1S14-21: What Does It Really Mean To Take The Bible ‘Literally’?

“Then he said to all Israel, ‘You be on one side, and I and Y’honatan my son will be on the other side.’ The people replied to Sha’ul, ‘Do what seems good to you.'”-1 Samuel 14:40

What does it mean to “take the Bible literally”?

Or what do we mean when we say the Scripture is “infallible”?

This is a concept that Christian denominations around the world get completely wrong.

To your average Christian pastor, preacher, or teacher, to take the Scriptures literally means that we should read the Bible word for word…

And that the words of Scripture are so special, they can mean different things to different people from different times and places.

I’m here to tell you that’s a bunch of booooooooooooooooooooooool sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet.

This definition of “taking the Bible literally” has been used by church leaders over the centuries as a ploy to push their own anti-scriptural doctrines and agendas.

The idea that the words of Scripture are like mysterious little spiritual entities that can transcend time and space and can mean different things to different people depending on the era, place, or culture is high nonsense folks.

Take this verse for instance:

“And Aaron stretched out his hand
over the waters of Egypt,
and the frogs came up
and covered the land.”
-Exodus 8:6

Taking this literally, someone might interpret it as a divine command for frogs to rain down from the sky and cover the entire land.

Or how about this one?

“If your right eye causes you to sin,
tear it out and throw it away.”
-Matthew 5:29

Taking this literally, one might believe they should gouge out their eye if they catch themselves having impure thoughts or looking at something inappropriate.

Here’s one more example:

“You shall not murder.”
-Exodus 20:13

If taken to the extreme, someone might interpret this as a prohibition against killing any living creature, including plants or microorganisms, which would make eating impossible.

Ya feel me?

So what is the proper way to define the idea of “taking the Bible literally”?

The answer is simple.

To take the Bible literally simply means to as best we can interpret the words exactly how they meant to the people who wrote them.

That’s it homies.

Don’t forget that unless you’re some ancient Middle Eastern linguistic genius who is capable of reading the Bible in its very first language and from the oldest copies, you’re actually looking at a version of a version…

In other words, when you read your English Bible with your 21st-century modern world glasses on, the mental pictures you get are based on how things are now and the words we use today.

But that ain’t necessarily how the ancients understood the words in Scripture.

In verse 40, when Saul told “all Israel” to stand in one place so they could pick lots, he wasn’t talking about every Hebrew in the land.

He was only referring to the chiefs who were the head honchos of their respective tribes.

So there’s no conflict when in the previous verse Saul called ONLY the army chiefs to stand in front of him, but then a few verses later he calls for all of Israel to stand on one side while he and Jonathan stand on the other side.

It was just another way of saying that every tribe and clan should be represented by their leaders, NOT every single individual Israelite citizen.

And by the way, notice that no one stepped forward to confess any sin.

That makes sense because whoever did step forward would have been sealing his own death sentence.

That’s why Saul decided to use lots to determine who the transgressor was.

See you all next time.