Introduction : The supreme importance of Accurate Bible Interpretation:
As the issues of life and death are expressed in its divine writ, it becomes a matter of supreme importance to be able to interpret the Bible correctly. This we should attempt to do to the best of our gifts and abilities, not only to digest the spiritual treasures found within its pages for ourselves, but also so that we can also enrich others with it. Once a believer accepts the bible as the sole authority on matters of faith and practice, he or she should then set for himself or herself the high and lofty goal of being able to understand and interpret the Bible correctly.
Being good at such a task will mean a life long process of learning, growing and even struggling with the principles found within its pages. And even then, perfection might seem a faraway destination in the horizon. One might have to wrestle a long while with one scripture portion, the way Jacob wrestled with the angel, before one obtains its blessings. But we should take courage in the fact that the third person of the godhead, who co-authored the scriptures along with the inspired writers dwells in us. He is promised to “lead us into all truth”. This does not mean we should not show diligence on our part to “to study so we can be approved” or to “give ourselves wholly to the such things”(1 Tim 4:15). It rather means that we are not left for ourselves only, in order to try to explain everything; but God’s Sprit will aid us to interpret scripture by scripture.
I. A crucial categorical imperative: God’s word lived out in obedience
The vastness of the terrain of God’s word makes understanding and interpreting it, a life long work. As most of its precepts both spiritual and practical are to be learned experientially than just intellectually, it yet requires more than mere reading or study or even a proper exegesis of The Word, in order for one to progress in understanding and interpreting it. So, an interpreter should also be a good Christian in whose life God is working. He must not only have believed but have also tasted that The Lord is indeed good.
Because God has made his word plain to man in languages he understands, one can come to it and partake freely. However, the blessing and return from studying God’s Word is tied to obedience to its precepts. We can only walk into or experience the revelation we have received and understood. Obedient steps and principles learned well, will open to us more of the gates of scripture’s revelation while disobedience can keep us stuck somewhere. The erudite communicator who cannot forgive will find himself stuck in a prison of torment, even just as the Lord warned would happen to all who would not forgive (Matthew 18:34,35). Therefore, there is a devotional aspect to correctly understanding and interpreting scripture. The heartfelt insights from a simple yet devout minister of the gospel who is unlearned will a lot of times be preferred over a dry homily from a learned professor who is well versed in theology and the original languages of the scriptures.
Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the Lord: Psalm 118:19 (KJV)
II. It’s Purpose: software for life with no bugs
An Illustration:
In modern terms, then, The Word is God’s software on which the life of the Christian is to be run. Working properly, it should produce the fruits that the creator has purposed for it. Because it’s the word of God, this software comes without any glitches or errors. It’s the finest and best most excellent word of the most high. It was as if each Part was breathed upon its two-dozen or so authors so as to be transmitted throughout the many generations, the mind and purposes of The Lord, in words that can be understood by men.
As the issues of life and death are expressed in its divine writ, it becomes a matter of supreme importance to be able to interpret the Bible correctly. This we should attempt to do to the best of our gifts and abilities, not only to digest the spiritual treasures found within its pages for ourselves, but also so that we can also enrich others with it. Once a believer accepts the bible as the sole authority on matters of faith and practice, he or she should then set for himself or herself the high and lofty goal of being able to understand and interpret the Bible correctly.
Being good at such a task will mean a life long process of learning, growing and even struggling with the principles found within its pages. And even then, perfection might seem a faraway destination in the horizon. One might have to wrestle a long while with one scripture portion, the way Jacob wrestled with the angel, before one obtains its blessings. But we should take courage in the fact that the third person of the godhead, who co-authored the scriptures along with the inspired writers dwells in us. He is promised to “lead us into all truth”. This does not mean we should not show diligence on our part to “to study so we can be approved” or to “give ourselves wholly to the such things”(1 Tim 4:15). It rather means that we are not left for ourselves only, in order to try to explain everything; but God’s Sprit will aid us to interpret scripture by scripture.
I. A crucial categorical imperative: God’s word lived out in obedience
The vastness of the terrain of God’s word makes understanding and interpreting it, a life long work. As most of its precepts both spiritual and practical are to be learned experientially than just intellectually, it yet requires more than mere reading or study or even a proper exegesis of The Word, in order for one to progress in understanding and interpreting it. So, an interpreter should also be a good Christian in whose life God is working. He must not only have believed but have also tasted that The Lord is indeed good.
