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R.C. Sproul’s Proverbial Peccadillo

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Thanks to Jake Swink for pointing out a helpful post by R.C. Sproul on the Proverbs.

Sproul uses Prov 26:4-5 to show how the application of a proverb often depends on the situation.  Part of wisdom is figuring out which instructions apply to different life situations!  Read Sproul’s excellent thoughts, and learn wisdom from a sage.

However, I disagree with the framing of Sproul’s chief conclusion that proverbs “reflect insights that are generally [not universally] true.”  In his book Knowing Scripture, Sproul elaborates the point: “A common mistake in biblical interpretation and application is to give a proverbial saying the weight or force of a moral absolute” (p. 89).

This approach to Proverbs is common among evangelicals.  Even the ESV Study Bible, which I really appreciate, goes in that direction.  Consider the note on Proverbs 3:9-10:

“Your barns will be filled with plenty is a generalization concerning the effect of honoring the Lord with all that one has and is.  It is not, however, more than a generalization (as Job’s comforters held), for to view this as a mechanical formula dishonors God and his inscrutable sovereign purposes.”

Sproul believes proverbs are not commands, and the ESV Study Bible claims they are not promises.

My problem here is that this approach to Proverbs fosters mistrust of the text by claiming that it doesn’t really say what it says.  So, “Honor the Lord with your wealth…then your barns will be filled with plenty” (Prov 3:9-10) applies only when you’re not in a recession.  Since proverbs are not promises, they must be only probabilities.

But I ask: Is Prov 2:1-5 not really a command with a promise?  If I seek wisdom, is it possible, but not guaranteed, that I can know God?  Can someone seek and seek and never find him?

Is Prov 3:11-12 only generally true?  If I suffer God’s discipline, is it only generally true that he loves me as a father loves his son?  Might he actually be disappointed with me, even if I’m trusting in Christ?

Is Prov 4:5 not a moral absolute?  Is it not really the case that God commands people to get wisdom and hold on to his commandments?  Perhaps not, since it might be only a generalization to think that God will give life to those who find wisdom (Prov 8:35).

No, there’s got to be a better way to read Proverbs.

As commentator Bruce Waltke states,

“The popular evangelical solution that these are not promises but probabilities, though containing an element of truth, raises theological, practical, and psychological problems by stating the matter badly…A psychologically well person could scarcely trust God with all his heart (Prov 3:5) knowing that he usually, but not always, keeps his obligations” (The Book of Proverbs, Chapters 1-15 (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2004), pp. 107-8).

So how would I frame the conclusion differently?  I would say that, yes, biblical proverbs (at least those with imperatives) are commandments.  Yes, proverbs (at least those that promise something) contain divine promises.  But they are commandments/promises with a context.  Each one applies (always) in its situation, but we ought not misapply it beyond the proper situation (as Sproul ably demonstrates in Prov 26:4-5).

See, I don’t really disagree with Sproul all that much.  I agree with what he gets at in Prov 26; I just disagree with how he got there.   To say that proverbs “reflect insights that are [only] generally true” is to over-generalize what proverbs intend.  Such over-generalization can be misleading.

How to Interpret: Determine the Main Point

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This week I’ll explain the third of 3 steps for interpreting the Bible.

Step three was Determine the Author’s Main Point:

As you answer all your questions, pull them together into a big picture.  Your job is to understand the main thing the author is communicating through the passage (2 Pet 3:15-18).

Most theological disagreements among Christians take place when people focus on things other than the main points of passages.  I’m not saying that theology is bad (in fact, it’s very important).  I’m simply saying that it’s important to focus on the main points of the Bible and not on secondary, questionable, or implied points (Matt 23:23-24).

Here are a few ideas to help you get to the author’s main point:

  • Take note of the author’s flow of thought.  How did he get from the first verse to the last verse?  One way to do this is to break the chapter into paragraphs.  Then determine the main point for each paragraph.  String them together to see what might be the main point of the whole chapter.  If you’re still not sure, you could break it down further into sentences before putting it back together.
  • Outline the essential grammar.  This requires careful observation of the passage.  You can distill narratives to their basic plot structure.  You can outline instructional texts by writing out just the subjects and verbs of each sentence.  Often, noticing the shape of this skeleton helps with identifying the main point.
  • Consider what the passage says about Jesus.  We know he’s the main point of the Bible (John 5:39), so we should expect each section to say something about him.  I believe Luke 24:46-47 provides a helpful template.  Every passage of Scripture reveals Jesus by explaining at least one of the following truths:
    1. The Messiah would suffer (die).
    2. The Messiah would rise from the dead.
    3. We must repent of our sin and be forgiven.
    4. This message (that the Messiah’s death and resurrection make forgiveness possible) must be preached to all nations.
  • Always ask “Why?”  We’re after more than a summary of what the author wrote.  We want to do our best to figure out why he wrote it.

