The Unpredictable Word

If consistency is a requirement for all truth, then the Word of God cannot be regarded as truth.  It is not hard to find places where the Word seems to contradict itself.  In the 139th Psalm we hear the Psalmist saying, "I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made."  (Psalm 139:14)   In another place the Psalmist wrote what seems to be an entirely different word.  Psalm 51:5 says, "Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me."  Reconciling those two different words is a stretch for any would be theologian.     

But, then maybe reconciling them does not speak of the direction of understanding.  After all, if the Scripture is truly "...inspired by God..."  (II Timothy 3:16), then there must be truth in both these words.  Maybe it is not one or the other, but both.  Such thinking is not always easy for these contemporary minds which direct our lives.  And, of course, this is one of the reasons we find ourselves living in such a polarized society.    

As we reflect on the Biblical Hebrew tradition, it does not seem that it demanded absolute consistency.  Everything does not move from Point A to Point B and then to Point C.  In other words, the Word of God is like God Himself.  We can say many things about God, but one certain truth is that God is unpredictable.  He is not bound by our logical thinking, our overriding need for pragmatism, and our love of the absolute.  If God is not predictable, why should we expect such from the Word?   And if unpredictability is woven in the fabric of the Word, then what is this telling us?