be central to our understanding of God are peppered with inconsistencies and seeming contradictions. This is especially true when confronted with an expression of law that seems to convict more than it sets free. Yet, Paul Hanson argues in Canon & Authority, these contradictions are “clues to the restless nature of a divine word” (p.127). Nestled within this restlessness I see an ember of hope. My frustration with biblical interpretation that expresses the will of God only in absolutes has become an ever-increasing source of tension in my life. Perhaps by exploring the evolving nature of scripture, I can breathe onto that ember and allow the Word to re-envision some much sought-after relevance. At the very least, I see gaining a foothold in arguments that I’ve grown weary of debating on ground heretofore claimed solely by the absolutists.