You can tell a lot about a person by what he writes. His way of saying things, the issues he discusses, and the people and places he mentions reveal a great deal about him. If this is true of the books men write, it is more true of the Bible - the Book that was written to reveal its Author.
David Egner has written this material to show us how we can know God through our study of His Book - the Bible.
Martin R. De Haan II
OUTLINE
The Author and His Book
The Bible and Its Author
How To Know God Through the Bible
1. Through the Story Line
2. Through the People
3. Through the Places
4. Through the Mood
5. Through the Message
Putting It to Work
Helping You Help Others
What About You?
THE AUTHOR AND HIS BOOK
An author often reveals himself in what he writes. He will sometimes put himself into his characters, talk through their speeches, and pour his feelings into their emotions. Ideas and issues that are important to him will find their way into the pages of his books.
One of the intriguing aspects of the study of literature, therefore, is learning about an author through his writings. For example, we can learn much about the blind poet Milton through his sonnets and through Paradise Lost. And the study of the dark and twisted stories of Edgar Allen Poe take us deeply into his twisted mind and tormented heart.
Sometimes the writer will come right out and tell the reader what he is like and what he believes. The few people who took seriously Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf, for example, recognized his ego, his love of power, and the intensity of his hatred for the Jews.
Usually, however, an author does not reveal his thinking and his character directly. His works must be read carefully and analyzed before the reader can begin to understand him. We must study his characters, scrutinize his places and incidents, and review his themes before we can know what makes him tick.
Think a moment about James Fenimore Cooper, the early American writer who wrote such thrilling stories as The Deerslayer, The Pilot, and The Last of the Mohicans. Reading these stories would give you a sense of Cooper's admiration for the pioneering spirit of the early settlers and his respect for the shrewdness and skill of the American Indian. You would also begin to feel his love for the spirit of adventure and his conviction that faith is vitally important if one is to overcome the fears and uncertainties of life.
But, you ask, how is all of this going to help me? What does it have to do with God and the study of the Bible? Simply this: While one of the interests of literature is to get to know an author through what he has written, it should be the main interest of all Bible study. The Bible is God's Book. Although it was written by men like Moses and Luke and Paul, it is the self-revelation of God. He is the Author behind the authors. And what He says reflects who He is.
To know God, therefore, we have to read His Book. We have to learn to see Him on every page, above every event, in every place and circumstance, and overseeing the choice of every person who makes his way into the sacred pages of biblical history.
THE BIBLE AND ITS AUTHOR
The Bible, the Book of books, was written so that we could know the Author behind the authors. Sometimes He is revealed directly in statements that tell us exactly what He is like. The simple sentence "God is love" (1 John 4:16) is an example. So is the statement "Be holy, for I am holy" (1 Pet. 1:16).
In most cases, however, we must look into and beyond the stories and statements and people of the Bible to see the character of its Author. The story of David and Goliath (1 Sam. 17), for instance, tells us a great deal about God. True, the story is primarily the historical account of a valiant Jewish youth in his conquest of a bigger, stronger, more experienced foe. But it was God's cause that David was defending. It was God's power and control that directed the stone from David's sling and brought the blasphemous giant crashing to the ground. And it was God who was glorified when the pagan Philistines were put to flight by the armies of Israel.
That God is our God! The details and scenery might have changed, but the character of David's God has not. Nor have His principles. He is still with us, and can be found by those who seek Him. He is involved with all that happens. And He has a plan, a cause, and a purpose for each one of us.
HOW TO KNOW GOD THROUGH THE BIBLE
The first thing you need to do as you approach the Bible is to ask its Author for help. Don't forget to do that! The amazing thing about the Bible is that its real Author is listening to your every thought. He is as close as a prayer. And when you ask Him to help you understand the Book He has inspired (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:20,21), you can be sure that He will find pleasure in giving you your request (Matt. 7:7-11).
The second thing we suggest is that you consider using the same method of study that is often used for literature of lesser importance. There are at least five classic elements of literature that also can be applied to the Scriptures. When adapted for the purpose of Bible study, they look like this:
1. The Story Line. What God directly causes or allows to happen.
2. The People. How God relates to what people think, feel, and do.
3. The Place. Where God rules in the affairs of men.
4. The Mood. What God wants people to feel.
5. The Message. What God thinks or says.
As we look at the Bible from these five points of view, our prayer is that it will help you see God more clearly throughout the pages of His Book.
