Why Bible Study? Part I
When I turned eleven, my parents gave me the Anne of Green Gables books. I connected with those stories on a level I never had before. I laughed with my mom late at night reading how Anne cracked her slate over Gilbert’s head. When her friend Ruby died I cried for the first time while reading a book. And I couldn’t stop turning the pages of the parts during World War I.
God built us to connect this way, and chose to speak to us through a rich collection of stories that weave history together. Unfortunately, we sometimes miss the story element of his word.
We get stuck thinking that the Bible is either
a.) a rulebook telling us how to live,
b.) a book of random stories for kids or
c.) a deep theology textbook for discussion.
“The Bible isn’t a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a Story,” writes Sally Lloyd-Jones in The Jesus Storybook Bible. “There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one Big Story. The Story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them.”
God doesn’t connect with us through rules. He reaches out to us in relationship. The Bible paints us a picture of his heart and shows us how he interacts with the world.
The Bible isn’t just one book. It’s a collection of 66 books. It contains multiple types of literature such as
– Stories
– Poetry
– Proverbs/sayings
– Prophecy
– Letters
Not all of the Bible might be “stories” but it all intertwines, telling the story of God’s plan. None of it is random. All the authors wrote with the same goal, under this overarching theme.
Understanding the types of literature in the Bible helps us see the different books more clearly. I’ll read the story of Abraham through a different lens than the one I use to read the poetic psalms or the letters in the New Testament. I’ll see that the books of prophecy weren’t a story meant to entertain but rather behind-the-scenes details in God’s plan. I’ll feel the heart of God’s people in the psalms.
When we separate these things out, we gain a richer understanding of what God’s word says and are less likely to miss things that show us the beauty of God.
How has looking at the big picture of God’s story helped you understand the small sections of his word better?
I’ve noticed that film producers have started to revisit stories from scripture. (Think Noah, and upcoming Exodus gods and kings) I admit there is many, many film worthy stories contained in the Bible, but I wish that they would stay true to the Book because if not, they will further confuse people about God and his word.
I totally agree. Yeah I think with the advances in cinematography filmmakers realize the Bible’s untapped potential for story lines and are jumping on it. But I wish they’d at least make the story true to what happened. You can’t really expect the spiritual element to be there but you’d wish they would at least get the details right.