Dipping the Quill Deeper – Writing About Sin in a Way that Honors God

by Eva Marie Everson @EvaMarieEverson

There is a story in the Bible—a shocking one—about a king standing on the roof of the palace. He sees a woman taking a bath—a purification bath, to be more specific—on the roof of another building. He has a desire for her. He asks about her, learns she is married, but he sends for her anyway. They “lay” together, and, in that life-altering night, they create a child. This leads to the murder of the woman’s husband, the marriage of our two key players, and the death of the baby they conceived. 

What do you notice about this story (I’ve pretty much given it to you the way the Bible lays it out)? What don’t you notice? 

I’ll go ahead and answer my own question. What you notice is two adults engaging in a sinful act that leads to another sinful act and then the consequences of that sin (the death of the child). What you do not see are throbbing loins and heaving bosoms. You don’t see sweaty flesh on sweaty flesh. You do not see lips and tongues and you don’t hear sighs and groans of passion.

And, yet, all of this was probably there.

But we don’t need all of this, do we? We’re adults. You don’t have to give us a Slinky and tell us it’s a toy. 

Here’s another story (and if you think the first story was shocking …) about a man who married his son to a woman, but the son was “wicked in the eyes of the Lord.” When the young couple copulated, the man “spilled his seed on the ground.” The Lord, clearly unhappy, took the life of the husband. So, according to the Leverite law, the next son was married to the widow. This son also did evil in the eyes of the Lord and “spilled his seed on the ground.” Exit husband #2. The father, clearly concerned about his younger son (who, according to the law, would have to marry the widow), told his daughter-in-law to go back to her father’s house until which time his baby boy was old enough to marry. 

He had, of course, no intention of calling her back when the son grew up. Years went by and the widow hears that her mother-in-law has died. She also figures that the father-in-law has duped her; he is clearly not sending for her. So she does what any logical-thinking girl would do: she dresses like a prostitute, entices her father-in-law (which, by the way, was lawful), and the result is twins, one of which will bring the line of Messiah. 

Somewhat scandalous, right? But guess what we do not see. That’s right, the bedroom details of this saga.

Final story, this one about a father and his two daughters. Before you are too disgusted, let me give you the backdrop. They had, at one time, lived in a city known for its sexual sin, mainly its homosexual sin. Three “men of God” showed up at the father’s door and he welcomed them in. Soon, when the men of the village heard about three strangers in town, they went over and demanded that he send the men out so they could “sleep with them.” (I guess they saw no need to try to hide their intentions.) 

The father was so horrified, he offered his two virgin daughters. But the men demanded the strangers. The strangers (who were angels) blinded the men, saved the father, and then, knowing that God was about to destroy the city for its sin, told the father to take his young daughters and their mother and “leave Dodge.” They did, but, as the city was being destroyed, the wife looked back and became a “pillar of salt.” The father then took his daughters into a cave to live. 

Time passed and the daughters, believing they were the only three people left on the planet, made some wine, gave it to their father, then slept with him in order to follow the commandment of God to “be fruitful and multiply.” 

The two nations that rose from this awful story became the enemies of God’s people, the Moabites and the Ammonites. 

As horrible and toe-curling as that story is, guess what you don’t see: you don’t see homosexual sex and you don’t see the incestuous acts between father and daughters. You know it’s there, yes, but there are no graphic words and phrases to keep you shuddering at night. 

As the president of Word Weavers International and as a writing coach, I am often asked about presenting sin in works of fiction (and, sometimes, nonfiction). “How can we show redemption unless we show the details of sin?” they ask me. 

Well, I believe I have demonstrated this. Pick up your Bible and read the stories of David & Bathsheba, Judah & Tamar, and Lot & his daughters to name a few. The writers of the Scriptures demonstrated how far mankind can go from God in their sin without titillating us or making us want to throw the book across the room.

We writers have been given a special gift: the ability to put words on paper and draw readers to truth in story. More importantly, as Christian writers, we draw them to the Truth. How can we do this if we allow ourselves to take an easy way out in our writing. Writing “smut” is easy but writing about the consequences of sin through story takes hard work. Finding the right words. Laying out the proper scenes. 

I’ll say it again: we have been given a precious gift. Why would we want to cheapen it? 

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Eva Marie Everson is the president of Word Weavers International and the director of its two conferences. She is the multiple award-winning author of nearly 40 works and has received awards as a speaker and Bible teacher. Eva Marie is often seen at writers conferences across the States. She served as a mentor for Jerry B. Jenkins’ Christian Writers Guild for several years, and taught as a guest professor at Taylor University in 2011. She and her husband make their home in Central Florida where they enjoy their grandchildren. They are owned by one small dog and a princess cat.