1. THE STORY LINE
A first way we can know the God of the Bible through His Book is by observing what happens in its pages. As we trace the sequence of events, the story line, we will see God in action: creating, making things happen, reacting to the things that take place
in His world, and responding to the needs of man. All of this gives us insight into His mind and character. It helps us know God better.
LEARNING FROM LITERATURE. Suppose we are reading Moby Dick. To understand and enjoy the book, we first have to follow the story. We must note its beginning, how it develops, the climax, and the ending. When Moby Dick begins, the peg-legged Captain Ahab is hiring a crew to take his whaling vessel onto the high seas. His quest is to hunt down and kill the great white whale that took his leg. We soon realize that Ahab is obsessed with revenge.
As the story moves along from event to event, the showdown comes closer. Finally the whale is sighted and a longboat is lowered. The whale is harpooned, but in the wild struggle the longboat is smashed and the ship itself destroyed. Only one man is left to tell the tale of Ahab's defeat.
That is the basic story of the book. But in its 400 pages, numerous smaller dramatic episodes take place. Their significance can be understood only in the light of the basic story line. Each of these minor episodes has a beginning, middle, and ending. Tracing them and fitting them into the main thread of the story is part of the enjoyment of reading the novel. It also helps us see the author's purpose for writing.
THE STORY LINE OF THE BIBLE. We can apply the same method to the Bible. Tracing its story line involves two stages as well: (1) seeing the big picture, and (2) examining the smaller segments.
THE BIG PICTURE. In short, the story line of the Bible shows what God either causes or allows to happen in the process of offering Himself to people who don't deserve to know Him. First He made two people, Adam and Eve, and placed them in a beautiful garden paradise. But then this same God allowed this first family to set the tone for what was to follow. While giving them indescribable opportunity to enjoy His goodness, He allowed them to fail a simple "test of trust" (Gen. 3).
The rest of the Bible tells how God responded to man's need for rescue. The high point of this lovestory is also the low point of human history. God visits earth in the person of His own Son and allows Himself to be to falsely indicted, tortured, and executed. But that was not the end. Three days later the Son of God rose from the dead. And before ascending to heaven, He assured the eternal life of all who would accept His offer of rescue. Revelation, the last book in the Bible, shows how God will bring to a wonderful, yet terrible fulfillment the love-story begun in Genesis.
The story line of the Bible, then, reveals a God who made us, loves us, shows Himself to us, and then allows us to accept or reject Him. He is a God who builds "tests of faith" into our environment. He is the God who allows an evil intruder to come into the picture to test our trust. He arranges circumstances in such a way as to allow us to choose Him over Satan, good over evil, approval over disapproval, rescue over judgment.
This story line is important. It shows that the God who has made us is a God who does more than give us good times, good health, and good relationships. He is also a God who allows the kind of circumstances that will test our faith. He allows the kind of temptations that will test our love. He allows us an opportunity to fail so that we will also have a real opportunity to succeed. But most important, He shows Himself as a God of indescribable patience, mercy, and love, in that He is willing to save all who have failed so miserably and are now willing to come to Him in faith.
THE SMALLER SEGMENTS. The same method we applied to the big picture of the Bible may also be applied to its smaller segments. Although the Bible is one major story, it is made up of many smaller stories and incidents. It reveals a God, for example, who oversaw and directed the flood of Noah, the call and life of Abraham, the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, the conquest of Canaan under Joshua, the trials of Job, the coming of Christ, and a host of other events.
Let's take a closer look at one of these smaller segments that make up the one big story of Scripture. Let's look together at that most revealing record of God's plan for a man named Joseph (Gen. 37-50). As we do, keep in mind that God did not record the events of Joseph's life to educate us in the culture of an ancient nomadic people. He didn't leave this record to fill us in on the details of Egyptian dynasties. Neither did He give us the story of Joseph to enable us to explore the dynamics of sibling rivalries. While He may teach us something about all of these along the way, His main purpose is to teach us to know and trust Him - the God who remains with us regardless of circumstances.
