The Bible teaches a lot of things.  But it might not teach everything you think it does!  Cultural traditions and assumptions, along with simplifications and oversimplifications, have, in many cases, created ideas of teachings that are not actually found in Scripture.

1. The Bible Does Not Forbid Alcohol Consumption.

I’m trying to stay pretty “non-denominational” here, but this one might ruffle some Baptist feathers.

The Bible does teach that drunkenness is to be avoided.

“And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit…” (Ephesians 5:18)

And there were particular groups who were to avoid alcohol, for various reasons.  (Such as the priests and the Nazirites.)

The one passage that seems, on the surface, however, to be forbidding wine for all is actually using poetic language to speak against drunkenness.  (Consider phrases such as “those who linger long at the wine” and “your eyes will see strange things.”)

In fact, the passage about the Nazirites makes it clear those taking that vow were doing something unusual.  They were refraining from something commonly enjoyed.  If we need more proof, though, we have the Bible speaking of wine in positive terms — and even God instructing the people to purchase “strong drink” for themselves if they wanted it!

“He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, and vegetation for the service of man, that he may bring forth food from the earth, and wine that makes glad the heart of man…” (Psalm 104:14-15)

“And you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for wine or similar drink, for whatever your heart desires; you shall eat there before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household.”  (Deuteronomy 14:26)

(Note that this does not mean one cannot choose to obstain.  But the Bible does not command it.)

2. The Bible Does Not Promote Racism.

It is true that the Israelites were instructed not to intermarry with the nations around them.  However, this was for the sake of religion.

“Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son.  For they will turn your sons away from following Me, to serve other gods; so the anger of the Lord will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly. But thus you shall deal with them: you shall destroy their altars, and break down their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images, and burn their carved images with fire.” (Deuteronomy 7:3-5, emphasis added.)

We know, in fact, that several foreign women — who had faith in Yahweh — were welcomed into Israel and even became part of the genealogy of the Messiah.  See Rahab and Ruth.  Moreover, when Miriam took issue with her brother Moses’s foreign wife, God struck her with leprosy.

“Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman. 2 So they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard it….So the anger of the Lord was aroused against them, and He departed. 10 And when the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, suddenly Miriam became leprous, as white as snow. Then Aaron turned toward Miriam, and there she was, a leper.” (Numbers 12:1-2, 9-10)

It seems God was not pleased with racism!  Contrary to evolution’s teaching that some are more “evolved” than others and, therefore, superior, the Bible teaches that God has “made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth.”  (Acts 17:26)

3. The Bible Does Not Teach that No One Should Ever Judge.

If you said, “I don’t believe that we should starve children, of course,” and someone quoted you as saying, “we should starve children, of course,” that would be pretty misleading, right?  I mean, it’s technically true — you said those words.  But the context changes the meaning completely.

That’s exactly the case with this particular myth.  Jesus did say, “Judge not, that you be not judged.” But He actually went on to explain how to judge rightly!  “First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”  (Matthew 7:1-5)  The initial instruction was not a command to never judge, but a warning that, essentially, we get back what we dish out, so we need to be careful about being haughty.  (My husband summarizes this well, I think, by teaching that if we approach someone else to correct them it ought to be for their benefit, not ours.)

4. The Bible Does Not Teach that “Money is the Root of All Evil.”

This myth is another example of an improperly-truncated quote.  The verse actually says that “the love of money is the root of all evil.” (1 Timothy 6:10)  Moreover, most translators believe the “all” here refers to “all kinds,” rather than literally every single evil.  A more modern turn of phrase might be “all manner of evil.”

God richly blessed many of the godly men in the Bible with earthly possessions, so He obviously is not inherently opposed to people having wealth!

5. The Bible Does Not Prohibit Dancing.

David danced before the Lord.  So did Miriam and the women of Israel.  In both instances the text is descriptive, not prescriptive, but on both occasions the general implication is positive.  There certainly is no hint of God’s displeasure with them.

In fact, several of the Psalms call for dancing.

“Let them praise His name with the dance; Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp.” (Psalm 149:3)

“Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!” (Psalm 150:4)

Arguments can reasonably made against dancing in certain ways or in certain situations, based on modesty, propriety, etc., but the Bible does not prohibit dancing, in and of itself.

6. The Bible Does Not Teach that God Helps Those Who Help Themselves.

This proverb does not actually appear in Scripture at all, in any form.  It is, in fact, a perversion of the proverb that “the gods help those who help themselves,” which was a concept embraced in ancient Greece and found in Aesop’s Fables.  (There is not one single version of Aesop’s Fables, so it’s a little hard to track down a precise quote.)

7. The Bible Does Not Teach that Bathsheba Tempted David by Bathing on the Roof.

I know, I know.  We all know that Bathsheba was a hussy who flaunted herself by preening on the rooftop, right?

Actually, no.  All the depictions of Bathsheba in classical art — and much traditional church teaching — aside, this is not what the biblical account describes.  The Bible, in fact, says that David was on the roof.

“Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold.” (2 Samuel 11:2)

(Historical context suggests that Bathsheba may have simply been carrying out the required monthly ritual washing, which would have taken place at a specified location that she did not choose.  For a fuller treatment of this, I highly recommend this article.)

And just for fun, while we’re on the topic of “Bible stories that have been misrepresented,” here’s a bonus myth:

Bonus #8 — David did not kill Goliath with a rock.

He felled him with a rock.  He killed him with a sword — his own sword.

“Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David. Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it.” (1 Samuel 17:49-51)

Have you been misled by any of these myths?  (I know I was floored when I learned the thing about Bathsheba!)  Are there any you would add?