Context
In the wee hours of the night, after having lost the remote, I finally watched “Little House on the Prairie” for the first time. I was remined just how different life was in the 1800s, especially living in a cabin on the American frontier. Without knowing the historical context, you might wonder why they don’t have electricity or smartphones. With some basic knowledge of the context, one begins to empathize with people who used oil lamps for light and traveled in horse-drawn wagons.
Knowing the context helps us to understand the challenges and joys of the characters in the story as they live in a vastly different time in history. All writers and stories-tellers are bound by their context, unless they use creative writing to engage in fantasy. And in those instances, there is nothing magical happening. This is true for the Bible as well. God spoke to God’s people then, the same way that God speaks to God’s people now. Indeed, ancient writers are still bound by their physical and historical context.
The more we know about the historical context, the more equipped we become for understanding the situations and motivations of the ancient writers. For example, if you didn’t know that the Hebrews were enslaved, you’d think that they are unspeakably cruel toward the Babylonians. Psalm 137:9 says, “Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.” Yikes! I can’t justify this violent language, but I can explain it. This is a Hebrew captive, who lost everything, expressing their anger toward their Babylonian oppressor. Is it dark? Yes. But is it human? Yes. Without context, it can be difficult to know if, when, and how God is present in the text. Sometimes, God is difficult to find.
The truth of Scripture does not come from knowing the details of the stories. Rather, the truth comes from the lessons we learn and the values we derive from those stories. Before you open our sacred book, I’d ask you to first describe God. Is your God slow to anger, quick to forgive, and abounding in steadfast love? Good. Now… read the text. If you are looking for a violent, jealous, and judgmental God in Scripture, then you can find that God.
Why does this contrary God exist in Scripture in the first place? Great question. Because it was written by humans who are writing within a historical context. This is why we do not Worship Scripture. Rather, we Worship the God “of” Scripture. It is the God of love represented throughout the chapters and verses. The Holy Spirit is active while we read the Bible, moving us toward a God of peace, love, and compassion.
Whether you are living in the ancient world, or on a Kansas farm in 1800, or in the year 2025, the values we learned from the family residing in that little house on the prairie will always be relevant. Perseverance, generosity, and honesty will always be virtues to center our lives around. The world around us will change, but God is the constant. God is always calling us into a deeper kind of love. To know the fullness of God is to know the fullness of love.
Meet you on the farm,
Pastor Lucas
Photo by Wayne Hollman