Us and Them: Do You Notice Yourself?

When I teach classes, I am struck by how much distance we place between ourselves and the Bible’s text.

We see it as us and them.

The Bible speaks of idol worship, lust, murder, rage, emperors, and kings. As we read, the quiet voice in our soul whispers, “That doesn’t apply to me.”

We don’t have a stone sculpture in our garden that we bow before or leave sacrifices.

We don’t offer animal sacrifices. As close as we come is a steak on a grill, a far cry from Exodus.

We don’t stand on a rooftop leering at a woman and then asking politely about who she is.

The Assyrians and Babylonians are long gone, leaving only stone monuments gathering dust in museums.

With that, we dismiss much of scripture as “culturally bound,” or “irrelevant” and then ask the teacher, “Make it practical. Don’t tell us about them, talk to us about us.”

Yet, I am struck by the Bible’s own statements about how close we are.

The Hebrew writer says:

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15, ESV)

It is not Jesus and us. It’s both of us.

What about the great prophet Elijah? He is so different from us…or is he? Listen to James.

“Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months, it did not rain on the earth.” (James 5:17, ESV)

Jesus struggles as we struggle and we can pray like Elijah. Nothing special. Nothing different.

When we read the Bible, we need to see ourselves in it, not remove ourselves from it.

We may not be David, but eyes stare at things they should not.

Achan stole what he coveted. But we see something we want and move heaven and earth to get it.

We pursue a bigger house, a nicer car, a more impressive title because that’s what you do. How much different is that from Demas’ affection for the world he lived in?

When others mock our faith, have we fallen silent? Peter knew well what that was like, as a distant rooster crowed.

It is not us and them. Humanity is the same and the divine solutions never change. They act on hearts in Dallas or Denver as well as Moses’ Egypt, Hosea’s Israel, and Paul’s Rome.

We can have the faith of Abraham, the steadfastness of Joseph in prison, or the trust of the widow at Zarephath when the checkbook grows thin.

Read the Bible to identify with the people, to immerse in the situation. Feel the emotions and recognize the fear and faith in difficulty. The more we see just the “us,” rather than the “them” and us, the better believers we become.

So, close the distance of them and us. You will find a greater challenge and relevance in God’s book.