gdsimpson@amherst.bitnet (02/28/91)
What does it mean when someone says that the Bible was inspired by God?
It at least seems pretty clear when the formula "Thus sayeth the Lord"
preceedes a text; but what about the Psalms or Ecclesiastes?
In Psalm 22:1,2 when the author writes:
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?
Oh my God, I cry out by day, but you
do not answer
It is difficult to attempt to describe this passage as an example
of how God inspires the words of man. Should Christians hold on to the
idea of the Bible as the word of God? Or should the scriptures be interpreted
as man's attempt to seek the divine? Or is it perhaps a mixture of both?
Something that has crossed my mind several times is that if the Psalms
are interpreted as something other than a human text, they might lose some
of their sincerity. The image that I get is that of Jehovah holding up huge
cue cards from Heaven that say "The Lord is my Shepherd...". If in some
sense, the words aren't David's, aren't they less honest? If David is not
expressing his own feelings for God, then the Psalms almost seems like a big
hoax.
But then if the words ARE David's and they still have the status of
Scripture, what does the word "Scripture " mean. Is it just the words of
someone who speaks sincerely from the heart? Is it a text which sheds light
on the human condition? Can people in this sense still write scriptures
for today?
Just hoping to stir a few brain cells
Any and all comments, questions, remarks greatly appreciated.
-Gilberto (No not Bart) Simpson
"The water will engulf us if we do not dare to tread"
-De La Soul