HOW CAN I KNOW GOD THROUGH HIS BOOK?
THE AUTHOR AND HIS BOOK
An author often reveals himself in what he writes. He will sometimes put himself into his characters, talk through their speeches, and pour his feelings into their emotions. Ideas and issues that are important to him will find their way into the pages of his books.
One of the intriguing aspects of the study of literature, therefore, is learning about an author through his writings. For example, we can learn much about the blind poet Milton through his sonnets and through Paradise Lost. And the study of the dark and twisted stories of Edgar Allan Poe take us deeply into his twisted mind and tormented heart.
Sometimes the writer will come right out and tell the reader what he is like and what he believes. The few people who took seriously Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf, for example, recognized his ego, his love of power, and the intensity of his hatred for the Jews.
Usually, however, an author does not reveal his thinking and his character directly. His works must be read carefully and analyzed before the reader can begin to understand him. We must study his characters, scrutinize his places and incidents, and review his themes before we can know what makes him tick.
“But,” you ask, “how is all of this going to help me? What does it have to do with God and the study of the Bible?” Simply this: While one of the interests of literature is to get to know an author through what he has written, it should be the main interest of all Bible study. The Bible is God’s book. Although it was written by men like Moses and Luke and Paul, it is the self-revelation of God. He is the Author behind the authors. And what He says reflects who He is.
To know God, therefore, we have to read His book. We have to learn to see Him on every page, above every event, in every place and circumstance, and overseeing the choice of every person who makes his way into the sacred pages of biblical history.
THE BIBLE AND ITS AUTHOR
The Bible, the book of books, was written so that we could know the Author behind the authors. Sometimes He is revealed directly in statements that tell us exactly what He is like. The simple sentence “God is love” (1 Jn. 4:16) is an example. So is the statement “Be holy, for I am holy” (1 Pet. 1:16).
In most cases, however, we must look into and beyond the stories and statements and people of the Bible to see the character of its Author. The story of David and Goliath (1 Sam. 17), for instance, tells us a great deal about God. True, the story is primarily the historical account of a valiant Jewish youth in his conquest of a bigger, stronger, more experienced foe. But it was God’s cause that David was defending. It was God’s power and control that directed the stone from David’s sling and brought the blasphemous giant crashing to the ground.
And it was God who was glorified when the pagan Philistines were put to flight by the armies of Israel.
That God is our God! The details and scenery have changed, but the character of David’s God has not. Nor have His principles. He is still with us, and He can be found by those who seek Him. He is involved with all that happens. And He has a plan, a cause, and a purpose for each one of us.
HOW TO KNOW GOD THROUGH THE BIBLE
The first thing you need to do as you approach the Bible is to ask its Author for help. Don’t forget to do that! The amazing thing about the Bible is that its real Author is listening to your every thought. He is as close as a prayer. And when you ask Him to help you understand the book He has inspired (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:20-21), you can be sure that He will find pleasure in giving you your request (Mt. 7:7-11).
The second thing we suggest is that you consider using the same method of study that is often used for literature of lesser importance. There are at least five classic elements of literature that also can be applied to the Scriptures. When adapted for the purpose of Bible study, they look like this:
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THE STORY LINE: What God causes or allows to happen.
God showed His power over nature by miraculously giving Abraham and Sarah a child long after her childbearing years. Later, however, God revealed that He not only had the power to give but the right to take away. When God told Abraham to do the unthinkable, to sacrifice Isaac, He exercised His sovereign authority. God forced Abraham to make a choice between faith or doubt, obedience or disobedience. When Abraham passed the test, God showed His ability to provide a last-minute provision and reversal of circumstances.
Abraham shows us that God looks for trusting obedience in His servants. Here was a man who chose God over his most dearly loved “pride and joy.” As a result, God used Abraham as an example for a whole nation that followed.
THE PEOPLE: What God looks for in His people.
In this story, we see that God is in control even on a remote wilderness mountaintop. God chose the desolate surroundings of Moriah as the physical backdrop for His spiritual business. It was in this place far from home that God chose to test Abraham’s faith. Here, where there was no one else for Abraham to turn to, God revealed His own presence and ability to provide. Here, even the animals and the bushes served Him. God later chose this location, rich with the significance of faith and His ability to provide, as a site for the temple.
