Hidden in Plain Sight

Boyd Seevers Dr.

Description

Discover Nuggest of Truth Hidden in the Lesser-Known Parts of the BibleChristians who attempt to read the entire Bible often get stuck when they come to the genealogies, lists of numbers, and confusing prophecies. They wonder, Do I have to read the whole thing? Trusted Bible scholar Boyd Seevers shows how to appreciate and even enjoy those difficult passages. He gives examples of the hidden treasures in some of the lesser-known sections of the Bible and then shows readers how to unlock difficult passages on their own. This book will reveal why God included these parts, breathe new life into Bible reading, and help readers connect to God in new ways.

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 01 avril 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781441270139
• Langue: English

Extrait

© 2012 by Boyd Seevers
Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
www.bethanyhouse.com
Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
Ebook edition created 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means for example, electronic, photocopy, recording without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
ISBN 978-1-4412-7013-9
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
Occasionally the author uses his own translation to better communicate a particular point that the original language allows.
Cover design by Eric Walljasper
This book is dedicated to my parents, Vernon and Marlene, who first taught me the value of knowing God’s Word,
and to the students at Northwestern College, who share my love of God’s Word and are honest enough to admit that it is sometimes hard to understand, and even boring. It is a joy to discuss with them the kinds of issues treated in this book so we can hear God speak through his Word into our world.
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. What Makes a Passage of Scripture Hard to Understand or Even Boring?
2. Learning From Old Testament Law
3. Learning to Appreciate Leviticus (at Least a Little)
4. What Should We Do With the Land Divisions in Joshua 13–21?
5. Learning From Dull Genealogies
6. Kings and Chronicles Didn’t I Just Read This Stuff?
7. Why Is Ecclesiastes So Dark and Gloomy?
8. What on Earth Are the Prophets Talking About?
9. Learning to Understand Apocalyptic Prophecy (at Least a Little)
10. Conclusion: What Have We Learned, and Where Do We Go From Here?
Appendix: Things I Love About Each of the Books Most People Skip
About the Author
Back Cover
Acknowledgments
This author wishes to thank the following: My very capable and kind editor, Andy McGuire, and the rest of the staff at Bethany House. Working with them on this project has been a pleasure. A former student, Ruth Page, whose capstone paper at Northwestern College, “The Gospel According to Leviticus,” has helped me better understand and appreciate Leviticus, and provided much of the material for the corresponding chapter in this book. My friend and colleague Randy Nelson for his insight and help on matters of hermeneutics. My very capable and helpful teaching assistant, Elyse Kallgren, for her skilled and prompt editing, and her encouragement.
Introduction
D o you think reading the Bible is tough at times, or even boring? That’s okay. You’re not alone.
You probably picked up this book because you’re having trouble slogging through certain passages of the Bible, finding it difficult to understand them, let alone appreciate them. Maybe the Bible is a fairly new book for you, and you’re trying to read it to learn more about God and relate to him better. Good for you!
But perhaps it’s not going so well. You find yourself getting bogged down as you keep running into parts of God’s Word that you don’t understand or that you find really dull. Maybe that leaves you frustrated, a little confused, and thinking, Why doesn’t this work better? Why should it be so hard? Shouldn’t God want me to read his Word and help me get more out of it? How can it possibly be true that all of God’s Word is “profitable,” or useful, as it says in 2 Timothy 3:16? Have you seen some of the stuff in there?
If you’ve ever had questions like these or felt this way, again, it’s okay. You’re not alone.
On the other hand, maybe you’re not so new at this. You have read the Bible a fair bit and gotten a lot out of it at least most of it. Maybe you have even tried to read all the way through the Bible. Again, good for you!
But still . . .
You keep running into parts of the Bible that are tough to get through. You started well in Genesis and really liked most of it (apart from the genealogies), and the first part of Exodus was enjoyable too. But the description of the Tabernacle in Exodus was kind of dry, and then it was repeated. But you got through that and hoped for something better. Then you found yourself in Leviticus with its laws of clean and unclean animals and such, and who needs all that? Numbers wasn’t much better, so you gave up. If you have ever experienced something like this when trying to read through the Bible, that’s okay too. You are not alone.
Or maybe you’re a seasoned veteran when it comes to reading the Bible. You have known God for a long time and truly love reading his Word. You have read all the way through the Bible numerous times, and can honestly say that you enjoy it most of it anyway. Good for you! What you’d like is a way to better understand and get more out of certain parts of the Bible. You no longer need an introduction, you need a pick-me-up.
After all, some of the laws in the Old Testament seem irrelevant because of Jesus’ ministry. Good point. And those genealogies are real winners full of begats and lots of names you can’t pronounce that don’t seem to have much to do with anything. And then there are those prophets in the Old Testament or those weird visions in Daniel and Revelation What on earth are they talking about? You’re a veteran, but maybe you wouldn’t mind a little help dealing with tough sections like these.

