Exploring My Strange Bible

Dear Daughters,

Have you ever tried to read the Bible and got bored with it?  Has the Bible seemed like a randomly collected book of stories and facts, a few wise sayings mixed in with some really strange prophecies?  Yeah, I have too.  Many of us believe that the Bible is either a divine instruction manual dropped from heaven or just a few inspirational quotes mixed in with some strange and disturbing stories.   Some of us think it’s just an old book that has no relevance for people today.  I used to read just the parts I liked and ignore the sections that were puzzling or offensive.  But all that changed when I was introduced to the Bible Project. 

Tim Mackie, one of the founders, calls himself a card-carrying Bible nerd and wants others to also be amazed at how brilliant and wise the Bible actually is.  From page one in Genesis to the last word in Revelation, the Bible is a cohesive, unified story all pointing to Jesus.  Tim’s early podcast, Exploring My Strange Bible, speaks out loud what many of us have actually thought: the Bible is too hard for me to understand, I’ll just leave it to the experts.

Back in 2014 Tim and Jon made two short 5-minute videos summarizing a few books of the Bible and posted them online for free.  Jon’s passion for visual storytelling combined with Tim’s PhD in Biblical and Hebrew studies made accessible many seemingly confusing parts of the Bible.  I’m quite certain I have watched at least 100 of their short videos, and every one I watch expands my appreciation and love for this book.

I had no idea that certain themes introduced on the first page of the Bible – such as the tree of life, the talking snake in the garden, the change from chaos to order – are coherent, beautiful and trustworthy themes, each one beautifully developed throughout all 1,000+ pages of the Bible. 

The 40-some authors of the Bible, writing over a period of 1,500 years, must have been guided by God’s Holy Spirit.  There’s no other way this book could consistently weave the same theme throughout. The writers, ranging from kings to herdsmen, were carried along in crafting their words, yet each writer has a specific personal style. As this picture suggests, it’s hard to see where God and man’s words stop or start, they simply worked together as a partnership. There’s no other book like it in the entire world.

I remember thinking in the past, If I were God, I would have whitewashed some of those stories, cleaned them up and tied them up with a neat pretty bow.  But God is not interested in cover-ups and lies.  He wants us to know that He can turn any chaotic and seemingly hopeless situation into good.  He is the Champion God of great reversals in our lives, restoring and redeeming what has fallen into chaos.  Anyone who is willing to let Him do His good work in them is invited to ask.  God is a gentleman and will not force His way into anyone’s life, but He’s always at the door waiting to be let in.

Love, Mom