Joseph, one of Jacob's youngest sons, was his aging father's favorite. He was an irritant, however, in the eyes of his brothers. They were angered by the special treatment their father gave him. And when Joseph began telling them about his dreams that he would someday rule over them, jealousy burned within their hearts. Finally, they had all they could take of their little brother. After deciding against killing him, they chose to throw him into a pit. Later that day they sold him as a slave to a passing caravan. That sudden end to Joseph's home-life marked a new beginning.
In the far-off country of Egypt, Joseph was resold to Potiphar, an officer of the Pharaoh. Things steadily improved for Joseph until Potiphar's wife made sexual advances. When he resisted, she accused him of trying to rape her.
Joseph was thrown into jail, but Joseph's God was still very much in control. After a series of up-and-down experiences, Joseph was appointed as Egypt's second-in-command. He held that kind of power when a famine caused his brothers to come looking for food. Unknowingly, they ended up at the mercy of the brother they had sold many years earlier.
The dream had come true. Joseph now had the upper hand. When he finally revealed his identity to them, they were scared stiff. But Joseph, the man of God, said, " 'Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.' And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them" (Gen. 50:19-21).
The story of Joseph tells us a lot about God. It shows us that God is all-knowing. He knew everything about Joseph's future. He knew that someday He was going to give Joseph dominance over his brothers, even though it sounded outrageous and impossible when Joseph dreamed it.
The story also reveals God as all-wise and all-powerful. He could stand by and let Joseph be sold into slavery because He knew He would weave this tragedy into His long-range plan. He could let Joseph be slandered by Potiphar's wife because He knew that He would bring good out of this unfair situation.
The truths about God that shine through in the story of Joseph are comforting. He knows and controls our present as well as our future. We can rest assured in His constant love, no matter what He permits us to suffer. We can find joy in knowing that He will someday honor all who trust Him - if not in this life, then certainly in the life to come.
2. THE PEOPLE
The second way we can know God through His Book is to take note of what He does and does not value in people. The men and women of Scripture are there because of their relationship with God - positive or negative. As we observe that relationship, we will learn not only about the Bible characters but also about the Lord - what He likes and doesn't like, what He loves and hates. Directly or indirectly, the people of God reflect the character of God.
LEARNING FROM LITERATURE. The fictional characters of literature often reflect the concerns of their author. Some, like little Oliver Twist, reflect an author's sensitivity to injustice. Others show an author's ability to dream lofty dreams or to create characters with the capacity for great good or terrible cruelty.
THE PEOPLE OF THE BIBLE. The people of the Bible are different from those in fiction because they are real. But like the characters of literature, they also reflect the creative mind of their Author. And they do so in a colorful way. For example, Job was a rich man who lost it all because of a discussion between God and Satan. Samson was a real hero who displayed superhuman strength in overcoming the Philistine army, but he lost his life through the seductions of an unfaithful lover. Then there was Zaccheus, a little man who climbed down from a tree to meet Jesus - leaving behind his life of shady financial dealings.
There's no question about the human interest and local color that comes through the personal stories of Bible characters. But how can they also help us to know God? How can we learn to see them as people who lived out their own lives, yet showed how God related to what they thought, said, and did? The following questions will help:
1. What does each person's experience tell us about the values or loves of God?
2. What does each person's experience tell us about the aversions and hates of God?
3. What does each person's experience tell us about what God can do in the life of the one who does or does not please the Lord?
As an example of how this works, let's ask these questions about Moses, one of the most complex and interesting people in the Bible. First let's review some of his story. Moses the lawgiver wasn't always "the man on the mountain." He started out as "the baby in the bulrushes," who was pulled out and raised by Pharaoh's daughter (Ex. 1-2). And even though he is characterized as "the meekest of men," he wasn't always that way. On two different occasions, once early and another late in life, he expressed a rashness and impulsiveness that caused him great trouble.
In the first instance, his rage at an Egyptian he caught beating up on a fellow Israelite led to an act of manslaughter and a loss of his place in Pharaoh's court (Ex. 2:11-15). Because of his actions, this former "somebody" of Egypt spent 40 years learning what it meant to be a "nobody."
