Paul Luckraft reviews ‘God Behaving Badly’ by David T Lamb (2011, IVP)

This is an excellently-conceived and well-written book on an important theme, outlined in the subtitle: Is the God of the Old Testament angry, sexist and racist?

For Christians as well as non-Christians, this is a problem that has to be addressed. Certain parts of what we now call the ‘Old Testament’ seem to portray God in these terms, so how are we to settle this in our own minds and how should we respond to those who use this to attack our faith?

Combating Misconceptions

Lamb’s opening sentence is intriguing: “How does one reconcile the loving God of the Old Testament with the harsh God of the New Testament?” (p9). Read this too quickly and you’ll miss the point! The author often asks this question of his students and once they’ve realised he hasn’t misspoken a lively discussion usually ensues.

In the book, Lamb makes his initial point well. We are so fixated on the New Testament portraying a God of love that we forget how often the Old Testament shows him to be merciful, compassionate and slow to anger. We also forget how God’s angry side is still apparent once we cross the divide into the New.

Perhaps Lamb’s title should end with a question mark, just so that we are clear on the author’s intent. But we soon realise that he is very much wanting to clear God’s ‘bad reputation’ and set the record straight by examining as many biblical texts as possible across the diverse genres of Old Testament literature. His aims are to discuss many of the problematic passages in which God appears to ‘behave badly’ and combat the negative perceptions that arise from these.

Lamb sets out to clear God’s ‘bad reputation’, discussing many of the problematic passages in which God appears to ‘behave badly’ and combating the negative perceptions that arise from these.

Tackling Difficult Issues and Passages

Lamb tackles these issues one at a time, chapter by chapter. After three initial chapters on the topics of ‘angry’, ‘sexist’ and ‘racist’, he goes on to ask if God is violent or peaceful, legalistic or gracious, rigid or flexible, distant or near?

He places all of his discussions within historical context, for instance with reference to ancient Near Eastern texts, and also ends each chapter “looking at a relevant incident from the Gospels, showing how the particular characteristic of Yahweh is also manifested in the behaviour of Jesus” (p24).

As he goes, Lamb does not shy away from tackling difficult and controversial passages, such as the smiting of Uzzah dead simply for touching the Ark as the oxen pulling its cart stumbled. His explanation here is excellent – but you’ll have to read the book to discover it!

Safe Hands

The author writes in a way that convinces us that he has thought through every point he makes. Indeed, he has taught this often to his classes so the reader feels in safe hands. He employs occasional touches of humour where appropriate to lighten what could otherwise be a heavy and disheartening read.

Lamb mentions those who get round the ‘problem’ of God’s apparent bad behaviour by saying that those passages can be regarded as fictitious. Some today, like Marcion of old, say we can simply cut out those passages from our Bibles. Lamb’s counter-response is this:

While I find this conclusion attractive in one sense (the problem does disappear), I am unwilling to reject large sections of the Old Testament because the God it portrays doesn’t fit my perception of what he should be like. I continue to be troubled by Old Testament images of God, but I will work to understand them better by continuing to study the text on its own, within its biblical context and within its ancient Near Eastern context. (p102)

The author writes in a way that convinces us that he has thought through every point he makes.

Yesterday, Today and Forever

He ends the book with an epilogue summarising each of the eight chapters that have gone before. While all our questions may never fully be answered, he demonstrates that God is loving and gracious across the whole Bible, both as Yahweh in the Old and Jesus in the New. There is no discrepancy of character. Our God is fundamentally good, whichever part of the Bible we are reading.

After the epilogue comes a section of discussion questions, several for each chapter, making the book an excellent resource for study groups. There are also good endnotes, a sufficient bibliography to encourage further reading, and a very extensive Scripture index making it easy to look up any passage you might come across later in your Bible reading.

The author has tackled a difficult topic extremely well and his book is highly commended.

‘God Behaving Badly’ (205pp, paperback) is available from Amazon for £11.99 (paperback). Also in e-book form.