My Favorite Metaphors for Scripture

We’ve been handed some strict ideas about the Bible that can sometimes stifle our approach to reading and interpretation. Specifically, many Christians approach scripture as a finished, infallible work that we simply take facts from. I prefer to think of scripture as part of a tradition that we constantly engage with while we listen for God’s still-speaking voice. Here are three of my favorite metaphors for scripture that remind me what we’re really doing when we engage with the Bible.

Scripture as a Compost Pile

Walter Brueggemann has provided us with one of my favorite metaphors for thinking about scripture – a compost pile. I know that seems a little rough to some people, but I find it to be beautiful and helpful as I struggle with our diverse, ancient and often self-contradicting biblical texts.

Many Christians see the Bible as a source of timeless truths. If what they mean is a timeless approach to wrestling with God and seeking wisdom, then I largely agree. The Bible shows us how the ancients of our tradition dealt with very difficult problems and applied faith and wisdom to their lives. However, if by timeless truth they mean that scripture is a finished project, unchanging, ready for literal consumption, then I disagree strongly.

The metaphor of a compost pile challenges us to go beyond the simple idea that the Bible is a collection of literal timeless truths. Instead, our scriptural tradition is dynamic and messy.

Compost is messy and full of diverse materials. The Bible contains a lot of diversity in form, era and author’s intent. It offers narratives, theologically constructed history, poems, laws, letters and yes even mythology. Some ideas we throw in there decompose, but in doing so, give way to new foundations for growth. What I mean by that is we are in constant evolution in our understanding of God and the universe while the Bible was written with a particular language and cultural context that was rightfully rooted in its own period. Yesterday’s bean stalks can become tomorrow’s zucchini. We must be in process with our scripture just as we are with our God and our own natures.

In this way, a compost pile is an arena for both transformation and new life. These ideas from many authors with different purposes are transformed into a rich soil. We must engage our scripture with active interpretation and reflection to bring out new meaning in our modern world. I appreciate – and have frequently taken part in – various programs that have you read the Bible in a year or follow the lectionary. Reading the Bible regularly is a key part of staying connected to God and tradition. We shouldn’t, however, read passively. Again, if 2,000-year-old scripture is to remain meaningful and relevant, we cannot see it as a finished project. We need to see it like compost, a constant source of new beginnings.

Because our digging through scripture will never be a finished project, we must accept that like compost, scripture itself is not the final goal. It’s the soil that nourishes new ideas, new life. Certainly, there is knowledge to be gained in scripture, but more importantly scripture has transformative power to fertilize our faith into action.

Finally, you cannot just have a box of compost and expect things to grow. What we get out of it is a measure of what we put into it. We cannot simply use simplistic, literal readings of the Bible to get anywhere in our modern lives. We must understand the historical contexts, genres, theological themes and intents. Compost is valuable if you attend to it to prevent a little mold, transfer the compost to actual growing beds and then plant seeds. Likewise, reading the Bible requires active and attentive critical thought, transferring its model of wisdom to our modern lives and engaging in imaginative dialogue with our faith.

Scripture as Hiking Trail

Being a Coloradan, I’ve spent a lot of time hiking. I like to think of the Bible as a series of planned and unplanned trails through faith, much like the trails that wind and weave through our mountain forests and meadows. How are these trails formed? Sometimes, by a large project involving government resources like bulldozers. Sometimes they are formed by those who have journeyed before us carving new paths where their curiosity led them. I’m not here to discuss Darius the Great or the Council of Nicaea, but I will confirm that our faith has been shaped by government bulldozers. But equally, many have walked through our fields and found new ways forward that also seem to lead down the mountain in new and surprising ways.

Trails are diverse. So is the Bible. Some paths are so well worn because they are travelled by many others. I’ve long had the 23^rd Psalm in memory – King James version no less. The big road gives me direction and comfort. Other trails are far less explored and through creative interpretation, you are free to start stamping out your own path.

Regardless of how these paths formed, they guide us. They were left here by others who walked before us. They don’t dictate the journey, but they serve as reference points. They aren’t always prescriptive; they are often simply pointing directions that matter. The wider the trail, the more people have found value in travelling it.

If you really want to understand the mountain or meadow you’re hiking in, you need to engage in a little bit of off-the-path creative exploration. This means both recognizing and engaging in the rich diversity of writing and interpretation in our tradition. There are many places where the Bible conflicts with itself, corrects itself. There are places where today the Bible needs correction (unless you happen to still be a geo-centric flat-earther who believes in a “firmament.”) Diversity and conflict in the bible are advantages to faith, not an obstacle. It makes our understanding of God richer. It forces us to engage in personal reflection, bringing the wisdom of our tradition into our modern age. It promotes inclusivity and respect for various perspectives and interpretations among other faithful Christians.

Scripture as an Art Gallery

Like your favorite museum or art gallery, the Bible is a vibrant collection of diverse expressions of faith. Many artists will approach similar subjects and themes in their own unique ways. They each add something new in their own distinct hues.

Each gallery showcases work by different artists. The Bible is a collection of voices from different authors, genres and historical contexts. Each voice isn’t seeking photorealistic depictions, but instead adds their own perspectives that reveal unique relationships with God and reveal new ways to find our place in God’s kingdom.

Different artists use different media. Paintings of a sunflowers by Van Gogh are some of the most important, spiritual and beautiful works ever created. Yet you wouldn’t confuse them with scientific illustrations in a textbook. If you’re seeking to understand sunflowers for a biology test, I recommend you turn elsewhere. If you’re seeking to make a deep reflection on life through sunflowers, I highly recommend Van Gogh. Unlike the science textbook which is excellent for learning science, Van Gogh’s works evoke emotion and reflection and invite a connection to the divine. If your science textbook is evoking emotion, you might consider working with a tutor in your school resources department.

Just as different artworks can interpret the same themes in vastly different manners, so it is with the Bible. Again, this is not a weakness, it’s a strength. Do you want a museum filled only with Rothko’s? The diversity in scripture adds depth to our understanding of life’s most important issues and our relationship to God. We can appreciate the beauty, innovation or insight of a work of art even if our knowledge of the subject matter changes. We can find meaning and depth in ancient art even if the artists didn’t understand perspective. If we take art literally regardless of the theme, we’re probably missing the point.

Each of these artworks allows us to find our own personal meaning while at the same time learning about standard interpretations from historians. We can connect to our scripture this way. Like standing before a wall of many artists, we can find the brush strokes that resonate with us at a moment in time, through our personal experiences and our own faith journeys.

On a final note, you have full permission to dislike the art that you dislike, no matter how famous or acclaimed. Your experience of truth and beauty is your own and was given to you by God, who am I to question you? You should, however, work to appreciate the diversity in art and in the Bible. You don’t have to like or understand it all. Each piece won’t speak to you forever and always. But if you put your heart into a little interpretation, you will find the works and passages that do find resonance with you, and they will connect you to God.