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When A Story Is Not Just A Story
The stories in the Bible are not just stories. Calling them “stories” is not implying they are fables or simply morality tales. Having said that, it is imperative to understand that they do teach morals and that is one of their functions. In fact, to not make applications is missing a main impact of the story. The way that cultures hand down values is often by stories. This is especially true in a society where the written word is rare. Cultures use fiction, fables, and facts.
For example, did George Washington really cut down a cherry tree and confess to his father, “I cannot lie”? Modernists would confess the historicity of the event is not nearly as important as the moral lesson being taught; which is ironic. Basically they are saying it is OK to tell a lie about George Washington not telling a lie in order to teach people not to lie. Of course if this is a lie, then someone lied about George Washington in order to teach the moral lesson not to lie.
But these biblical stories are not fiction or fables. They are facts, first and foremost, before they are morality tales. The reality teaches the morality. Behind the moral lessons are real, historical events. In a way, these stories are both “historical parables” and “parabolic histories.”
Teaching morals is accomplished by more than reiterating and repeating rules. Teaching morals is more than just remembering a list of “thou shalt nots” and “thou shalts.” Teaching morals sometimes means teaching stories. Stories, illustrations, anecdotes, are how we remember, whether as children or adults. We should never get too old for good stories, especially God’s stories. So pick a story, learn its moral tales, and then make God’s morals your story.
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