It may sound like a cop-out but Genesis 1.1 is the key to who YHWH is and whether he really is jealous, arrogant or a bully. If the universe is an accident, then YHWH and the rest of us are subsumed under that “reality”: YHWH is a fairy tale creature invented by silly people, and he is a brutal fiend. What were those Hebrews thinking? If the universe is not an accident, and YHWH made it, then YHWH deserves all, all, all the glory.
I just gave a talk on Acts 17.23-31. That passage records Paul taking an evangelism opportunity presented by his discovery, in the city of Athens, of an extra altar dedicated to an extra god whom the Athenians were afraid they’d missed. In his talk, Paul said that our YHWH “made the world and everything in it [and] is the Lord of heaven and earth…” (Acts 17.24).
Atheists, of course, don’t believe this, so the problem they have arguably starts at Genesis 1.1. So, there’s a long line of “therefores”: YHWH is not real therefore he did not create everything therefore he does not deserve to be jealous, arrogant or brutal about anything therefore we should come to our senses and stop perpetuating this gruesome story.
YHWH made everything, including starlight, time, and the gold, silver and stone that false gods are made of. When YHWH seems jealous, it’s because he is really the only god. When YHWH seems arrogant, it’s because he made everything. When YHWH seems like a bully, as in the case of Genesis 22, critics ignore clues like the one in verse 5: “We will worship and then WE will come back to you” (NIV, emphasis added). Abraham seemed to know in advance that God would provide the lamb.
Copan almost skips this verse but, for me, it’s crucial to the story. It was a harsh and brutal time, so modern people who are too delicate to see that overreact to this story that turns out to record a test that even Abraham himself didn’t resent. He isn’t recorded to have said anything like, “You tried to get me to kill my son! Mean old God!” And I don’t imagine we’ll find that accusation in the original manuscripts either.
THE CITY GATE 