The Literary Genius of the Bible
Cecilia Kang reflects on how reading can be helpful in the Christian life, even for our children. She also introduces a new series that we will have that highlights useful literature and resources for families and children.
I was given my first Bible, a King James in Primary Four by a well meaning school teacher. Left to my own devices, I flipped it to anywhere that I pleased and even turned to the last page just to find out what the ending was like. It was not easy to understand and with no guide, it fell to its natural decline, to the back of my bookshelf.
Later on, I found in my hands an English Standard Version of my Bible and this was at a time where I devoured fiction, where genre novels and coming of age stories drew me powerfully. I skimmed through the Bible and picked out stories that spoke to me — David, Esther, Joseph — basically people who had difficult origin stories and managed to overcome with steadfastness in God.
Yet much later on, I started to gravitate towards books like Ecclesiastes, Psalms and Ephesians. The somewhat abstract and sparse prose of these books began to make sense at a time when excess words were unnecessary and I had accumulated enough baggage from life. I could understand and feel the pointlessness articulated in Ecclesiastes; the lyrical psalms was no longer irrelevant but soothing and the direct and point like style of Ephesians was mercifully clear and rang true in my ears that used to find them prescriptive.
How did God know to design the Bible in a way that it never loses its relevance to anyone? Modern literature is praised and raved for unique styles; stream of consciousness, parody, existentialism etc. But the Bible was the first multi-genre literary genius incorporating letters, poetry, war narratives, parables, speeches, genealogies, family drama, prophecies and all in a binding sort of narrative that echoes the same authorial wisdom through the hands of many believers who took the time, risk and pain to commit it to paper.
And through it all, it tells one story, the greatest story of all time — how a holy God redeems and saves a sinful people, and dwells with them again. As the author of Hebrews writes in Hebrews 1:1-2, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets”. God in His wisdom, uses different literary forms and styles to reveal to His people what He wants them to know. And it is a story about who He is, Man’s sin and our failure to save ourselves leading us to the the Saviour we all need.
Clearly, the same message told through different styles can enrich one’s understanding of the same topic. I marvel at the extent of genre and style the Bible was written in — the extent to which a loving God tries to reach us, so that we might know and understand His truth and believe in His Son, Jesus Christ.
Everyone has personal tastes and gravitate towards specific written styles that speaks to them. In our varied preferences for literature, there are plentiful written works that echo the same message of Truth in its many forms and they can add a wonderful layer of appreciation for God’s word for us. It can enrich our understanding of who God is and speak to the various life stages wherever we find ourselves.
I see a pattern in my children’s reading habits. My sons insist on reading and re-reading the Action Bible until it is utterly tattered (but still loved). At their age, visuals and plot lines appeal strongly and the characters of the Bible are made more vivid through graphics. Devotionals have started to take on an appeal for my daughter as personal reflections of devotional writers are beginning to speak to her. And for me, I often feel convicted when reading articles of Christian testimonies and/or biographies/memoirs.
It is like the Bible is the centrifugal force and these peripherals deepen our enjoyment of God’s word according to our various natural inclinations. And over time, these peripherals enhance our love for all things related to our Christian faith. It is an intentional seeking — an effort to fill our time, our mind, our affection and our space with literature that draws us back to what matters. In a way, it can be thought of as a form of discipling.
I am a book buff and when I see reviews of good books on Goodreads — I get uncharacteristically overexcited. So you can imagine my exhilaration when I asked around the church mothers and they contributed a list of similar literature that has mattered to them and their family. These are precious titles that means something to them and we will be sharing them with you in the coming months. We hope that they will also enrich your faith and enjoyment of God’s story in its many forms.