Because God has made his word plain to man in languages he understands, one can come to it and partake freely. However, the blessing and return from studying God’s Word is tied to obedience to its precepts. We can only walk into or experience the revelation we have received and understood. Obedient steps and principles learned well, will open to us more of the gates of scripture’s revelation while disobedience can keep us stuck somewhere. The erudite communicator who cannot forgive will find himself stuck in a prison of torment, even just as the Lord warned would happen to all who would not forgive (Matthew 18:34,35). Therefore, there is a devotional aspect to correctly understanding and interpreting scripture. The heartfelt insights from a simple yet devout minister of the gospel who is unlearned will a lot of times be preferred over a dry homily from a learned professor who is well versed in theology and the original languages of the scriptures.
Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the Lord: Psalm 118:19 (KJV)
II. It’s Purpose: software for life with no bugs
An Illustration:
In modern terms, then, The Word is God’s software on which the life of the Christian is to be run. Working properly, it should produce the fruits that the creator has purposed for it. Because it’s the word of God, this software comes without any glitches or errors. It’s the finest and best most excellent word of the most high. It was as if each Part was breathed upon its two-dozen or so authors so as to be transmitted throughout the many generations, the mind and purposes of The Lord, in words that can be understood by men.
A Quite Intervention
18Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. 19He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. 20A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. 21And in his name shall the Gentiles trust. Matthew 12:18-21 (KJV)
God intervenes without heavy intrusion, inserts himself and acts in history to redeem fallen mankind. The words of scripture have not come from a speaker suspended in the sky but were inter mingled within the life of its authors on whom God’s spirit must have moved. Because they were revealed within the life of real men, we can relate to them appreciate and appropriate them. They are removed from other man made legends of the supernatural, which Peter calls “carefully created fables”. They are very much real and about a real God and real events. Because they are from a supernatural God we have a brush with His ‘otherly’ nature not only within the pages of scripture but also within our own hearts. When we believe, He has allows us to partake of His divine nature and we are no more alienated but have become one family with God.
III. Seeking a perfect understanding of God’s truth.
How we progress in the knowledge of the scriptures.
“Let each walk according to the level they have attained”
God’s truth is taught and understood in a progressive manner, from a gentle formula type food for babes to the mature food for the fully-grown adult, with a lot of things in-between. Therefore, such matters like, for example, election or predestination should not be given to a babe who was born recently. Paul tells us to walk according to the levels of wisdom and understanding we have attained (Heb 5:14, Phil. 3:16).
A Christian is spiritually born through the incorruptible word of the gospel. Weaned on the milk of the word, and progresses from kindergarten to the higher grades in the school of the Holy Spirit up until he graduates unto death and eternal life, where there will probably continue to be even more learning. This learning in this divine academy can be illustrated by the well-known story of the ladder that Jacob saw that stretches forth into the heavens. Climbing each rung of Gods precious truth, gives one a clearer sight into vastness and beauty of the revelations of God’s word. As we go higher we scale its infinite horizons and see the bigger picture.
As God’s word is progressively revealed through the dispensations so we progressively grow in our own life in understanding, interpreting and applying it. That is why it cannot be capsulated in a single theology, no matter how good the theologian and his attempts might be to do so. It’s a vast infinite sea that should be explored with wonder. We shouldn’t take the wonder out of it with a strict dogmatic. We should let some things therefore remain a wonder that shall only be revealed in the eternal future.
Lets wonder a little more, and lets take the above illustration of Jacob’s ladder and further discuss issues of accurate biblical interpretation. Let’s include a word of caution to the reader because from here on we will be launching out into the deep, always having our sight on God’s truth.
IV. Mystical Interpretations
The thin line between the mystical and the heretical.
What does Jacob’s ladder have to do with Jesus
51And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. John 1:51 (KJV)
Why did Jesus refer to himself in the manner written in John 1:51 to Nathaniel? He must have known that the guileless man he was talking to knew the story of Jacob, since he was a child, as he would have learned it in synagogue or at home. Maybe, Nathaniel loved that story and that was what he was thinking about while sitting under the tree. Could he have been saying, “ How wonderful it would have been to see the dream Jacob had seen?” Was Jesus reply, that Nathaniel will see the angles ascend and descend upon the Son of man, designed to satisfy the very desire and thirst of this devout man? Was He saying in effect that He himself is that ladder that reaches into heaven, which Jacob saw, which Nathaniel could have been wondering about? Was the ladder a type of Jesus?
