Making sense of the Bible The Life: Practical Insights to Christian Living @ MITACF By James Choung April 5, 2002
The Bible seems confusing… Did God create the world in 6 distinct, 24 hour periods? “By the 7 th day God had finished the work…” Are acts of aggression condoned? “Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. ” Some books in the Bible seem to have no logical flow (Trials to warnings v. rich). Are there any helpful ways we can begin to understand these things?
Perhaps, some helpful tools Disclaimer: we’re not going to be able to cover everything. Just a start: more resources will be provided at the end if you want to learn more.
Types of literature Newspaper v. Poetry Different types of literature require a different ways of interpretation to get at its purpose and meaning.
The Bible: not just one “book” The Bible is a compilation of 66 distinct “books. ” Written over a 2, 000 -year span Written on three continents Written in three languages Written by more than 40 authors, from different walks of life Thus, we can begin to expect different literary styles of writing in the Bible
Six literary types in the Bible History Law Poetry Wisdom Prophetical Books Letters It’s all used to teach us about God, but in different ways.
History: Gospels & Narratives: accurate accounts of history, but meant to teach or drive a main theme. Old Testament up to Esther, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Acts Understand author’s intent in writing. Learn from history, both positive and negative lessons.
Law: Biblical commands Law: commands given to be obeyed. Found throughout Scripture, though traditionally given to the first five books of the Bible. To be followed, particularly all moral laws. Civic and ceremonial laws of the OT were not as weighty.
Poetry: heartfelt prayers Poetry: Job, Psalms, expressing the Song of Songs prayers and heartfelt emotions of the saints. Realistic expressions of faith. Connect with it. Find inner truth, not necessarily facts.
Wisdom: stylistic teaching Wisdom: Proverbs, using literary Ecclesiastes, style to get the Jesus’ parables teaching across Don’t get caught up too much in the details; avoid allegorizing. Find the main point and apply.
Prophets: a lawyer’s charge Prophetical books: authors were God’s prosecutors, indicting Israel and expressing future punishments Everything in the Old Testament from Isaiah to Malachi; Revelation. Not only about future: understand God’s heart and our actions in present. Some understanding of future.
Letters: addressing a context Letters: Epistles were written to a particular group of people in a given context. Everything in the New Testament from Romans to Jude. Understand context. Easier to apply, since motivations are often explained.
Example #1: What happened at Creation? Genesis 1, Creation account. Did God create the world in 6 literal 24 -hour time periods? Genesis 1 is poetic, if not poetry. It’s trying to answer the question, “What kings rule over which kingdoms? ” God rules over all, and humans are his adjunct governors.
Example #2: Breaking jaws is condoned in the Bible? Psalm 3: 7. “Arise, O LORD! Deliver me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. ” Again, poetry here highlights David’s anger. Doesn’t necessarily mean this is right. Teaches us that we can come to God with everything, even our anger.
Example #3: James, a hodgepodge of good advice? The book of James looks like a bunch of disjointed stuff at the outset. Context: Rich v. Poor, almost a riot. Rest of James makes sense in this context. “Faith without deeds is dead” (2: 26) in the context of serving the poor. The meaning of the verse is nuanced or made richer by understanding the context of this letter.
Interpreting the Bible To understand the Bible, we need to know that the Bible is more of a compilation of books, with different authors, styles, genres and intent. Each type of Biblical literature attempts to highlight who God is and our relationship with Him, but in very different ways.
Follow-up resources Fee, G. & D. Stuart (1993, 2 nd ed. ). How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth
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