Everyone has problems in life. Even the rich and powerful. There’s a joke about a rich guy who went bankrupt and was stressing out about owing everybody money. His psychiatrist told him, “You’re smart and innovative. You’ll find a way to cope.” A month later, at his next appointment, the man told his shrink he’d hired someone for $50,000 to do his worrying for him. “Where did you get the money for that?” the shrink asked. “I didn’t. But he can worry about that.”
I’ve probably told it wrong, but it’s not really that funny anyway.
It’s always interested me about where people turn when they have trouble. There was a time in college when my friend was out drinking and was picked up for drunken driving. Two in the morning he calls for a ride home from jail. (Laws were more lax back then.) I went. What are friends for if they won’t do something like that?
Others turn to the Bible when they have a problem, and they use it to guide them in their lives. But there’s a danger in that - a hidden danger.
The Bible has a lot of advice and guidance, and many times it can be of great help. However, the Bible has a historical context that shouldn’t be ignored. Therein lies the danger.
Let me use an extreme example:
There’s a divorcing couple who are in a fight over who has custody of their child. The one parent says, “The Bible says we should cut the baby in half.” That parent goes to jail for attempted murder.
The concept of “splitting the baby” was a way to determine who the real mother was. Back then the king decided things like that, but today we have other people who have more time to make informed decisions. The historical context is different, so there’s no need to get a sword and slice newborns in half - not even as a ploy to get the real mother to reveal herself.
There’s also another aspect of the Bible which most people ignore to their distress: the Bible isn’t about them, it’s about God.
I was somewhat shocked when I realized that every passage is a revelation about Him, not a guidebook for me. Sure, I can use the Bible as guard rails in my life, but those safety devices reveal God. That I can use them is of secondary import.
When there are parts of the Bible which describe what the ideal woman is like, or that the disciples should shake off the dust of their sandals, the reader should keep in mind those things were put there for His glory.
And please, remember that the mentions of polygamy in Genesis were not advocacy. Each and every time the polygamist had problems associated with having more than one wife. The Bible only reveals that it happened. The context is, “See? Not a good idea!”
Another concept in the Bible that’s mentioned (and not promoted) is slavery. The historical context is far different from what America came up with in the 1800s.
Simply remember the Bible isn’t about you. It’s about Him. The Old Testament all points to the coming Messiah in a progressive revelation. The New Testament points directly at Him.
Any advice you can glean from the Bible great.
Just keep the context in mind, or you’ll end up buying a pair of sandals so you can shake the dust off them.
