On Generalisations – Again

The need to understand literary devices:

Have you ever posted something on the social media, say, a powerful quote from a great Christian, only to get some believers complaining about it? You are trying to encourage and edify and stir up other Christians but some folks will come along and pick a fight over it.

They will say things like this: “You should not exaggerate.” “Don’t stereotype things or people.” “You need to stop making so many generalisations.” “Not every Christian does that.” “Not all churches are this bad.” We have all heard words of warning or rebuke like this before. And quite often, such words are correct and necessary.

Generally speaking, it is not helpful to exaggerate, to stereotype, or to generalise. But sometimes, actually, it is right and proper to do all three things! Indeed, we not only find all three used quite often in the Bible, but by any number of great Christian preachers and teachers.

These are forms of literary devices. They are aspects of figurative language. And they are all things found on the lips of Jesus, the prophets, the disciples, and many others. I have written about these matters before, but I find that I need to revisit the topic now and then.

And that is because I often come across those who dislike it when they find examples of this, and this is usually because they do not understand how figurative language works, and how effective these literary devices can be. This happened to me again recently on the social media, so I wrote this in response to one person:

As I have written before, it is quite customary of all prophetic voices, even the biblical prophets, to do just that: to use generalizations. It is a literary device to give greater effect. Which sounds better and will have a greater impact, A or B?

 

A “Snakes! Brood of vipers! How can you escape being condemned to hell?”

B. “Um, I do not want to sound harsh here, but some of you – not all of you – are not really very nice people. Some of you are a little bit like certain animals. And it is possible that maybe some of you might go to a place that is not heaven. But I don’t want to appear judgmental here.”

 

Jesus and the prophets would have no prophetic voice at all if they allowed their words to die the death of a thousand qualifications. So there actually IS a place for generalisations and the like. Comprende?

My example may not be the best way to present this, but I think you get my drift. The prophets used such strong language all the time, and that included plenty of generalisations, and plenty of cases where everyone was included.

As I wrote ten years ago:

‘The church is in a mess.’ ‘We have cowards in the pulpits.’ ‘There is rampant sin in the pews.’ ‘Believers have lost their backbone.’ I and others are often making statements like this. They are all-inclusive or stereotypical statements. Examples of this are legion of course. I might say any number of things which use rhetorical devices of all-inclusion or generalisation:

 

-we have become slaves to the world
-where are all the men of faith?
-God’s people love the world more than God
-we are nothing like the New Testament church
-we are in great need of repentance
-why are we so far from where Christ wants us to be?

 

Does that mean I or others believe there are no true believers or churches anywhere? Of course not. We are using deliberately strong language to make a point – and to also include ourselves in such warnings or concerns. We all know (did I just make another all-inclusive claim?) that God is at work in the world and many good things are happening. But we also realise there are many problems.

 

As we will see in a moment, such rhetoric is a common feature of biblical testimony, especially among the prophets. But often when I use such language, the critics seem to come out of the woodwork. I often will write an article, post something on social media, or say something with a fully biblical rhetorical fashion, only to get attacked for it. https://billmuehlenberg.com/2014/02/15/on-biblical-rhetoric-and-prophetic-speech/  

Hyperbole

Understanding how language works is crucial here. Learning about figurative language is necessary. Related to this is another figure of speech known as hyperbole. This too is found throughout Scripture. As I stated several years ago:

The use of hyperbole has to do with overstatement or exaggeration for special effect. Proverbs, poetry and prophecy especially use this often. It helps the author to convey feelings and emotion. Two people in love for example use it regularly. They don’t just use scientific language to describe their feelings – they wax eloquent! Biblical examples include:

 

John 21:25 Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.
2 Samuel 1:23 In life [Saul and Jonathan] were loved and gracious, and in death they were not parted. They were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.
Job 37:1 At this my heart pounds and leaps from its place.
Psalm 119:136 Streams of tears flow from my eyes, for your law is not obeyed.
Mat 23:24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
Mark 10:25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
Acts 17:21 All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.

 

Care must be taken here. Consider Luke 14:26 which says: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters – yes, even his own life – he cannot be my disciple.” This is hyperbole of contrast. Christ must be our top priority. And Matthew 10:37 makes it even clearer: “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”

 

The same with Matthew 5:29-30: “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.”

 

The point is to deal with sin seriously, even ruthlessly – not necessarily to physically maim yourself. I know of some committed believers who do not have the internet because they struggle with pornography. I think that is a good application of what Jesus was talking about here.

 

There are various ways to identify hyperbole:
1. Often the statement is literally impossible.
2. Usually the statement will conflict with another statement found elsewhere in Scripture.
3. The statement can conflict with the actions of the speaker.

 

Thus we may need to understand Matthew 10:34, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword” in light of Mark 14:48 “‘Am I leading a rebellion,’ said Jesus, ‘that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me?’” https://billmuehlenberg.com/2019/07/20/hermeneutics-and-figurative-language-part-two/

Satire

Many other literary forms can be considered here. One final one to briefly examine is satire. This is also found throughout the Bible. Jesus used it regularly, especially as he denounced the Pharisees. And the prophets routinely employed this device. Leland Ryken, from his helpful book Words of Delight: A Literary Introduction to the Bible, says this about satire, as in Matthew 23:

Hyperbole and exaggeration are virtually synonymous with satire, as illustrated by Jesus’ account of the Pharisees’ straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel (v. 24). The “woe formula” is a hallmark of biblical satire: woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! (v. 13). Finally, metaphor and simile are standbys: You are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness (v. 27).

 

The Old Testament book of Amos is the major work of informal satire in the Bible. The satirist is the plain-spoken person of simple piety. He is not even a professional prophet but a shepherd (1:1; 7:14-15). He is fired by a spirit of religious outrage and uses invective, abuse, and direct attack to convey this bitter tone.

 

As is usually the case in informal satire, the object of attack is not human folly but religious, social, and political vice. Equally conventional is the way in which Amos champions the cause of a whole group (the socially oppressed), and the way in which he attacks social classes instead of individuals.

Other literary forms could be discussed, but we see that these various literary devices and types of figurative language do have a very real role to play in helping us communicate – and that includes communicating biblical truth. They are certainly found quite often in the Scripture, and you see the great prophetic voices of recent times – such as Leonard Ravenhill or A. W Tozer – often using such means to make their case even more forcefully and dramatically.

I will often use such literary devices as well. They are the staple of not just prophetic speech but good preaching. They help in making a point and getting the attention of the listener. If the reader is still unconvinced about all this, simply start reading through the prophets, or the wisdom literature, such as the book of Proverbs. You will find such language used all the time – and yes, I just used literary exaggeration there!

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