How the Bible Changes When You Know the Author
I joined a book club for the first time a couple years ago. Have you ever participated in one? This book club only meets via Instagram live, so it’s not very intimate, but the cool thing about it is that each book club “meeting” includes a live interview with the author of the book we read! How awesome is that?
I remember one particular time when I didn’t enjoy the book as much as usual, but I powered through, finished it, and tuned in to watch the interview with the author. After hearing her speak, my opinion and understanding of the book completely changed. She talked about her very personal reasons for writing the book and explained several characters and aspects of the story in greater depth than I had considered while reading. With her inside insight, my entire view of the book was different. I could see things differently! Once I knew the author, her process and motivation for writing the story the way she did, I understood her book in a whole new way. I could see it the way she saw it, and that made all the difference.
The same thing is true about the Bible and its author—God. If you don’t know God, you’ll struggle to understand parts of His book. Although I didn’t have the opportunity to get to know my book club’s featured author on a personal level, I am able to have a close and intimate relationship with God. And the more of a relationship I have with Him personally, the better I can understand, appreciate and apply His Word.
Can you imagine somebody who doesn’t know God opening up to Genesis 19 and reading the story of Sodom and Gomorrah being destroyed by burning sulfur that rained down from the heavens? What questions do you think might go through that person’s mind?
- Why would a good God rain burning sulfur down on people?
- Is God really good?
- Why did the angels save Lot and his family? Does God play favorites?
- Is the Bible full of unnecessarily painful stories like this one?
If you don’t know God, it’s hard to read and understand a passage like Genesis 19 through His lens. But a disciple of Christ who has spent time in God’s presence knows things about Him that changes the way this story is viewed. For example, we know God is patient and merciful. He offers us chance after chance to turn from our sinful ways.
All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations. -Isaiah 65:2
And God had surely held his hand out to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. It’s not like he rained down fire at the first sight of one tiny sin. In Genesis 18:30, God said to Abraham, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me.” So not only had He waited with patience and mercy in the midst of the people’s sin, but even after their sin reached such a grievous point, He took a careful look at things before administering His wrath. In fact, even by having this conversation with Abraham, He was showing mercy. Abraham interceded for the people of Sodom and asked the Lord if He would spare the city if He found at least 10 righteous people there, and God agreed. He is certainly not short on goodness, patience and mercy.
He is not quick to judge and condemn, but He is just. When our hardened hearts keep us from turning to God in repentance and surrender, there will come a day when the Lord’s patience and mercy reach an endpoint. Think about it… If people were able to do whatever they wanted with no consequences for their actions, this world would be even crazier than it already seems some days. There would be no sense of justice. Chaos would reign. God’s righteous and just wrath is a sign of His love for us. It shows us that He won’t let people go rogue without any repercussions. Rest assured, God’s justice does prevail in the end.
But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. -Romans 2:5
There’s so much more that we could go into when it comes to Sodom and Gomorrah, but I hope you get the idea. If you know God, you know He is patient, merciful, loving and just. When you read Genesis 19 with those aspects of His character in mind, it’s a completely different story.
Don’t try to read the Bible without knowing its author! Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Spend time with Him daily. Talk to Him in prayer, and seek out Bible studies, podcasts, books and small groups through your church or community. Worship Him through song! Sit quietly in His presence, and listen for His still, small voice that draws you in close to Him. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom and understanding as you read the Word. Meditate on God’s attributes, and look for them in your daily life. Ask God questions about things that confuse or frustrate you, and wait expectantly for His response. When you know the author, His entire book will change. More specifically, it will come to life!
Through it all, keep your eyes fixed on Him. Here’s to the day when you and I together can sit down with God for the most epic book club meeting of all time. I’ll bring the snacks!