The "Bruh" Moment: A Biblical Adventure

Whenever I recall the stories from the old testament, I ask myself;

How?

Why?

But, why?

Of course, I understand some of God's reasons for carrying out such actions, but I can not help but stare at the imaginary camera before me with a look of disbelief. The sentences that can express my bewilderment comes together to form one word;

Bruh.

I have read countless stories in the bible. Some of them left me in awe, while some made my brain overheat due to excessive thinking.

Let's start with The Tower of Babel, shall we?

The Tower of Babel. Illustrated by Alexander Mikhalchuk. Source: Saatchi art

Well, from the book of Genesis (Gen 11:1-9), the Babylonians wanted to make a name for themselves. So, they thought, "Why not build a tower so high that we'll be God's neighbors?"

But, of course, God did not see that as a smart idea and decided to do something about it. He didn't crush their tower or bring a storm upon them, heavens no.

He decided to alter their communication, which ultimately led to a permanent "hiatus" of their construction.

Imagine yourself returning to the building site the next day, only to hear your friend speak some language that you've never heard of in your life. God really said, "Lol, not on my watch."

Do you think that is surprising? Wait till we move on to Abraham's story; the iconic Test of Faith (Gen 22).

Abraham and Isaac. Painting by Movses Petrosyan. Source: Saatchi art

We are well aware of his utmost obedience to God's commands without questioning most of its absurdity. I do hope it's safe to mention how shocking his raw obedience is, especially his refusal to question that one command;

To sacrifice his only son, Isaac.

Re-reading that part of the story blew my mind. I mean, God told him to use his only son? as an offering?

And he still went along with it!

I bet, if an angel didn't stop him, there may have been a huge possibility of him carrying out that command. But, let's not see it that way for now.

As if that story isn't mind-blowing enough, take a look at one of my personal favorites;

Jacob vs The Higher Being; An Ultimate Battle (Gen 32: 22-32/ Hosea 12:3-5)

Before I'll delve into that, I really need to understand the conflict between Esau and Jacob;

How and why would you give up your birthright for a bowl of porridge?

A bowl?

of porridge?

I'd rather not talk about that for today, this is about Jacob and the mysterious being.

So, after the conflict began between him and Esau, he decided to go visit him with the hopes of dissolving that drift. Along the way, he encountered a mysterious man at a riverbank at night.

They had a pretty long battle that night. The mysterious man could see that Jacob was, in fact, overpowering him. Despite getting his hips damaged, Jacob refused to let him go unless he blessed him.

In the end, Jacob was given a new name that day; Israel, for he struggled with God and humans.

A good number of articles have interpreted the meaning of the fight between the mysterious man and Jacob. An article from The Times of Israel disclosed that God may have sent the angel to show him his own strength. Simply put, if he could overcome a higher being, he can certainly overcome the conflict between him and Esau.

It's a good theory, really.

But I'm still not over the fact that he went one-on-one with a literal higher being! He marked the existence of a blessed country across all ages. That's something you don't see every day.

He is a holy legend, I tell you.

Now, the last, but not the least, the Judgement of Solomon (1 King 11: 1-8)

King Solomon. Source: Gibon art.

We're talking about Solomon, the King of Israel, the wisest of the wisest.

As a successor and son of David, he made various decisions that were beneficial to the land of Israel. Not only did he build the first temple in Jerusalem, he also had a strong relationship with God. With divine wisdom bestowed by Him, he ruled Isreal and its people with judgments that were appropriate to settle inter-people conflicts.

One of his most famous judgments was to divide a child in half to settle a disagreement between two mothers over the rights of child.

Yes, you read that correctly. He instructed the guards to split the child so that each of the women would have a share.

I stared at the imaginary camera once again as I re-read that specific part of the story. Indeed, it was a wise move to identify the real mother of the child, but that decision still left me a bit dumbfounded. My little mind at the time really thought the guard did split the child in half.

The response from the second woman did not aid in relieving my astonishment when she became nonchalant about the decision. I mean, she seemed so certain that the child was hers, and yet, she agreed for that to happen? to her supposed child? Amazing.

In as much as these stories left me stunned, they still revealed the works and wonders of God in people's lives. Several other stories illustrate this beautifully, such as Moses in Crossing the Seven Seas, the Crumbling of the Walls of Jericho, and many more.

How can I forget the story of Esther? Her story was divine.

What was your favorite "astounding" moment in the bible? Share in the comments down below!

For more iconic biblical stories, click here!