HDWN? Picking context over cherries.

We live in some weird times, don’t we?

Many of us grew up thinking that our textbooks and our news reports were truthful, if not gospel. I mean, I can’t name a single person that actually clicks on the second page of Google search results, much less scrolls to the bottom of the first page. Now that AI has entered the chat, the web of the Internet is more sticky and complex than ever. Sure, there are fun gimmicks like the Bigfoot vlogs or 10 rabbits jumping on a trampoline, but the Internet is also flooded with deep fakes of celebrities and political figures, doctored articles and photos, and phony headlines. That’s not even counting all of the “experts of everything” you find online, either blasting their opinions as fact or misconstruing information to get likes and shares. As humans, I feel we’re all asking the same questions…

This is especially relevant for Christians, as we enter into an era of wide-sweeping renewed interest in Christianity. I can go to almost any of my followers on Facebook or Instagram and find a Bible verse in their bios. For the first time in 11 years, Christian songs like Forrest Frank’s “Your Way’s Better” or Brandon Lake’s “Hard Fought Hallelujah” charted on the Billboard 100 for weeks. On the 21st of September, the nation, if not the world, watched a memorial service for Charlie Kirk in which speaker after speaker after speaker, including many from the US government, proclaimed the Gospel; Turning Point USA, the organization that Kirk founded, claimed that over 100 million people watched the memorial service.

Are these things inherently bad? No, of course not. Clearly, people are in search of truth, justice, holiness, and belonging. As we hear an influx of voices, though, it’s important that we have a firm understanding of not only what’s being said, but who is speaking, the context in which they're speaking, and the origin of the information they’re sharing. For example, you can read a previous blog about a certain verse that is usually quoted without context here. Staking claims on verses from the Bible without proper context can become a hot mess… quickly. This is especially relevant as Biblical ideologies and faith-based topics are being discussed and shared more and more often through political, societal, and cultural lenses. The conversation you’re about to watch is a striking example of this. The debate below is between two widely known political and cultural figures: Tucker Carlson and Senator Ted Cruz. Although both share a proclaimed faith in Jesus Christ, like many of us, they have differing opinions on world/societal issues. In this case, they disagree over America’s involvement in the Middle East, mainly its involvement with Israel. 

Senator Cruz states that, like many of us, he grew up in church and learned in Sunday school that “those who bless Israel will be blessed, and those that curse Israel will be cursed.” Yet, when asked in the Bible where this verse is, Senator Cruz is unable to answer. Tucker, very quickly, asserts that the verse is in Genesis (yet, if we are going to hold them both to the same standard, he also does not give a specific verse number or quote the verse).

Assuming that the two agree that the verse they’re referencing is Genesis, let’s take a look at what Genesis 12:1-3 actually says:

Now that we’ve got this verse in front of our eyes, let’s explore what’s happening and why.

Who is speaking and why?

Here, we see God speaking to Abram (not yet Abraham) around 2,000 years before Jesus was born. Abram was to begin the lineage of what would become God’s chosen people, ultimately leading to the birth of Christ. (You can read all about who Abram/Abraham was in a previous blog post by clicking here.) For this specific verse, we’re actually at the very beginning of Abram and Sarai’s story. God is telling Abram to pack his bags and leave everything he’s ever known for… a land far, far away that he won’t know whether or not is the correct spot until God tells him to pump the brakes. Obviously, this is an enormous leap of faith. I can’t help picturing Abram being like, “Alright, I’ll move, but what’s going to come from all this?” There were no first-class flights or greyhound buses. There were open deserts and unknown adversaries to be faced.

What’s there and what’s missing?

We see God promise Abram a few things in these 3 verses. Here are the three promises I see:

1. “I will make unto a great nation.”

2. “I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.”

3. “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever dishonors you, I will curse.”

In the first promise, we see that God plans to use Abram to bring about a great nation. This is the famous contention in this story, because Abram and Sarai are really old and don’t have any children… you can’t have a nation’s worth of descendants if you don’t have a single heir.

In the second promise, we see that God promises that he will bless Abram so that he can be a blessing to others. We see that God will quote “make his name great.” I would say God made good on his promise, considering that this is one of the most widely known stories of the Old Testament, even quoted throughout the New Testament… Oh, and of course the fact that God changed his name from Abram to Abraham, literally “making” a new name for him.

In the third promise, we see God tell Abram he will do unto others what they do unto Abram. This comes into play many times throughout Abram’s story; when he and Sarai set off on their journey, there are different times the couple run into powerful foreign leaders… all of whom want to get down and dirty with Sarai. Guess what? God makes good on his promises, blessing and healing those leaders who blessed Abram and Sarai and cursing those who try to take advantage of them.

If that’s what we’re seeing, then what’s missing? Most obviously, we’re missing any mention of Israel. For a quick refresh, here’s how the generational chain goes:

At this point in the story, although we know that the promise of a nation has been made, Jacob and his twelve sons (AKA Israel and the Twelve Tribes) haven’t even been born yet - we are still generations away! In these specific verses, we have to remember that God is specifically speaking directly to Abram about a journey he’s about to embark on.

Cue the My Pillow guy, because “Wait! There’s more!” At the end of Genesis 12:3, we see God tell Abram that “in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” God is already pointing to Jesus before he’s even begun this journey with Abram. Because this lineage leads to Christ, and Christ dies for ALL, then through this lineage the entire earth receives the gift of salvation from the Father through the Son! These promises were specifically made to Abram and were ultimately pointing to Jesus, the savior of the world.

