The Blessing of the Bible’s Complexity
Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (Psalm 119:105)
Studying the Bible is a complex and often frustrating adventure. I love how Donald Miller describes it in his book Searching for God Knows What. Miller explains, “Instead, the writers of the Bible tell a lot of stories and account for a lot of history and write down a lot of poems and recite a great deal of boring numbers and then conclude with various creepy hallucinations that, in some mysterious way, explain the future, in which, apparently, we all slip into Dungeons and Dragons outfits and fight the giant frog people.” Miller continues, “Now that I no longer see it [the Bible] as a self-help book, it has infinitely more merit.” I believe the variety and craziness of the Bible points to its authenticity.
In our post-modern culture, it is popular to claim the Bible was written to persuade people to follow the God of a small society of people and then attempted to grow by persuasion and manipulation. Donald Miller reminds me of the Bible’s merit by correctly and humorously describing the many genres and facets within sacred Scripture. If the Bible were written to persuade, like an ancient marketing scheme, the writers and editors would have done a much different and better job of writing and telling their stories.
Persuasion was a component of the writing, but the primary reason for the initial writing was to put into words, first orally and then in written form, individual and societal expressions of God’s hand in human life. Human life is messy and convoluted. God appears uniquely different and, at times, even disjointed in the experiences described. For example, in one passage, God seems vengeful and violent, while in another, God is love: full of grace, mercy, and forgiveness. Yet, the one God calls us to believe. God’s supposed “multiple personalities” are mature and complex personalities that respond to vastly different situations with what is needed at the moment to help people in different ways based on their personalities and individual realities.
As you read the Bible, think about the historical situation and the personalities of the individuals and nations with whom God interacts. Some people, like King David, respond to life through their creativity; the poetry of the Psalms is how he speaks to God. Others, like the Deuteronomist, are more literal and fact-based. Consider your personality and how you relate to the world. What Scripture passages speak to your heart? The Bible is diverse in its implications for meeting a diverse world with support and instruction. There is a place in the Bible for you to meet God. Start reading and find out how you relate to the Bible and God.