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The work of scholars is often only ever understood by scholars. And it never seems particularly helpful for the average person. The same is true of biblical studies. But the greatest advance in biblical studies in the last 50 years is also the simplest, and it can transform how anyone reads the Bible.
Brevard Childs published a book in 1975 entitled “Introduction to the Old Testament as Scripture,” and it set the entire theological world talking. While he used a fancy term to describe it: “the canonical approach,” his basic thesis was that the Bible is a book and God intended for it to be read as one. (I told you that it was simple!) That may seem obvious to you, but the academic world is still coming to grips with its implications, and you probably haven’t considered them.
1. The Bible is a book and should be read as one
When we say that the Bible is a book, it’s not saying that it’s not the Word of God. It’s just talking about the form in which God has given us His Word. The Bible is a book, and like any other book it has a beginning, a middle, and an end. There’s tension that runs throughout and drives toward a resolution. So, it’s not a coincidence that Genesis begins in paradise and Revelation ends in a renewed, fulfilled paradise. Adam and Eve’s sin ruins what they had, and the plotline running through the rest of the Bible is how God will restore what they destroyed. Keep that plot in mind as you read and ask yourself where you are in the story.
2. The Bible is a book not a daily devotional
Most people don’t read the Bible as a book; they read it as a daily devotional. What I mean is that they pick a portion of the Bible to read each day and assume that all the meaning God wants to communicate to them is contained in that passage. It often isn’t! If we understand that the Bible is a book, then when we read a chapter, it will often only have meaning in relation to the whole. Have you ever jumped in half-way through a movie and tried to figure out what was going on? That’s often what’s happening when you randomly open the Bible to read or take a passage at a time without thinking about the rest of the storyline. Ask yourself how the passage relates to what came before it and always try to think of the big picture.
3. The Bible is a book not just a collection of books
We often talk about “the Book of Ruth” or “the Book of Genesis,” and in Sunday School we put up posters displaying the books of the Bible sitting on a shelf. The impression that gives us is that the Bible is more like a library of sacred writings than it is a unified story. It’s better to see the books of the Bible more like volumes in a multi-volume work. Because of that, the order is important. Nobody picks up Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire if they don’t know what happened in the Prisoner of Azkaban. The same is true, particularly of the Old Testament books. Knowing what happened in the previous book is critical to understanding the significance of the next one. For example, in the Hebrew Bible, Esther is placed after Daniel and so you can’t help comparing and contrasting their hero and heroine. While Daniel wouldn’t defile himself with the pagan king’s food, Esther allows herself to be defiled in the king’s bed. Both will go on to be used by God, but their starting points are different. Daniel inspires as a model of virtue, while Esther is a testament to God’s redemption.
4. The Bible is a book filled with connections
When you start reading the Bible as a book, it helps you to look for connections. There are themes that run from beginning to end, and they develop as you read through. There are promises introduced early on in Scripture that get fulfilled gradually across the chapters of the Bible. The promise in Genesis 3:15, for example, that the offspring of the woman will bruise the head of the offspring of the serpent ties the Bible together and is one of the reasons that birth accounts are so prominent in Scripture. With each significant birth, we’re wondering, “Is this the one who will crush the serpent?” Look for words, concepts, and themes that are repeated in the Bible and watch how they develop in meaning or significance.
Obviously, the biggest problem most people have isn’t that they don’t read the Bible as a book; it’s that they don’t read the Bible at all. May God speak to you as you open yourself to the Bible and all its wonders!
In awe of Him,
Paul
