Yesterday, I talked about how most scholars claim that 2 Samuel Chapter 7 is fraudulent and was inserted into the Scriptures about 7 centuries after David’s time.
But here’s the thing.
Most books in our Bibles were written the same way.
That’s right, homies.
They were written with hindsight by editors who gathered documents and traditions to create a unified narrative.
They weren’t necessarily present during the events that occurred at the time.
This fact (and yes, it is a FACT), bothers a lot of folks.
Listen, I ain’t saying the books weren’t divinely inspired.
They most certainly were.
However, there are a lot of other factors we gotta keep in mind.
One of these is that the ancient Hebrew writers wrote according to the cultural norms of their time!
Let’s not forget that point.
Precise timelines weren’t a big deal back then.
Genealogies didn’t have to be exact or complete like we expect today.
The events in Chapter 7 didn’t necessarily follow Chapter 6…
And they didn’t necessarily occur before Chapter 8 either.
So why did the writers of Samuel choose to insert it where they did?
I don’t know, man.
But honestly, who cares?!
Do you have a better suggestion where this chapter would’ve been a better fit?
See what I mean?
Here is your takeaway for today.
The Bible isn’t some modern-day history book.
It’s God’s story told through the lens of ancient cultures and their way of seeing the world.
History is His story.
So instead of getting stuck on timelines and order, focus on the message.
What’s the point of Chapter 7?
It’s certainly not where it sits in the text but why?
God works through human history—and yes, even through human writing styles—to reveal His truth.
That’s what matters most.
So, instead of nitpicking over frivolous details…
Let’s dig into its lessons and see how they shape our faith today.
Done.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“All Scripture is God-breathed
and is useful for teaching, rebuking,
correcting and training in righteousness,
so that the servant of God
may be thoroughly equipped
for every good work.”
-2 Timothy 3:16
This is what I was talking about on one of your previous messages- scholars get so involved in minutia that they lose sight of the meaning.
Faith is not about facts or proof, it is about making a conscious choice to believe.
If God’s existence or the resurrection of Yeshua could be scientifically proven, there would be no need for faith, but since faith is the basis for our salvation, then…
Houston, we have a problem!
We either choose to believe what the Bible tells us, accepting that it isn’t a perfect book and that it was self-published, so the proof-work may leave something to be desired, or we choose to reject it, or maybe (at least) parts of it.
You also have to remember that the Bible is not God- it is ABOUT God, the history of the world (concentrating on the Jewish people), and written (as you say, Rich) using culturally accepted rules of literature from those days, stretching over nearly 4 Millennia.
Amen, Steven.