Viewing the Scripture continued ....

As Christians, we believe in studying the scripture even when we do not read the Bible. Candidly, reading the Bible presents a challenge. The scripture is a near eastern book, given to a Semitic people in a place and time far removed from our reality. The language of the book, even when translated into our everyday language, still rocks us with earthy descriptions of humanity and God. At the very moment we are drawn into the beauty of the poetic or literary passages, an uncomfortable passage appears. We may respond by moving beyond the passage, ignoring it, pretending it is not there, or, in the case of some, use the very passage as a reason to read more books about religion, theology and the Bible -- but not the text itself!

For those who believe God actually gave us the Pentateuch (the Torah, books of Moses or simply the first five books of the Bible) as the Word of God and the subsequent scripture as inspired by the very Spirit of God, studying the scripture is not an option. Persons who hold this view of scripture as sacred text, consider studying the text to be a commandment (in Judaism a mitzvah or commandment).

If reading the Bible and studying the text of scripture is vital and important, how does the average person do this with integrity? A good question.

The dilemma:

Most Christians are not scholars. Biblical scholars spend years preparing to study the text and then more years devoted to analysis and examination in great detail. Busy people often find it extremely difficult to devote significant time to study the text. And, yes, even pastors and other professionals in the church, find themselves depending upon what others say about the text over what the text of scripture contains.

The scripture is a gift from God to the community of faith. I once heard Dr. James Saunders of Clarmont School of Theology say, The Bible is the church’s book, implying that the scripture was meant to be studied in the community of faith. In my understanding, Dr. Saunders was right on target for no effective study is successful apart from a frank and open dialogue with the community of faith, past and present. More study?

This very idea raises the statue of small group Bible Study — provided that it is a study of the text in tension with our historical understanding and in dialogue with credible modern biblical scholarship.

Even in such groups, the language and customs of the scripture are strange to us. And, then, there are so many scholarly and non-scholarly opinions. How do you choose wisely? How do you pronounce all those words? Just where are these places that don’t appear on any modern map and have the strangest names that are easily forgotten from one reading to the next?

The opportunity:

Beyond the challenges, studying the scripture opens our heart and mind to the heart and mind of God. The late Howard Freeman, minister turned psychiatrist turned neurosurgeon once said to me: Every emotion of the human heart can be found in the book of Psalms. He was correct. The emotions found in the sacred text span the spectrum of human existence. Why are we here? How did we get here? What purpose do humans serve? How do we get along with others? What is the value of lives that appear and then disappear like grass? Where did God come from? Is God one or three or three hundred or more? Why do people suffer? If God has so much power, why doesn’t God clean up the mess in the world? How do we know God? Why would we want to know God?

This is one small book in a sea of books. It will not answer these questions. It will lead to a path, a way of walking where a few answers may be found. It is a path, a journey with God, with Jesus and with the holy scriptures, that will help you live with the questions you cannot answer and follow the ones you may. You may even discover that the unanswered questions, while unknown to us, are answerable in the economy of God.

In all of creation, Genesis declares that only one thing is not good. It is not good for Adam (humans) to be alone. As John 1:1 says: In the beginning was the Word…, Martin Buber writes in his wonderful little book, I You: In the beginning was the relation(ship). The book you are about to read is about a living relationship with the sacred text and ultimately with the ONE who gave us the text. It is in this living relationship with God where humans discover the promise above all others: I AM with you.