Eugene H. Peterson is a genius.
He is the author of The Message Bible, whose by-line is The Bible in Contemporary Language. Some believers may not go for these newfangled biblical translations but for me, this contemporary version of the Word has armed me with a sword that actually fits in my hand, is easily unsheathed, and isn't too heavy to wield in battle.
Like most people making their way across a deep river, or facing scary, uncertain roads ahead, I spend a lot of time reading the Bible standards--the comforting psalms; the wisdom of the proverbs; the stories of Jesus. But recently I was drawn inexplicably to the beginning of The Beginning: I read Mr. Peterson's introduction to the books of Moses. Never before had I realized the first five books of the Bible can be looked at as signposts of our own lives--an illustration of human growth. Most of us can apply this illustration to our own lives. Reaching the book of Deuteronomy is the twilight of our journey: that place when our growing and training pays off and we cross the bridge into 'adulthood', ready to assume our place in the world God has prepared for us. Check it out:
Genesis is conception. Peterson states, "God conceives a People to whom He will reveal himself as a God of salvation...He begins with one man... and as the embryo takes shape: Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob and Esau, Rachel, Joseph and his brothers, the pregnancy develops".
Exodus is birth and infancy, beginning with Egyptian slavery as the first birth pangs. "...Moses arrives on the scene to preside over the birth itself... with the Red Sea the waters break, and the people of God tumble out of the womb onto dry ground, and their life as a free people of God begins..." They are spoon fed as they crawl and toddle through the desert.
Leviticus is schooling. The people need structure to grow, so formal schooling must take place. Like a first-grade reading primer, the basic curriculum for the people is about God and their relationship with God, with rituals, sacrifices, and feasts, its illustrations.
Numbers is adolescence. The people are advanced enough to be able to take care of themselves; to think for themselves. Peterson states, "the people of God in Numbers are new at these emerging independent operations of behaving and thinking and so inevitably make a lot of mistakes". (Sounds indeed like a teenager to me!)
Deuteronomy is adulthood. The child (the people of God) has been conceived, nurtured in the womb, birthed, spoon-fed, taught to walk, trained and disciplined, and has had forty years to practice becoming an adult. It is now time to become the adult; ready "to be as grown up inwardly as (he is) outwardly".
Eugene Peterson's introduction to the books of Moses is a primer to the many stories, heroes, and eras throughout the Bible where God shows us plainly that our circumstances always have a purpose. Like a child conceived, born, and grown to adulthood, our circumstances always lead to growth.
