Men's Rites of Initiation in Genesis

One of the cornerstones of men's spirituality throughout history is liminal, threshold experiences where a man is forced to face his own mortality before he can fully become a man and be a true leader. The man must be challenged to face face his own limits, his shadow side, and even the reality of his own death. This is true of the modern men's movement today as it was back Deuteronomic times, through organizations like The Warriors and Richard Rohr's Men As Learners and Elders (M.A.L.E.S).

In our biblical history, three examples of this rite of initiation come to mind in the stories of Cain, Jacob, and Moses. Each one is challenged to face possible death and as a result they are drawn into a deeper relationship with God, and a greater understanding of their own inner, spiritual power.

CAIN'S INITIATION - Cain is told demons are croutching outside the door

6 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." 8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the field."And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” 10 The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. 11Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”

13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. 14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”

15 But the Lord said to him, “Not soe; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. 16 So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

JACOB'S INITIATION - The Lord wrestles with Jacob and injures his hip in the process

22 That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak." But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." 27 The man asked him, "What is your name?" "Jacob," he answered. 28 Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, [a] because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome." 29 Jacob said, "Please tell me your name." But he replied, "Why do you ask my name?" Then he blessed him there. (Genesis 32:22-29)

MOSES' INITIATION - The Lord tries to kill Moses, but he is spared because his wife hastily circumcises his son and covers Moses' genitalia with the foreskin of his son.

24 At a lodging place on the way, the LORD met {Moses} [b] and was about to kill him. 25 But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son's foreskin and touched {Moses'} feet with it. [c] "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me," she said. 26 So the LORD let him alone. (At that time she said "bridegroom of blood," referring to circumcision.)

27 The LORD said to Aaron, "Go into the desert to meet Moses." So he met Moses at the mountain of God and kissed him. 28 Then Moses told Aaron everything the LORD had sent him to say, and also about all the miraculous signs he had commanded him to perform.

29 Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders of the Israelites, 30 and Aaron told them everything the LORD had said to Moses. He also performed the signs before the people, 31 and they believed. And when they heard that the LORD was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.(Exodus 4:24-31)

CONCLUSION
While each man's personal battle with God is different, each one grows in wisdom and strength as a result of their liminal, threshold experience. Their call to manhood and mission is sealed as is their inheritance with God.

The Three Sides of the Exodus

Based on the sources used to write the Book of Exodus (Yahwist, Elohist, Priestly), three slightly different versions of the Exodus story can be examined to create fuller understanding of the events portrayed and the God who acted during those events.

TAKE 1: The Song of Miriam on the Exodus (Exodus 15:1-18)

In this version of Exodus, God is presented and praised in a personal, human way. 'The Lord is my strength and my might. This is my God and I will praise him. My father's God, and I will exalt him.' Further, the Lord's strength is demonstrated through his right hand, which shatters the enemy and overthrows adversaries, and his nostrils cause the waters to pile up. In this way, the events of the Exodus are portrayed as a result of God personally interceding on behalf of the Israelites to deliver them from the Egyptians. Finally, after the Exodus, the Lord leads the Israelites in his steadfast love and strength, and plants them on the mountain where he makes his abode, the sanctuary which his hands have established. Meanwhile the Egyptians are separated from God and sink like lead and go down like a stone, while Israel's future opponents, the people of Philistra, Edom, and Moab are dismayed, tremble and melt away in terror and dread. The song gives a very black and white illustration. Yahweh is our/my God and he is not your God. He saves us with his strength and destroys you with that same strength.

TAKE 2: The Old Epic version of Exodus (Exodus 14)

In this version of the Exodus there is a symbolic interplay described between the darkness and light. The Israelites are allowed to pass because of the pillar of cloud which 'lights up the night,' while the Egyptians meet their demise in the natural light (the time between the morning watch and the dawn when the sea returns to its normal depth.) Thus the Lord saved the day from the Egyptians.

All of this occurs despite the Israelites initially fearing the Egyptians who they see when they look over their shoulder. Moses promises the Israelites that the Lord will fight for them and all they have to do is keep still while God’s power delivers them. Finally, as a result of God's deliverance under Moses' leadership, the people believe in the Lord and in his servant Moses.

TAKE 3: The Priestly writings on the Exodus (Exodus 15)

In these writings on the Exodus, the Lord's behavior is strikingly similar to that demonstrated in Genesis 1: (a) the Lord says something and (b) then he does it. For instance, in Genesis, the Lord says (a) let there be light, stars, and sun - - and then (b) it happens, and then God adds that it is good. This same pattern follows when he creates the earth, animals, and then man.

By comparison, in Exodus 15, the Lord says (a) he will harden the Pharoah's heart (1-4) and then (b) he proceeds to do it (8-9). Then the Lord says to Moses (a) 'I will fight for you against the Egyptians', creates the pillar of cloud, then the Egyptians say, (b) 'Let us flee from the Israelites for the Lord is fighting for them.' Also, the same cause and effect scenario happens as the Lord tells Moses to (a) stretch out his hand over the sea, and then (b) the sea parts so that the Israelites may pass - - and again when Moses stretches out his hand over the sea so that the water may come back upon the Egyptians.

