Are You Struggling to Trust the Bible?

I wrote an email today, to someone I love. I didn't know what would flow out, but this is what I wrote. 

It is not something I normally do, to post a private email on my blog, but I realized that this issue is something that everyone probably struggles with at some point in their lives. So, with prayer, I release it into the cyber world in hopes that it may be of some encouragement to others. ...and that my words are not confusing, but that they will help bring some clarity to anyone who is struggling with this.

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Is it the Bible being God's Word to us that you don't trust, 

or is the people who wrote their testimonies you don't trust? 

 At the end of the day, you are correct that it was hand-written by men. It is a collection of people recording their history, their experiences, things that God told them, things God warned them about, things God claimed to be His special blessings on them, etc. And human beings are falable. That is why there is so much distorition, murders, sin, wrongful sex, misunderstandings, betryal's, and all that in the Bible. 

The whole point of it all is to reveal how forgiving and patient and loving God has been through all that. That He does discipline, He does sometimes have to do things that seem cruel, and sometimes it may even appear that He plays favorites. And sometimes some people COMPLETELY mistunderstand God for Who He is and what He really did command. 

 i.e. Judges 11:30-40 -Jephthah sacrificed his daughter to Yahweh becuase he thought he had to. But if the Israelite's had been reading and studying His Laws regurlaly (not losing them until Josiah found a copy), he would have known two things: 

1. God NEVER delighted in human sacrifice 
2. God knew that humans sometimes made careless vows, and becuase He didn't want to devaule the vital importance of honoring a vow, He provided a way to get out of it with honor and dignity Leviticus 5. 

When I we study stories like Jephthah, all we can think of is how cruel God is becasue Jephthah HAD to keep his vow to God. We all just remember Deut 23:21 "If you make a vow to the LORD your God, do not be slow to keep it, because He will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin." 

We COMPLETLEY forget Leviticus 5:4-7 "Or suppose you make a foolish vow of any kind, whether its purpose is for good or for bad. When you realize its foolishness, you must admit your guilt. ...and he must bring his guilt offering to the LORD for the sin he has committed: a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering. And the priest will make atonement for him concerning his sin. If, however, he cannot afford a lamb, he may bring to the LORD as restitution for his sin two turtledoves or two young pigeons—one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering..."

When when we DO notice these things, it sheds so much light on the situation. And here are some characteristics about God that can be seen throught this example (when we read with Holy Spirit, do our research and gain understanding of the people in the Bible, and let Scripture interpret Scripture.)

          1) God is ALWAYS faithful to His promises/vows. Therefore, He holds us to our own. 

-If we are not men and women of our word, how can we be trusted? And because we know that God always uphold His words, promises, and vows to us, we know that we can be secure them and trust them. (i.e. Because He says He loves me, I KNOW that He does, and I know I can always go to Him because He cares for me. He says that He will provide for me. I KNOW that He will, and I can have security in that no matter my circumstances. He says He will never leave me, and KNOW that He is always with me, even when I cannot feel Him.)

---It is an aspect of God's nature and character, and He wants to see that in us so that we can be to both ourselves, to others, and to Him, a faithful and honorable people that can be trusted.

 

2) God is forgiving when we do foolish things.

-God does understand that sometimes we say and do foolish things, even with good intentions. So, He even though He made a covenant with the Israelite's (literally written in His own blood) even though He had every right to keep them to their vows, He made an out-clause to allow them forgiveness and to break that vow. There still had to be a fine because God didn't want people to always go around "Oh, I can just ask God to forgive me every single time I do something stupid." ...He will, but He wanted us to understand that we do need to endeavour not to be foolish. But He will forgive us if we are. 

This can go really deep. There is so much to gain once we stop reading the text and actually read the words of the text. 

The Bible is one long testimony of Who God is, who man is, and Who God is to man, in man, and through man. It is a testimony of a God Who has poured out His heart over and over and over again to mankind. 

He choose a particular group of people to accomplish a specific task and to honor the bloodline of some faithful men. He cautions against other people groups who only bring death and distruction and distrotion. HOWEVER, every single time a memember of the enemy chooses to reject their sinful life and follow Yahweh He never turned them away. Later on, the Israelite's misunderstood and thought they were more special than anyone else, focused on the 'drive out' specific people's God had reason for, and forgot the part 'remember the foreigner because you were once foreigners.' Again, this can go on and on. (And it does.) 

