As I have indicated in my previous post, the narrator can
‘shape’ a character either directly or indirectly. When the
narrator ‘tells’ his audience that a character has specific qualities, he/she
wants to create a specific image or perception of the character in the reader’s
mind. In terms of God, we find hardly any direct descriptions of God’s outward
appearance. When they do appear, it is usually done by means of simile.
Although scares, we do find more instances where God’s inner
personality is described than his physical appearance. Already in Genesis 2:18 we read that “God though[1] that it is not good for man to be alone.” Thus, the narrator describes God’s
inner thoughts. Two questions arise from this description of God. The first is,
“How does the narrator know God’s thoughts (especially before any person was
created)? Although we may ascribe to biblical ‘inspiration,’ we should also
acknowledge that narrators are often ‘omniscient’ and thus ‘omnipresent.’ And, “Nothing
is hidden to the omniscient narrator” (Bar-Efrat, 2004, p. 18). As with any narrative, the narrator is able to tel his audience what a character thinks, including God.
Secondly, our view of God is often challenged by what God’s thoughts
and inner feelings. In this instance (Gen 2:18), God created the human and a
garden in which he ‘puts’ the human. He then ‘realised’ (thought/said) that the
human is alone and that it is not good. For a number of reasons, this verse is rather
strange. One, we’ve read in Genesis 1 that everything God made was good
and at the end of day six God observed that everything was very good. Here, however, we read for the first time that something of God’s creation is not
good – something is lacking. This is quite serious, God, who said that everything
was very good, is now thinking (saying) that his handy-work is imperfect. Two,
didn’t God know from the start that the human will need a companion? Why does
he only realise, by own acknowledgement, that his creature (the human) will
need a companion after he was created? In short, it seems God does not know
everything beforehand. Three, in order to solve the problem he created animals,
get the human to name then and ‘discover’ that none of them is suitable as a
helper for the human. It is only then that God put the human to sleep, performed
an operation and ‘built’ a suitable helper for him.
Again, information on God’s inner feelings and thoughts are rare
and need to be viewed as a matter of special importance (Bar-Efrat, 2004, p. 19). The question is thus, what image does the narrator want to
create in the reader’s mind of God .
What one need to realise is that God is portrayed much more ‘immanent’
and ‘human like’ in Genesis 2 & 3 than in Genesis 1. In Genesis 1, Elohim (God)
is portrayed as transcended whereas YAHWEH Elohim (the Lord God) in Genesis 2
& 3, is portrayed in a more ‘human like’ manner – he forms from the dust, he
plants a garden, he builds etc. Furthermore, Genesis 2 & 3 is written in
the form of a narrative. One of the strategies that a narrator employs to create
suspense and built tension, is to delay the outcome of the narrative. As the climax
of Genesis 2 is the creation of the woman, the narrator uses this technique to create
tension.
What we do learn about God in from this verse and Genesis 2 in general, is his concern for his creature, the human. God cares for the fact that the human
is alone. He thus acknowledges that something is lacking in his creation. Accordingly, he goes to great lengths to provide for his creature’s
need. The outcome of what God identified as not good, is brilliant. Look at the
human’s reaction when God brings the woman to the human:
The man said,‘This is now bone of my bonesand flesh of my flesh;she shall be called ‘woman,’for she was taken out of man.’
(Gen 2:23)
See also 'High' view of God (2),
'High' view of God (3),
'High' view of God (4) - Harmonising the text,
'High' view of God (5) - Divine accommodation).
Bar-Efrat, S. (2004). Narrative Art in the Bible. London; New
York, NY: T & T Clark International.
[1] אמר may translated as ‘say’ or ‘thought.’
