Sunday, July 20, 2025
Of Cows and Trees
Of Cows and Trees: The Bible as Ancient Jewish Meditation Literature
By Rev. AJ Ochart
Scripture:
Psalm 1, Hebrews 1:1-14Sermon Notes
This week we continue the Summer Sermon Series, ‘How to Read the Bible’ based on the Bible Project series by the same name.
We have been looking at what the Bible is, a collection of writings which are a record of God’s self-revelation to humanity, and the overall story that it tells. We will be looking at the three main types of writings that our scriptures are made of, Narrative, Poetry, and Prose/Discourse. Over the next six weeks, we will look at each of these types of writings, their features and characteristics, and a few of the sub-types that we see.
First, however; we will look a little more deeply into the ‘why’ of our scriptures. Yes, our Bible is a collection of stories, poetry, and discourse collected over a thousand years… but why? Why were these stories lovingly gathered and edited together? Why have they been preserved so carefully when other similar writings were not? We will consider the overall form that our scriptures take, that of Ancient Jewish Meditation Literature.
If you would like to explore this topic more (before or after the sermon), please see the following notes (we will be focusing on Lesson 4, but I am including Lesson 3 as well):
How to Read the Bible 3- “Literary Styles”
- Main Page: https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/literary-styles-bible/
- Youtube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUXJ8Owes8E
- Study Guide:
- While the Bible is one unified story, it cannot all be read in the same way.
- The How To Read the Bible series walks through each literary style found in the Bible to show how each uniquely contributes to the overall storyline. Each literary style lives by its own rules and structure.
- One story, many styles.
- The Bible can be broken into several categories of writing. Approximately 43% of the Bible is made up of narrative, from historical narrative to parables. Roughly 33% of the Bible is poetry, including songs, reflective poetry, and the passionate, politically resistant poetry of the prophets. The remaining 24% of the Bible is prose discourse, including laws, sermons, letters, and even one essay.
- The Bible is an ancient Jewish collection of sacred literature made up of many different literary styles. Each biblical book uses a combination of all the literary styles to make its unique contribution to the story of the Bible. First, let’s take a look at the narrative style of storytelling.
- This series should help you understand what the Bible is and the story it tells.
- By the end of this series, you will be familiar with every part of the Bible and see how it uses language to communicate who God is, who we are, and the big, redemptive story that we are all living.
- While the Bible is one unified story, it cannot all be read in the same way.
- Discussion Questions (Adults and/or Youth):
- 1.What is the purpose for the Bible?
- 2. What are some examples of Narrative in the Bible, and in the world around us?
- 3. What are some examples of Poetry in the Bible, and the world around us?
- 4. What are some examples of Prose or Discourse in the Bible, and the world around us?
- 5. Why do you think the Bible uses all of these types of literature?
- 6. How might expectations for these types of literature in the modern world affect how we approach Biblical Literature?
- 7. How might Biblical Literature have been influenced by ancient expectations for literature?
- Extra Study/Credit
How to Read the Bible 4- “Ancient Jewish Meditation Literature”
- Main Page: https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/bible-jewish-meditation-literature-h2r/
- YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhmlJBUIoLk&list=PLH0Szn1yYNedn4FbBMMtOlGN-BPLQ54IH&index=4
- Discussion Questions (Adults and/or Youth):
- What is your favorite movie or book? Why
- How can something be both simple and complex?
- Why do you think there are ambiguities in the Bible?
- What problems does it lead to?
- What benefits are there because of it?
- What do you think about the idea of Jewish meditation literature?
- How is it similar to other forms of meditation that you have heard about?
- How is it different?