12And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. Genesis 28:12 (KJV)
The connection is inescapable even if these portions come two us from two different dispensations written in two different languages. Can the ladder in Jacob’s dream be understood as a type of Christ? Or can Jacob’s ladder be understood to mean that it is referring to Christ? Why did Jesus use the same wording as Jacob’s dream to describe his own ministry to Nathaniel? Such thoughts and associations present themselves frequently to the Bible lover. Should one seek pursue this line of investigation or should one refrain so as not to get into error? This is always the question of the Bible lover and interpreter. Before we abandon it as dead end or just a coincidental curiosity, let’s see if we can wonder about it some more.
The search: Finding the Honey in the Rock
Can we relate those two portions of scripture and bring out some new meaning or insight for our understanding? The value of this interpretation or connection could be immense in that it ties The Messiah to a well-loved Jewish traditional story about Jacob and his dream. Perhaps it will not lead anywhere, but it’s at least worth exploring further. Christianity surely was born in the cradle of Yahwism and these two references make a strong tie between the Jewish messiah and the nation that is now alienated from his faith. Would it be wrong to equate Jesus with Jacob’s ladder? How would a student of interpretation deal with such notions when it goes against certain categorical imperatives?
The above-suggested interpretations do not seem contradictory to the whole of scripture. Jesus had said, “I am the door”. And what was Jacob’s sigh upon waking up from his dream? “This is none other than the house of God and the gate of heaven.”(Genesis 28:17) To say Christ is the ladder of whom Jacob dreamt would be taking things a step further than the explicit wording of scripture. We have to be careful not to speak beyond what is there. On the other hand, we should not be afraid to find and enjoy the ‘honey in the rock’ if it’s actually found in the scriptures and can be well supported. It is safe to say that in a book about explaining all of the mysteries of life, many clues do abound and not all of these might be in plain sight. This is also what makes reading the Bible a joy; many truths abound within its pages that he who loves to read and meditate therein can uncover. We should get away from our dogmas for a while and read the Bible like a thrilling mystery book.
The above two scriptures fit too nicely together for us to ignore completely. There must be something wonderful that can be gleaned by putting them side-by-side and studying them. Seeking such understanding as are suggested by scriptures that lend themselves to a ‘mystical interpretation’ will be a problem for some proponents of a strictly literal approach. To a large part, scripture is to be plainly understood; but in part it has hidden meanings such as in the parables, which are also explained within scripture. There is hidden manna that only obedient and those who thirst God’s wisdom can enjoy as it will not mean anything to the carnal, the slothful, the compromising or the backslider. For example, the promise bellow has a future fulfillment. May it also be applicable in our own time?
17He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. Rev. 2:17 (KJV)
V. The Divine Mystery and Solving The Puzzle
In seeking to understand scriptures sometimes we may make a leap in the imaginative, or hypothetical with profound results. This can be called speculative theology. As we meditate in the scriptures we should not be afraid to launch out in our dingy and explore the possibilities as long as we are in sight of the main ship the Bible itself and the anchor, which is Christ.
“Open my eyes to see the wonder in your word”
The two friends, God and Abraham
Can we for example, conclude that Abraham’s sacrifice of his son, typifies that of The Father’s? Did The Father agonize about sacrificing his only begotten son Jesus for us, just as Abraham must have agonized about having to kill his only son? It makes one wonder. But where in the Bible do we find where it explicitly mentions that the Lord agonized about sacrificing his only begotten son Jesus. Given the nature of God and his affection for His dear son we can well conclude it was so. We do know that “God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son.” Therefore, at some point, our fate was on the balance and God chose to sacrifice His Son so we could all be redeemed, knowing He would raise him up again.
When he raised the knife intending to strike his only son, Abraham had also believed this God could and would raise his son, so Paul tells us (Roman’s 4:16-22). This could also explain why the lord had asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son when he had destroyed other nations who sacrificed their children. Why else would he put such a test before Abraham? Could it have been intended to be for a picture into his agony for our lost-ness and the magnitude of a price so dear that had to be paid for our redemption?
“His banner toward me is love”
Conclusion: Gleanings of a Mystic
We should never stop wondering even if sometimes it goes nowhere. The comparisons between these two stories from the old and the new testaments are simply too valuable not to explore and mine. For one thing, it does away with the cold calculating cosmic fiend that some theologies hawk. The God of the Bible has a heart that beats with love for mankind. His retribution is ‘his backside’ and secondary to his nature not his main desire or motivation towards us. He always comes to us with love first. He is indeed holy and his holiness is His otherliness. However, He goes as far as to empty himself of his divine attributes, in order to be found in the form of a man and die a horrible death so as to save us. How does he choose? Carefully. Just like He had chosen Abraham to be his friend, He chooses his friends carefully and then tries and purifies them. May He be blessed forever!
