When the Bible doesn’t Feel True
Thus you will know that I am in the midst of Israel, And that I am the LORD your God, And there is no other; And My people will never be put to shame.
— Joel 2:27
Dr. John Snyder is the pastor of Christ Church New Albany, director of Media Gratiae, and author of multiple multimedia Bible studies including Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically and Media Gratiae’s newest release: Living with the True God: Lessons from Judges.
Dr. Snyder recently sat down and wrote the following response to a believer with questions about how to believe God’s word when our experiences seem to contradict it.
In this article, Dr. Snyder lays out three principles for interpreting the Bible and then applies them specifically to Joel 2:27.
How can the prophet Joel tell us in his book (2:27) that God's people (the people that belong to the only God that really IS) will "never be put to shame?” This is the kind of question that we need to ask if we care about the veracity of Scripture, the integrity of God, and our own comfort in times when spiritual sorrows seem to roll over us one after another. To find an answer, let’s back up a little and consider some healthy patterns for approaching questions regarding the Bible.
Believers should not be afraid to bring honest questions to God and His word.
First, when there is an apparent discrepancy between what a true believer is reading and what they are experiencing, it ought to raise a question. It is because we do believe that this is the word of God that we are not willing to just shrug our shoulders and move on to the next thing. We want to understand. We also want to put to rest any accusations against God that might arise in our minds when we don't understand how to interpret a passage in light of our experience. Believers should not be afraid to bring honest questions to God and His word.
Second, the meaning of any particular passage will most likely be discovered most quickly by simply backing up and reading it in its context. So, here, we want to ask: what is Joel talking about, leading up to this verse, that might help us understand the verse correctly? In fact, we need to back up even further and see the verse in light of the teaching of the whole of the Bible.
Third, there are times when understanding the fuller meaning of the words in their original languages (Hebrew and Greek, primarily) can shed light on the question. There are quite a few good resources for what we call word studies, both in printed and electronic forms. Often, considering how other good translations of the Bible present a verse or a phrase can be a big help.
When Israel walks with God, they will never need be ashamed of their boasts in Him, for He will not fail to be and do all He has said in His Word.
Now we can apply these three things to come to a clear grasp of Joel 2:27 and find an answer for the bigger question: Is God really telling the truth here about the Christian life, and if He is, why does my life not appear to be in line with this verse?
The context of Joel 2:27: Joel is speaking to God's people who are under judgement for their enduring idolatry (2:1-11). The sorrows they have brought on themselves by their sin have made them a people who are worthy of mockery. In fact, foreign nations look at Israel and are ask: "Where is their God?" (2:17) God calls them to repent and return to Him (2:12-17). When they do, the shame they have brought on themselves and the dishonor done to God will be removed as God Himself restores them and proves that He is all He claims to be (2:18-27). When Israel walks with God, they will never need be ashamed of their boasts in Him, for He will not fail to be and do all He has said in His Word.
In the larger context of the Bible, sin always brings shame to the sinner, and it mocks the claims of God when a believer embraces its lies. Yet, repentance brings such a sweet restoration that our boast in God is demonstrated to be true, and we are not ashamed that we have put our hope in Him.
The wording of Joel 2:27: In the ESV the end of verse 27 reads: "... And my people shall never again be put to shame." It is clear in Joel 2 that Israel has experienced shame because of their sin and the terrible consequences that followed. Yet if they will walk humbly with God they need not be put to shame (publicly humiliated by their hypocrisy) again, for God will prove faithful to protect.
the believer will not ultimately be ashamed of their hope in God, of choosing Christ and turning their back on the world, when we come to the end of all things and our lives are forever a demonstration that God was worth our all.
So, how can we apply this to ourselves? We have good reason to be ashamed of ourselves when we choose sin over God. However, if we will trust, love, and follow the voice of our Lord, we will never ultimately be ashamed of hoping in Him. For a season, this life does include a great deal of hurt and shame because of the existence of sin in humanity. But the believer will not ultimately be ashamed of their hope in God, of choosing Christ and turning their back on the world, when we come to the end of all things and our lives are forever a demonstration that God was worth our all.