I just found this story, and to be honest, I’m pretty incredulous.
This is Jewish wisdom literature from the first century BC.
Yeah, that’s the silent period between the Old and New Testaments.
And there’s a reason this story wasn’t considered scripture and included in the Biblical canonization process.
I want you to compare this to the canonized Jewish wisdom literature in the 10th century BC from King Solomon.
Then I gotta rant a bit, but first, the story:
During a severe drought that threatened the people of Israel (rain in the region falls mainly in winter, and none had come even late in the season), the people turned to Honi to pray for rain, knowing God answered his prayers.
Honi first instructed people to bring their Passover ovens indoors to protect them from the coming downpour (showing his confidence).
When initial prayers brought no rain, Honi drew a circle in the dust on the ground, stood inside it, and boldly addressed God:
“Master of the Universe! Your children have turned to me because I am like a member of Your household. I swear by Your great name that I will not move from this circle until You have compassion on Your children!”
Rain began to fall lightly (a drizzle). Honi protested: “That’s not what I asked for—I asked for rains to fill the cisterns, pits, and caves!”
The rain then intensified into a torrent, flooding everything.
Honi again complained: “This is not what I asked for—I wanted rains of goodwill, blessing, and generosity!”
The rain adjusted to a perfect, beneficial level.
The Sanhedrin (Jewish court) later remarked that Honi’s audacity was so great that God could not refuse him, comparing him to a spoiled child who pesters a parent until getting what they want. Some sources note the rabbis were ambivalent about his boldness, yet the miracle saved the generation.
This act of drawing a circle and refusing to leave until God answered earned him the nickname “the Circle Maker.” The circle symbolized his unyielding stand in prayer.
Alright, what do you guys think?
I was brainstorming to see if I could think of any Biblical parallel.
My first thought was Jacob, who, in a strangely confusing story, won a wrestling match against God and insisted on being given a blessing (Genesis 32:26-28).
That could be a parallel. I’ll have to think about it.
Then I thought of Moses, who at least twice did negotiate with God and appears to have changed God’s mind (Exodus 32 and Numbers 14).
Let’s compare to Moses. Why was he able to have this influence over God?
(A) Moses was the federal head of the Israelites. He represented them before God, and he represented God to them. Moses had the authority to beg for forgiveness on their behalf.
(B) “beg” would be the key word in that sentence. Moses did not insist. He did not threaten. He did not instruct God. He meekly pleaded and proposed an alternate solution. He persuaded God based on citing God’s character, God’s nature, God’s purposes, and God’s promise. So his proposal was based on scripture, not his own invention.
The two Moses stories are powerful examples for us to draw principles from!
We can pray meekly, consistently, using scripture as our base.
What we do not see happening here, however, is Moses making up his own promise and projecting it onto God, and insisting with ultimatum that God obey him.
Wow, the nerve of some people!
I’m sorry, but the story of the Circle Maker is not biblical.
It had a chance to be, and it was rejected. It didn’t make the cut.
If we believe that the Bible was written and compiled by “holy men that were taught by the Holy Spirit,” as my children’s catechism says, then this story is not wisdom. And we might go so far as to say this story isn’t useful.
This story is only useful to us Christians if we change it to mean something Biblical, which many Christian authors try to do.
But why do we need to draw from an uninspired, uncanonized fictional story from Jewish literature (not Christian literature, mind you) when we have 66 books with fantastic stories to draw from??
We don’t need it.
Let’s focus on our actual Bible and the actual inspired words of God, to find wisdom.
And if you want to have your way with God and insist that he listens to your commands, you’re welcome to try your hand at a wrestling match with him.
Be my guest. Let me know how it goes.
All I Possess 