This is the first in a series of posts on characters in the Bible. As my posts explained last week, understanding Biblical Narrative comes with some work. We have to do the hard work of finding the plot points, laying out the plot, and discovering how the conflict, rising tension, climax, and resolution, all help us find the intention of the story. Understanding the plot of a story in the Bible is important for interpreting the story correctly.
The characters in the story function the same way. Understanding the use of the characters, the description of the characters, the names of the characters, the attitudes of the characters, and the actions of the characters, is hard work, yet vitally important for interpreting the story correctly. So over the next several posts in this series, we will think about these 5 aspects of characters in the Bible.
We first begin thinking about the use of the characters. Why are characters in stories in the Bible? What functions do the characters in the story play? Why are we given specific characters to see, know, and think about, when it comes to the stories in the Bible? God could have given us neutral, blank, and grayish characters in ever story of the Bible. Yet in His divine plan, God's Word gives us characters of color, depth, and fullness. God gives us characters in the Bible that feel real. They grab our imagination and draw us into the story. But why do this with characters in the Bible?
The simple, yet profound answer is, characters in the Bible function as a mirror to ourselves. When we look at characters in the Bible (except the Divine character), we are to see our own struggles, our own sin, our faith, our attitudes, and our own lives with or without God. This reality of a mirror is strengthened by the fact, characters in the Bible are given very little description (more on this in the next post). We are to use our imagination, our own lives, and fill in the gaps of the characters and discover ourselves in them. This means, the characters in the Bible function less as examples (go and do likewise or go and do not do likewise) and function more as a reflection of ourselves and what we must learn through the character.
Here are a few examples to see the mirror in Biblical characters.
We are Noah. Minutes, hours, or days shortly after we have seen and felt the hand of God saving us in a situation, we turn around and do something very foolish. We have a short memory. We forget very easily. We tend to find pleasure in life and satisfaction in ourselves, and forget the greatest joy and pleasure we have in God. Just as Noah shortly after being saved by God during the flood, builds a vineyard, gets drunk, and naked. So we shortly after God's grace saves us, do something foolish and dumb in our own lives.
We are Joseph. We have been mistreated by our loved ones. We have been throw into the pits of life. We have been in bondage of sin and wrestled with this master. We have been mistreated by the world. We have been forgotten by others. Yet through it all, we can also declare with Joseph, "even though this has been evil, God has meant it all for His and my good".
We are Peter. We have been close with the Savior. We have seen and done mighty things for God. We have been a fishermen (of men). We have witnessed God's miracles, learned at Jesus feet, and grown in faith as we have walked with him. But we have also opened our mouth and inserted our foot. We have spoken before we have thought our words through. We have denied the Savior. We have wilted under the heat of testing and fallen. We have lived exactly like the ups of Peter and the downs of Peter, in our life with God.
These are just 3 examples of how the characters in the Bible reflect us like mirrors. As we get to know and study a character in a particular story, we begin to see ourselves more and more. As we fill the gaps of a characters description, attitudes, and lives, we begin to see who we are in these characters. And as we see the characters reflecting us, we begin to see the lesson we are to learn, the faith we are to grow, and a life that glorifies God more, being reflected back. So in the Bible, characters in the stories function as mirrors of us. Let us grow in our faith and increase the glory of God in our lives, as we see ourselves in the characters of the Bible.
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