So regardless of how much you have read the Bible, if you find parts of it confusing, irrelevant, or dry, know that you’re in good company. Many people feel that way. I have multiple degrees in Bible and theology and teach the Bible for a living, yet I still find parts of the Bible a little confusing and yes, even boring at times.
I have even had the pleasure (and known the challenges) of living in Israel for a number of years. I studied in Jerusalem for a year with my wife, and later we lived in Tiberias, Israel, for several more years doing ministry and raising our children there. Israel is a fascinating but difficult place, and of course, it’s the location of many of the events in the Bible. Living in the land of the Bible with the people and culture of the Bible (kind of) was a fascinating and worthwhile experience. That background often helps in understanding where the Bible’s authors are coming from. But it doesn’t always work. Sometimes I still get lost in what they’re saying, and I can’t always see connections between their world back then and my world here and now.
So What’s the Plan?
I teach the Bible at a Christian college, and most of my students get perplexed now and then too. In fact, I’ll be including quotes from some of them that express their frustrations with many of the parts of the Bible treated in this book. Because they struggle with the Bible at times, like you probably do, they seem relieved to discover that their professor also thinks some sections of the Bible are challenging and not very exciting. So we talk about why those sections seem that way. We discuss who the original audience was and what their needs were, as well as what the original authors intended to teach or communicate to them. Once the students understand those things, they can better appreciate these sections for what they are, and not try to turn them into something they aren’t supposed to be. Then they can see which parts of those passages are applicable today.
It’s really a rather liberating process. It helps my students learn more from these sections and relieves some of the guilt from thinking that parts of the inspired Word of God are mundane or irksome. My students seem to appreciate it, and I think you will too.
Would you like some guidance in getting through the tough parts of the Bible? There is hope. This book will walk you through certain challenging parts of the Bible, but it will also give you a strategy for how you can approach similar sections on your own. The key to making the commonplace parts more interesting and helpful comes down to understanding the original context and purpose of a passage and then asking the right questions. Who wrote this? To whom was it written? What was their situation? What were their needs? What were the author’s purposes in saying what he did?
Once you understand these issues, you can better appreciate the original purpose of the passage. Sometimes that purpose overlaps with our situation today, sometimes not. If it does, that section is more relevant. If it doesn’t, the section has less relevance, and we can treat it differently. All Scripture is inspired, but not all of it was addressed to the kinds of situations that God’s people face here and now. Sorting out the purpose and relevance helps us better understand and appreciate the various sections of the Word of God for what they are.
Once we get a handle on the original context and purpose of a passage, we then go on to its teaching and application. We need to ask what the passage teaches about God’s character and nature, or about the world and human nature, or about how God’s people should think and act. Then we can apply those truths. Thus, understanding the original context and purpose leads us to a clearer understanding of the teaching, which guides us to what we can apply in our day and in our particular situation.

Do you think this sort of approach would help you? If so, let’s begin. We’ll start with a short chapter describing this process more thoroughly, laying out our strategy for dealing with these difficult parts of the Bible. Then we’ll follow that process with other chapters that tackle some of the most