Divine Guidance

In The Bible As a Human Witness to Divine Revelation, I read Michael T. Dempsey's "Divine Action and Biblical Interpretation: How the Ordinary Words of Men and Women Become the Living Word of God in Scripture." Dempsey discusses the views of theologian Karl Barth regarding divine revelation. What I got out of the discussion is that, according to Barth, God makes the words of the Scriptures come alive for those who are faithful and obedient. That's not to say that being faithful and obedient is a vehicle to make the words of Scripture come alive, for God is free in the process of revelation: one cannot manipulate God by doing certain procedures. But being faithful and obedient is a prerequisite to receiving the divine illumination of the Scriptures.

And divine illumination---the guidance of the Holy Spirit---is essential for the Scriptures to become divine revelation for its readers and hearers. Knowing the historical contexts, the languages, and the history of religious ideas within the Bible can only take a person so far. We can't climb our way up to God, as far as Barth is concerned; rather, God has to condescend to reveal himself to us.

There are times when I've seen the Scriptures become what seems like divine illumination: a word of guidance that an individual or a community needs to hear for that time, which is consistent with what the text is actually saying. Often, I've been convinced that I'm seeing divine illumination in the area of practical matters. In the area of doctrine, however, I'm a little more skeptical. I don't buy it when a teacher says that the Holy Spirit has revealed to him the definitive interpretation of the Book of Revelation, for different people have claimed that (even David Koresh), and their interpretations are different from one another. Moreover, there were times when I believed that the Holy Spirit was speaking to me through the biblical text, and, while I admit that I experienced a degree of euphoria during those incidents, now, as I look back, I wonder if that (namely, the Holy Spirit speaking to me) even was the case.

The Scriptures don't come alive to me as they do for several other Christians. Maybe that's because God realizes that I'd use the knowledge to try to make myself a big-shot within the Christian community. I don't know. I do, however, try to study the text, and to arrive at a fair-minded interpretation of what it means. There are times when I get some spiritual lesson from the text, for the biblical writings, after all, do carry within them religious and ethical meanings; I'm not sure that one needs the Holy Spirit to recognize that. But, in many cases---particularly in my study of the Book of Psalms---the spiritual lesson is something I already know, because I have heard it many times before. God is a protector, for example. I don't want to make light of that concept, for it has given comfort to numerous people. But I don't feel a great deal of euphoria when I read about that concept, for I've encountered it before. Consequently, what does intrigue me in my Bible study is, not so much the spiritual lesson of the text, but other details---such as different interpretations of a specific verse.

Another point: there are Christians who tell me that God reveals himself to the humble. They usually say this as a swipe at me. Because I happen to have a few degrees in religious studies---and I do not accept a lot of conservative Christian views as the end-all, be-all of who God is---some Christians maintain that God reveals himself to them, and not to me. But I wonder: why should I believe that such is the case? I don't feel that I see the love of God in many of their beliefs---their hatred of Muslims and of President Obama, for example. What makes them think that I accept their condescending proposition that God speaks to them, and not to me?

Another question: how do I know that a "Spirit-led" interpretation is really from the Holy Spirit? Couldn't it be from me? Dempsey addresses this question in his discussion of Barth. For Barth, somewhere in the interaction between our minds and the Holy Spirit, God gives us a message. Moreover, we need continual guidance from the Holy Spirit. This somewhat resonates with me, even though I understand how some could look at it and reply that it doesn't adequately address the question. I pray for divine guidance and wisdom, but that doesn't mean that I interpret any "answer" I receive as an infallible "thus saith the Lord." Rather, I hope that God is guiding me through difficult matters, holding my hand in his. I guess what I'm getting at is that God's guidance of me is relational, not primarily propositional---for I can get propositions wrong.

I'm not sure if that makes any sense, even to me. Maybe I'll get to the point where I can clarify it better---to myself and also to others. All I can say is that I pray for divine guidance and wisdom, and things have turned out well when I have done that, even though I'm hesitant to say that the "wisdom" I got was an infallible "thus saith the Lord."