The Bible says a lot of odd things. I have been fascinated by these odd things ever since I was a child. Partly for my own edification, partly out of curiosity, and partly out of humor I am going to post a short series of entries exploring some strange things that the Bible says. I will use the following format in all posts:

• SAY WHAT?!? – the odd thing that the Bible says and where it says it.
• What? – Ideas for what it means and how it has been interpreted
• Now What? – What might we do with this passage as believers today?

I pray this little experiment in humor and holy scripture is a blessing to you. May you laugh and love more because of it. Amen.

SAY WHAT?!?

The young men who had grown up with him said to him, “Thus you should say to this people who spoke to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you must lighten it for us’; thus you should say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins. (1 Kings 12:10 NRSV)

What? 

This verse’s oddity may not be as apparent at first, but if you slow down and think about what is being said here you will get it….

You with me?

I’ll just say it explicitly: Solomon’s buddies are encouraging him to attempt to intimidate the people by bragging that his little finger is bigger than his father’s penis….

Yup. That’s in our Bible!

Now What? 

What on God’s green earth would we do with a passage like this? Can we do anything with this?

In context, Solomon is getting bad advice from immature buddies of his. He should listen to wiser counsel than this. Remember, it is ok to chat with your friends and ask them for advice on a lot of things. For big decisions you should really consult with someone older and wiser that you trust. Seek the advice of older wiser people in your life. Learn from the mistakes of others. As the old proverb says, “the smart person learns from their mistakes, but the wise person learns from other people’s mistakes.”