We're learning how to read different types of literature in the Bible and
we're gonna start by talking about biblical narrative,
So narratives in their most basic form have characters in a setting going through a series of events and
how those events are selected and then arranged by an author that's called the plot
A Basic plotline begins with a character in her setting, but then something new or unexpected happens
Causing problems that lead up to some ultimate conflict
Which is then resolved and the character finds herself changed living in a new normal
Now in reading narratives, it's important to understand every scene in the context of its larger plot line
you can make the same story have a totally different message if you ignore where it occurs in the plot
this happens all the time when people read the Bible
Really
Yeah take for example the story about Gideon
There's this well-known scene where Gideon's trying to discern whether God will help him win a battle, and he requests a sign from God
Yeah Gideon lays a wolf fleece on the ground and
asks that in the morning the fleece be wet would do but the ground totally dry and God does it
Now if you look at the scene just by itself, what is the conflict?
How can Gideon know if he'll succeed
and the resolution?
test God ask for a sign and find out ?
Yeah And that's how many people will actually read this story
And it totally misses the point because it's ignoring the larger plotline
Really?
Yeah So let's start from the beginning You'll get the Context
the story begins with Gideon and the Israelites living in fear
Because they're oppressed by an invading people the Midianites
got it
then there's the call to action God Commission's Gideon to defeat the Midianites and save Israel
yeah, this is shaping up to be a good story
but then Gideon is super hesitant
So he asked God to do this magic trick, a sign
So I can know it's really you talking to me and God stoops to his level
He gives him a sign by lighting the fire on an altar
So Gideon's already asked for a sign
And that's not all in the next scene God tells gideon to tear down an altar to another god
But gideon so afraid he does it at night
So, Gideon skeptical and also a bit of a coward
Then we come to the moment where Gideon's about to face the Midianites
And he's still uncertain so he asked for another sign the fleece
He says I want to know if you'll save Israel by my hand
and God gives him that sign
And he's still uncertain so he asked for even one more sign, which is just a variation of the previous sign
Okay, So Gideon's asking for way too many signs
Exactly in the larger context
It's clear the plot conflict is not how can Gideon discern the mysterious will of God?
The real conflict is when will this guy get his act together and start trusting God
Okay, so then what's the resolution
we have to keep reading so Gideon gathers this huge army 30,000 soldiers to fight in the Midianites
and God says no, way too many men he whittles the army down to 300
why would he do that?
Well Gideon's been testing God
so now God returns the favor
He tells Gideon to arm these 300 soldiers with trumpets and torches
And then surround the Midianites at night and make all this noise in the hills
which sounds ridiculous but Gideon does it
and the noise and scares Midianites into this frenzy
They start destroying each other in the dark while gideon looks on safely from the hills
So this story isn't offering the reader tips for discerning God's will
No it's about God's commitment to use weak people with deep flaws
to do more than they could have imagined
Okay, so short scenes like Gideon in the fleece are combined with other scenes making up a larger plot line
And tracing the conflict and resolution through the plot
helps you see the message that the author's trying to get across
Now Gideon's story has been set alongside many other stories
that are also about these flawed often questionable leaders called Judges
and each of these has its own internal plotline, but then all together
They make up a full movement of the biblical story the period of the judges
and that has its own unified plotline
And there are many movements within the story of the Bible
Exactly and all the smaller stories hundreds of them they fit within the context of their own movements
and then these movements together
make up the building blocks of the grand plotline of the whole story of the Bible
So no matter where I'm reading in the Bible
I need to pay attention to these different layers of law so I can read each story in context
Exactly the Bible is such a sophisticated piece of literature and so all these smaller plot lines
keep overlapping building up the tension and
when you back up you can see how they've all been woven together
Into the unified story that leads to Jesus
Hey guys, thanks for watching this video via the Bible project
we hope you enjoyed it. It's an ongoing series on how to read the Bible
and we've got another one on character coming up soon.
We're a non-profit animation studio or crowdfunded,
which means you can help us make the next video check out our website at the Bible project com
thanks