The Bible is a beautiful collection of stories. We have to be careful in how we view it. It can be viewed as literal history, which is hard to reconcile, considering the written Bible was taken from centuries of oral tradition. Try telling a story to your neighbor in your subdivision then have them tell it to their neighbor and so on until it comes back to you. There is also the issue with authorship and translation; male or patriarchy authors probably did very little consulting with their female counterparts for their side of the biblical story. I believe the Bible is divinely inspired, but not the infallible, inerrant word of the Creator. These are just some thing to consider as you read the Bible and try to determine what the message is from each text. The Bible is one of the most unique religious texts, written across many centuries, with many authors, but we also need to realize that it was written from the perspective of one group of people and their interactions with other people and civilizations. The majority of the Old Testament is about the failure of the “Chosen People” to maintain integrity in their relationship with G-d and with the rest of Creation. I know I haven’t directly answered your question but hopefully gave you another perspective as it relates to studying the Bible and seeking answers to what’s written in it.
How can we, who have fallen from grace, as the Bible even says, deem that the Bible is perfect? That being said how can we determine G-d’s perfect will for humanity? #nashvillestatement
-Rev
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