An Idiot-Proof Bible? (Q&A)

 

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Q: In writing Bible, why didn't the almighty, all knowing God, write a book that was easy to understand and idiot proof? An easy to understand, idiot proof Bible would have helped humanity avoid a lot of wasted time, suffering, confusion, fights, destruction, and missteps. Writing an idiot proof Bible should have been be easier than easy for the almighty creator.

A: Thank you for your question. I do not mind Bible questions at all as they provide excellent opportunities for me to review and re-learn key points I learned as a lad, and to integrate these into what I am learning today. Rest assured, if I do not know the answer, I will say so. Before answering, I ask The Lord how would He direct me to answer. Then I listen patiently until, in my spirit, His wisdom in me is stirred. My job then is to organize the insights I receive, and pray they are beneficial.

Before answering your ‘idiot proof’ question, permit me to ask you a question. Is there a book, or could you write one if none exists that shows me a ‘very quick, idiot proof’ way to become a millionaire? While there are many ‘get rich quick’ books on the market, the ones I have browsed don’t fit my bill for ‘quick idiot proof’! It takes dedication, focus, energy, discipline, research, patience, fortitude not to quit in the face of downturns, etc. Moreover, it takes TIME.

Well, my Friend, consider Heaven and its wisdom and glory as a bi-zillion times more valuable than simply becoming a millionaire in man’s paper or e-money system. Would you trust handing all of this over to folk who simply wanted an ‘idiot proof’ way to get their hands on it?? If you answer,‘Yes, if I really wanted them to get my points!’, then please stop and take a quick peek at Exodus 20:2-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21. God Almighty, who is smarter than you, me and all humans combined, first coded His key points in these verses (the first recorded time after He told Adam not to eat the fruit of a particular tree), and He did so in what most might say is an ‘idiot proof’ manner. Thus He’s ‘been there, done that’. Now look across the horizons of human history, and across the world today. Where are the benefits you seem to believe would/should accrue from that approach?

Still not satisfied? Then go to the Books of The Law, written by Moses. (Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) This was God’s second, e-x-p-a-n-d-e-d codification of His requirements. This time, they were targeted to one people, Abraham’s descendants through Isaac and Jacob. Reading through the historical accounts of the ancient Jewish nation (in 1^st/2^nd Samuel, Kings and Chronicles) you will quickly understand what happened to this expanded and targeted ‘idiot proof’ version of God’s message.

Still not satisfied? Then take a quick peek at John 3:16. This one, clear verse is yet another ‘idiot proof’ version of God’s key message, without the ‘do this, don’t do that’ detail of the prior version noted above. But this one verse clearly infers something to do, namely believe on Jesus as Christ, accept Him as Savior, and love God back in a manner acceptable to Him. Now look once more across the horizons of human history, and across our world today. Where are the benefits to this third idiot-proof version of God’s message?? In fact, The Bible predicts there will be only a tiny minority of humans who will ‘get it’ and benefit from the incalculable glory and rewards He is offering us in the Person, Jesus Christ…forever!

I hope these examples shed light on what Father God and Jesus The Lord have indeed done in an idiot proof manner to get our attention to understand, and then perform up to His expectations.

Beyond that, it is important to note the following points as you continue your exploration of The Bible:

1.  It was written, by God through men, to speak to humanity across the span of some 6,000+ years (during satan’s lease on Earth, given to him by Adam’s sin); across cultures, languages, social mores, economic climates, etc., as the overall spiritual condition of mankind steadily deteriorated towards His predicted climax – the coming tribulation judgments. Voila! What an incredible challenge to accomplish in just 66 books.

2.  Idiot proof versions of His message did not explain ‘how to perform’ His expectation to His standards, nor did they elaborate the consequences of not so performing. Perhaps in response to our responses to His idiot proof versions, He elaborated in His Book many how-to do’s, many examples of right(eous) performance of His expectations, many more examples of poor or non-performance, and a seemingly unlimited supply of examples of the consequences of both excellent and abysmal performance of His expectations. Can you perceive with me that this challenge required some volume?

3.  Moreover, He sprinkled a generous supply of ‘relevant, easy-to-imagine object lessons’ to amplify and sharpen the focus on His expectations. Take a peek at the many live object lessons The Lord prompted Jeremiah and Ezekiel to perform before the people during the last few years of the existence of Judah, the two break-away southern tribes of ancient Israel. Then consider the many object lesson parables Jesus taught. PowerPoint, audio podcasts and video messages were not yet available, so these object lessons were delivered ‘in living person’, so to speak!

4.  Using poetry, historical accounts, prophecy, etc., God filled His Bible with good, wholesome, idiot proof lessons, even lessons from fools, from which we are to extract and learn from righteous truths hidden therein, not to repeat what the fools did simply ‘because it's in the Bible.’

5.  Four times, God says for us to live by faith in Him, in Who He is, and what He has promised to anyone He calls ‘righteous’. Despite the many admonitions, examples, object lessons about good and bad results, we flipped this to mean live by faith in the evil we can get away with. The more we get away with, the worst our sinfulness becomes …until sins reach His ‘boiling point’, triggering severe judgments, per Jeremiah 9:23-24.

6.  In order to prove to us that Jesus (God in human flesh) is (a) the Messiah/Savior, (b) the idiot proof result of God’s promise to satan in Genesis 3:15, (c) and the result of God’s deep friendship with and promises to Abraham, God’s Bible elaborates Jesus’ pedigree, His heritage over millennia. The time lapse alone meant the Bible would be somewhat voluminous, not short.

7.  To help us believe HE ALONE IS GOD, He patiently and iteratively, over long spans of time, demonstrates His ability to predict the future. Again, this alone suggests a short version of His message would not do.

8.  The Bible invites us into eternal citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, those whom He calls righteous (born again, Holy Spirit filled Christians who are walking out their faith), have dual citizenship. Just as our earthly nations have constitutions, God has essentially coded in His Bible the closest thing we have to His Kingdom Constitution. He expects the righteous to perceive, live by, and benefit from it during our earthly lives, and moreover, to look forward to living under it with Him forever. Covering and iterating such detail similarly requires volume, not a short book.

9.  To help encourage us to develop sufficient faith to live/perform to His expectations, He also elaborates His nature, His character, and His heart. The idiot proof versions of His message did not include these. In this verse, He literally bears His broken heart to Ezekiel:

Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations where they are carried captive, because I was crushed by their adulterous heart which has departed from Me, and by their eyes which play the harlot (spiritually) after their idols; they will loathe themselves for the evils which they committed in all their abominations.” (Ezekiel 6:9) 

No idiot proof, shorter version of The Bible could convey the full range of God’s incredible emotions.

10.Since exercising faith is a form of energy – spiritual energy, He designed His Bible to serve as ‘spiritual food’ adequate to generate such energy to believers across all of human history, including for baby believers and mature believers alike. My, my, what an awesome, incredible feat!

No quick, idiot proof version of The Protestant Bible could do all of these things. I count it as a miracle that all of this, and much more, is packaged in 66 ‘books’ of The Bible. I prefer to refer to each book as really being a chapter in a God-inspired BOOK.

I hope this elaborated answer to your question is helpful, and will encourage you to look for the above noted aspects as you continue reading through the best ever Book ever written and preserved for us humans.

Mankind,

Please Me.
LIVE BY FAITH!!!!
Here’s how to, and here’s how not to.

Here are the corresponding blessings and curses.

Your call…

Signed: GOD