In this series, we will consider five distinct genres that are found within the sixty-six books of the Bible: Narrative History, Legal Documents, Letters, Poetry and Apocalyptic Literature. In this first article of the series, we will concentrate on narrative history.
One important way in which the Bible stands apart from many of the other so-called “holy books” is that it is grounded in history, not myth. Narrative history in Scripture is interspersed with genealogies and other historical asides, a clear indication that the reader is meant to understand the accounts about biblical characters as being historically reliable. Occasionally the narrator, perhaps commenting upon events which transpired hundreds of years earlier, will indicate that there were still visible reminders of the ancient past, of which he was speaking, surviving into his day (e.g., Genesis 35:20; Joshua 4:9; 7:26; Judges 6:24; Acts 2:29). This clearly demonstrates that he understood the material to be historical.
It is important, therefore, that when we come to such portions of the Bible, we understand them to be reports of real people, real places and real events. Much liberal theology, which denies the supernatural element of biblical accounts, is grounded in the assumption that familiar Bible stories are nothing more than myths or legends. If this mindset is adopted, then the next logical step will be to dismiss the plain meaning of the text and replace it with some wholly unwarranted but “spiritualized” explanation. Our respect for the integrity of these ancient manuscripts will have a direct impact upon the way in which we interpret them.
Another issue to keep in mind, when seeking to understand biblical narrative, is authorial intent. Whilst, above all, we need to accept the Scriptures as God’s Word, breathed out by His Spirit through the medium of various human authors, there is also a requirement to consider each of the particular individuals through whom the material came. Gaining an understanding of the author’s point of view will be rewarded with a greatly enhanced comprehension of the text. In particular, we need to consider the original audience and meditate on the purpose for which it was written. Only when this has been considered can we turn to the question of how the content is intended to speak to us today.
It will quickly become clear that, whilst set within the context of world history, secular events are only of concern to biblical authors insofar as they have a bearing on the purposes of God for His people. Above all, narrative history in the Bible is the story of God at work. With one accord, biblical historians viewed the events which they related as evidence of God’s unfolding purposes, rather than a long list of man’s achievements. Consequently, despite having multiple authors writing over a period of many centuries, the Scriptures speak with one voice. The story of the Bible is progressive, and the careful reader today should be able to discern a common thread running through each book: the work of this world’s Creator-God, to redeem His creation.
When we seek to make personal application, understanding the purpose for which an author has included a particular story is crucial. Unlike biblical epistles, where the teaching points are usually clearly expressed, historians do not always pass comment upon what they record. Often, readers are left to deduce for themselves the lessons to be considered from the lives of Bible characters. For instance, the Bible does not comment about the morality of having more than one wife (a common practice in the ancient world), yet the narratives linked to instances of polygamy show that this practice falls far short of God’s intentions for family life (cp. Genesis 4:19-24; 16:1-6; 21:8-16; 29:16-30:24; 1 Samuel 1:1-8; 1 Kings 11:1-3). Consequently, readers from our own generation are able to observe, through narrative history, the blessedness of being fully obedient to the Lord and the folly of rebelling against Him.
However, this is not to imply that it is always easy to discern the correct lessons from this particular genre. Students of Scripture have occasionally been perplexed by some of the narratives they encounter. There is often an absence of the “happy ending” we have come to expect from worldly fiction. Furthermore, the vast array of characters we come across is complex and far removed from the shallow caricatures of fictional heroes and villains. A biblical story can never be compared to a simplistic fable containing a moral lesson. Rather, everything we read must be put into the overall context of the Bible’s core message (as stated earlier – the work of the Creator to redeem His creation) in order to avoid misapplying large swathes of the text.
Finally, as with all Scripture, we must consider how biblical narrative points us to Christ. We will look at two main ways: Old Testament types and the biographical sketches passed down to us in the Gospels. A type is a picture of Christ that has been hidden within an Old Testament story by the Holy Spirit. It foreshadows an aspect of Christ’s person or work. In acknowledging the existence of types within biblical accounts, we do not seek to undermine the historicity of these stories; real historical events are simply seen to be pointing forward to something even greater in the future – clear evidence that the Bible truly is the inspired Word of God. Hence, for instance, Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22:1-19) is a clear foreshadowing of how God the Father sent His only begotten Son to be the sacrifice for the sins of the world.
In the Gospels, we have biographical sketches of Christ. Two of the four Gospels, Matthew and John, are written by disciples who witnessed firsthand the events which they later recorded in their books. John’s Gospel, in particular, has the “feel” of an eyewitness account. Mark and Luke were not eyewitnesses to the events (although Mark may have been present at some key moments), but Luke states that his record was carefully compiled through diligent research among those who had been with the Lord (Luke 1:1-4). Clearly, the Gospel writers knew they were writing factual accounts and wanted to reassure their readership of the reliability of the material.
In summary, narrative history accounts for a large proportion of the Bible’s content and, therefore, our interpretation of it will significantly contribute to our understanding of what Scripture teaches. The Scriptures are rooted in real history, tell the story of real people and are intended to impact the way we live our lives today. Being assured of the Bible’s historical reliability enables us to take its teachings at face value, and safeguards against fanciful interpretations that will hinder us from experiencing the only true and living God for ourselves.