This, friends, is why it’s important for us to read chapters and verses of the Bible in context, instead of cherry-picking singular verses.

For fun, let’s throw a wrench in our own plans here. What if I told you that Senator Cruz was actually quoting a Bible verse? The words Senator Cuz are referencing are in the Bible… just not in Genesis as the pair debated.

In Numbers 24:9 we read,

Right now you might be thinking… well, it says it right there. Not so fast, reader. Isn’t this entire piece about contextualizing a cherry-picked verse? Let’s circle back to the two questions we asked previously.

Who’s speaking and why?

For a quick Shrek themed recap, you can click here to read the full story behind this verse. This verse is part of a prophecy given by Balaam to Balak, the King of Moab. You see, after a victory against the Ammonites, the Israelites had set up camp in the plains of Moab. The King of Moab was understandably freaked out, knowing that his kingdom would be next on the Israelite’s chopping block. King Balak sends messengers to find Balaam, a prophet of God, to curse the Israelites and ensure the safety of his outnumbered kingdom. In Numbers 22:6, Balak knows that God says what He means, and he specifically tells Balaam, “I know when you pronounce a blessing, people are blessed, and when you pronounce a curse, they are placed under a curse.” Of course, the king sends his message with a hefty sum of money in order to get the job done.

Initially, Balaam denies the messengers. God tells Balaam, “Actually, you can’t place a curse on a people I have blessed… duh.” But Balak, like a kid on a 14 hour roadtrip, keeps asking and asking Balaam to come curse the Israelites. Finally, God says, “Alright Balaam, saddle up and go. BUT don’t do anything without my say-so.”

Fast forward, and Balaam and Balak are standing face to face on a mountain top where the pair can see the Israelites in the valley of Moab. Balak starts up his order - “Hi, I’d like one curse on the people of Israel, please and thank you.” Balaam flat out tells Balak, “Listen, man… I can only say what God allows me to say. We’ll see what happens.” Balaam builds seven altars, and sacrifices a bull and ram on each. He then prophesies over Israel, blessing them. Of course, Balak is furious and wants a repeat. In Numbers 23, Balak takes Balaam higher on the mountain, overlooking another portion of the people. After another seven altars are built and seven bulls and seven rams are sacrificed, Balaam utters another prophecy, speaking an even greater blessing over the people of Israel the second time around.

I’m sure at this point Balak is ready to leave a horrible Yelp review for Balaam: “Paid for him to curse my enemies… he BLESSES them. 0 out of 5 stars. Don’t waste your money.” Regardless, Balak is still desperate and fearful, and he figures that surely the third time will be the charm. Balak takes Balaam higher still, where Balaam builds another seven altars and slaughters seven bulls and seven rams.

Balak has taken Balaam so high into the mountains that Balaam can see the Israelites camped tribe by tribe. In Numbers 24, the spirit of God takes over him and he utters this third prophecy to Balak:

Finally, King Balak has had enough. Fists clenched, he screams “Go home! And don’t expect payment for your services!” At this, Balaam utters a few final prophecies not only pronouncing destruction of the Amalekites and the Kenites, but pointing to a king, “like a bright star,” that will arise out of the nation of Israel (AKA Jesus). And with that, Balaam goes home.

What’s there and what’s missing?

Just like before, this is a specific conversation. Instead of the dialogue being between God and a singular person, this dialogue is between a king and a prophet, influenced by God. This story specifically revolves around the King of Moab’s fear of the particular Israelites in his backyard. In the overall timeline, this story takes place around 1400-1500 years before the birth of Christ… we’ve still got many generations to go before we meet Jesus! When we consider that God promised the Savior of the world would come through the specific lineage of Abraham’s children and the tribes of Israel, this prophecy from Balaam makes more and more sense. Of course, God is going to keep a special eye on these people - Jesus is yet to come! He’s still creating the lineage we can read in Matthew 1, and he has to continue the people of Israel for another 1500 years in order to do so.

In conclusion folks,

When it comes to our conversations, our Bible studies, and even our social media, discussing or posting a verse is not a bad thing. However, cherry-picking a verse without context and constructing a worldview around it? Arguably, not great. In a world full of deceit, it’s important that Christians not only know truth, but that we deeply understand it. In John 14, the disciple Thomas, also known as Doubting Thomas, asks Jesus how they can know where he’s going… how they can know the way. 

And in the first chapter of John, we learn that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” The better understanding we have of the Word, the better we’re able to not only craft our own worldviews, but share truth with others who may not know about the Bible at all. 

How do we get a better understanding of the truth? We. Read. Our. Bibles. I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again - my favorite plan is The Bible Recap with Tara Leigh Cobble. This daily plan is designed to be easy and digestible for Christians at any stage of their walk with Christ. In the spirit of accountability, I’m the first to admit I’m always behind on my reading plan. But the goal isn’t to read the Bible cover-to-cover as soon as possible. The goal isn’t to best others with your Biblical prowess and knowledge. The goal isn’t to pick out a random verse and call it a day. The goal is to spend time with Jesus and understand Him better. The goal is to grow in wisdom and knowledge that can only be bestowed by God. The goal is to know the truth and share it.

What do you think these verses reference? Are there cherry-picked verses you have questions about? Let me know through the link below!