More Doubt: More FaithExemplo

The Apparent Ridiculous

As Christians, we sometimes chat about all the weird things others, such as Mormons, Wiccans, Hindus, or Jehovah’s Witnesses, believe. But we Christians believe some pretty bizarre things too, do we not? I’m talking about those stories in the Bible that read straight up weird to the modern eye. And Scripture is replete with such head-scratching stories as:

• Noah and the Great Flood (See Genesis 6–8)
• The parting of the Red Sea (See Exodus 14)
• Manna raining from heaven (See Exodus 16)
• The fall of Jericho (See Joshua 6)
• Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace without even one thread of their clothing being singed (See Daniel 3:8-30)
• How about Daniel in the lions’ den (See Daniel 6)
• Balaam and his talking donkey (Can you say, “Bizarre”?) (See Numbers 22:21-41)
• Or Ezekiel lying on his left side for 390 days to depict Israel’s judgment, only to change sides and lie on his right side for another 40 days to depict Judah’s judgment (Chiropractor anyone?) (See Ezekiel 4)
• What about Samson singlehandedly striking down a thousand Philistines with a donkey’s jawbone (See Judges 15:15) 
• David taking out Goliath the giant (See 1 Samuel 17) 
• Jonah being swallowed by an enormous fish (See Jonah 1:17)
• Or even the tongues of fire falling from the sky on Pentecost (See Acts 2:1-4)

These all illustrate a ubiquitous theme of the apparent ridiculous found in Scripture. And we’re just scratching the surface. Seriously.

Perhaps this theme of the ridiculous is captured best after Sarah gives birth to Isaac at the ripe old age of ninety. (Yes, you read that correctly.) And Sarah was aware of the absurdity herself stating, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.” That is, they will laugh with amazement.

And yet, though bizarre, these stories are not without explanation. Through archeological discoveries as in the case of Jericho, or the multiple attestations of flood stories in ancient history, or God doing something unique for His own sovereign purposes, there are solid, satisfactory answers to help you doubt toward faith. Nevertheless, the cover of your Bible could easily include a disclaimer that reads “Some Faith Required.”

These biblical narratives sound so bizarre to the twenty-first century reader that we must be careful not to read them through the lens of our contemporary culture. We have to grasp them in their own context because that’s where God met the people involved. And it’s also how He meets us—in our time. On our turf. In our context. Without this understanding we’ll inevitably open the doors of doubt.

Reflection

• In the absence of certainty there’s always room for doubt.
• The Bible contains some things that we find hard to understand. List some things that Christians should remember that can help provide greater perspective when we encounter bizarre stories in the Bible.