Introduction
Read Part 1 if not already done.
The Bible we hold in our hands is a unique compilation of books, written by different people over a period spanning 1,600 years. Like any written book, Scripture functions as a time machine, transporting us to the context and circumstances of its writers. However, unlike any other book, the Bible contains the progressive revelation of God about Himself.
This progressive nature places a profound responsibility upon us. In "the times of ignorance, God overlooked". But now, having given us extensive revelation, God expects a high level of accountability: Acts 17:30: "The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent". We are commanded to respond and act according to the revelation given to us.
Furthermore, Jesus condemned those who could interpret the weather but failed to interpret their own context: Luke 12:56: "You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?".
The Critical Difference Between Inspiration and Dictation
To correctly respond to God's word, we must first understand how it came to us and the diverse voices contained within it.
Theological clarity requires us to distinguish between God's inspiration and God's dictation. We know that 2 Timothy 3:16 confirms: "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness". This means the writers were inspired by God to write. However, this does not mean that every single word recorded in Scripture came directly from the mouth of God.
For example, in the book of Job, we see the words spoken by God, words spoken by Satan, and words spoken by people like Job, Job's wife, and Job’s friends. If we hastily assume that every statement recorded in this book (or in the Bible) is a direct promise from God to us today, we will definitely misunderstand God’s word.
The Necessity of Context: Learning from Job's Friends
Let me narrate a story. A police officer was walking down a road when he heard a voice that commanded someone to die, saying, "You go and die. No use of you. If you die, it is better for us".
Because of his police instinct, the officer immediately thought that this situation amounted to abetting to suicide. His initial thought was to determine what legal section this offense fell into and how he could bring the man into the law.
The officer walked further and approached the house, hearing a few more words. He looked into the window to understand what was happening inside.
He observed three people: an elderly man, a woman who appeared to be his wife, and a young man in his early 20s, standing before them. The two elderly people were speaking to the young man. The faces of the elderly people were sad, disappointed, and full of anger.
The officer became more interested and went inside the house to inquire what was taking place. The elderly people, who were the young man's parents, explained the situation. They began narrating all the "evil deeds" the young person was doing, describing the shame he was bringing to them and the pain they were experiencing in their lives, which was why they were shouting at him.
When the officer heard the painful situation of the parents, his heart melted. He sat down with them, counseled the young man, and managed to bring the situation to a "peaceable condition".
This story of the police officer illustrates the danger of hasty judgment without context: he initially reacted negatively but changed his response when he understood who was speaking, to whom, why, and how. Likewise, understanding God's word requires us to understand the contest and situation.
We have many more resources and revelation today than those figures from the Old Testament, such as Job's friends. Unfortunately, Job’s friends held a wrong understanding of God, a fact confirmed by God Himself (though the specific reference to Job 42:8 is not cited, the theological claim is made). We must not make the mistake of picking up phrases spoken by Job's friends and applying them as promises of God for our lives today. It is a very serious thing to wrongly understand the word of God.
The Foundation: The Torah as Initial Teaching
The Bible's progressive revelation begins with the five books of Moses.
1. Chronology and Authorship: While the order of writing is not entirely clear, the Book of Job was chronologically the first book written (around the same time as Genesis and during the lifetime of Abraham). However, the foundational revelation of God came through Moses, who wrote Genesis to Deuteronomy around 1500 BC, during the 40 years the Israelites spent in the wilderness. Job was based on the writers' understanding of God, but Genesis to Deuteronomy (most part of this section, to be more specific) represent the first direct revelation of God about Himself.
2. The Purpose of the Torah (the Law): These five books are often called the "Law," but in Hebrew, they are called Torah, which means "teaching". They were primarily addressed to the Israelites who had just been redeemed from 400 years of severe slavery of Egypt. They were mostly uneducated and surrounded by pagan culture.
Moses wrote to teach these former slaves who their God was (the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), how He created the world, how He chose their forefathers, and how they must now serve Him as their Master. The Torah covers every aspect of their lives: how to build a house for God, offer sacrifices, treat neighbors, walk, rest, and wear clothes.
These books address fundamental problems of life (death, marriage, pain in labor, hard work, etc). Jesus Himself referred back to these books, for example, when addressing Sadducees about foundational issues, such as marriage (referencing Genesis 2:24) and resurrection (referencing God appearing to Moses in the bush). So, this part is primarily for the teaching.
3. Wisdom, Not Science The purpose of the Torah is not to teach science. The Bible does not discuss things in terms of scientific development. Instead, this teaching was designed to bring the people above all other nations, making them wise and understanding:
- Deuteronomy 4:6-8: "Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who when they hear all these statutes will say, 'Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.' For what great nation is there that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today".
This teaching provides the foundation for their theology and their national identity for Israelites. For Christians, who are heirs of the promise of Abraham through Christ, these five books still remain crucial for meditating upon God's rich wisdom.
David’s Challenge: Love for Limited Revelation
Following the Torah, the historical books (Joshua, Judges, Ruth) show the failure of the Israelites to follow the covenant. Though the land promise (the first promise) was fulfilled in Joshua, we know that they lost it soon after (when Israelites went into exile due to their unfaithfulness to God).
Despite the declining faith of the nation, God always found a faithful remnant (e.g., Samuel in the days of Eli, David in the days of Saul). This shows that even if the environment around us is declining, God looks to see if we are standing for Him personally.
We find a powerful model of devotion in King David. At that time, David's only "Bible" was the first five books. Yet, his love for God’s word was so immense that he poured out his heart in the Psalms.
David’s passion stands in contrast to his wise son, Solomon, who wrote a love letter to a woman (Song of Solomon, 117 verses). David, however, wrote a love letter to God's word, Psalm 119, which contains 176 verses.
David’s love is clearly expressed:
- Psalm 119:97: "Oh, how I love your law! It is my meditation all day".
- Psalm 119:127: "Therefore I love your commandments above gold, above fine gold".
- He also stated, "I love your law" (Psalm 119:113) and "My soul keeps your testimonies; I love them exceedingly" (Psalm 119:167).
This intense love and "thirst" for the word is why God saw David as a "man after his own heart".
Conclusion: Our Greater Responsibility
David’s faithfulness with only limited revelation should challenge us today . We should not excuse our own failures by focusing on David’s weaknesses, but rather follow his faithfulness and deep love for God and God .
Now, we possess the complete revelation of God . If David was so faithful with just the Torah, our responsibility toward God's complete word is vastly greater . If we are negligent toward God's words and fail to give them the necessary value, we will be responsible before God and experience spiritual loss . It is our duty to rightly meditate on Scripture and dig out the rich wisdom God has provided .
(To be continued...)
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