Review Review Miriam’s story as recorded in Exodus 2:1-10, 15:20-21 and Numbers 12, 20:1-2; and review The Blue Parakeet chapter 12. Then, think back on your own experience and past perspective as you

1 A pplying the Bible for T oday : M iram Audio Transcript How do we Understand and Apply an Ancient Story? Telling Miriam’s story (Exodus 2:1­10, 15:20­21; Numbers 12, 20:1­2) Adapted from McKnight, S. (2006). The blue parakeet: Rethinking how you read the Bible (pp.145­212). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. I. Slide 1 How do we understand and apply an ancient story? How do we know what the Bible means for our life and living today? It can be easy to say, “just follow the Bible” ­ but we must admit that we each br ing our own lens, our own set of glasses, to how we read and understand the Bible’s message and meaning. Whether we realize it or not, we all place our own assumptions and experiences onto the text. So, how do we overcome this? Christians believe that the Bible is a living text, that its message is new each and every day. Yet its foundational message always stays the same. What, the, does it mean to navigate this tension between the ancient and present meaning of the Bible? II. Slide 2 In the Wesleyan traditio n, it is common to use a four­fold framework for biblical interpretation. Scripture, Tradition, Reason, and Experience are taken together in what’s called the Wesleyan Quadrilateral. Scripture acts as the primary and authoritative source for understanding and meaning, while Tradition, Reason, and Experience help us answer the question “What does the Bible say?” III. Slide 3 Based off Scripture, Tradition takes into account the beliefs and practices of the diverse and formative stream of Christian tradition. Und erstanding the meaning of the Bible is not an individualized endeavor ­ our understanding takes place within the centuries of church history and tradition. IV. Slide 4 Reason acknowledges that “all truth is God’s truth” and celebrates the resources we have at our disposal for further studying and understanding the world around us ­ including the social and physical sciences, philosophy, the arts, and other cultural factors. 2 V. Slide 5 Finally, both practical Experience and the movement of the Holy Spirit in one’ s life validate the movements of the other three elements in the Quadrilateral. As our day to day practical experience is shaped by God’s work our lives, we can find clarity and direction for how to apply the Scriptures within our Tradition, Reason, and Ex perience. VI. Slide 6 In our textbook, “The Blue Parakeet,” we can see how Scot McKnight maintains a primary focus on the Scripture, while using tradition, reason, and experience to study how women have played a critical part in the biblical story. In his me thodology, he insists that we know the story of the Bible, and that means that we must know about the women in the Bible. VII. Slide 7 Miriam, Moses’ sister, is one of many women in the Bible that we engage within the Exodus story. McKnight describes her as a spiritual leader, explaining that she was one­third of Israel’s triumvirate of leadership: with Moses as lawgiver, Aaron as priest, and Miriam as prophetess. When the children of Israel escaped the clutches of Pharaoh, it was Miriam who led the Israelites into worship with these inspired words: “Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea” (Exodus 5:21). VIII. Slide 8 Scholars also think that the Song of Moses, found in Exodus 15, may well have been composed under the inspiration of Miriam. In the Bible, singing is connected to the gift of prophecy, and in this way, prophets and prophetesses both played a leadership role among the Israelites. Even the later prophet, Micah, identified Miriam and Aaron alongside Mose s as the three leaders who aided Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. IX. Slide 9 It was Miriam who fetched Moses out of the Nile and helped ensure his survival. But Aaron and Miriam receive a scolding from God when they gossip about Moses’ higher status among th e Israelites. Miriam is envious of Moses, even as she knows that God also speaks through her as a prophetess. Her envy and jealousy caused her to sin, but in this way she was no different than many others in the Old Testament ­ and even no different than u s today. In her repentance, she maintained her position of leadership, and continued to work alongside Moses and Aaron for the good of the Israelites and the glory of God. 3 X. Slide 10 As we read the story of Miriam ­ and the story of anyone else in the Bible ­ we can ask the formative question: “what did they do?” This seems like a simple question, but until we slow down and examine the Bible for what it actually says, then we run the risk of answering that question from our own reasoning and experience apart from the foundation of Scripture. XI. Slide 11 The more we study the Bible, the more we see the need to acquire the right tools for understanding the meaning and purpose of a text. First and foremost, we need to spend time in the story itself. We need to ide ntify the broad contours of the story and the overarching themes of creation, fall, and redemption. Then, we begin to ask questions about the original context and meaning of an individual event or story. We research the cultural, historical, theological, a nd literary factors in order to grasp the original purpose of a text. Once we understand what it meant to the original hearers, then we begin to look at our own contemporary context. What are the pressing issues and questions facing us today? How does this text speak to our experiences, in this new day? XII. Slide 12 It’s important to understand that Scripture interprets Scripture. Biblical understanding is not done in isolation. Proof­texting is a danger here. It is easy to make the Bible say whatever we want by taking a verse and using it to support our own understanding and agenda. While individual verses are important to remember, memorize, and lean on for comfort and inspiration, faithful biblical interpretation means that we look at how each verse fits int o the wider biblical witness. We can see this commitment at play in how McKnight traces the diverse experiences of women in the Bible. To address the question of women in ministry, McKnight looks to the entirety of the biblical witness, carefully taking in to account the various historical and cultural factors. Only in this way, can we discover the united message of the Bible. XIII. Slide 13 Make no mistake, biblical interpretation is not easy. Scholars dedicate entire careers to issues of translation, historica l research, or archeology in order to discover the nuances of the text. But neither is faithful biblical interpretation out of your reach. You have access to an abundance of resources, but these resources are diverse and often put forth competing agendas. And that is okay. Your job is to start participating in the grand conversation of biblical meaning and application. Pull up a chair at the table and start asking questions and offering your thoughts. But do so with these questions at the forefront: what is the text actually saying? and, what, then, does the text mean for us today? Welcome to the conversation!