The danger of being TOO literal in our reading of Scripture ...

I remember the day that a now departed family friend shared with me his favourite verse of the Bible ... with a sly grin he shared verse 15 of Psalm 104 that reads "And wine that maketh glad the heart of man" ... he cited it as proof that God was NOT against drinking, just drinking to excess ...

This revelation also stands as the first of many surprising scriptural references that helped to challenge my understanding of the Bible and what it actually says. It is too easy to say - "the Bible says ..." and latch on a few key verses that support our argument, rather than opening the pages of the Bible and reading it as the astounding, life altering document that it is ...

I do not approach the Bible as a document that can be read literally either. I take it very seriously, and spend much time in reflection and prayer when I read it, either for personal reasons, or for professional reasons. The very act of preaching for me is a privlege that I savour and enjoy and engage in very humbly. To stand before a group of people and share reflections and inspiration from the Holy Scriptures is a task one can not take lightly ...

Repeatedly along this journey, I have been surprised by passages of Scripture that say remarkable and surprising things ... This week I encountered just such a verse while reading Tim Huff's Bent Hope. In the book he cites a passage from Proverbs that could be used by folks like me to counter the contention by many that they will NOT give money to panhandlers because "they might use it to buy alcohol instead of food ..."

The passage in Proverbs reads simply and eloquently:

"Give strong drink to one who is perishing, and wine to those in bitter distress;
let them drink and forget their poverty, and remember their misery no more."

When I read this, I paused and thought - "Hmmm ..." then looked it up myself to find it's context and if it ACTUALLY said THAT.

It does say it. And the context is an oracle to a King telling him the rich and powerful to avoid strong drink lest they forget what has been decreed and pervert the rights of the afflicted ... it then counsels them to instead LET the poor and those in distress to partake of strong drink so they may forget for a moment ...

While, I'm not advocating we give panhandlers access to alcohol (there are TOO many problems associated with that), I do think Huff's contention that this verse advocates COMPASSION and CARING in regards to our attitudes and approach to the poor and afflicted is on the mark.

Too often we sit in our place of simple complacency and use tired old statements to justify our inaction, when what is needed is simple care undergirded by compassion ... to walk past a street person and to see them as an irritant or an obstruction in our way, or WORSE - to NOT see them at all, is NOT a faith response.

Today as I reflect on Huff's book (a process that will continue for quite some time ...), I can't help but think about the old Celtic Blessing - "may you see the face of Christ in the face of everyone you meet ..." Even walking the streets of a city like Brandon, you encounter people who cause you to pause and wonder - "could this be Him?" and if we take that reflection seriously, simply waling by is NOT an option ...

Taking our faith calling seriously demands action.

Taking our Scripture seriously demands action.

And taking our Scripture LITERALLY may rob us of the ability to even think - "they may use the money to buy booze", because the passage in Proverbs calls us to COMPASSION not judgement.