Post Views: 9
Ask a Priest

Just Because It’s in the Bible Doesn’t Mean God Approves

Episode Summary

Angels of death, she-bears, and battles on nearly every page. What are Christians supposed to do with the Old Testament?

“The Old Testament is crazy,” Fr. Tim admits at the start of this episode. The firstborn of Egypt die on the night of the Passover (Exodus 12). Two she-bears come out of the woods after a crowd of children mocks the prophet Elisha (2 Kings 2:23–24). People wonder if God is simply angrier in the Old Testament and has some kind of change of heart in the New.

This episode starts a four-part Ask a Priest series on how to read the Old Testament as a Christian. Fr. Tim’s starting point is who God is: a Father who doesn’t change, and who is all- loving, all-knowing and all-powerful. Rule number one, which he calls “crazy important,” is short: “It’s in the Bible. Does not mean that God approves of it.” King David commits adultery and has a man killed (2 Samuel 11). Lot offers his own daughters to a violent mob (Genesis 19:8).

Scripture tells these stories honestly, and telling them isn’t the same as approving them. That fits how the Church reads Scripture. God inspired the human authors, so the Bible teaches without error the truth God wanted written down for our salvation (CCC 107). That doesn’t make every person in its pages a model to copy. To read well, we look for what the sacred authors wanted to affirm CCC 109), and we read the Old Testament in the light of Christ (CCC 129). Fr. Tim puts it in a simple phrase: “description is not prescription.”

[00:00:00 –> 00:00:06] the Old Testament is crazy. We have angel of death killing firstborns in Egypt.
[00:00:06 –> 00:00:09] people being slaughtered by she-bears.
[00:00:09 –> 00:00:11] There is some crazy stuff in the Old Testament.
[00:00:11 –> 00:00:12] How do
[00:00:12 –> 00:00:15] (Music)
[00:00:15 –> 00:00:26] I’m Father Tim. And today we are starting a four part series answering the question, how do I read the Old Testament?
[00:00:26 –> 00:00:33] In other words, man, God is angry in the Old Testament, weird and bad things happen.
[00:00:33 –> 00:00:40] How do I read it? How do I understand it? How do I read it through the lens of Jesus and how do I read it as a Christian?
[00:00:40 –> 00:00:48] is God, just an angrier God in the Old Testament. And he has some kind of change of heart and he changes in the New Testament.
[00:00:48 –> 00:00:51] it’s really, really important to read the Old Testament
[00:00:51 –> 00:00:59] through the lens of God being a father and God being unchangeable and God being all loving, all knowing, all powerful.
[00:00:59 –> 00:01:13] So I’m going to give us four rules to follow to help us to read the Old Testament that can really help us to understand who God is. These rules are really important. And when we read it through this lens, everything makes sense.
[00:01:13 –> 00:01:20] So let’s just launch in and go through rule one, rule number one. Crazy important.
[00:01:20 –> 00:01:22] If it’s in the Bible.
[00:01:22 –> 00:01:24] Doesn’t mean that God approves of it.
[00:01:25 –> 00:01:29] This is huge. It's in the Bible. Does not mean that God approves of it.
[00:01:29 –> 00:01:46] There are so many crazy and sinful and evil things that happen in Scripture. And we see a lot of that in the Old Testament. So just because it's in the Bible, doesn’t mean that God approves of it. So when we’re reading the Old Testament, we can keep
this rule in mind.

[00:01:46 –> 00:01:51] King David, he murders. He commits adultery.
[00:01:51 –> 00:01:55] Lot offers his daughters to a mob.
[00:01:55 –> 00:02:04] People slaughter one another. There is slavery. There is battles going on all the time. Doesn't mean that God approves of it.
[00:02:04 –> 00:02:11] a lot of bad and evil things happen. Again, God is all good. He does not approve of those things.
[00:02:11 –> 00:02:20] Another way of seeing it is that the Bible is inspired. It is absolutely inspired and a hundred percent true.
[00:02:20 –> 00:02:24] The people within the Bible are inspired. The people within the Bible are not necessarily inspired.
[00:02:24 –> 00:02:40] another phrase that's found in the Catechism is, uh, description is not prescription. Meaning, okay. Something is put in the Bible. Something is described. Doesn't mean it's prescribed. Doesn't mean that it's tacitly approved of.
[00:02:40 –> 00:02:55] so this rule can very much help us to understand the Old Testament and the fatherhood that God is trying to get across and the love for his people, which does not change from the Old Testament to the New Testament.
[00:02:55 –> 00:03:03] So this rule is only one out of four. We need all four to truly read the Old Testament as a Christian.
[00:03:03 –> 00:03:07] So tune in next time and we're going to talk all about rule two.
[00:03:07 –> 00:03:13] God is a good father. And when we read the Old Testament correctly, he portrays himself as that.
[00:03:13 –> 00:03:17] So love you, praying for you. This is Spirit Juice. Peace.

