There is a symbolic quality to every word. "Death" means the end of physical life, but it is symbolic of final judgment. It is also a referent to loss of identity or moving on from one way of living to another. In a previous post I wrote about the end of baseball season as an image of death.
The "historical" writings of the bible can be symbolically applied to events and situations in every age. They can also be projected into the future. These events reveal God's character. They give insight into how God interacts with human beings. They give us glimpses into what we can expect in the future. With some texts this process is fairly easy. With many others it requires creatvity and openness.
If God forgives Israel for its sins (and He does, over and over) then what does that tell us about our ultimate future? It is reasonable to say that we can have HOPE for mercy, we have a foundation to trust in God's desire to deliver His people from their sin. The Bible reveals to us that this is how God acts in our world.
By reading the Bible as pointed to past, present, and future, we provide ourselves a model to prayerfully read and understand God's word. The respect for the multi-layered meaning of Scripture allows us to read the Bible with an attitude of worship. It also opens us to the Holy Spirit at work in and through the text. I hope this has been useful for some of you on your own journey in faith.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Friday, October 8, 2010
Reading the Bible: Past to Present
The Bible frequently writes about events from long ago. In writing about these events the authors use language the same way that we do. Symbolism is sometimes obvious (Judah is a lion) and other times it may be more veiled (the number 7 or 12 or 40 or 1000). When reading a symbol literally one reads symbolically. It is the symbolic aspect of Scripture which allows us to engage the text as meaningful in our own time.
Application of a Biblical text always entails some degree of symbolism. How Jesus deals with a leper is not significant in Memphis Tn. We do not have lepers and we do not have the rules governing lepers. However, when 'lepers are unclean' is interpreted symbolically the healing texts are suddenly quite contemporary. When we say, "Who is a leper today?" any number of responses are offered. People with AIDS or cancer, streeet people, racial minorities, or the nerds in school can all be seen as lepers. In some settings a conservative Christian might feel like a leper while a Liberal would have the same experience in another setting. It is the ability to read symbolically and re-apply a text which makes it fresh and alive today. Asking questions and letting the text interrogate us, we find ways to hear God's voice at a deeper level in the text. This approach to the Bible is the oldest and most popular approach. As the cycles of history continue, in each age people are able to read the ancient word and make connections with their own time and place. Paul did it. The Gospels do it. We can do it as well.
Application of a Biblical text always entails some degree of symbolism. How Jesus deals with a leper is not significant in Memphis Tn. We do not have lepers and we do not have the rules governing lepers. However, when 'lepers are unclean' is interpreted symbolically the healing texts are suddenly quite contemporary. When we say, "Who is a leper today?" any number of responses are offered. People with AIDS or cancer, streeet people, racial minorities, or the nerds in school can all be seen as lepers. In some settings a conservative Christian might feel like a leper while a Liberal would have the same experience in another setting. It is the ability to read symbolically and re-apply a text which makes it fresh and alive today. Asking questions and letting the text interrogate us, we find ways to hear God's voice at a deeper level in the text. This approach to the Bible is the oldest and most popular approach. As the cycles of history continue, in each age people are able to read the ancient word and make connections with their own time and place. Paul did it. The Gospels do it. We can do it as well.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Reading Bible: Time Reference of Reader
Understanding that our spiritual and moral lives must be in right order for us to actually hear and understand the biblical text, the next step in the process is our approach to Scripture. I preached on this last Sunday. It is an important concept to grasp. There is a past, present and future time reference in every Biblical text. God is the author but that is not the only reason for this mulitplicity. It is also the nature of written documents and the process of interpretation.
There are past events. The documentation of these events is called "History." But history covers a wide range of material. Facts are important but they are not all there is to the past. The Fundamentalist vs. Modernist/Liberal frequently centers on factual accuracy. I call this the "gossip" factor, that is wanting to know the details of someone else's story. (I do not use the word gossip here as a negative) In looking at a Bible story if our only concern is the facticity then we are going to have a pretty narrow reading. It also ignores that writing about past events is not simply an exercise in fact reporting. There is also a meaning component. The author's purpose results in any number of choices. What is not reported is just as significant as what is reported. events which stretch over days and involve hundreds, even thousands, of people can be summarized in a few sentences, but there is so much left out that it boggles the mind.
