Joshua 18-20

Everything in your Bible is not necessarily true nor 100% accurate!


Now, that I have your attention... As we read today the remainder of the tribes were allotted their territories. I must admit that as I read, I used my "handy-dandy" map in the back of my Bible to get a good idea of how the land was divided. I am thankful for those who have gone ahead of us and have provided us with such resources. I know that it must have taken a ton of research to create something like that.

Honestly, I would never have taken that time, nor would I have ever chosen to do so even if I were without the reference maps in the back of the book. It's not my passion. But without others who probably delighted in this endeavour, I would be completely clueless as to how the tribes were situated within and outside the Promise Land.

But herein lies an important lesson for all Christians. I must also realize, even as I consult them, that the maps aren't perfect. They were made by man, by his best guesses after research. So we should always look to these resources, not as final authorities or flawless recreations, but rather as aides towards understanding. They are great resources, invaluable to believers without the time and energies to commit themselves to individual analysis, but they are still approximations and are often subject to change after new archaeological finds.

But this leads into a broader topic. I know many of you may have a study or reference Bible that you use. I have known some individuals to forget that there is a line which separates the Scriptures from the commentaries at the bottom. What I mean by this is that they treat the words at the bottom as just as valid and correct as the words above.

We must never forget however that the words at the bottom or the references for each verse are generated by man's thoughts and understanding. They very well may be accurate and offer great assistance. But there are other times when an interpretation is offered which is much more speculation that fact. It is not that they purposefully seek to lead us astray, rather they just happen to be wrong on a given point. Besides, we all have natural presuppositions (personal beliefs) through which we view each verse's interpretation. Our goal is to rid ourselves of all beliefs which are contrary to the entirety of Scripture, but undoubtedly, there are some which still taint our clear understanding of individual texts.

The commentators who are responsible for the notes at the bottom or the chain references throughout are no different. Major theological movements have been birthed out of study Bibles. A great example of this is the Scofield Study Bibles which came out in the early 1900's popularizing dispensational theology.

I encourage you to use your notes and any resources you might have on hand or find at libraries or the church, but as you study you will find that often there are several "opinions" given in each context. You must know your sources and know, even though you may trust one over another, even the most highly regarded scholars are just like us, fallible.

So everything in that Bible (the add-ins in particular) may not be true or 100% accurate. They are of assistance, but our sole source of authority for faith and practice remains the Cannon itself. For it is not man's guesses subject to change, but God's timeless truths which will endure forever.