Plot in Biblical Narrative

Summary

This video from the Bible Project explores the art of reading biblical narratives, emphasizing the importance of understanding the plot and context. It uses the story of Gideon as an example to illustrate how focusing on individual scenes without considering the broader narrative can lead to misinterpretation. The video explains that the true conflict in Gideon's story isn't about discerning God's will but about his struggle to trust God. It encourages viewers to look at each story within the Bible's larger plotline, which builds up to Jesus, highlighting the Bible as a sophisticated literary work.

Takeaways

• 📖 Narratives in the Bible have characters, settings, and a series of events that form a plot.
• 🔍 Understanding the context of each scene within the larger plot is crucial for interpreting the Bible correctly.
• 🔑 The story of Gideon illustrates how ignoring the plot can lead to a misunderstanding of the message.
• 🌟 The conflict in Gideon's story is not about discerning God's will but about his trust in God despite his flaws.
• 👤 Gideon's character is portrayed as hesitant and fearful, which is a central theme in the narrative.
• 🔥 God's response to Gideon's requests for signs reflects a testing of Gideon's faith.
• 💪 The resolution of the conflict comes when Gideon, with a reduced army, trusts in God's plan and achieves victory.
• 🎭 The story of Gideon is part of a larger biblical narrative, the period of the judges, which has its own unified plotline.
• 🌈 The Bible is composed of many smaller stories that fit within their own movements, contributing to the grand plotline leading to Jesus.
• 🌐 The video is part of a series by The Bible Project, aiming to teach how to read the Bible as a sophisticated piece of literature.

Q & A

What are the basic elements of a biblical narrative?

A biblical narrative typically includes characters in a setting going through a series of events, which are selected and arranged by the author to form the plot.

Why is it important to understand the context of a scene within the larger plot line?

Understanding the context of a scene within the larger plot line is crucial because it can change the perceived message of the story if ignored, as it provides the necessary background and progression that shapes the narrative's meaning.

What is an example of a biblical narrative that can be misinterpreted without considering the larger plot line?

The story of Gideon and his request for a sign using a fleece is an example where the conflict and resolution can be misunderstood if one does not consider the broader context of the narrative.

What is the initial setting of the Gideon story?

The Gideon story begins with Gideon and the Israelites living in fear due to oppression by the Midianites.

Why does Gideon ask for a sign from God using the fleece?

Gideon asks for a sign from God using the fleece because he is uncertain and wants reassurance that God will help him win the battle against the Midianites.

How does God respond to Gideon's request for a sign?

God responds to Gideon's request by performing the miracle of making the fleece wet while the ground around it remains dry.

What is the real conflict in the Gideon story according to the larger plot line?

The real conflict in the Gideon story is not about discerning God's will but rather when Gideon will overcome his skepticism and start trusting God.

How does the resolution of the conflict in Gideon's story unfold?

The resolution unfolds as Gideon, despite his initial hesitance, gathers an army, which God reduces to 300 men, and uses a strategy involving trumpets and torches to defeat the Midianites.

What is the overarching message of the Gideon story within the context of the Bible?

The overarching message of the Gideon story is about God's commitment to use flawed individuals to accomplish great things beyond their imagination.

How do the individual stories of the Judges, like Gideon, contribute to the larger biblical narrative?

The individual stories of the Judges, each with their own internal plotline, contribute to the larger biblical narrative by showing a pattern of flawed leaders through whom God works, culminating in a unified story that leads to Jesus.

What is the significance of understanding the different layers of plot lines in the Bible?

Understanding the different layers of plot lines in the Bible is significant as it allows readers to appreciate the sophistication of the literature, how smaller plotlines overlap and build tension, and how they are woven together into the grand narrative leading to Jesus.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Understanding Biblical Narrative

This paragraph introduces the concept of biblical narrative, explaining that it involves characters, settings, and a series of events that make up the plot. The importance of understanding each scene within the larger context of the plot is emphasized, using the story of Gideon as an example. Gideon's request for signs from God is often misunderstood when taken out of context. The paragraph outlines the progression from Gideon's initial fear and skepticism to his eventual trust in God's plan, despite his flaws. It concludes by highlighting the significance of reading individual stories within the broader narrative of the Bible, which is a collection of smaller stories that build up to the grand plotline leading to Jesus.

