I just read a New York Times review of Carly Simon’s autobiography, which I will not read based on the information already revealed in the review, a book that appears to be not much more than a memorialization of her sordid past. I have no curiosity about the debauchery in her not-so-perfect-but-very-rich upbringing as the daughter of Simon, as in Simon and Schuster publishing fame, and her rise to fame among sleazy luminaries in the music business. It’s certainly sad enough that she had such a past, but plastering it all over the literary world goes beyond therapy. Sorry, Carly, I won’t be logging on to amazon for it, but I have no doubt thousands of copies will be sold and my non-purchase will never be noticed or felt.
The book review, regardless of the decision to pass on the purchase, did set off my mind thinking about why people like to read about other people’s lives. I, too, enjoy reading a good biography where a real-life person perseveres and overcomes great odds. In fact, I’m just finishing an amazingly well researched but tastefully written biography of Houdini, a far departure from my usual reading tastes. It’s the stuff of heroes and lunatics.
Why are celebrities of every ilk willing to publish “tell all” books? Is it to feed the insatiable public hunger for the details of their dirty laundry that might once more propel them into the limelight when their star begins to fade? Are they attempting to purge the guilt of a backstory of willing degradation exchanged at the cost of fame perhaps urged by a therapist? Is it an attempt to absolve themselves as victims of power brokers cast as promulgators of the seven deadly sins? Is it a triumphal procession comparable to that of Julius Caesar upon vanguishing Gaul that shouts, “Vini, vidi, vici” –“I came, I saw, I conquered”—to the astonishment of all who “knew them when” and are duly impressed because they would have never imagined it? We really don’t know, but hey, it might be as simple as producing revenue.
This leads me to the point of the biblical stories of the heroes of faith. We read them time and again and study them word for word. Why do we do this? Are we vicariously experiencing their triumphs in our imaginations? Why would God want us to know the stories of people who lived in a time and place totally foreign to today’s world? I would argue that Bible stories serve a much broader and greater purpose that that of celebrity tell-alls or the story line for the next epic movie.
Here are some possibilities:
- We teach them to our children as inspiration. The stories tell of how God interacts with humans, revealing His character and glory. We use them as moral lessons of when and how to do the right thing in the same way the ancients taught fables to their “younguns.”
- Retelling the stories connects us with our past—the good and the not-so-good. We live in the present and look towards a future, but the past defines us and shapes our understanding of the stuff of which we are made. The past tells us that others have felt and done what we are feeling and doing, and even more so, the possible outcomes. Because they are stories of real people, they reveal human nature at its best and worst, but they don’t give scintillating and smutty details that only serve to glorify sin and have no redemptive value. The stories of biblical people serve as a guidepost for the outcomes of action and what God thinks about them.
- In our deep studying, we parse every word because they are divinely inspired and we search the mind of God in them. The words come alive and bring revelation of wisdom from the heavenlies. We read the same portion a gazillion times and each time a new insight is revealed. “I never saw that before,” is the “Aha!” moment happening again and again. Indeed, it is a living word.
- The stories bring comfort and affirmation in times of trouble. They bring hope to hard situations of life—and death. The story of Gideon tells us that God can use the least likely to do amazing thing when we hear and obey. The story of Samson records the final victory of a man who is willing to once more rise up in righteousness despite sin and failure. The story of Ruth tells of God’s provision in the face of the impossible. The trials and testimony of Paul tell of a man willing to lay down his life for the gospel. I could go on, but you get the idea. These stories are ones where hope and faith triumph at times when life seems so dark. These stories reveal the innumerable characteristics of a God intimately involved in the lives of His creation.
I will read the stories in my Bible many more times for just these reasons and maybe some others. I will continue to underline words that pop out at me. My dad’s old Bible has more underlings than not. It even has underlings of underlings. I will continue to highlight in yellow. Maybe one day the pages will be all yellow and I will have to use pink. I will also continue write little notes in the margins of things I notice. That’s what we do, but why we do it has all to do with the voice of God that speaks through the words. Selah!