Understanding How the Bible and the Brain Are Connected

Let’s talk about your brain.

Did you know that the Bible and the brain are more connected than most people realize? The Old Testament holds some key truths about the brain’s frontal lobe. Consider this passage from Deuteronomy:

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” (Deut. 6:4-9, ESV)

In a culture where family values are crumbling, this passage is critical for parents. Most of it isn’t hard to follow. The first few verses are fairly self-explanatory. As parents, we’re called to impress God’s commandments on our children. We should talk about them when we’re at home and out living life.

The final line is also fairly easy to understand. Physical reminders of God’s commandments help bring them back to mind. Many Christian households post Scripture in visible places for exactly this reason.

What the Bible and the Brain Reveal About Deuteronomy 6

Verse eight tends to trip people up. What does “bind them on your foreheads” actually mean?

In a more modern approach, some jump straight to tattoos; Scripture on your body, visible to everyone. I’m not personally opposed to Scripture tattoos, but this interpretation misses the mark.

Within the Jewish Orthodox context, verse eight is taken quite literally. They write Scripture on small pieces of parchment and place them in tiny boxes. Then they attach these boxes to their wrists and foreheads. A meaningful tradition, but it also misses the mark.

Both approaches show a level of commitment. But neither leads directly to changed behaviour before God.

What the Bible and the Brain Have in Common

A more satisfying answer comes from understanding how God designed the human brain. Modern science has revealed that directly behind your forehead sits the Frontal Lobe.

The Frontal Lobe is responsible for “motor control and cognitive activities, such as planning, making decisions, setting goals, speech, and purposeful behavior.” At the very front sits the Prefrontal Cortex, which handles “the integration of information about emotion, memory, and environmental stimuli” and “the regulation of behavior and control of responses to environmental stimuli.” (TheRefinersFire.org/Phylacteries.htm)

In short, the Prefrontal Cortex is where decisions get made; where thought becomes action. God, who designed our brains, was directing Moses to be precise about exactly where His commandments should be stored.

Wait; what about the “symbols on your hands”?

The Frontal Lobe also handles motor control. Think about brushing your teeth. No healthy adult has to consciously think through each step. Once the toothbrush hits your mouth, your hand and brain take over until the job is done.

God knows exactly how this works because He designed it. The actions we repeat with our hands eventually become second nature. And then they establish character. If those repeated actions are rooted in Scripture from the start, Deuteronomy 6 carries even more weight than it first appears.

We shouldn’t be surprised when neuroscience points back to what God already said. That’s exactly what you’d expect when the Designer leaves fingerprints on His own creation.

Join the Conversation; Answer This Question

• If the actions you repeat with your hands eventually shape your character, what’s one habit you could build (rooted in Scripture) that you want to become second nature?