05:01

🌐 The Bible Project: A Non-Profit Animation Studio

The second paragraph serves as a brief introduction to The Bible Project, a non-profit animation studio that creates videos to help people understand the Bible. It mentions that the studio is crowdfunded, inviting viewers to support their work by visiting their website. This paragraph acts as a call to action for viewers to engage with the project and anticipate future content, such as an upcoming video on biblical characters.

Keywords

💡Biblical Narrative

Biblical Narrative refers to the storytelling method used in the Bible, which includes characters, settings, and a series of events that unfold to convey a message or moral. In the video, the concept is central as it discusses how to interpret these narratives correctly. The example of Gideon is used to illustrate how understanding the narrative's context is crucial for grasping the intended message, which is about God's use of flawed individuals for His purposes.

💡Characters

Characters are the individuals or personalities that are central to the stories in the Bible. They are essential to the narrative as they embody the themes and messages of the text. In the video, Gideon is highlighted as a character whose actions and doubts are integral to understanding the narrative's plot and the overarching message about trust and divine intervention.

💡Setting

Setting in literature refers to the time and place where the narrative occurs. In the context of the video, the setting is crucial for understanding the circumstances and challenges faced by the characters, such as Gideon and the Israelites living in fear under Midianite oppression. This setting provides the backdrop against which the events and conflicts of the narrative unfold.

💡Plot

Plot is the sequence of events in a narrative, including the introduction of a problem or conflict, its development, and the eventual resolution. The video emphasizes the importance of understanding the plot to grasp the narrative's message. It uses the story of Gideon to show how the plot's progression—from fear and oppression to divine intervention and victory—reveals the theme of God's use of imperfect people.

💡Conflict

Conflict is the central problem or struggle in a narrative that drives the story forward. In the video, the conflict is not merely Gideon's quest for a sign from God but his internal struggle with trust and fear. The video explains that recognizing the true conflict is essential for understanding the narrative's deeper message about the nature of faith and divine guidance.

💡Resolution

Resolution in a narrative refers to the point where the conflict is resolved, often leading to a change in the characters or their circumstances. The video discusses how the resolution of Gideon's story—where God uses a small, unlikely force to achieve victory—illustrates the theme of God's power being made perfect in human weakness.

💡Sign

A sign, in the context of the video, is a divine indication or proof sought by a character to confirm God's will or presence. Gideon's request for a sign with the fleece is a pivotal moment that reflects his uncertainty and need for reassurance. The video uses this to highlight the narrative's exploration of faith and the character's growth in trust.

💡Context

Context is the circumstances or background information that surrounds a narrative or event. The video stresses the importance of understanding the context of biblical stories to interpret them correctly. It argues that without proper context, such as Gideon's repeated requests for signs, the narrative's message can be misunderstood.

💡Flaws

Flaws in literature refer to the imperfections or weaknesses of characters. The video discusses how the Bible often features flawed characters like Gideon, whose doubts and fears are used to highlight the theme of God's ability to work through human imperfections. This concept is central to understanding the video's message about the nature of divine intervention.

💡Judges

Judges in the Bible are leaders who deliver the Israelites from oppression. The video mentions that Gideon's story is part of a larger narrative cycle about judges, each with their own internal plotlines. Understanding the role of judges within the broader biblical narrative helps to contextualize Gideon's story and its message about leadership and divine guidance.

💡Unified Plotline

A unified plotline refers to the overarching narrative structure that ties together multiple stories or plotlines within a larger work. The video explains that the Bible's various stories and movements, including those of the judges, contribute to a grand plotline that culminates in the story of Jesus. This concept is crucial for understanding the interconnectedness of biblical narratives and their collective message.

Highlights

Biblical narratives are a fundamental form of literature in the Bible, consisting of characters, settings, and a series of events.

The plot of a narrative is determined by how the author selects and arranges events.

Understanding the context of a scene within the larger plot is crucial for interpreting biblical narratives correctly.

Ignoring the plot context can lead to misinterpretations of the message in biblical stories.

The story of Gideon is used as an example to illustrate the importance of plot context.

Gideon's request for a sign is often misunderstood when taken out of context.

The real conflict in Gideon's story is not about discerning God's will but about his trust in God.

Gideon's character is portrayed as skeptical and fearful, which is crucial for understanding the plot.

God's response to Gideon's requests for signs is part of a larger narrative about trust and divine intervention.

The resolution of Gideon's story involves a small army of 300 men, demonstrating God's use of the weak.

The story of Gideon is part of a larger biblical narrative about flawed leaders called Judges.

Each Judge has an internal plotline that contributes to the overall movement of the biblical story.