Your analysis of the main point of Luke 2:1-21 might look something like this:

  • verses 1-7: in contrast to the might of Rome, Jesus, the heir of King David, is born into great obscurity.
  • verses 8-14: heavenly soldiers herald his birth to the lowly, not the powerful.  Jesus is not presented as a conquering king, but as a savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.
  • verses 15-21: the lowly serve the true King by racing, viewing, and testifying.

So far, so good.  We could summarize the passage by calling it “The Birth of Jesus Christ.”  But we must move beyond summarizing to ask why it is here.  What does Luke want to teach us?

I’d suggest something like: God sent Jesus to be born so he might save the lowly and rule them graciously.  This brings him highest glory.

How to Interpret: Answer Questions

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This week I’ll unpack the second of 3 steps for interpreting the Bible.

Step two was Answer the Questions from the Text:

Once you’ve asked your questions, answer them.  There’s one critical rule, though: answer questions only if they are answered (or clearly implied) in the text (Prov 30:5-6).

Don’t go on rabbit trails.  Don’t use minor details to make the text say what you want it to say.  Don’t build a whole theology from one verse.  Instead, answer only those questions that are either assumed or addressed in the text.  Let the rest go.

Two kinds of answers are “in the text”:

  1. Some answers are assumed in the text.  The original audience would have known these answers, but they’re lost on us because of the thousands of years that separate our lifetime from theirs.  We need websites or Bible dictionaries to help us understand what scholars have learned about ancient cultures. We can also reference related Scripture passages to illuminate the one at hand.
  2. Some answers are addressed in the text.  The author made these explicit for his audience.

From Luke 2:1-21, here are some examples of answers assumed in the text:

  • What was it like to experience upheaval for a census?
    • Some in Luke’s original audience may have remembered this very census that occurred during Quirinius’s governorship.  We should look it up. (On the link, scroll down to point (2) “Census of Quirinius.”)
  • What does it mean that Jesus is called “Christ”?
    • We need help from passages like Psalm 2:2 to provide the necessary background.
  • How long was Joseph and Mary’s trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem?  How did people view shepherds at this time?
    • Most of the original audience would understand what it was like to travel from Galilee to Judea, or to interact with shepherds.  We need tools like websites or Bible dictionaries to help us understand such things.

Here’s an example of answers addressed in the text:

  • Why does Luke contrast Jesus’ glory with that of the Roman rulers?
    • Because God deserves the highest glory (Luke 2:14).  He is saving the world through Christ the Lord (Luke 2:11).
  • So what does Luke want us to do about Jesus?
    • In contrast to the Might of Rome (Luke 2:1-2), Mary treasured up these things (Luke 2:19), and the shepherds gave God highest praise & glory (Luke 2:20).  Luke implies that we should have similar responses to Jesus.

Finally, here are some possible questions not assumed or addressed in the text.  We ought to let them go (at least for now):

  • Did Mary walk or ride on a donkey?
  • Was Jesus born in a stable or a cave?
  • Do angels have wings?
  • Who are those “with whom he is pleased” (Luke 2:14), and what does this tell us about predestination?

What other answers to your questions can you find in the passage?

How to Interpret: Ask Questions

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Last week I introduced 3 steps for interpreting the Bible.

Step one was Ask Questions of Your Observations:

Take your observations and ask questions of them.  Lots of questions.  Tackle those observations from every direction.

Be as inquisitive as possible.  Get better at asking questions, and you’ll get better at interpreting the Bible.

Note that your questions should be about your observations of the text.  Don’t ask just any old questions.  Don’t feel the need to be particularly clever.  Your job is not to innovate, but to uncover.  (Note how the disciples didn’t observe well, and so asked the wrong questions in John 21:22-23.)

The main questions to ask are What? Why? and So What?

  • What? questions define the terms.  (“What did he mean?”)
  • Why? questions uncover the author’s purpose.  (“Why did he say that?”)
  • So What? questions draw out the implications.  (“So what does he want me to do about it?”)

For example, let’s say you’re studying Luke 2:1-21.  You just observed that there’s a repeated idea of power and authority.  You saw lots of words like, “Lord,” “governor,” “decree,” “Caesar,” and “glory.”  Now it’s time to ask questions:

  • What kind of authority is Luke concerned with?  What was a “governor” in Ancient Rome?  What was the extent of Caesar’s power?  What will Jesus do that’s different?  What are angels?
    • How questions often fit into this category as well: How long was the trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem?  How did people view shepherds at this time?
  • Why is Luke so concerned with power?  Why did Caesar make this decree?  Why does the author contrast baby Jesus’ glory with the Roman leaders’ authority?  Why were the shepherds filled with fear at the sight of an angel?
  • So what does this mean about where true authority lies?  So what should we believe about Jesus?  So what should we expect when Jesus comes into conflict with the world?

