The Clay

The Bible is approximately  2700 years old. It is one of the oldest and most seminal texts in the world. The Bible is many things to different people. Depending on who you ask, it is a large leather bound book embroidered in gold lettering with  a special place in the family room where it collects dust.

For millenials, it is a convenient smartphone app  with a highlighter function for locating key verses when we need the answers to life's questions. To many of us, it is a lamp that guides us through the dark tunnels of life (Psalm 119:105).

 For this guy, it is a pantheon of literature filled with stories of giants and floating hands writing on walls, of stubborn humans serving punishment in the belly of a whale, of a lowly orphan growing to fill the shoes of a queen. Not to mention its lyrical poems and  love songs.

 For the eight year old afflicted with nightmares, it is both a reasurring pillow that lulls him to sleep, and a monster slayer, for when the chandelier dangling from the wall decides it wants to become an octopus, or zombie limbs begin sprouting from under his fluffly mattress in the hazy dreamscape as he floats between imagination and reality. In that moment, he remembers just one psalm: The Lord is my shepherd...

To the overseer who wanted to meet his cotton quota, the Bible was raw leather--twisted and stretched into the cat-o-nine tails whip he flayed across the back of the slave that was too slow, shouting "slaves obey your earthly masters.." (Col 3:22) into the man's bleeding ear. He conveniently forgot about Philemon,  that obscure book in the Bible--Paul's plea for a man to accept his runaway slave as a brother.

To the closet alcoholic who is a Deacon at his local assembly,  the Bible is the adrenaline that flows through his veins as he unhooks his belt to teach his child this lesson: " obey your parents in everything for this pleases the Lord." (Eph. 6:1)

For the man who turned his wife into a punching bag, the Bible is his boxing mitt. "Wives submit to your husbands" is tatooed on the back of his hand as he designs her powdered face with bruises.

For the politician that wants to justify separating children from their immigrant parents who attempted to scale the border, the Bible is his podium. He takes care to remind the crowd that: "those who refuse to obey the laws of the land are refusing to obey God" (Romans 13:2)

Likewise, for immigration supporters, it is fuel for the fire as they quote Leviticus 19:33: "When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them." 

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I was shocked to find so many scriptures flash on the CNN screen as political pundits and preachers alike debated about the Bible's stance on immigration. It was their ammunition. 

For many, the Bible is clay. People mold and shape it to fit their own ideals and purposes. However, such manipulation doesn't change the fact of its power or truth. These debates simply confirm what Hebrews 4:12 says:

"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." 

The Bible will continue to be relevant, even as people initiate verbal wars because of what exists between its pages.