The second time Moses' anger and willfulness got him into trouble was later in life after God had brought him back to his people to lead them out of Egypt. This time he was so tired of hearing his people complain about their lack of water that he lost his temper and struck a rock that the Lord had told him to speak to (Num. 20:1-13). That might not sound very serious, but it was to God! Moses' anger caused him to lose his opportunity to enjoy the Promised Land. Still, in spite of his occasional lapses, Moses is characterized in Scripture as a man of God, a giant of faith, who stood out among the people of his day as one who feared God and put his faith in the Holy One of Israel.
What does Moses tell us about God? He shows us that God values and loves the kind of faith that His servant showed when he chose "rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt" (Heb. 11:25,26). Moses shows how God values the qualities of "humility" (Num. 12:3), "holiness" (Ex. 32), and prayerful intercession (Ex. 14:11-25).
On the other hand, Moses also shows us how God can be angered. The Lord became angry when Moses repeatedly refused to believe that God could enable him to be His spokesman (Ex. 4:11-14). God kept him out of the Promised Land because he lost his temper and dishonored God by his disobedience.
When we read the history of Moses, we see how God values those who approach Him in holiness and godly fear. We see a God who loves obedience and hates disobedience. We see a God who is close to those who fear Him, but who moves against those who are willfully unfaithful to Him (Ex. 32).
It's one thing to know the principles of what God loves and hates, values and doesn't value. It's another to see how the Lord actually expresses those thoughts and feelings in a relationship to a person like Moses. Moses was far from perfect, but he possessed characteristics of faith and humility that God used to show us what He is like.
3. THE PLACES
The setting of a story is also important when it comes to knowing the God of the Bible. It is never by accident that He makes things happen where they do. If we spend some time thinking about the places in the Bible, we will see more deeply into God's mind and character.
LEARNING FROM LITERATURE. An author chooses the setting of his story with care. It makes a vast difference whether the action takes place in the wealthy Gold Coast district of Chicago, the steppes of Russia, or at the foot of Africa's Mount Kilimanjaro.
Many Americans have read Mark Twain's novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The action takes place along the banks of the Mississippi River. The river is vitally important to the story, for it separates the refined culture of the East from the more adventuresome spirit of the West. Whenever Huck was on the river, things were peaceful. But when he went to the shore, he always found trouble. Just as the river brought him freedom from society, so it was the gateway to another kind of freedom to the slave, Jim.
THE SETTING OF THE BIBLE AS GOD'S REALM. There are a number of different ways of learning about God from the settings of the Bible. One of the most obvious is simply to recognize that wherever God interacts with men, He is Lord of that place. If the setting is in the halls and courts of a pagan government such as in the courts of Pharaoh, we can be sure that God is revealing Himself as the Lord of government. He rules not merely in the inner world of the heart, but over the presidents, tyrants, and prime ministers of the world.
Similarly, an event in an agricultural setting will reveal God as One who rules over the crops. There is no planting, no growing season, no harvest without His decision and provision.
That's not all. If the setting is the family, we need to realize that God is Lord of the home. If it is the battlefield, or a strategy session in the basement of the king's palace, we can be sure it is telling us that God is the God who rules over all military effort. There is no victory and no defeat apart from His control. The same is true of events that occur on the high seas or below them, in the heavens or in the world of the dead. Whatever the setting, we can be sure that nothing happens apart from the sovereign rule of God. That is the kind of God who made us. He is the Lord of every place and setting.
THE SETTING OF THE BIBLE AS A VISIBLE BACKDROP. The Bible makes it clear that God is intimately involved with everything that happens in our world. Yet, He is distinct from everything in it. The implications of this are important. Imagine the infinite genius of a God who has chosen a physical, material setting in which to carry out His very spiritual business.
This does not mean that the physical settings of Scripture are not important. It means that they are important because they are being used as backdrops, platforms, and props by an invisible Author and Creator. They are tools in His hands as He directs the unfolding of a real-life drama.
This means we worship a God who is very different from the one worshiped by many today. He is not the God of the pantheist, who sees no distinction between the Creator and His creation. Neither is He the kind of God who is satisfied to be met and then left in a building of worship. The God of the Bible cannot be "kept" in any setting. He is the God of whom Isaiah said, "Thus says the Lord: 'Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest? For all those things My hand has made . . . . But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word' " (Is. 66:1,2). That is the kind of spiritual business that is occurring in the settings of the Bible.
