Some theological disagreements are fun, as they demonstrate creative but faithful interpretations. For example, in the Jewish teachings, there is talk about the kind of fruit that was on the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Perhaps it was a fig, tied to the fig leaves that Adam and Eve used to cover themselves. Perhaps it was more like wheat, because a child only gains reasoning and the capacity to defy their parents when they’re old enough to eat wheat. Again – creative, but not consequential. (In any event, the fruit wasn’t an apple).
But some disagreements are hard.
What do you think of Abraham? Is he generally good with some dark stains, or is he generally flawed with some bright spots? Where you land on this opinion shapes how you interpret what happens in Genesis 20.
Besides, she actually is my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.
Genesis 20:12 (NASB)
Is he telling the truth here, or is he still being deceptive with Abimelech? Is this a right explanation, or is it clear that he was simply covering his lie?
What is the consequence of your conclusion? Who does it impact?
I’ll tell you.
How you answer “is Abraham telling the truth” impacts a woman named Iscah.
Now these are the records of the generations of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran fathered Lot. Haran died [a]during the lifetime of his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans. Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and Iscah. Sarai was unable to conceive; she did not have a child.
Now Terah took his son Abram, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they departed together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; and they went as far as Haran and settled there. The days of Terah were 205 years; and Terah died in Haran.
Genesis 11:27-32 (NASB)
Iscah (which is where we get the name Jessica) is mentioned once in all of scripture. According to Genesis 11, she is Milcah’s sister, and Haran’s daughter. This would make her Abraham’s niece.
The sages looked this passage with intense curiosity, because verse 29 is written so strangely. It’s worded in such a confusing way, it’s almost fitting that the passage is given to us right after the Tower of Babel. It’s hard to follow. But Iscah is sitting there, looking into the future. Her name means “one who looks forth,” and some wonder if she was a prophetess.
And so a rabbi makes a statement that some disagree with, but it’s recorded in the commentaries as something to ponder:
“Iscah is Sarai.”
This statement holds true if Abraham is deceiving Abimelech. But if Abraham is actually being fully truthful (she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father), Iscah vanishes, because Iscah is not the daugther of Abraham’s father Terah, but the daughter of Abraham’s brother Haran.
Iscah simply disappears with no explanation. She dies without a word. But if Abraham is deceiving Abimelech, Iscah can be Sarah, and she lives on.
In the same way our perceptions shape our reality, our theologies do the same.
In this case, they can erase entire lives.