The Bible author used metaphor, poetry, allusion, symbolism and theology is writing. The author is trying to teach, comfort, exhort, educate and transform the reader. Often times they wrote in reaction to the prevailing stories of their neighbors. There were many Flood Stories, reading about Noah in that context is very helpful. Comparing what the bible says with what the neighbors of Israel said is very informativv. Knowing that the Romans declared "Caesar is Lord" helps deepen our understanding of the the NT proclamation "Jesus is Lord!" It reveals a political component we might never have considered otherwise. In reading the Bible to learn about the past, it is important to keep in mind the type of writing, the setting/context and to leave behind some of our modern assumptions about writing. That is hard work. Holy people do not mind working hard to hear our Lord's voice in the Scripture. More tomorrow.
There are past events. The documentation of these events is called "History." But history covers a wide range of material. Facts are important but they are not all there is to the past. The Fundamentalist vs. Modernist/Liberal frequently centers on factual accuracy. I call this the "gossip" factor, that is wanting to know the details of someone else's story. (I do not use the word gossip here as a negative) In looking at a Bible story if our only concern is the facticity then we are going to have a pretty narrow reading. It also ignores that writing about past events is not simply an exercise in fact reporting. There is also a meaning component. The author's purpose results in any number of choices. What is not reported is just as significant as what is reported. events which stretch over days and involve hundreds, even thousands, of people can be summarized in a few sentences, but there is so much left out that it boggles the mind.
The Bible author used metaphor, poetry, allusion, symbolism and theology is writing. The author is trying to teach, comfort, exhort, educate and transform the reader. Often times they wrote in reaction to the prevailing stories of their neighbors. There were many Flood Stories, reading about Noah in that context is very helpful. Comparing what the bible says with what the neighbors of Israel said is very informativv. Knowing that the Romans declared "Caesar is Lord" helps deepen our understanding of the the NT proclamation "Jesus is Lord!" It reveals a political component we might never have considered otherwise. In reading the Bible to learn about the past, it is important to keep in mind the type of writing, the setting/context and to leave behind some of our modern assumptions about writing. That is hard work. Holy people do not mind working hard to hear our Lord's voice in the Scripture. More tomorrow.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Reading the Bible
St. Athanasius, a bishop, teacher and hero of the faith in the early church (300's) provides a wonderful model for reading the Bible. In his book The Incarnation of the Word of God he states that the scriptures were written and inspired by God. In light of this there is more demanded of the reader than intellect. We quote the good bishop at length:
"But for the searching and right understanding of the Scriptures there is need of a good life and a pure soul, and for Christian virtue to guide the mind to grasp, as far as human nature can, the truth concerning the word of God.One cannot possibly understand the teaching of the saints unless one has a pure mind and is trying to imitate their life... Similarly, anyone who wishes to understand the mind of the sacred writers must first cleanse his own life and approach the saints by copying their deeds."
I think one reason why it is hard for most people to read and understand the Bible is because we are not truly holy. We see the Bible as accessible by effort of mind but neglect the pure heart needed to hear God. The spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting, alms, and self denial are the foundation of Bible study. Too many, myself included, are busy with comfort and self-satisfaction to really encounter the word. Reading the scriptures is a total life enterprise. It takes a converted heart and mind. We need God's Holy Spirit to make that happen!
"But for the searching and right understanding of the Scriptures there is need of a good life and a pure soul, and for Christian virtue to guide the mind to grasp, as far as human nature can, the truth concerning the word of God.One cannot possibly understand the teaching of the saints unless one has a pure mind and is trying to imitate their life... Similarly, anyone who wishes to understand the mind of the sacred writers must first cleanse his own life and approach the saints by copying their deeds."
I think one reason why it is hard for most people to read and understand the Bible is because we are not truly holy. We see the Bible as accessible by effort of mind but neglect the pure heart needed to hear God. The spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting, alms, and self denial are the foundation of Bible study. Too many, myself included, are busy with comfort and self-satisfaction to really encounter the word. Reading the scriptures is a total life enterprise. It takes a converted heart and mind. We need God's Holy Spirit to make that happen!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
What is the Bible?
Christians call the Bible "The Word of God." We do this because we believe it is revelation. What is not always so clear is what we mean by this short phrase. We trust that God is speaking to us through this book. We believe that the authors of the book are inspired by the Holy Spirit. We know that the teaching of this book is the foundation for constructing our doctrines and dogmas. It is pretty easy to make generic statements about 'The Bible' and to engage in wonderful debates about 'the Bible.' The Liberal/Modernist vs. Fundamentalist battle for the Bible has certainly been a mainstay of my Christian experience.
