Dancing in the Kingdom- Table of Contents
Dancing In the Kingdom – Part 1 – Shadows of the Kingdom – Chapter 1 – Prelude
Breath to breath
[Bible ref: 2 Timothy 3:16; Romans 15:4; Hebrews 4:12; Psalm 19:7-11]
We say that the Bible is inspired, God-breathed. That is, God breathed His words to the human writers of the Bible, who then wrote down what “God breathed” into them. But how is that revelation, that communication, of God which was written by human authors, breathed into us so that we can respond to the hearing of God’s inspired word and live it out, breath it out if you will, out into the world around us as we participate with God in bringing His Kingdom into the world?
Old Testament authors used scrolls made of papyrus reeds to record his inspirations from God. But making copies of manuscripts was labor intensive and would take a long time, so most people did not have written copies of what Moses wrote. Most people only heard as others read it out loud. Reading out loud in community was the normal way to read until the invention of the printing press.
The people hearing the inspired word then learned to memorize and meditate on what they heard. The Hebrew word for “hear” is “shema.” Shema implies not just passively hearing or listening but also implies obedience. So, to “shema” the inspired Word is not just to hear it but to obey it.
When the New Testament manuscripts began to be produced, the copies could now be put into a codex, which is similar to modern-day books. The codex manuscripts were then more easily stored and carried. But again, few people had written copies and most people still relied on hearing the word and memorizing and meditating on it. The codex technology did allow for the integration of such things as parallel columns and reference notes for the few people who had access to the written Bibles.
The invention of the printing press in the 1400s now allowed copies to be easily and cheaply mass produced so that more people could now have access to the written Bible. It was at this time that the Biblical writings were now divided into chapters and verses. This allowed the average person to more easily refer to specific passages. Before the chapter and verse notations were added to the Bible, people could only refer to particular passages by quoting them – which was manageable if people were in the habit of memorizing those writings. Printed Bibles with chapters and verses now allowed people to use the Bible without as much need for memorizing Bible passages.
The Protestant Reformation’s rebellion against the authority of the (Roman Catholic) church was enabled by the availability of the Bible to the common person. In addition to Bibles, Bible reference books such as concordances and Bible dictionaries were produced, allowing the average person to study the Bible on their own.
When home computers became available in the 1980’s, electronic version of the Bible and Bible references were produced, making those resources more available to the average user. Access to the World Wide Web began in the 1990’s which made even more resources easily available. Mobile devices even added more convenient access beginning in the 2000’s. All these new technologies make it possible to learn and use the Bible in different ways.
In this digital era, I would encourage you to mix old and new, memorize not just search, meditate not just share, listen not just read, do not just hear. As you use different forms of media to encounter Scripture, reflect on them with others in your faith community and work together to make choices out of conviction rather than convenience alone.[1]
We now have many options available for connecting with the Biblical text. But knowing the Bible is not the same as engaging is spiritual disciplines to open oneself to being transformed and to better know God and it’s not the same as participating with a community of believers building up one another.
[1] Dyer, John. “Bible Apps are the new Printing Press” Christianity Today www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2022/december/dyer-bible-apps-software-screen-printing-press.html
Observe
Read 2 Timothy 3:16. How does the definition of the Hebrew word, “shema,” fit with the statement in 2 Timothy 3:16?
Dancing In The Kingdom 