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"The Old Testament is an extremely complex mixture of … well, just about everything under the sun," asserted Wonil Kim, associate professor of Old Testament Studies at La Sierra University, at a September 11 meeting of the San Diego Adventist Forum. "It is as complex as … life itself, especially life with God," he went on. "It is not for those who think that life with God is a simple matter, say, of faith. It is for those who acknowledge and accept, courageously and passionately, the challenges of the complexity that is life, therefore, faith."
In his presentation Kim stressed that what he called the Jewish Bible—Old Testament (JBOT) has preserved for its readers word pictures that have been and will continue to be interpreted differently by various cultures and at various times. These word pictures are a form of art that may capture the attention of the observer and encourage him/her to compare what’s viewed therein with contemporary life realities. To study the Bible, the JBOT, is to study art with the intent of getting a "feel" for what the word canvas conveys.
These pictures, created by many different artists over many hundreds of years, convey a story—a story about the human experience and God’s interactions with his family on earth. Not all of these interactions are easily understood, however, especially when Yahweh (or Elohim) acts in ways that seem inappropriate to a God of Love, a loving heavenly Father.
Kim encourages students of his who encounter the many different facets of God depicted in JBOT to try to put themselves into the story—to feel, to engage, to grapple with the issues being addressed in the text. Though not an easy task, such endeavors help move one toward an awareness of the concept depicted, the concept that demands some reaction, even a well-defined criticism.
According to Kim, the Bible awaits analysis—and the research leads to outstanding insights and understandings that a Bible teacher is obligated to share with his/her students. That which is shared may NOT be the same as what the student (whether college-age or even more mature) learned in years past.
In fact, some of the information may very well contradict that which was dispensed as truth or Truth with a capital "T". But such new truth should help whet the appetites of readers to look further, to wrestle with the concepts being portrayed, and to appreciate the word artistry with new and greater understanding.
When addressing the concern of some that the Old Testament contains so much violence, even violence ordained by God, Kim readily suggests that in no place in the Old Testament is there any violence at all like that portrayed in the book of Revelation, and he urged the audience to "leave Patmos and return to Pisgah."
Is the Old Testament worth reading? According to Kim, by all means YES—but with an expanded understanding of the culture, the writers, and the issues being confronted. Reading it critically or analytically will likely yield highly positive results.
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