Making sense of the Bible

The Life: Practical Insights to Christian Living @ MITACFBy James Choung April 5, 2002

The Bible seems confusing…

Did God create the world in 6 distinct, 24-hour periods? “By the 7th 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. PoetryDifferent 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 spanWritten on three continentsWritten in three languagesWritten by more than 40 authors, from different walks of lifeThus, we can begin to expect different literary styles of writing in the Bible

Six literary types in the Bible

HistoryLawPoetryWisdomProphetical BooksLettersIt’s all used to teach us about God, but in different ways.

History: Gospels & Narratives

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: expressing the prayers and heartfelt emotions of the saints.

Job, Psalms, Song of Songs

Realistic expressions of faith. Connect with it. Find inner truth, not necessarily facts.

Wisdom: stylistic teaching

Wisdom: using literary style to get the teaching across

Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Jesus’ parables

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 hodge-podge 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, 2nd ed.). How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth