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Hildegarde The Arena
NO one can dispute that the Christian Bible is the world’s bestseller of all time.
Judging from writings, even oral speech, it is evident that this is a book that has stood the test of time, a book that has also touched many people’s lives in more ways than one.
It is sometimes totally misunderstood, but its readers believe that it gives that feeling of comfort and solace especially when one is in pain or feels a sense of loss and insecurity.

Some people might loathe it, but that does not take away its impact. It has also been misinterpreted even by men and women of the cloth, but it still does not take away the fact that its contents impact on millions of people’s lives – the mighty and the lowly.

Men and women of letters will also testify that most of the original ideas in a number of writings we have today are premised on the Bible.
For decades, this writer has watched how people use and apply the contents of the Bible in different situations. A few examples suffice.

There are claims that women will quote biblical scriptures to conveniently explain every little aspect of their lives.
Take tragic events like death, for example. You get to a funeral and as the bereaved woman cries non-stop, the other women will console her thus, “Waida kuti zviitirwe ani? (Who do you think deserves this calamity?) Look at Job and how he endured pain, suffering and loss.”

These words of solace might sound appropriate for the occasion, because the biblical Job endured suffering, loss and pain, but when you read the scripture, you realise that this disproportionate calamity befell a man who had found favour with God, and was also God-fearing.

The book of Job 1 verse 1 outlines Job’s characteristics: “In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.”

The same Job says in the midst of suffering: “But he (the Lord) knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside. I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.” (Job 23:10-12)

The question therefore is whether it is an appropriate example for women consoling a colleague to use Job as a benchmark for enduring suffering for scripture reference should give meaning to the issue being addressed.

The Bible gives basic information for an individual to declare and proclaim, and not allow others to force scriptures down their throat.
Women are also fond of the Book of Esther in the Bible, describing the deposition of Queen Vashti as victory for women empowerment and also arguing that when she stood her ground and refused to obey the king, she was sending home a message that as a woman, she was not a commodity to be paraded before drunken men, despite her beauty: “On the seventh day, when King Xerxes was in high spirits from wine, he commanded the seven eunuchs who served him … to bring before him Queen Vashti, wearing her royal crown, in order to display her beauty to the people and nobles, for she was lovely to look at.

But when the attendants delivered the king’s command, Queen Vashti refused to come. Then the king became furious and burned with anger” (Esther 1:10-12).
However, some also argue that gender mainstreaming is a non-issue in the Christian life because the Lord says in Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Many a time we also hear and/or read about politicians quoting scriptures to bolster their messages.
There is nothing wrong with that because the Bible itself says: “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).

However, an analysis of two scriptures that are regularly used by politicians gives an impression that in a number of situations, these scriptures are quoted out of context and sometimes do not reflect the goings-on in those politicians’ lives.

The scriptures are also cited in the absence of the knowledge that they have a historical context and also that when God speaks, there are times when it is quite clear that He is speaking directly to the children of Israel, and in some cases to His Church – then and now – and finally to the world at large.

This knowledge is important if people have to contextualise the scriptures with the message the politician is trying to convey.
When quoting scripture, it is also important to know that the cited verse(s) is preceded by other scripture and that it is also followed by more scripture.

An impression should not be created that scripture is being plucked out of context, just because someone believes that it justifies their cause.
One of those often cited scriptures is taken from the book of 2 Chronicles 7:14, “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land”.

This scripture has been quoted so many times during the highs and lows of Zimbabwe’s historical narrative, especially in the past 15 years. In a number of cases some have done so with the hope of whipping up people’s emotions, and lead them to protest.

The populist approach in the use of this scripture is so obvious and in some cases it is quite apparent that the scripture is being used to divide the people.
This writer has had a feeling that in Zimbabwe’s body politic, there are people who believe that they are qualified to identify the people who are called by God’s name and those whose are not, giving an impression that God favours certain political parties or politicians, but disdains others.

What does this scripture mean, and should it only be used when Zimbabwe’s political and economic situations are not at their best?
In political parlance, what does it also mean to “fight a good fight and run the race”? For, this is another scripture that is often used by politicians, especially after losing an election?

This scripture is taken from 2 Timothy 4:7 when St Paul, writing to his companion Timothy, said: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

In most cases, the politicians who use this scripture only cite part of it, leaving out “I have kept the faith”, because the same Bible says in Hebrews 11:6: “And without faith it is impossible to please God.”

The paths they take thereafter have no bearing whatsoever on what the Apostle Paul was talking about then, and what happened to him after writing this letter to Timothy.

The context within which these words are used is very different from what Paul originally referred to.
This was Paul’s last letter before his execution, after preaching the gospel in what is now termed Paul’s three missionary journeys.

Philip Yancey and Tim Stafford, commenting in The Student Bible: New International Version, remark that 2 Timothy was “a letter from death row” when Paul saw the end of his life.

This view is shared by most biblical commentators and scholars. They argue that, “. . . Although Paul does not elaborate on his present circumstances in 2 Timothy, he mentions that at his first trial not a single witness came forward to defend him (4:16).”

Within this letter, Paul was also passing on the baton to Timothy as his successor.
It is also important to hear what Paul said in verses 6 and 8 when he says: “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure … Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

This graphic picture is worlds apart from our modern-day politicians and the good fights they claim to be fighting and the races they never finish.
Politics and preaching the gospel are different. Politicians who have used this quote are still with us, and instead of facing the gallows, as Paul did, they are living comfortable lives.

It does not work to use scripture out of context to suit one’s needs and wants and to try to make it look right in God’s eyes.