At this point in the Exodus it's interesting; however, that Moses becomes a co-creator and co-destroyer on behalf of the Lord. The Lord's mighty power is wielded through Moses' hand. In perspective to the creation story in Genesis 1, God uses his hands to form man from earthen clay, so it is interesting that God now enlists the hands of Moses to carry out his work against the Egyptians.

Ancient Israel in Historical Context

The Promised Land is a central focus of the Bible and is so for Judaism. The land promised to Abraham was known as the land of Canaan. The territory of the ancient Israelites extended from Dan to Beersheba to the Jordan River. The term Israel was used in Genesis, Kings, Chronicles, and Ezekiel to refer to the northern kingdom while the name Judah was used to describe the southern kingdom.

Geographically speaking, there are several sections that make up the land of Israel: the Coastal Plain (the eastern coast of the Mediterranean), the Shephelah (the lower part), the Hill Country of Judah, the Hill Country of Ephraim, the Rift Valley (a natural boundary between Israel and the regions to the east). Jerusalem itself is in the Hill Country of Judah. Finally, the main waterways in the land of Israel are the Sea (or lake) of Galilee, the Jordan River, the Dead Sea (the lowest point on the land mass of the earth.)

Israel experiences two main seasons, a rainy one (from late Fall to early Spring) and a dry one (from late Spring to early Fall). For some biblical writers (as illustrated in Deuteronomy 11.10) the topography of Israel was an ideal climate, providentially given by God. The terrain of Israel was fairly rugged but was quite suitable for growing grain, olives, and grapes - - and for raising sheep and goats. It was a “land flowing with milk and honey” (e.g. milk from the sheep and goats, and the honey that resulted from boiling grapes or dates).

The road systems of Israel included two major arteries, “the way of the sea” and the “King’s Highway.” The “way of the sea,” ran from Egypt north to the land of the Philistines to the south, and through the great Valley of Jezerel, up to the Rift Valley to Hazor and Damascus. Beyond the road systems, different biblical sources give different boundaries for the land of Israel as called out in Genesis 15.18, Deuteronomy 11.24 and six times in Judges 20.1). The changing boundaries are a result of different Deuteronomic writer’s historical points of view and also as a result of the various battles won or lost by Israel with its neighbors.

Overall, the bible is an anthology written over more than a thousand years, thus analysis of it requires knowledge of the historical context in which it was written. The history presented in the first ten books of the Bible is difficult to verify because there are few records from other, non-biblical sources, during the same historical period to verify them. When available archeology and non-biblical texts provide addition historical context to the events recorded in the Bible. Archeology helps set the stage for better understanding the culture, practices, and people living in the times the Deuteronomic authors are writing.

The Debate Over Chicago's Abortion Notification Law

I believe upholding Chicago's Abortion Notification Law is the prudent and compassionate thing to do despite the ACLU's arguments to the contrary.

As you may be aware, the law, originally passed in 1984 and updated in 1995, doesn't require parental consent, but it does require that parents, or adult relatives be notified 48 hours before an abortion for a girl 17 or younger. The real issue, however, I believe is about maintaining some form of accountabilty and support within families. While young men and women these days are choosing to have sex in their early teens, most still live at home with their parents who provide them with food, clothing, and shelter because they are not yet adults. Of course parents should be notified if their daughter is considering having an abortion in the same way the parents would be notified if their daughter is going to borrow the family car. It's that simple.

I'm not sure what ground the ACLU's argument against the law has a foundation to stand on. If a young women is considering the difficult decision of ending an unwanted pregnancy - - of course her family should be notified to provide her with emotional, spiritual, and financial support. If you follow the ACLU's argument, then it would follow that parent's are being cruel by setting curfew's for their children, feeding them broccoli, and telling them to turn off the television to do their homework. Without any accountability to parents all of us would be nothing more than wayward children selfishly living each day to fulfill our rights without any responsibilty to our neighbor or loved ones.

In my opinion, our country has forgotten how important the role of parents is to raising children and shaping the morality and values of our society. Is the ACLU going to step in and raise our children? I don't think so. A young woman needs the love and support of her family to navigate the difficult road of teen pregnancy. The ACLU can't provide this kind of support, only a family can.

The Divided Kingdom

The book of Kings was written in Jerusalem, the capital of the southern kingdom of Judah after the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel. As such, the northern kingdom is represented very negatively. The Deuteronomic Historians who wrote 1 Kings relied on royal annals and prophetic legends as their sources. Their main theme in writing was to communicate the obligation of Israel to observe the teachings of Moses, especially the worship of Yahweh. Failure to observe this obligation or covenant would result in divine punishment.

According to the prophets featured in 1 Kings, historical events are divinely controlled. These predictions are made by the prophets: Ahijah, Jehu, Elijah, and Elisha. They predict everything from punishment of Solomon to the deaths of Ahab and Jezebel, to the defeat of Israel in battle. In all situations the reason for this punishment is said to be the failure of Israel to observe the teachings of Moses, especially worshiping other gods.

As eluded to earlier, most of the prophetic judgments have to do with the northern kingdom of Israel. The northern kingdom was viewed as a moral disaster due to the sins of Jeroboam. In contrast, there are a repeated number of positive statements made about the Davidic dynasty in Jerusalem. Thus, 1 Kings reflects an ideologically biased history. The impact of this is far-reaching since the book of Kings was used as a source for other narrative books in the Bible like Chronicles.