However, in my years as a Bible teacher and a Bible reader/studier I have personally found that the claims and counter claims do not ring true. It seems that Modernists and Fundamentalists are making claims that are based on assumptions which I do not embrace. In other words, I think that they both are missing the point. In the days ahead I am going to investigate some of my thoughts and beliefs about the Bible and how to read it. This book (Bible means book in Greek) is actually a library. It contains a wide variety of writings covering a long period of time (creation to the end of the world). There were numerous authors. Authorship includes multiple editors in some cases. In some books (Genesis) God walks around and talks to people. In other books (Lamentations) God is silent. In the Bible it is not uncommon to find different details and varying explanations of the same story (resurrection of Jesus, Chronicles//Kings). In Letter and Spirit (available through the St. Paul Center For Biblical Theology, or go to letterandspirit.org) on page 11 of the Introduction we read "Truth is symphonic, especially divine truth." I think that is a good starting place. God is much larger than our beliefs. God is eternal. Whatever we say about God (or His revelation) needs to be humble. The enterprise of Bible reading is a more complex process than we sometimes admit. The Bible is God's word. We should work hard to learn how to read it!
However, in my years as a Bible teacher and a Bible reader/studier I have personally found that the claims and counter claims do not ring true. It seems that Modernists and Fundamentalists are making claims that are based on assumptions which I do not embrace. In other words, I think that they both are missing the point. In the days ahead I am going to investigate some of my thoughts and beliefs about the Bible and how to read it. This book (Bible means book in Greek) is actually a library. It contains a wide variety of writings covering a long period of time (creation to the end of the world). There were numerous authors. Authorship includes multiple editors in some cases. In some books (Genesis) God walks around and talks to people. In other books (Lamentations) God is silent. In the Bible it is not uncommon to find different details and varying explanations of the same story (resurrection of Jesus, Chronicles//Kings). In Letter and Spirit (available through the St. Paul Center For Biblical Theology, or go to letterandspirit.org) on page 11 of the Introduction we read "Truth is symphonic, especially divine truth." I think that is a good starting place. God is much larger than our beliefs. God is eternal. Whatever we say about God (or His revelation) needs to be humble. The enterprise of Bible reading is a more complex process than we sometimes admit. The Bible is God's word. We should work hard to learn how to read it!
Saturday, October 2, 2010
October
I am a baseball fan. When I was a young boy about seven my dad was watching a game between the White Sox and the Yankees. I asked him, "Who do we want to win?" He said, "The White Sox." It was the equivalent of an arranged marriage. At that moment I pledged my heart. I have always been faithful.
If he had said the Yankees I would have regularly experienced success. They have been the best of all. Instead I was given to the White Sox, a team of historic failure. Historic failure without the affection and mythology attached to the Cubs.
October is the beginning of the post-season. Most of my life my season ended long before the last day of the season. That was true this year. So October (except in 2005) has always been about someone else's success, some one else's joy. I learned as a prayerful little boy that you could bombard heaven with a hundred prayers a day and still your team could lose. Sometimes lose more often than they won. As a young boy I wrestled with the question, "Why pray if it doesn't work?" Later, as I grew in faith I came to understand that baseball was not near important enough to invest that type of spiritual energy. That led to another question, "What really does matter? What should I care about and focus on?"
I still enjoy the game. I still hope the Sox can win. I still spend some part of most days thinking about baseball. It has not been a waste either. Because through baseball I learned to pray sincerely and to re-evaluate what I pray for. That is part of the Joureny in Faith, at least my journey. And in 2005 they did win it all. For once in my life I saw the Sox called Champions.... And it was great to know that there were more important things to me.
If he had said the Yankees I would have regularly experienced success. They have been the best of all. Instead I was given to the White Sox, a team of historic failure. Historic failure without the affection and mythology attached to the Cubs.
October is the beginning of the post-season. Most of my life my season ended long before the last day of the season. That was true this year. So October (except in 2005) has always been about someone else's success, some one else's joy. I learned as a prayerful little boy that you could bombard heaven with a hundred prayers a day and still your team could lose. Sometimes lose more often than they won. As a young boy I wrestled with the question, "Why pray if it doesn't work?" Later, as I grew in faith I came to understand that baseball was not near important enough to invest that type of spiritual energy. That led to another question, "What really does matter? What should I care about and focus on?"
I still enjoy the game. I still hope the Sox can win. I still spend some part of most days thinking about baseball. It has not been a waste either. Because through baseball I learned to pray sincerely and to re-evaluate what I pray for. That is part of the Joureny in Faith, at least my journey. And in 2005 they did win it all. For once in my life I saw the Sox called Champions.... And it was great to know that there were more important things to me.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Hosea 10:1-15
The Epsicopal church provides a format for daily prayer. In Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer there are psalms assigned to be read (prayerfully) and three additional readings from the bible. Today one of the readings is from Hosea. He is a prophet of Israel who lived around 750BC. He is best known for marrying a woman who turned to harlotry and then calling her back to be his wife. His own life served as an image of God's relationship with Israel. It is a tragic story of pain and love.