Watch: Just Because It's in the Bible Doesn't Mean God Approves

YouTube

Watch Fr. Tim’s full answer, part 1 of his four-part series on how to read the Old Testament.

Key Takeaways

  • The Old Testament has violent and disturbing stories, and Fr. Tim doesn’t pretend otherwise.
  • Read it with the right picture of God in mind: a Father who is unchanging, all-loving, all- knowing and all-powerful.
  • Rule 1: if something is in the Bible, that doesn’t mean God approves of it.
  • King David’s adultery and murder (2 Samuel 11) and Lot offering his daughters to a mob Genesis 19:8) are recorded honestly as sins.
  • Scripture is inspired by God and teaches without error the truth he wanted written down for our salvation (CCC 105–107).
  • Describing something isn’t the same as prescribing it. Good readers look for what the sacred authors meant to affirm (CCC 109–110).
  • God’s love for his people runs through both Testaments. Next week, Rule 2: God is a good Father.

What This Means for Prayer and Daily Life

Open the Old Testament this week, maybe the story of David in 2 Samuel 11–12. When a passage bothers you, don’t skip it. Stop and ask a simple question: is this describing what happened, or teaching me what to do?

Remember that the people in these stories were real sinners, like us. David’s fall wasn’t the end of his story. Psalm 51, whose heading ties it to the moment the prophet Nathan confronted him, is still one of the Church’s great prayers of repentance.

Read with the Church. The Catechism, a good Catholic study Bible, or a question to your parish priest can help when a passage leaves you confused.

And bring your questions to prayer. God is the same Father in every book of the Bible, and he can handle your honest questions.

A simple prayer for this week:
“Father, your Word is true. When I read things in Scripture that trouble me, give me the grace to understand them in the light of your Son, and help me trust that your love for your people never changes. Amen.”

FAQ Section

No. Scripture records many sinful acts, like David’s adultery and the murder of Uriah, without approving them. The Bible is inspired and true, and part of its honesty is showing people as they really were.

It tells the story of real people in a violent world, and it doesn’t hide their sins. The Church teaches that the Old Testament books “contain matters imperfect and provisional,” yet they bear witness to God’s patient plan of saving love (CCC 122). Christians read them in the light of Christ crucified and risen (CCC 129).

No. God doesn’t change: “For I, the LORD, do not change” (Malachi 3:6). What unfolds across the Bible is how fully God reveals himself, and that revelation reaches its fullness in Jesus Christ (CCC 65).

God is the author of Sacred Scripture, and he inspired the human authors, who wrote as true authors using their own gifts (CCC 105–106). Because of this, Scripture teaches firmly, faithfully and without error the truth God wanted written down for our salvation (CCC 107).

When the Bible describes something, it isn’t necessarily telling us to do it. The Church asks readers to look for what the human authors truly wanted to affirm and to pay attention to the kind of writing they used (CCC 109–110).

This episode covers Rule 1: just because something is in the Bible doesn't mean God approves of it. Rule 2, in the next episode, is that God is a good Father. Rules 3 and 4 follow later in this Ask a Priest series.

Get New Episodes in Your Inbox

Sign up to receive a weekly reminder when a new Ask A Priest episode is released, along with a direct link to listen.

Support Ask A Priest

Ask a Priest is free to watch, but it’s not free to produce! Generous donors make it possible for us to continue creating this content. If you enjoy Ask a Priest, please consider making a monthly tax-deductible gift. Spirit Juice Entertainment Group (SJEG) is the non-profit arm of Spirit Juice Studios. It is a 501(c)3 organization that relies on your support to continue creating original, authentically Catholic content that reaches thousands of people each week through our website and social media channels.

Start a new monthly donation and receive an array of Spirit Juice swag in gratitude for your generosity. For more information, please visit our Ask a Priest Support page.

To qualify, you must donate a minimum of $10 per month. All gifts in between will be rounded down to the nearest package amount. Please allow 6-8 weeks for your package to be shipped. Questions? Contact us at [email protected]. Your donation is tax-deductible within the United States, and we will provide a tax receipt for your records.

Scroll to top