The Bible is so enjoyable and inspiring to read. With a plethora of history, helping us get to know who these ancient people were...
Their very characters, why they believed, what they witnessed, and how it affected us today. It is a wealth of information that we use even today and shows us our very roots. It is as up to date as tomorrow's newspaper, revealing our past up to today and even exactly what we can expect in the future, with perfect accuracy.
What’s so important about history that God, in His providence, filled His book with it? While there are many facets to this question, let’s focus on one of them: history provides a people with a definition and an identity. That is one of its primary purposes, and this has been true, ever since history began to be written. From ancient times until today, we write histories as an expression of who we are. Where we came from, where our ancestors came from, what they did, the struggles they endured, the victories they won – all of these things give us a sense of who we are.
Much of the Bible is written in the genre of history, that is, historical narratives. Starting with Genesis and going all the way through to Esther, it is basically continuous historical story. That is roughly half of the Old Testament. Although we sometimes think of Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy as the books of the Law of Moses, you will notice that the Law is actually recorded in history books, and it is related to us readers, as Moses tells the history of Israel. Furthermore, if you read the books of the prophets, you will of course see the record of the preaching they did in their day. But if you look more closely, you will find that the books of the prophets are very much like historical narratives themselves, and even more, the prophets often recalled the history of Israel and commented on the significance of that history. The prophets were actually the true interpreters of Israel’s history. The result is that most of the Old Testament is written as history of one kind or another.
A similar phenomenon confronts us when we turn to the New Testament. Up front we get four accounts of the life of Christ – biographies, if you will, which are specialized forms of historical narratives. Then we get the book of Acts – the history of the earliest Christians. Again, about half the New Testament is written explicitly as history. The rest of the New Testament is made up of a collection of letters, written by apostles and other early Christians. Although these are not written as historical accounts, they certainly give us “snapshots” of various “moments” in the lives of churches in the first century. So again, history dominates the collection.
I believe it is common that many people think of “doctrine” first, when they think of the Bible. For many people, the Bible is a book that tells us religious truths. While that is true, it would be inaccurate to think of the Bible, as if it were simply a digest or collection of religious doctrines (like some kind of ancient doctrinal encyclopedia). The fact is, that the Bible is mostly history, and the doctrinal truths revealed in the Bible are presented as parts of the history.
What’s so important about history that God, in His providence, filled His book with it? While there are many facets to this question, let’s focus on one of them: history provides a people with a definition and an identity. That is one of its primary purposes, and this has been true, ever since history began to be written. From ancient times until today, we write histories as an expression of who we are. Where we came from, where our ancestors came from, what they did, the struggles they endured, the victories they won – all of these things give us a sense of who we are.
Much of the Bible is written in the genre of history, that is, historical narratives. Starting with Genesis and going all the way through to Esther, it is basically continuous historical story. That is roughly half of the Old Testament. Although we sometimes think of Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy as the books of the Law of Moses, you will notice that the Law is actually recorded in history books, and it is related to us readers, as Moses tells the history of Israel. Furthermore, if you read the books of the prophets, you will of course see the record of the preaching they did in their day. But if you look more closely, you will find that the books of the prophets are very much like historical narratives themselves, and even more, the prophets often recalled the history of Israel and commented on the significance of that history. The prophets were actually the true interpreters of Israel’s history. The result is that most of the Old Testament is written as history of one kind or another.
A similar phenomenon confronts us when we turn to the New Testament. Up front we get four accounts of the life of Christ – biographies, if you will, which are specialized forms of historical narratives. Then we get the book of Acts – the history of the earliest Christians. Again, about half the New Testament is written explicitly as history. The rest of the New Testament is made up of a collection of letters, written by apostles and other early Christians. Although these are not written as historical accounts, they certainly give us “snapshots” of various “moments” in the lives of churches in the first century. So again, history dominates the collection.
I believe it is common that many people think of “doctrine” first, when they think of the Bible. For many people, the Bible is a book that tells us religious truths. While that is true, it would be inaccurate to think of the Bible, as if it were simply a digest or collection of religious doctrines (like some kind of ancient doctrinal encyclopedia). The fact is, that the Bible is mostly history, and the doctrinal truths revealed in the Bible are presented as parts of the history.
