Bad Boys of the Bible:. Barbara J. Essex
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he is successful in bringing Nineveh to repentance and salvation, Jonah pouts and is angry because the city is saved. Even David, the greatest king in the history of Israel, has a sordid story of adultery, murder, and thuggery. The evil deeds of his children haunt him his whole life and cause him great pain, distress, and anxiety.
The perspective of patriarchy, which undergirds the biblical witness, has given these men a high place in salvation history. Thus, we often focus solely on their positive qualities as if they were perfect human beings. We tout them as role models and ignore the all too human aspects of their character and behavior. Too often, in our preaching and teaching, their flaws and sins are overlooked, excused, or downplayed. Their outrageous acts are seen as means to ends that support God’s purpose and intentions. But a closer look reveals very human and, sometimes, very base instincts and character flaws in these men. In Bad Boys of the Bible I hope to lay open for scrutiny their character and context as well as explore the lessons we can learn from them. Their stories have implications for how we behave and how we exercise leadership both in the church and in the society at large. We will examine the issues of power and leadership as they are raised in the stories of these biblical men.
This volume is a continuation of a previous work, Bad Girls of the Bible: Exploring Women of Questionable Virtue, in that it seeks to present a more informed, critical picture of biblical characters. Thus we will be drawing on scholarship from feminist, womanist, and other critical methods of reading and interpreting biblical texts. It is assumed that you have little or no prior knowledge of the technical aspects of biblical exegesis. The next chapter serves as an overview of biblical methods of interpretation that will help you understand the background and context of the stories we will study. Some of the units will present us with challenges: we might be reluctant to analyze closely these giants for fear that we will offend God. We might be confronted with information that seems blasphemous and will want to reject the lessons available to us. We might simply refuse to believe what is written—but I encourage you to hang in with the process! This kind of critical study should not undermine our faith; instead, it should deepen, broaden, and expand it as we learn more about who these characters are and what motivates them. The miracle of the Bible is that it presents us with pictures of real people who are not one-dimensional. We see the good, the bad, and the ugly; the Bible does not try to present perfect people. We are given the opportunity to see ourselves reflected in the stories of the persons we hold up as models of faith and service. And we are reminded of God’s grace and mercy that is available to all of us—in spite of questionable decisions and actions. We are gifted with a whole picture of humanity and God’s undying love for us.
Each study unit will review the stories of a selected biblical man. A short commentary follows, which will provide background information to help make the story accessible and understandable for modern readers. Each unit will end with a set of reflection questions. I hope this study will help us to examine ourselves—our own motives, assumptions, and identity—so that our faith is deepened and our deeds of service are based on a sound understanding of who we are as Christians and servants of God.
This resource is intended to be informative, user-friendly, challenging, inspirational, and fun!
BIBLICAL INTERPRETIVE TOOLS
The Bible is the world’s bestseller yet is one of the most difficult books to understand. It is a combination of drama, poetry, novel, rules, commandments, genealogies, and song. There are interesting characters and suspenseful plots, flowing rhythms and lofty images. There are tidbits of history told from various perspectives that sometimes contradict each other. There are images and references that we do not understand and cannot recover. There are confusing theologies and conclusions.
The Bible is composed of words—words chosen by human beings who have been shaped and influenced by the culture within which they live and work. Words and their meanings change over time and are shaped by events of particular eras. This is the reality behind biblical texts. The Bible was not originally written in English. The Christian Old Testament, also known as the Hebrew Bible, was written in Hebrew (except for parts of Daniel, Ezra, and one verse in Jeremiah written in Aramaic). The New Testament, also known as the Christian Scripture, was written in Greek. When we read the Bible, we are reading materials that have been translated into English. You are encouraged to use the version of the Bible with which you feel most comfortable. I will be using the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV). I will highlight Hebrew and Greeks words when doing so sheds light on our understanding of the text.
Because Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek are more adept at nuance than English translations, we must work harder to understand what the Bible means and intends. We can do this with the tools of critical methods of interpretation. Such study can be tedious and overwhelming. Fortunately, others have done the hard work of biblical interpretation, and we need only take advantage of their scholarship.
All biblical interpreters have been influenced by their times despite their attempts at objectivity. Such influence is inevitable; it should not keep us from using the resources at our disposal. The Bible is a valuable source of life and faith for us, the witness to and of God’s power and grace in past generations. The Bible continues to be the expression of faith shared by a community all over the world. It undergirds our personal faith and the life we share in community.
The Bible was not written to be a history book as we have been taught to understand history. The Bible is more like a divine drama that speaks to us. It is a message about how God has dealt with humanity. The Bible reflects God’s action in Creation: God is the Creator, the author, and finisher of this story and of our faith. The story of God’s dealings with humankind is diverse because God is experienced in many ways. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Bible reflects that same diversity: different authors, different historical situations, and different theological expressions and concerns. By using historical-critical Bible study methods, we hope to uncover deeper meanings of the texts. In order to gain a fuller understanding of the Bible, we need to know something about languages, history, politics, geography, and culture. Modern research has made available some tools that enhance our study of the Bible. Without these tools, we are likely to read our own opinions, biases, and thoughts into the Bible.
The tools for biblical interpretation are complex and technical. The various methods overlap and are interdependent. The most important task for serious students of the Bible is to ask the following questions:
1 Who “wrote” this book?
2 What does the text say?
3 Who was the intended audience for this message?
4 What did this passage mean to the original audience?
5 How did the meaning change over time and under different circumstances?
6 What is the historical, political, social, and theological background for this passage?
7 What does this passage mean to and for us today?
The Bible is a collection of ancient oral and written traditions that were edited into a whole over a long period of time. The traditions were expressed in stories, poems, lists, songs, and proverbs. Over time, they were refined and modified as circumstances for Israel changed. The traditions were expanded, written down, and edited to fit new situations. Several traditions in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) are traceable primarily by the names used for God.
The earliest tradition is the Yahwist, or “J.” In Hebrew, the name for God is designated YHWH (“Yahweh” is the Holy Name that is not to be spoken in vain). The symbolical rendering of the Holy Name, YHWH, is called the tetragrammaton for the four Hebrew letters used as a biblical proper name for God and is translated into English as “LORD” or “LORD God.” It is most evident in the book of Genesis. It is marked by colorful scenes, makes extensive use of dialogue, gives keen insight into human nature, and uses anthropomorphisms (the assigning of human motivations, characteristics, or behavior to God). For example, in Genesis, we are told that God “speaks” directly to humans and that God “walks” in the Garden.
The Elohist, or “E,” tradition supplements “J” but is more difficult to recognize. It uses the name “Elohim”