The Bible's grand plotline is composed of many smaller stories and movements that build up to Jesus.

Reading the Bible requires attention to different layers of plot to understand each story in context.

The Bible is a sophisticated piece of literature with overlapping plotlines that create tension and unity.

The video is part of an ongoing series by The Bible Project on how to read the Bible.

The Bible Project is a non-profit animation studio that creates educational content about the Bible.

Transcripts

We're learning how to read different types of literature in the Bible and

we're gonna start by talking about biblical narrative,

So narratives in their most basic form have characters in a setting going through a series of events and

how those events are selected and then arranged by an author that's called the plot

A Basic plotline begins with a character in her setting, but then something new or unexpected happens

Causing problems that lead up to some ultimate conflict

Which is then resolved and the character finds herself changed living in a new normal

Now in reading narratives, it's important to understand every scene in the context of its larger plot line

you can make the same story have a totally different message if you ignore where it occurs in the plot

this happens all the time when people read the Bible

Really

Yeah take for example the story about Gideon

There's this well-known scene where Gideon's trying to discern whether God will help him win a battle, and he requests a sign from God

Yeah Gideon lays a wolf fleece on the ground and

asks that in the morning the fleece be wet would do but the ground totally dry and God does it

Now if you look at the scene just by itself, what is the conflict?

How can Gideon know if he'll succeed

and the resolution?

test God ask for a sign and find out ?

Yeah And that's how many people will actually read this story

And it totally misses the point because it's ignoring the larger plotline

Really?

Yeah So let's start from the beginning You'll get the Context

the story begins with Gideon and the Israelites living in fear

Because they're oppressed by an invading people the Midianites

got it

then there's the call to action God Commission's Gideon to defeat the Midianites and save Israel

yeah, this is shaping up to be a good story

but then Gideon is super hesitant

So he asked God to do this magic trick, a sign

So I can know it's really you talking to me and God stoops to his level

He gives him a sign by lighting the fire on an altar

So Gideon's already asked for a sign

And that's not all in the next scene God tells gideon to tear down an altar to another god

But gideon so afraid he does it at night

So, Gideon skeptical and also a bit of a coward

Then we come to the moment where Gideon's about to face the Midianites

And he's still uncertain so he asked for another sign the fleece

He says I want to know if you'll save Israel by my hand

and God gives him that sign

And he's still uncertain so he asked for even one more sign, which is just a variation of the previous sign

Okay, So Gideon's asking for way too many signs

Exactly in the larger context

It's clear the plot conflict is not how can Gideon discern the mysterious will of God?

The real conflict is when will this guy get his act together and start trusting God

Okay, so then what's the resolution

we have to keep reading so Gideon gathers this huge army 30,000 soldiers to fight in the Midianites

and God says no, way too many men he whittles the army down to 300

why would he do that?

Well Gideon's been testing God

so now God returns the favor

He tells Gideon to arm these 300 soldiers with trumpets and torches

And then surround the Midianites at night and make all this noise in the hills

which sounds ridiculous but Gideon does it

and the noise and scares Midianites into this frenzy

They start destroying each other in the dark while gideon looks on safely from the hills

So this story isn't offering the reader tips for discerning God's will

No it's about God's commitment to use weak people with deep flaws

to do more than they could have imagined

Okay, so short scenes like Gideon in the fleece are combined with other scenes making up a larger plot line

And tracing the conflict and resolution through the plot

helps you see the message that the author's trying to get across

Now Gideon's story has been set alongside many other stories

that are also about these flawed often questionable leaders called Judges

and each of these has its own internal plotline, but then all together

They make up a full movement of the biblical story the period of the judges

and that has its own unified plotline

And there are many movements within the story of the Bible

Exactly and all the smaller stories hundreds of them they fit within the context of their own movements

and then these movements together

make up the building blocks of the grand plotline of the whole story of the Bible

So no matter where I'm reading in the Bible

I need to pay attention to these different layers of law so I can read each story in context

Exactly the Bible is such a sophisticated piece of literature and so all these smaller plot lines

keep overlapping building up the tension and

when you back up you can see how they've all been woven together

Into the unified story that leads to Jesus

Hey guys, thanks for watching this video via the Bible project

we hope you enjoyed it. It's an ongoing series on how to read the Bible

and we've got another one on character coming up soon.

We're a non-profit animation studio or crowdfunded,

which means you can help us make the next video check out our website at the Bible project com

thanks