I’m an avid bumper sticker reader. I find it fascinating when someone feels so strongly about something that he displays the sentiment for all to see. It may be worth reading, and when safely possible, I try to get close enough to do so. (Getting close enough to read tattoos is much more dangerous, and I don’t advise it.)
A few days ago, I eased up behind an SUV to get a better view of the sticker on the left rear bumper. It read,
Life is a cruel teacher:
Giving tests first and lessons later.
Exactly right. See, worth reading! And that reality is why the Bible advises us to live wisely. Life is far too short to have to learn everything from your own mistakes, especially when you can learn from those of others.
The Bible teaches wisdom in two ways, by principle and by example. The principles are spelled out in straightforward fashion in the New Testament letters (Ephesians, 1 Timothy) and Old Testament books such as Leviticus and Deuteronomy.
The examples are displayed in the Bible’s countless narratives, stories which are found in Genesis, Kings, Chronicles and the New Testament book of Acts.
But there is no strict separation of the two, with principle and example being combined in the Gospels, for example, or the entire Pentateuch (Genesis through Deuteronomy), and even the prophetic writings of Jeremiah and Ezekiel. What you may have missed in the principles is lived out in the narratives.
This is the genius of the Bible, which, in contrast to life, is a kind and gentle Teacher. It makes you wonder how much better life would be if we consistently practiced its principles and internalized its examples.
And unlike reading bumper stickers, there is no such thing as getting too close.
“The words of the Lord are pure words,
like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
purified seven times.”
Psalm 12:6