As stated in our readings, “The single most common type of literature in the Bible is the narrative.” (Fee & Stuart page 89) A narrative is simply a story, a purposeful story retelling historical events of the past, that are intended to give direction and meaning to people in the present. Biblical narratives tell a story that even though it’s often complex, it is true and crucially important. Narratives from the Bible are important because they tell the story of God and his people and how he relates his Word to his People.
Some of the most common mistakes when reading a biblical narrative are the following: Moralizing. Asking what the moral of the story is, even if there may not be a moral to the story. People seem to ignore the meaning of the written word and miss the point that the narrative is making to them. People also make the common mistake of personalizing the narratives of the Scripture by trying to make the narrative apply to them or their group in a way that it does not apply to anyone else. Redefining the text is also another common mistake. When the plain meaning leaves people without an immediate delight or answer they like, they try to redefine the text to mean something else that applies to them directly.
When reading Bible narratives we need to remember that we are reading to learn God’s word not to try and do everything that was done in the Bible. Narratives are important because they demonstrate God’s involvement in the world. As stated in our readings, “Narratives are not written to answer all our theological questions.” (Fee & Stuart, page