People are not static (though they can be shocking)

Many conservative Bible readers would not dare deny the authenticity of the Scriptures, yet we may read them as if they were not authentic.

That is, we approach the people of the Bible as if they were not real people but instead were static, changeless, utterly consistent characters... like from Aesop's fables or something. Real people aren't like that. Real people change, grow, regress, and progress. Real people change for better or for worse, whether they know it or not. The only people who do not change (at least that we're aware of) are dead people. Even Jesus grew in wisdom, stature, favor with God and man (Luke 2:52)!

Yet, because Bible characters are often considered static, we are tempted to label them as good or bad...period. But because they are real people we must respond to them as we would respond to real people. Just a few examples will do.

Abraham. Do we really think that he was just as mature when he left Ur as when he nearly sacrificed Isaac? Apparently many people do because they try to explain away all of Abe's lies in the Genesis narrative! The fact is that he didn't trust God completely at first (frankly, I'm not sure who does) because he dragged along his Dad and nephew when God told him not to (12:1-3). He finally got to the point where he trusted God...when he nearly killed his only son because God told him to.

Jacob: His very name means something like "deceit" or "heel-grabber." He manipulated his brother and father. He tried to manipulate his father-in-law. He seems to have been a little deceitful on his wedding night--Laban gave him Leah instead of Rachel, something Jacob conveniently "didn't notice" until the next morning. Yes, I'm sure their tents (or whatever) were dark and women covered themselves up a lot more than nowadays, but are we to really believe that Jacob goes into his tent and "consummates the marriage" with Leah...not even knowing that it was Leah? Yeah...right. Get real.

King Saul. It would take a group of psychoanalysts to figure this guy out. I still don't know what to make of Saul at times. He is generally portrayed as a bad guy (had an evil spirit sent from God, hated David, then respected David, then hated him again). However, Saul was not entirely bad...for whatever it is worth, he wanted to offer something to God when he killed the Amalekites. God must have seen something in Saul...He's the one that chose him (1 Sam. 9:16)! In my opinion, Saul became a neurotic, power-hungry, self-aggrandizing politician who, if living today, would occasionally grace the cover of the National Enquirer for checking into rehab. I don't mean that sarcastically (if I were given power over a nation God only knows how corrupt I would become).

The same (and more) could be said about Moses, Aaron, David, Hezekiah, Jeremiah, Simon Peter, and Paul. These were ordinary people. I still feel like a pathetic loser when I mess everything up, but I have hope that God will transform me into something greater...something like His Son. Eventually.