I have been trying to sort out who is God and who is Jesus in the Old Testament and I have come to the conclusion that it is totally impossible because the writers or the interpreters used words that confuse the issue.
Not really. But writers are writing about something that is beyond words to adequately explain. The only way they can do it is by metaphor, analogy, story, and so on. It's a bit like 'love' or 'time', we can talk about it, technically or otherwise, but we always end up saying, "It's like ... "
I take the Bible literally because taking it spiritually leaves every word open to becoming what anyone wants to make it.
Again, I would disagree. The Bible is a collection of texts, chosen by the fathers of a tradition, to explain the tradition, to followers of the tradition, and they are the best interpreters of the text. The idea that a text has to be self-evident is unsound, especially if one was not raised in the tradition. Also, a literal reading depends on the ability of the reader.
The idea that because I can read I understand everything about everything I read is easily shown to be a wrong idea.
Riddle would imply that the scripture is totally false and would make it an error for sure.
In your opinion. Perhaps riddle is the wrong term. What I meant was, the scribe required the reader to contemplate the text.
For example, one that I picked up just last night, Abraham 'laughed': "Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, saying in his heart: Shall a son, thinkest thou, be born to him that is a hundred years old? and shall Sara that is ninety years old bring forth? "Which when Sara heard, she laughed behind the door of the tent" (18:10) "And she laughed secretly, saying: After I am grown old and my lord is an old man, shall I give myself to pleasure?" (18:12). This is the only time Abraham or Sarah laugh, and 'laugh' is a pun upon the name Isaac (Hebrew: He will laugh).
The man is identified as God not with, that is the explicit part.
Yes, and the scribe would probably tell you, "Do you not understand the God of the Hebrews? Well then ... "
As Bigjoenobody said above,
something happened, it's a mystery, and all the language can do is hint. I do like the old movie scene of this, when the three men who visit Abraham are all played by the one actor ... for the same reason. You play it straight, three guys visit Abraham, but they're all the same guy, or identical triplets, or ...
... all Scripture is there to make one think, contemplate, pray. Too often the literal interpretation means I don't have to think about the text, just assume I know what it means. I can pretty well guarantee if you thinks there's an error, you've missed the point.
God manifested in human form would be same as saying Jesus is God, which is what the Trinitarians do.
Yes we do. He said so Himself "Jesus saith to him: Have I been so long a time with you; and have you not known me? Philip, he that seeth me seeth the Father also. How sayest thou, shew us the Father?" (John 16:9) and "He that confesseth the Son, hath the Father also" (1 John 2:23).
The question: Did Abraham have the upper hand on God in this case?
No.
