From Wilderness to Promise: Navigating Transition at Calvin Theological Seminary
Times of transition can elicit a wide range of reactions, depending on each individual's personality makeup. They can be seen as difficult, dangerous, or as opportunities for fresh beginnings. Transitions can lead to positive or negative outcomes. The Old Testament offers examples of both.
The First Generation: A Culture of Mistrust
Moses led the first generation of Israelites who left Egypt's bondage. Exodus and Deuteronomy consistently portray the first generation in negative terms. On the initial journey from Egypt to Sinai (Exodus 15:22–17:16), Israel "murmured" for lack of water (Exodus 15:22–27; 17:1–7) and food (Exodus 16:1–36) against their covenant Lord. After spending roughly one year at Sinai in the presence of YHWH (Exodus 19:1–Numbers 10:11), where Israel learned of its identity as YHWH's model nation for the world's benefit (Exodus 19:5–6) and of its covenantal obligation to be loyal to YHWH through torah obedience (Exodus 20:1–23:33),[1] Israel journeyed from Sinai to Kadesh-Barnea (Numbers 10:11–12:16) and then to the Plains of Moab (Numbers 20:1–22:1) on their way to Canaan.
These journeys repeat and, in some ways, expand the sins of the first journey out of Egypt. The short description of the Taberah event in Numbers 11:1–3 serves as a paradigm for Israel's distrustful attitude in the rest of Numbers.[2] Israel "complained" (Numbers 11:1) though the text does not specify why ("about their hardships" in the NIV is a possibility, but punctuation in the Masoretic text indicates that the adjective "bad" in verse 1 belongs with the following words: "it was bad in the ears of YHWH"). This time, YHWH punished Israel with fire, resulting in Taberah ("burning") as the name of that place. Israel complained about a lack of different kinds of food and water (Numbers 11:4–35; 20:1–13) and challenged Moses' leadership (Numbers 12:1–16; 13:1–14:45; 16:1–17:13). This second cycle of complaints does not go unpunished. In fact, the first generation of Israelites is condemned to wander in the desert for 40 years rather than take an 11-day trip to Canaan (Deuteronomy 1:2). Having spent a year in YHWH's presence, the first generation should have developed a trusting identity in their covenant Lord. But they failed to do so, and therefore they did not enter the Promised Land.
In short, Israel had developed a culture of mistrust and rebelliousness. The first generation that left Egypt did not fully trust YHWH, a feature that underpins the covenantal relationship between YHWH and Israel.
The Second Generation: A New Culture of Obedience
But a hopeful breakthrough happened: the second generation under Joshua's leadership established a new culture of obedience. In fact, torah keeping frames the overall literary pattern of Joshua. The book begins by exhorting Joshua to keep torah, and ends with a covenantal renewal event in which the second generation promises full loyalty to the Lord (Joshua 23:1–24:28).[3] However, "old habits die hard," and glimpses of the old culture under the first-generation manifest in the sin of Achan, which led to Israel's failure to defeat the easy-to-conquer Ai (Joshua 7). Nonetheless, the second generation overcomes the mistakes of the first and establishes a new culture of covenantal loyalty under Joshua's leadership.
The Third Generation: A Lost Identity
If the transition from the first generation of Israelites to the second was a success, the transition from the second to the third was disastrous. After Joshua's death (Judges 2:6–10), the third generation lost its identity as a loyal covenantal community. The third generation succumbed to the cultural pressure of its environment, choosing to be loyal to Baal rather than to YHWH. Judges 2:11–23 is a programmatic text for the entire book of Judges. In choosing "false divinities"[4] (Judges 2:11, 12, 13, 17, 19), the third generation's new identity comes into focus: "They quickly departed from the way in which their ancestors walked in obedience to the commandments of the Lord; they did not do it" (Judges 2:17).
Israel, under the third generation, was reduced to an insignificant presence in the world. Sadly, whereas the book of Joshua concluded with a covenant renewal celebration (Joshua 23–24), the book of Judges concluded with civil war (Judges 17–21). Finally, the loss of its identity led to the negative evaluation of the third generation: "in those days, there was no king in Israel; each person did what was right in their own eyes" (Judges 17:6; 21:25).
A Directive for Calvin Seminary's Moment
These transitional narratives in the Old Testament provide Calvin Theological Seminary with helpful directives for approaching our moment of institutional transition. Like the second generation under Joshua, we stand at a crucial moment. We can look back at God's faithful provision during our first 150 years of history, and also look forward to a period of envisioning afresh the institution we must become in the next 150 years of history. It is a time to continue to foster a new cultural ethos of trust, obedience, and missional faithfulness. Moreover, we must safeguard our identity as a Reformed institution that remains at the forefront of articulating what that precious tradition has to offer in the face of the new challenges we will encounter: cultural shifts, technological changes, and the needs of the domestic and global church. Like Joshua's charge, our success will depend on nurturing torah obedience shaped by the robust Reformed tradition.
May we, empowered by God's Spirit, become ever more like the second generation of Israelites. May we be strong and courageous as we navigate a time of transition for God's glory, the church's edification, and the renewal of our Reformed mission in the world.
Notes
[1] See a broader and helpful discussion of these narratives in Arie C. Leder, Waiting for the Land: The Story Line of the Pentateuch (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2010), chapters 2, 3, and 5.
[2] See Dennis T. Olson, Numbers, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 1996), 60–64.
[3] For a similar view, see Philip E. Satterthwaite and J. Gordon McConville, Exploring the Old Testament: A Guide to the Historical Books (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2007), 2:41–56.
[4] For this expression, see Jack M. Sasson, Judges 1–12, Volume 6D: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, The Anchor Yale Bible (New Haven & London: Anchor Yale Bible, 2014).