What other questions can you think of from your observation of Luke 2:1-21?  See if you can identify whether your question is a What? Why? or So What? question.

Eugene Peterson & Desiring God

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Here’s a short video with Eugene Peterson, where he discusses the difference between “studying” the Bible to master it and “reading” it so it can master you.

Although we wouldn’t use the same terminology (as though “studying” the Bible is unhelpful), we agree with the sentiment.  Check it out!

Also, Desiring God has a good post about how good Bible study is about meaning (interpretation) and application.

Check it out!

Fearless: DiscipleMakers Conference Talks

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Video of the main sessions from the DiscipleMakers Fall Conference is now available!  The topic was Fearless: Living Confidently in the Gospel.

Dave Kieffer spoke on “Fearless: Jesus is Risen” from Luke 24:36-53

Mark Fodale spoke on “Fearless: God is with You” from Philippians 2:5-13

Dave Royes spoke on “Fearless: Heaven is Real” from 2 Corinthians 4:16-5:10

May the Lord refresh you from his Knowable Word.  Check it out!

3 Steps for Interpreting the Bible

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Misunderstandings stink. I once got cussed out on the phone because of one.

The guy who did the cussing thought I’d scheduled an event on a certain date in order to purposely exclude him from attending.  Well, he had misunderstood, and I wish he’d asked more questions before jumping to conclusions.

If he’d asked, I could have given more information (for example, I had no idea this fellow was unavailable on the proposed date, and I primarily chose the date to avoid conflicts with other events).

It is possible to misunderstand the Bible, but with careful interpretation it’s also possible to rightly understand it.  God’s Word is a Knowable Word.

Interpretation is the second of three steps in the Bible study process.  We’ve seen why we should interpret the Bible.  We’ve seen two things that will hinder interpretation.  But how do we interpret?

These three steps will help you to interpret any passage of the Bible.

1.  Ask Questions of Your Observations

If you’ve observed well, you’re ready to interpret.

Take your observations and ask questions of them.  Lots of questions.  Tackle those observations from every direction.

Be as inquisitive as possible.  Get better at asking questions, and you’ll get better at interpreting the Bible.

Note that your questions should be about your observations of the text.  Don’t ask just any old questions.  Don’t feel the need to be particularly clever.  Your job is not to innovate, but to uncover.  (Note how the disciples didn’t observe well, and so asked the wrong questions in John 21:22-23.)

2.  Answer the Questions from the Text

Once you’ve asked your questions, answer them.  There’s one critical rule, though: answer questions only if they are answered (explicitly or implicitly) in the text (Prov 30:5-6).

Don’t go on rabbit trails.  Don’t use minor details to make the text say what you want it to say.  Don’t build a whole theology from one verse.  Instead, answer only those questions that are either assumed or addressed in the text.  Let the rest go.

3.  Determine the Author’s Main Point

As you answer all your questions, pull them together into a big picture.  Your job is to understand the main thing the author is communicating through the passage (2 Pet 3:15-18).

Most theological disagreements among Christians take place when people focus on things other than the main points of passages.  I’m not saying that theology is bad (in fact, it’s very important).  I’m simply saying that it’s important to focus on the main points of the Bible and not on secondary, questionable, or implied points (Matt 23:23-24).

Missing the main point means misunderstanding the text.  And misunderstandings stink.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll unpack each of these steps in greater detail.

Which of these steps seems most obvious to you?  Which one is most difficult?

Bible Study Help

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Sharon Hoover is writing a series of blog posts on how to study the Bible, giving very specific steps to help people practice by studying the Gospel of Mark.  Here’s a post on Inductive Bible Study, which is very similar to what we’re doing here at Knowable Word.

Logos Bible software can help you count repeated words, which can help you find themes in a chapter or book of the Bible.

Getting the most out of your Bible reading: tips from the American Bible Society.

Check it out!

Another Enemy of Interpretation is Relativism

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Yesterday I wrote, “Careless observation leads directly to incorrect interpretation.”  Some might wonder if there is such a thing as “incorrect interpretation.”

YES, there is.

In Luke 7:18-19, John the Baptist wanted to make sure he had the right interpretation.

In Mark 12:24-27, Jesus accused the Sadducees of having the wrong interpretation.

The Apostle Peter tells us that ignorance or instability can lead someone to distort (misinterpret) the Bible.  This practice has dire consequences (2 Pet 3:15-16).

I’ve heard people speak of the Bible: “it means whatever you want it to mean.”

Although I appreciate the desire for relevance, may I propose that extreme relativism is, in fact, self-defeating?  If a communication could mean anything the receiver wanted it to mean, then there could be no such thing as meaningful communication.  The speaker or writer intends a certain meaning.  We can agree or disagree with it, but we can’t overlook the fact that it’s there.

In other words, when someone says that it means whatever you want it to mean, a helpful and respectful response might be, “do you really mean that?”

By all means, let us work hard to figure out what it means.