THE PLACE: Where God rules.
The emotions of this real-life drama are intense. The mood, when properly felt, is enough to make a grown man cry. Here we find a God who chooses to arouse the deepest emotions of parental love. Yet, here we also find a God who doesn’t want His children to succumb to the emotion of despair. Abraham’s faith enabled him to rise above the deepest and most agonizing feelings. On the basis of his faith, he showed his ability to put his hope in God rather than in his circumstances. His agony turned to joy and to a renewed, deepened awareness of God’s ability to provide.
THE MOOD: What God wants us to feel.
The message here is clear. God wants us to see His right to test and develop our faith. He wants us to choose Him over anyone or anything else. He wants us to choose obedience over disobedience. He wants us to pass such a test by relying on what He has said. He wants us to know that He is our ever-faithful Provider.
THE MESSAGE: What God wants us to know and do.
PUTTING IT TO WORK
We have said that a person can know God through the Bible by using five different points of view borrowed from the study of literature. Let’s put it all together with one Bible story—the story of God testing Abraham’s faith by telling him to sacrifice his son Isaac. Take a moment to read Genesis 22:1-14 and Hebrews 11:17-19. Then, apply the five points of view discussed in this booklet to the story.
HELPING YOU HELP OTHERS
The following questions are listed here for you to use in teaching or discipling others. We suggest that these questions be discussed prior to studying the specific point—as preview questions.
KNOWING GOD THROUGH THE STORY LINE
1.Do you agree or disagree with the premise that an author always says something about himself in what he writes?
2.Do you think this premise is true of the Author of the Bible?
3.What would you say is the overall story line, or the big picture, of the Bible?
4.What does the story line of Joseph’s life (Gen. 37–50) tell us about God?
KNOWING GOD THROUGH THE PEOPLE
1.Of what value is the study of biblical characters to a better understanding of God?
2.Who are some of the people of the Bible you would describe as colorful and interesting?
3.Do you agree or disagree that God is looking for different things in us today than He was looking for in the people of the Bible?
4.What do the following passages about Moses’ life tell us about God? (Ex. 3–4; 14; 32; Num. 12:3; 20:1-13).
KNOWING GOD THROUGH THE PLACES
1.Why is the setting important to a story?
2.What do the various settings of the Bible tell us about God?
3.How can a well-rounded understanding of the settings of the Bible help us to avoid compartmentalizing God?
4.What does God’s selection of the Mideast as the primary setting of the Bible tell us about God?
KNOWING GOD THROUGH THE MOOD
1.Do you think God wants us to feel emotion when we read His Word?
2.If you neglected to consider the mood of a particular Bible story, how would your understanding of that story be affected?
3.What would you say are the two primary moods of the Bible?
4.What mood is predominant in the account of the flood? of David and Goliath? of Ananias and Sapphira? What do these moods tell us about God?
KNOWING GOD THROUGH THE MESSAGE
1.What literary examples other than Scripture can you think of where the author used the story to get across a particular message?
2.What do you see as the main message of the Bible? How does this differ from the story line?
3.As you read the Bible, what are some principles that you would expect to see repeated over and over again in the various stories?
4.What is the underlying principle, or message, in the story of Daniel and his three friends? (Dan. 1).
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
How well do you know the God of the Bible? It’s an important question, because the better we know God the better we will know ourselves. Furthermore, we will also be happier spiritually and in every other way.
To see God’s holiness is to see our own sinfulness. To see His goodness is to know the wonder of His grace and the depth of His love for us. To see His majesty is to give Him the honor and praise He is worthy of.
Do you know God? Do you know Him better than you did a year ago? If you’re a believer in Christ, your answer should be yes. The way to know God better is through His Word. As you read and study the Bible, you will grow. Perhaps you’ve been neglectful. If so, we hope that reading this booklet has motivated you to go back to the Bible and begin growing again.
If you don’t know God, the first step is to establish a right relationship with Him. You do that by receiving Jesus Christ as your Savior, God’s love-gift to you.
The facts are clear.
All men are sinners (Rom. 3:23). Our sin keeps us from a right relationship with God, and we are powerless to do anything about it ourselves (Eph. 2:8-9).
