I have a note from my daughter firmly attached to the inside cover of my Bible. In the careful writing of a six year-old are the words, “Dad, do you love me? Circle one.” Below that are the words “Yes” and “No.” The “Yes” is emphatically encircled. There is one more line below that: “I love you, too.” You can see why this is carefully attached to the flyleaf. I don’t remember exactly where it happened, but I do remember it was during a church service. Normally, I discourage note-passing while a pastor is preaching (note-taking, on the other hand, is highly encouraged). But when your daughter passes you something like that, you must respond.
I have it on good authority that note-passing still occurs in the classroom. At least it does in a certain Grade 3 classroom I know. They are often intercepted by a teacher who apparently does have eyes in the back of her head. (How teachers know what is going on behind their back is one of the great unsolved mysteries of the universe.)
Love notes, lists, essays, poems, minutes from meetings, contracts, and restaurant menus are all distinct forms of writing. Each one can be an effective tool for communication if used in the right setting. Telling your spouse they are as beautiful/handsome as the Number 3 Special on a Denny’s menu is not good communication. Writing a contract to purchase a new car that starts with, “How do I love this car? Let me count the ways” is equally unstuitable.
Words matter. How we put them together matters. Once united in a cohesive whole, words do more than create grammatical units. They breathe and take on a life of their own. They can carry passion, fire the imagination, lighten a heart or destroy a soul. Solomon had much to say about the power of words. For example:
Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down,but a good word makes him glad. (Prov. 12:25 ESV)
A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (Prov. 15:1 ESV)
Apply your heart to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge. (Prov. 23:12 ESV)
One of the greatest collection of words is, of course, the Bible. Even those who reject its spiritual authority acknowledge its literary excellence. It is the work of people skilled in the craft of composition. The more we learn of their art to compose with structures, forms, and images which were common in their culture - not ours - the more we will not only understand their message but will be awed by its beauty and by the nature and character of the God who inspired it.
God uses words because He wants to be known. Even though the information about God contained in the Bible may be couched in any number of literary tools, it still communicates to us concrete ideas about who He is. Through these images we learn the reality of His grace and mercy, of His holiness and righteousness. We also learn about ourselves being created in His image (a metaphor rooted in the ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian worldviews), that we are accountable to Him, and that, in spite of our own brokenness, are still of such infinite value and worth that our redemption was part of His plan even before He created us.
Why is any of this important? It matters because how we view the Scriptures influences how we view God Himself. If the Bible is an historical document (i.e. rooted in human time-space history), and it is, then the care with which it has been crafted tells us something about how intentional and impassioned God has been to reveal Himself to us. This is nothing short of beautiful.
Given the beauty of this library of historical documents, we must respond. We respond with both our hearts and our heads. We respond with hearts of gratitude to this God who desires to be known. We respond with our desire to align our passions to those of His Kingdom. We respond with our heads by taking great care to ensure we are understanding these texts as the original authors intended them for their original audience.
Yes, I know the study of words doesn’t thrill everyone. That’s OK. Just knowing the Bible is a carefully crafted collection of historical documents will protect us from settling for stick-figure doodles when we could be looking at the Mona Lisa.
Not every phrase, clause, or paragraph has the same “pizazz.” But they all contribute to the overall depth of meaning: that God desires that we be reconciled to Him through Christ. These words matter!
