In our last episode, I challenged you to imagine advising God in the writing of His autobiography, and I presented my own conclusions about the scope and content. With those suggestions in mind, let's consider the matter a little more concretely.
Suggestion 1. "For practical purposes, it makes some sense for God's autobiography to begin with a brief summary of the creation up to the time when man enters the picture...."
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1) The rest of the chapter summarizes the whole of that creation. Chapter 2 focuses in on the creation of man.
Suggestion 2. In general, biographies end with the death of the subject, events just prior to the publicaiton of the work, or a climactic, defining moment.... Usually, the conclusion makes it clear tht the end of the story is actualy "to be continued...." The ultimate ending then becomes, appropriately enough, "and they lived happily ever after."
Genesis 2-9 ends with God destroying a world gone mad in a climactic flood, but saving Noah and his family and promising them that the world would not again face that judgment.
Genesis 10-Malachi 4:6 is the story of God's often-broken relationship the nation of Israel, ending with a promises of the Messiah and 400 years of silence from God.
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are the story of the Messiah, the story of what God did in order to restore man's relationship with Him, the story of His fulfillment of many of the promises of the Old Testament; with the climactic moment being the resurrection. Acts-Jude explore this relationship further and in a practical manner.
Revelation (with Daniel and several other Old Testaments books of prophecy) foreshadows the rest of the story, anding with the climactic moment of "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away...there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." And He who sitws on the throwne said, "Behond, I am making all things new." (Revelation 21:1 & 4-5)
Suggestion 3. It would make sense for God to choose events that connect to His audience and reveal his motives.... He needs to also provide a more personal story, the "human interest" side.
"Human interest" is the hallmark of God's autobiography. Rather than placing the story in the first person singular (I, me, my) He chooses to tell His story through the lives of those with whom He has relationships. We not only hear God's story, but the stories of people who are both fascinating and "just like us." He doesn't ask us to take His word for things, He presents the testimony of witnesses. Thus, we relate to Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Ruth, the Judges, Saul, David, the prophets, Peter, John, James, and even Judas Iscariot and Paul. And the theme, His motive can be found throughout - no matter how badly you've messed it up, God's forgiveness can be found and His grace is sufficient.
When you consider what God's autobiography should be like, what it has to be like in order for us to comprehend it even a little, and then look at the Bible, the "obvious" answer to the question of God's autobiography, it becomes so much deeper, clearer, richer, holier and amazing. Then consider Hebrews 11, in which time will fail the author if he tells of ...others.... Brothers and sisters, those "others" include us. We, too, are in God's autobiography.
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