I just finished Walton’s book on Genesis, and will be reviewing it shortly. The last section of the book is a Frequently Asked Question section. One of the questions involves the difficulty of understanding some aspects of the Bible, which Walton answers wonderfully. In his answer, he also gives a slight apologetic for scholarship:

“Q: Why would God make it so difficult for me to understand his Word?
A: Given God’s decision to communicate, he had to choose one language and culture to communicate to, which means that every other language and culture has their work cut out for them. As readers from a different language and culture, we have to try to penetrate the original language and culture if we are to receive the maximum benefits of God’s revelation. We also need to seek greater understanding when we are confronted with information from outside the Bible (whether ancient or modern) and want to figure out how it integrates into what we believe the Bible is saying. It is relieving to recognize that the basics of God’s revelation of himself (including his Creator role) are easily skimmed off the surface, but it is not surprising that God’s Word contains infinite depth and that it should require constant attention to study with all the tools we have available. God is not superficial, and we should expect that knowledge of him and his Word would be mined rather than simply absorbed. This means that all of us will be dependent on others with particular skills to help us succeed in the enterprise of interpretation. This is not elitism; it is the interdependence of the people of God as they work together in community to serve one another with the gifts they have.”