Understanding Biblical Narrative: Context and Plotline

Study Notes

Biblical narrative has characters in a setting, going through a series of events, which are selected and arranged by an author to create a plot.
A basic plotline begins with a character in a setting, then something unexpected happens, causing problems that lead up to a conflict, which is then resolved, and the character is changed, living in a new normal.
Reading narratives requires understanding every scene in the context of its larger plotline, as ignoring the context can change the message of the story.
The story of Gideon is an example of how ignoring the larger plotline can lead to a misinterpretation of the story.
The story of Gideon begins with the Israelites living in fear of the Midianites, and God commissions Gideon to defeat them and save Israel.
Gideon is hesitant and asks God for a sign, which God provides, but Gideon remains uncertain and asks for more signs, showing his skepticism and cowardice.
The real conflict of the story is not Gideon discerning God's will, but rather when Gideon will trust God and take action.
God eventually reduces Gideon's army to 300 men, and they defeat the Midianites through a clever plan, showing God's commitment to using weak people with flaws to do more than they could have imagined.
The story of Gideon is part of a larger plotline of the period of the judges, which is a movement within the biblical story, and each of these movements has its own unified plotline.
The smaller stories in the Bible fit within the context of their own movements, and these movements together make up the building blocks of the grand plotline of the whole story of the Bible.
Reading the Bible requires paying attention to these different layers of plot to understand each story in context and appreciate the sophisticated literature of the Bible.

Description

Learn how to read biblical narratives effectively by understanding the importance of context and plotline. Discover how ignoring context can lead to misinterpretation and how to appreciate the sophistication of biblical literature.