Knowable Word

Helping ordinary people learn to study the Bible

Copyright © 2012–2025 DiscipleMakers, except guest articles (copyright author). Used by permission.

You are here: Home / Archives for Peter Krol

Three Approaches to Ecclesiastes

By

In my observation, Ecclesiastes is second only to Revelation in the number of competing interpretive approaches available to readers of the book. It offers a great case study in how perception can drastically affect both interpretation and application. This fact ought to motivate us to be as meticulous as possible in observing the text within its context.

I’ve found interpreters of Ecclesiastes to fall into three general categories, though there are subtle distinctions of flavor even within each category.

Tom Hansen (2012), Creative Commons

Approach #1: The Cynic

This first approach seems to be most common in the academy, where scholars conclude that the text of Ecclesiastes, by and large, is neither orthodox nor commendable.

A conservative proponent of this approach is Tremper Longman, who sees Ecclesiastes as having two voices. The most air time is given to the Cynic, as most of the book is an extended quote of his cynicism (Eccl 1:12-12:9). The outer frame (Eccl 1:1-11, 12:9-14), however, refers to “the Preacher” in third person; therefore it was composed by someone else, who is evaluating the Preacher’s message. This outer frame is the only place in the book where we find an orthodox, praiseworthy message.

Other flavors of this approach suggest that the frame narrator is just as cynical as the Preacher is, and therefore the message of the “frame” is just as suspect as the rest of the book.

In short, this approach typically sees the book as entirely (or almost entirely) negative and not to be commended as godly. It is in the Bible primarily to help us understand the worldview of a thoughtful unbeliever. And the best way to apply the book is to reject the counsel found within the book.

Approach #2: The Hedonist

The second approach, which in my observation is most common among pastors, says the book of Ecclesiastes is to be commended and held up as a model for the wise life. Some proponents of this approach are Zack Eswine and Douglas Wilson.

Now the first approach often sees in Ecclesiastes a hedonism, albeit an ungodly hedonism: “Life is meaningless, so let’s just live it up while we can.” The hedonism of the second approach is a commendable, godly hedonism: “Life is meaningless in itself, but God miraculously blesses us with the ability to enjoy it anyway.”

In other words, Ecclesiastes presents both a dark side and a light side to life. The dark side is the vanity of life “under the sun” (which is all human existence); the light side is the supernatural gift of joy from God, despite the ubiquitous vanity. God has created a world with no meaning inherent within it; yet he also blesses his people with an irrational joy in the midst of that vanity.

In short, this approach typically sees the book as entirely (or almost entirely) positive and to be commended for imitation. It is in the Bible to help God’s people learn how to derive joy from the Lord even when the vanity of life may war against such joy. And the best way to apply the book is to recognize both the vanity of life on earth and the gift of joy from God.

Approach #3: The Apologist

The third approach, which in my observation is most common among evangelists and engagers of culture, says the book of Ecclesiastes is to be commended as a model of how to expose a false worldview and replace it with the truth. Some proponents of this approach are Sinclair Ferguson and Leland Ryken.

Some, such as Ryken, see in Ecclesiastes two competing voices, which alternate, almost in dialogue. There is the voice of the unbeliever, for whom life under the sun is meaningless and hopeless. And there is the voice of the believer, who expresses the joy of seeing the God who superintends everything from beyond the sun.

In this approach, the phrase “under the sun” tends to refer not to human existence universally (as in the Hedonist approach), but to the human existence of the unbeliever. Believers, therefore, can be freed from an “under the sun” perspective and have it replaced with an “eternal” perspective.

In short, this approach typically sees the book as roughly half true and half false. It is in the Bible to help God’s people relate to those whose only perception is “under the sun,” and to win such folks to a more truthful and satisfying outlook on life. The best way to apply the book is to help people grapple with the despair of materialism and naturalism, and to win them to a God’s-eye view of the heavens and the earth.

Conclusion

You can see that these three approaches produce markedly different results when it comes time to interpret a particular text within the book of Ecclesiastes. And with such divergent interpretation, application is bound to be light years apart.

For example, consider Eccl 10:19: “Bread is made for laughter, and wine gladdens life, and money answers everything.”