One of the most stunning features of the Bible is the amount of negative material it contains about Christians and Jews-the very source of the material. In the New Testament the apostles (the eye witnesses who tell the stories about Jesus) are frequently portrayed as dense and unfaithful. However, the Old Testament is even more radically honest. The prohets, for example, are relentless in pointing out the sins and foibles of the Jewish people. And, to their credit, the Jewish people recorded these words and saved them. In chapter 10 of Hosea, which I read this morning in my prayer time, Hosea says of Israel "Israel is a luxuriant vine that yields its fruit. The more his fruit increased the more altars he built..." The altars, unfortunately, were for other gods. Israel did not stay focused on worshipping the One God who had blessed her. Israel, says Hosea (speaking for GOD!) is producing fruit, but the fruits have led her astray. In a simple declaration, Hosea continues in verse 2 "Their heart is false; now they must bear their guilt." Judgment. A time of reckoning.
As different as America 2010 is from ancient Israel, it is easy to see the parallels. Abundance has not produced justice and peace or true worship in our land either. The warning of the prophet is relevant today. We are on a journey together and our choices today will impact what happens tomorrow. If we are false then we will bear the guilt. As I look at the fruits of my life I am distressed by how often the abundance produces greed. I want more. It also produces worry. I don't want to lose what I have. Thankfully, by God's mercy at other times I am greatful. I try to focus in prayer on praise and thanks. I seek to be God focused. The God revealed in the Old Testament. Today's reading, full of threat and judgment, ends with verse 12 and a word of hope. Hosea tells us that God says, "for it is time to seek the Lord, that He may come and rain righteousness upon you." This is also judgment. A declaration that those who seek God will be caught up in the refreshing rain of His "Justice-doing." He will raise up the lowly and cast down the mighty. Better days are coming for those who seek Him. This is our hope. Some critics would mock such hope and label it wishful thinking and a fantasy. Perhaps. But how then to make sense of those other verses, the message of challenge and threat with a demand for conversion? How is it that the word of God is as likely to produce guilt or fear as hope and joy?
To me there is something that rings true in this word. There is something authentic in the Jewish faith and by extension through Jesus in the Christian faith. The words produce as many questions as answers. That is why reading and praying on them every day is so vital. So today, it is time to seek the Lord!
One of the most stunning features of the Bible is the amount of negative material it contains about Christians and Jews-the very source of the material. In the New Testament the apostles (the eye witnesses who tell the stories about Jesus) are frequently portrayed as dense and unfaithful. However, the Old Testament is even more radically honest. The prohets, for example, are relentless in pointing out the sins and foibles of the Jewish people. And, to their credit, the Jewish people recorded these words and saved them. In chapter 10 of Hosea, which I read this morning in my prayer time, Hosea says of Israel "Israel is a luxuriant vine that yields its fruit. The more his fruit increased the more altars he built..." The altars, unfortunately, were for other gods. Israel did not stay focused on worshipping the One God who had blessed her. Israel, says Hosea (speaking for GOD!) is producing fruit, but the fruits have led her astray. In a simple declaration, Hosea continues in verse 2 "Their heart is false; now they must bear their guilt." Judgment. A time of reckoning.
As different as America 2010 is from ancient Israel, it is easy to see the parallels. Abundance has not produced justice and peace or true worship in our land either. The warning of the prophet is relevant today. We are on a journey together and our choices today will impact what happens tomorrow. If we are false then we will bear the guilt. As I look at the fruits of my life I am distressed by how often the abundance produces greed. I want more. It also produces worry. I don't want to lose what I have. Thankfully, by God's mercy at other times I am greatful. I try to focus in prayer on praise and thanks. I seek to be God focused. The God revealed in the Old Testament. Today's reading, full of threat and judgment, ends with verse 12 and a word of hope. Hosea tells us that God says, "for it is time to seek the Lord, that He may come and rain righteousness upon you." This is also judgment. A declaration that those who seek God will be caught up in the refreshing rain of His "Justice-doing." He will raise up the lowly and cast down the mighty. Better days are coming for those who seek Him. This is our hope. Some critics would mock such hope and label it wishful thinking and a fantasy. Perhaps. But how then to make sense of those other verses, the message of challenge and threat with a demand for conversion? How is it that the word of God is as likely to produce guilt or fear as hope and joy?
To me there is something that rings true in this word. There is something authentic in the Jewish faith and by extension through Jesus in the Christian faith. The words produce as many questions as answers. That is why reading and praying on them every day is so vital. So today, it is time to seek the Lord!
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