Over 250 bird species use the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, making it one of the greatest bird refuges in the world. Because I live a short drive from the refuge, my own backyard boasts a pleasant variety of birds—from large hawks to tiny gem-like hummingbirds, from brown sparrows to stunningly blue Lazuli Buntings, to name a few. Such diversity is part of what makes watching birds so enjoyable.

Like the Bear River Bird Refuge, the Bible boasts a rich variety of literary “species.” God didn’t drop a dry theological treatise from the sky. He gave us a multi-hued collection of works containing numerous genres, which makes it enjoyable to read and study. For the purposes of Bible study, this means we should interpret the biblical genres the normal way we would interpret those genres in other works of literature. The other principles this series has covered all apply here, but each genre also has specific rules to follow.

I can’t cover every specific biblical genre in one article, just like I would never be able to see all 250 bird species on a one-hour walk through the bird refuge. However, I want to touch on basic principles for the major biblical genres. This article will cover two of the most prominent.

Narrative

Narratives are stories, and a large portion of the Bible is comprised of true historical accounts. But what do Adam and Eve, Joseph in Egypt, or David killing Goliath have to do with you and me? Those accounts weren’t given so we can merely avoid or mimic the characters’ actions. In general, you want to look for the story’s timeless theological truth, connect that principle to the overarching storyline of the Bible, and then apply it to your context. How do you do that?

Ask biblical stories the same questions you would ask other stories. What is the story’s beginning, middle, and end? Who are the characters? (Remember that the main character is always God.) Where is the story set in space and time? What causes conflict? How is that conflict resolved? What led to the resolution, and what follows the resolution? You could also plot the story’s movements on a plotline diagram. Not every story will neatly fit such a diagram, but most will.

Outside of a story’s smaller plotline, seek to determine how that passage fits into the overall story of the book it’s in, as well as the overall story of the whole Bible. How does that story contribute to the larger themes of the book it’s in? How does it fit into the Creation-Fall-Redemption-New-Creation narrative of the whole Bible?

Most importantly, look for what the story teaches about God and how the characters should respond to that truth. Often this emerges naturally as you study how the conflict is resolved. Many times the theological point of a story is also given through dialogue or a statement by the narrator.

For example, in 1 Samuel 14, Israel was oppressed by the Philistines during Saul’s reign. Saul’s son Jonathan and his armor bearer attacked a Philistine garrison, and God gave the two of them a mighty victory. Does that mean you should pair up with your best friend to assault people who oppose you? No. Jonathan gives the theological point in verse six, “Nothing can keep the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.” Jonathan knew that victory ultimately rests in God, not in our human strength, and that we should respond to that with bold faith because no one can stop God.

This is a specific example of a major theme in 1-2 Samuel, that God will honor those who honor him (1 Samuel 2:30). How does this relate to the Bible’s overarching, Christ-centered story? Jesus is the ultimate example of God giving a great victory through something small and weak: salvation for the world through Jesus’ death on the cross. We should respond with bold faith in the risen Christ, faith that seeks to advance God’s redemptive mission. And our ministry methods and confidence should reflect faith in the power of God’s gospel, not in our own strength, wisdom, wealth, or social media influence (1 Corinthians 1:18-31).

For more on interpreting biblical narrative, the best resource I know of is The Word Became Fresh by Dale Ralph Davis. He Gave Us Stories by Richard Pratt is a longer work on the same subject.

Law

Embedded in the Old Testament narratives are many Old Testament laws. How do they relate to Christians? For starters, God gave the Law to show us our sin and lead us to Christ, who fulfilled the law for us (Matthew 5:17-18; Romans 7:7-13; Galatians 3:19-26). We don’t obey God to be saved, but to demonstrate our love for him (John 14:15).

Old Testament laws are part of the Mosaic Covenant, a formal treaty God made with the nation of Israel. As such, these laws do not apply to Christians directly (Mark 7:18-19; Acts 10; 15; Romans 6:14; 1 Corinthians 9:19-23), though sometimes the New Testament uses the Law’s terms and conditions to express how Christians should live (e.g., Ephesians 6:1-3).

This is because the Law reveals God’s character (Exodus 20:5-11; Leviticus 11:44-45), and it is summarized by love for God and neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40). Like with narratives, seek to find the timeless theological principle that you can apply to yourself. Ask questions like, What cultural factors are present in this law? What does this law express about God’s character? How does this law express love for God and others? How did Christ fulfill this law? Does the New Testament say anything about this specific law?

Paul exemplifies this approach in several places, including 1 Timothy 5:17-18, “The elders who are good leaders are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says: Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain, and, The worker is worthy of his wages.” The general principle is that workers deserve to be paid, which reflects God’s just character and shows love to the worker. An expression of that in Old Testament culture was letting oxen eat the grain they treaded. Paul’s New Testament application is paying pastors for their work.

The Law and the Christian by Ken Casillas and 40 Questions about Christians and Biblical Law by Thomas Schreiner are excellent resources for further study on how to interpret biblical Law.

In the next article, we’ll discuss Poetry, Prophecy, and Letters.