Which Is It?

(Proverbs 30:18 KJV)  There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not:

Do you believe the Bible is inspired?  Do you believe it is inerrant?  Do you believe it is literal?  The three are not the same.  Inspired means it was created under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Inerrant means that there is nothing, no matter how small, that could be wrong or inconsistent.  Literal means there is no interpretation allowed.  Most people will clarify they mean the original manuscripts that are given by God. 

So what do you do with a verse like this.  Does God change His mind in the same verse?  Wasn’t Solomon listening?  Or, as is probably the case, was the three and four a literary device?  Too often we forget to read and understand the Bible as a document written by talented people who used poetry, law, narrative and parable to get points across.  They don’t take into consideration the different types of humor, onomatopoeia, allegory, metaphor and hyperbole. 

So?  Don’t get uptight over “inconsistencies” that have simple explanations.  Use your brain and engage your faith.  Oh, and keep reading.