But this is the whole point of the Bible. And yes. There are other books out there which were not cannonized. Some of them are very valid. Some of them were written far too late to be from any eye witness account, and therefore their context is questionable, but perhaps worth reviewing. (i.e. Book of Thomas, etc.) But the books in the cannon were chosen for very specific reasons, and we can rely on them for their testimony and truth. Not for the perfection of humans -that doesn't exist except in Christ (Whom we strive to be like), but it does reveal Who God is dispite all of our sins. 

THAT is why those stories are so important. But it also doesn't mean that God stopped working after the Bible. People continued to share stories and testimonies for centuries and centuries. And I imagine there were thousands of people's stories that were never recorded even in the OT times. We don't know the Canaanite's side of the story. We only know God's judegment. But when we consider how He brought judgement down on Israel becuase of the horrific things they were doing, we can conclude that He did what He did to the Canaanite's for the same reason. I'm very certain that He gave Canaan every opportunity to turn away from what they were doing, just like He did with Israel, and just like He did with Asyria (Book of Jonah). They just refused and at some point enough was for too much, and He had to bring judgement on them. He did the same with Israel. The only reason He always preserved a remnant of Israel was because He had made a vow to Abraham, then Jacob, then David that the Messiah would come through their bloodline. 

So, God unheld His promise. And because we KNOW that God NEVER breaks His vows, His promises, we KNOW that we can trust His Word. 

HOWEVER, all that being said, if you're not able to see that right now, it's okay. You know what the Bible says, but you're not able to receive it right now. And while I never think it's good advise to completely set the Bible aside, perhaps you should read some books from some Christian author's who share their testimonies and the things they have learned about God throughout the years. I once listened to an interview with a woman who was once a lesbian, and her husband had once swung any way he could get. They both became Christian's, repented, met each other, and got married and living different lifestyles. She wrote a book sharing her testimony "Gay Girl, Good God: The Story of Who I Was, and Who God Has Always Been" by Jackie Hill Perry -I think that sources like hers are much better for me to gain understanding about what God really does think about homosexuality, etc. more than a church which prejudices against them and claims they will all go to hell. I've never read that they will go to hell, but I did read that there are consequences, and I seek to understand why it isn't good. I can understand God's Word about 'why' but I can truely understand it so much better when I can read someone's personal testimony about it. 

So, if the Bible people's testimonies are not helping you, maybe include some books like this. At the end of the day, you still have to trust that people are telling the truth about what they experience. And it is important that we can trust them. 

In some cases, God does give revelation and great wisdom to some people who end up not fully living the life they should. And when that all comes out, we want to disregard everything they said. Ravi Zacharias was one such person. He turly did have great understanding and revelation of God's Truth and Who God is. Sadly, he lived a hypocrital life which was revealed after his death. It caused many Christian's to want to completely disregaurd his teachings. 

But my thought is this: I can test what he taught against God's Word, and I can see much truth. His lifestyle does not distort God's gifting him with spiritual wisdom and knowledge. But it does make it harder for us to trust a hypocrite. Again, why God wants us to be honest (and to live honestly)...

I think that what is hardest for you is that you don't trust people to tell the truth. And that is understandable. But you don't have to trust people right now. You don't even have to trust me right now. It's okay. I understand. I haven't always been truthful in my life, and I have had secret sins I've had to repent of and still struggle with. Because of this, it can cause others to doubt my own testimony. It's okay. 

But you don't have to doubt God's. When you read these stories, in and out of the Bible, pay attention to how God reveals Himself. Watch what He does, and why He does it. Get to know Him through others' testimonies, and through your own. What doesn't make sense, ask Him to explain it to you. Go for a walk somewhere alone with Him. Pour out your heart in voice, in writing, in poetry, art, song, whatever helps you to do so. Communicate with Him your struggles and ask Him to help you. 

In the past you demanded from Him. And He could not respond to that because He loved you too much. But if you come to Him in genuine humilty, you allow Him to be able to show you His Truth. 

Don't give up. This is a very special time in your life right now, and you have a promise waiting to be revealed in you. You have no idea how loved you are becasue you cannot comprehend it. And I long for the day when you do.