What can we do when we come across a scripture that paints a picture of God that looks dark and destructive, a picture that does not match the clearer portrayal of Jesus Christ?
When reading the Old Testament and trying to understand the meaning of certain passages, it is helpful to remember that we are not always seeing the full context. It is sort of like the click of the shutter of a camera in contrast to the full landscape that this one picture was taken within. A camera captures part of the truth of an event, just not completely. When you take a picture many times there is a lot more information surrounding you that is not captured in the picture. The sounds of birds chirping, cars driving by, children playing are all there and none of these are captured by the camera. Also, depending on the perspective of the camera, much of the scene could be left out of view. If the perspective is close up you can see the snake wrapped around your feet, but you miss the rainbow in the sky in the distance. If the perspective is on the horizon you can see the storm clouds in the distance, but you miss the beautiful flowers at your feet. Many times, when we are reading about difficult things in the Old Testament that we can’t seem to understand, we are missing key pieces of the perspective that we need in order to understand it correctly.
I have developed an acronym called C.L.I.C., like the sound of a shutter on a camera, in order to help us understand what pieces of the puzzle we may be missing. We need to ask these questions and dig in deeper if the literal interpretation of the Old Testament scriptures do not match, or are contrary with, the revelation of God in Jesus. The meaning of C.L.I.C.:
C ~ Culture: When trying to understand the writings of any culture, much less ancient cultures, we need to consider how that particular cultures traditions impacted their beliefs and their language. Styles of writing which may have been very prevalent in ancient cultures may not be prevalent today and in fact they may not even exist.
L ~ Language: There are many nuances of language that a literal reading of the scripture does not convey. Do we fully understand the nuances of the particular language in question, or are there aspects of them that we may be missing? Do we know what type of book is being written and what kind of language is being used? Is it prophetic, apocalyptic, poetic, or a song? Could understanding this concept help us get a clearer idea on what is being said?
I ~ Interpretation: Interpretation can be as much of an art as it is a science. Because language is so fluid, as well as perspectives which are interpreting the language, interpretation of a particular text can be swayed in very small, but very significant ways.
C ~ Context: Do we understand the context of the people of that time in history? Example: In the Old Testament they had a very incomplete view of the devil, or Satan, and did not fully see him as an enemy of God. They clearly believed God was in total control and ONLY His will ever came to pass. This is very different from what Jesus teaches and how He lived.