Yes, that's the book for me
I love the bible.
When I used to attend bible classes in the morning before our church service, there was a song that used to often play. It said "the B-I-B-L-E, yes, that's the book for me!" As if it were some personal preference, some choice. As though I, as a six year old girl, had knowingly explored all possible "books" out there and had decided that this one was one that fit in the groove of my life, my heart. That I could imagine myself forty years from that moment sitting at a book club with other house wives sipping on champagne and gushing over the romances between protagonists and the literary prowess.
No, I could not imagine any of those things. I knew not much about the bible at all. But what I had come to learn, was that billions upon billions of people had read through it and had come to appreciate this "Jesus" character and all that He stood for. Apparently Jesus loved me, and I would love Him, too. It was a simple, childlike curiosity and faith
I love that thinking back to that song, it all finally makes sense. I don't want to just sit in book club with a glass of wine and gush about the love story of protagonists and how stunning the imagery is (although these both exist in abundance in scripture and speak of a much greater depth and realness to the text), I want to not just say it's the book for me out of preference. I want to show that it is the book for me out of necessity. Necessary for abundance beyond earthly means, necessary for humanity beyond what our hearts can or will to comprehend.
But here's the thing. We never sang this song in isolation. We would all sing it together. In unison. And I would love for you to consider why it could also be the book for YOU (and not just because I want you to join my singing club... or my book club either... though you're welcome too!).
One thing that fascinates me about this book is that the first thing that the reader discovers is that it's not a book.
BOOM.
It's a whole lot of books.
And, to be honest, it's not just compiled of books, either.
You see, one thing we need to get into our brains as humans is that just like an artist creates a piece of art to convey a certain theme, message or idea that is deeply personal to them, so, too does an author. The author not only writes to see that their words become print on a page. They write to express ideas, points of view... to tell stories. These main purposes change and shift depending on the type of text that the author is writing. If you were asked to write an essay on a topic from your studies at university, you would understand that the reason for writing an essay is to allow a reader to follow along with an argument or line of reasoning with punctuality and clarity. Markers discourage flowery vocabulary. They want succinct, clear sentences and consistent structure. If you were to write your response to the question in the structure of a sonnet, this would not impact the audience of your answer in the way it was intended to.
We've got to ask ourselves when looking at the bible, what forms of text (for example, narrative, poetry, letter, allegory) are used, what do they say about the author(s), what are they communicating about the author's perspective of the reader(s), and what are they trying to tell us through the specific use of that literary style. In the same way as understanding the purpose behind a piece of legislation to properly interpret it and ensure justice is upheld, it is important to honour the intentions of the author(s) of this book of books and read from it accordingly. Otherwise it becomes misused, powers abused and people negatively impacted.
HELLO HISTORY OF THE DOMINANT JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN A NUTSHELL.
I digress.
I will seek at a future date to explore more these literary styles and devices in scripture but I want to explain that the reason why it's the book for me and you is because I believe the author (let's call him God, shall we?) wanted to communicate to you and I in many different ways. He wanted to tell you the story (narrative) of His acts in redeeming us to our most beautiful form as humans and bringing us back to a full understanding of His eternal love, he wanted to woo us with poetry (plenty of that in there, my friends. Don't you love how flowing syntax pulls at the heart strings?), he wanted to write letters (epistles) to His beloved children to instruct them on abundant living from a distance. All of these forms He uses to tell us one simple thing: that He loves us, that we thrive in community with Him and with a loving kindness towards others, and that He's making things right in our hearts as we learn to trust Him.
This isn't an ordinary book. It's not some opioid-driven vision translated over 20 years of cave visits. It makes huge claims to its veracity and ability to transform a life for the better if utilised by people with humble hearts.
There is a verse that says "oh, taste and see that that the Lord ("YAHWEH" in the original Hebrew, meaning "He brings into existence") is GOOD." Psalm 34:8.
I'm challenging you. If this book isn't the book for you as I am confident it will be, you will know after some time. But if you approach it with a humble heart in the recognition that you live in the year 2020 with a limited understanding of ancient culture, writing and faith communities and you enter into the pages with a willingness to learn, you will be blessed.
You will come away with an appreciation for a book that is unlike any other. You will come away recognising that it IS IN FACT a book unlike any other. You may even come away recognising far greater things but I am simply going to tell you that there is hidden treasure in it, and it's worth a bit of a dig.