Salvation comes through Christ. He came to earth to die on the cross and pay the penalty for our sins. Now our responsibility is to trust in Him. Receive Christ as your Savior today. If you do, you’ll have taken the first and most important step in knowing God.
God showed His power over nature by miraculously giving Abraham and Sarah a child long after her childbearing years. Later, however, God revealed that He not only had the power to give but the right to take away. When God told Abraham to do the unthinkable, to sacrifice Isaac, He exercised His sovereign authority. God forced Abraham to make a choice between faith or doubt, obedience or disobedience. When Abraham passed the test, God showed His ability to provide a last-minute provision and reversal of circumstances.
THE STORY LINE: What God causes or allows to happen.
Abraham shows us that God looks for trusting obedience in His servants. Here was a man who chose God over his most dearly loved “pride and joy.” As a result, God used Abraham as an example for a whole nation that followed.
THE PEOPLE: What God looks for in His people.
The emotions of this real-life drama are intense. The mood, when properly felt, is enough to make a grown man cry. Here we find a God who chooses to arouse the deepest emotions of parental love. Yet, here we also find a God who doesn’t want His children to succumb to the emotion of despair. Abraham’s faith enabled him to rise above the deepest and most agonizing feelings. On the basis of his faith, he showed his ability to put his hope in God rather than in his circumstances. His agony turned to joy and to a renewed, deepened awareness of God’s ability to provide.
THE MOOD: What God wants us to feel.
The message here is clear. God wants us to see His right to test and develop our faith. He wants us to choose Him over anyone or anything else. He wants us to choose obedience over disobedience. He wants us to pass such a test by relying on what He has said. He wants us to know that He is our ever-faithful Provider.
THE MESSAGE: What God wants us to know and do.
In this story, we see that God is in control even on a remote wilderness mountaintop. God chose the desolate surroundings of Moriah as the physical backdrop for His spiritual business. It was in this place far from home that God chose to test Abraham’s faith. Here, where there was no one else for Abraham to turn to, God revealed His own presence and ability to provide. Here, even the animals and the bushes served Him. God later chose this location, rich with the significance of faith and His ability to provide, as a site for the temple.
THE PLACE: Where God rules.
PUTTING IT TO WORK
We have said that a person can know God through the Bible by using five different points of view borrowed from the study of literature. Let’s put it all together with one Bible story—the story of God testing Abraham’s faith by telling him to sacrifice his son Isaac. Take a moment to read Genesis 22:1-14 and Hebrews 11:17-19. Then, apply the five points of view discussed in this booklet to
KNOWING GOD THROUGH THE STORY LINE
1.Do you agree or disagree with the premise that an author always says something about himself in what he writes?
2.Do you think this premise is true of the Author of the Bible?
3.What would you say is the overall story line, or the big picture, of the Bible?
4.What does the story line of Joseph’s life (Gen. 37–50) tell us about God?
KNOWING GOD THROUGH THE PEOPLE
1.Of what value is the study of biblical characters to a better understanding of God?
2.Who are some of the people of the Bible you would describe as colorful and interesting?
3.Do you agree or disagree that God is looking for different things in us today than He was looking for in the people of the Bible?
4.What do the following passages about Moses’ life tell us about God? (Ex. 3–4; 14; 32; Num. 12:3; 20:1-13).
KNOWING GOD THROUGH THE PLACES
1.Why is the setting important to a story?
2.What do the various settings of the Bible tell us about God?
3.How can a well-rounded understanding of the settings of the Bible help us to avoid compartmentalizing God?
4.What does God’s selection of the Mideast as the primary setting of the Bible tell us about God?
KNOWING GOD THROUGH THE MOOD
1.Do you think God wants us to feel emotion when we read His Word?
2.If you neglected to consider the mood of a particular Bible story, how would your understanding of that story be affected?
3.What would you say are the two primary moods of the Bible?
4.What mood is predominant in the account of the flood? of David and Goliath? of Ananias and Sapphira? What do these moods tell us about God?
KNOWING GOD THROUGH THE MESSAGE
1.What literary examples other than Scripture can you think of where the author used the story to get across a particular message?
2.What do you see as the main message of the Bible? How does this differ from the story line?
3.As you read the Bible, what are some principles that you would expect to see repeated over and over again in the various stories?
4.What is the underlying principle, or message, in the story of Daniel and his three friends? (Dan. 1).