How to Read Weird Bible Storiesনমুনা

When the Strange Story Is the Point

Some Bible moments feel like scenes from a movie. In Ezekiel, God shows Ezekiel a valley filled with dry bones. As Ezekiel watches, the bones rattle together, grow flesh, and come to life. It’s vivid, strange, and unforgettable.

What’s going on? Well, let’s remember that the Bible was written thousands of years ago. A common genre in ancient times was prophecy. Many people these days think of prophecy as a kind of God-approved fortune telling, but that’s not really what it’s about. Instead, biblical prophets spoke truth to those in power and shared hope for people in crisis.

A key feature of prophecy is visions given by God, like the one in Ezekiel. Visions in prophecy often use symbolic images to communicate God’s message.

The point was not that a literal skeleton army rose from the ground, but that God could bring life to a people who felt hopeless and spiritually dead.

Ezekiel’s style, background, and personality shaped how he recorded this vision. Imagine if he had just said something like, “God wants you to have hope.” It’s a nice sentiment, but perhaps less memorable than an army of skeletons.

This kind of story also reminds us that the Bible is a compilation of various different kinds of literature, not just an efficient how-to manual. It purposely evokes many different reactions in us as we read, like shock, humor, sadness, and more. The Bible is designed to help us get to know what God is like, not just know what He wants us to do.

Big Idea: Bold, even strange imagery, is not a distraction. It can make God’s truth impossible to forget.

Challenge: When you read a vivid or strange Bible passage, pause and ask, “If I look past the image, what truth is God showing me here?”