I listened to a podcast of Phillip Jenkins this morning. It was a lecture at the Veritas Forum on “The Future of Global Christianity”. In one part he talked about how our cultural background affects our reading of the Bible. He used the example of discussing Psalm 126 with a West African Christian.
126 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dream.
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
3 The Lord has done great things for us;
we are glad.
4 Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
like streams in the Negeb!
5 Those who sow in tears
shall reap with shouts of joy!
6 He who goes out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
bringing his sheaves with him.
He said it’s easy to understand reaping with joy, but why is the sower sowing with tears? The African said that, of course, he was sowing in a time of famine. The seed he was sowing was seed he could not eat if there was to be the hope of food later. He said much of the imagery of the Bible is about food, but we miss it because we don’t read the Bible hungry (literally). Now, I am not advocating a famine to enhance our Bible study (maybe some fasting though). I do think we need to be aware of the cultural limitations and prejudices we bring to our reading and find other voices to help to see the fullness of God’s Word. The sower’s joy (and ours) is far richer when we know the sower’s hunger.
*more about this painting later
Go At A Walking Pace 
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