The Bible is full of treasure for you to read and digest, and through which you can encounter God. Yet it is not always an easy book to understand.
One key ingredient to understanding the Bible better is to recognise the language and genre that the writer is using. We need to ask such questions as: ‘What type of literature is this? and ‘What did the writer intend?’
In each of the passages for today we see examples of the different types of imagery and language used in the Bible.
Psalm 75:1-10
The justice of God described with powerful metaphors
Something can be ‘true’ without being ‘literal’. In this psalm we see examples of truth expressed in metaphor.
God’s justice is the foundation of our universe. In this psalm we see at least four metaphors about the justice of God.
Evil and its effects
The psalmist knew as well as we do that the earth is not held up literally by pillars. He is deliberately using metaphorical language that needs to be read as such. This is the language of poetry and it is every bit as true as ‘literal truth’.
The quaking of the earth (v.3a) and its peoples is a metaphor for the effects of evil. Immorality undermines the stability of earth and society. The Lord proclaims that he graciously upholds his creation: ‘It is I who hold its pillars firm’ (v.3b).
Power and its problems
‘Horns’ (v.4) symbolise power. Again the word is used metaphorically; this is poetic language. God exalts the horn (that is to say, power) of the righteous, and cuts off the horn (the power) of the wicked (v.10).
Ministry and its might
The ‘hand of the Lord’ (v.8) is used as a symbol of his might and power. This is anthropomorphic language: words that are used to ascribe human form or attributes to something that is not human.
When we ‘lay on hands’ in ministry – our hands themselves can do little, but they symbolise God’s mighty power working through us.
Judgment and Jesus
Likening God’s judgment to ‘a cup’ is another metaphor. ‘God has a cup in his hand, a bowl of wine, full to the brim. He draws from it and pours; it’s drained to the dregs. Earth’s wicked ones drink it all, drink it down to the last bitter drop!’ (v.8, MSG).
On the cross, Jesus bore in his own body the cup of God’s judgment. He spoke about it beforehand (Mark 10:38; Luke 22:42; John 18:11), and took the judgment that we deserve upon himself.
‘We give thanks to you, O God, we give thanks, for your Name is near’ (v.1). Thank you so much for your presence and your wonderful deeds. Thank you for your justice. Thank you that one day you will get rid of all evil from this world, and goodness and righteousness will prevail forever."
1. Thank You that though the Bible is difficult to grasp sometimes, it serves as the only source of truth and hope.
2. Thank You for how you have really woven our brains into a special machine that can take in a lot of information that no gadget can.
3. Thank You for a good rest and recreation that I still have hangover. :D
