The following comes from an article called Purim, the Bible, and a Vengeful God, by Rabbi Simeon J. Maslin, and details a chance encounter between Martin Buber (1878-1965) and an orthodox-Jewish stranger on a train.
(Fun fact; Buber was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature 10 times, and the Nobel Peace Prize seven times!!!!!)
(from https://reformjudaism.org/blog/purim-bible-and-vengeful-god)
The portrayal of a vengeful God full of wrath has led many people to reject the Bible as the fountainhead of faith. Buber himself was moving in that direction when he experienced a chance encounter with an old Orthodox Jew on a train. Buber told him of being very troubled by this episode. He admitted that he did not believe that God had commanded Saul to kill every Amalekite.
The old man responded in a gruff tone:
"So, you do not believe it?" "No," I answered, "I do not believe it." "What do you believe then?" "I believe," I replied without reflecting, "that Samuel has misunderstood God." And he again slowly but more softly than before: "So? You do not believe that?" And I: "Yes." Then we were both silent. But now something happened….The angry countenance opposite me became transformed…."Well," said the man with a positively gentle tender clarity, "I think so too." [Martin Buber, Autographical Fragments]
Buber concluded: "An observant Jew…when he has to choose between God and the Bible, chooses God."
What does this all mean? What does it mean to say that one has to choose between God and the Bible? What does this imply about how, or from where we have access to the mind and/or nature of our god?
Each of us might have very different views and opinions about God, and even differing view as to what extent we even believe that God, or the god of the Bible, exists.
Do you think Martin Buber's take might cause you to think twice about any of your convictions? Do you find his perspective compelling?