When we read the Bible, we have a front-row seat to God’s actions and intentions for our world. The TANAKH, the Older Testament, was specifically written to Israel, and their experiences are patterns for us who live in the latter days (1 Corinthians 10:6, 11). Likewise, the records of disciples, churches,
and Jesus Himself are windows to God, His methods, and His character.
I remember as a child hearing Bible stories with their applied messages, and thinking “I wouldn’t do that” or “Why didn’t they learn?” or “If I had been there, I would have done such and such.”
We like to think we would have sided with Joshua and Caleb against the negative spies, and been as brave as David when he faced Goliath. We fancy that we would not have contributed any gold rings to cast the Golden Calf, nor complained when we were thirsty in the desert. We even like to think we would have remained calm in the storm and shown up at the tomb early, just so we could be the first witnesses of the Resurrection.
If we are thinking these things, at least we are on the way to being changed by the stories. We are to interact with them, and putting ourselves in the place of an Israelite or an apostle is the first step. But we must go beyond that, and ask ourselves if we are applying the lessons, indeed if we are really learning anything from them.
It’s one thing to criticize the thirsty people of Israel, but quite another not to complain when our own relief is not readily at hand. It’s easy to see how ridiculous Jonah is in despising Nineveh and begrudging them salvation, but totally miss our own inability to show grace to the difficult people in our life. We may criticize Martha in the morning and become Martha that afternoon.
So, if you are reading your Bible, good for you! And if you are getting behind the history and are being changed by its lessons, so much the better. That’s what it’s all about.
“Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.”
1 Corinthians 10:11