  1. The Cynic might tell you that the only way to cope with reality is through food, pleasure, and financial gain. But God wants you to reject this outlook.
  2. The Hedonist might tell you that bread, wine, and money may come and go, but, whether they come or go, only God’s children can receive the gift of enjoying such created commodities. So use them while you can, to the glory and enjoyment of God, and remain aware of how the world works.
  3. The Apologist might tell you that the laughter, gladness, and success of food, alcohol, or money is fleeting. So let go of those things to find life in the unceasing satisfaction of trusting and obeying the only wise God.

Just picture the dramatic small group meeting, where all three approaches are represented in the discussion!

Charge

Now I charge you, as those approved by God to handle his word rightly: Don’t choose your approach according to which one feels best to you. And don’t simply stick with the approach you’ve traditionally heard in your circles.

Please allow this analysis to jolt you from your inertia, to expose the fault lines in your presumption, and to blast your familiarity—and thus free you to dive back into the text to observe it meticulously. Which approach (whether one of these three, or something else) does it seem the original author most likely intended when he wrote the book?

Disclaimer: While the Cynic may believe disclaimers to be a waste of time, the Hedonist is asking God for joy through the vanity, and the Apologist wishes to persuade me to drop the meager pleasure of affiliate relationships: I remain under obligation to tell you that Amazon links in this post will provide a fleeting satisfaction to this blog under the sun, if you have the courage to click them and make a purchase.

And thanks to my delightful colleague Andy Cimbala for the idea for this meaningless post.

Thanks for visiting Knowable Word! If you like this article, you might be interested in receiving regular updates from us. You can sign up for our email list (enter your address in the box on the upper right of this page), follow us on Facebook or Twitter, or subscribe to our RSS feed. 

Help With Hosea

By

Unlocking the Bible has a great introduction to the prophecy of Hosea. If you’ve ever been confused by this book, here is a great place to start.

The article walks through Hosea as a living parable and unpacks what we can learn from the book. In particular, the authors land in three areas:

  1. What does unfaithfulness look like
  2. How does God love us despite our unfaithfulness?
  3. What does God desire from us in return?

May this brief intro to Hosea equip you to read this book well, and to desire your Lord more than ever.

Check it out!

Context Matters: He Who Began a Good Work in You

By

Perhaps you’ve heard that the one who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (Phil 1:6). Perhaps this promise has encouraged you to press on in the Christian life, maturing and becoming more like Jesus day by day. And while this could certainly be part of Paul’s intended meaning in this verse, perhaps there is something more in the context we tend to miss.

Context matters. When we learn to read the Bible properly—and not merely as a collection of quotable quotes or personal promises—we’ll find that some of our most familiar sayings have more to say than we typically assume.

Personal Sanctification

The popular usage of this verse—to refer to an individual’s sanctification between now and the day of judgment—can certainly be supported from the context.

Paul follows up the promise in verse 6 with a defense of how he feels toward the Philippians (Phil 1:7). He then prays for their love to abound, with knowledge and all discernment (Phil 1:9). He wants them to approve what is excellent (Phil 1:10a). And he wants them to be pure and blameless for the day of Christ (Phil 1:10b), filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ (Phil 1:11).

So with the repetition of “day of (Jesus) Christ,” the explanation of his affection, and the clarification of each person’s purity and righteousness—the popular use of this verse to refer to individual sanctification fits. So much, so good.

Communal Partnership

But look at what else we find in the surrounding context.

“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you…because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.”

Phil 1:3-5

The sentence immediately preceding the promise of verse 6 is Paul’s expression of prayerful thanks for the Philippians’ financial partnership in his gospel ministry. Paul will return to this thanksgiving in chapter 4. In fact, he likely asks them to stop giving, since he knows they can’t really afford it (“Not that I seek the gift itself…” Phil 4:17).

In short, we see that the letter of Philippians is, at its heart, a thank-you letter from a missionary to members of his support team. And in that light, it is altogether possible that when Paul wrote of the “good work,” begun “in you,” and “brought to completion at the day of Christ,” he was speaking of this gospel partnership. God’s good work among you, Philippians, includes this outrageous generosity, which has borne much fruit in Paul’s labors around the world.

And it will be brought to completion when the final harvest is reaped on the last day, when Jesus returns to judge. The gospel will go forth, and the good work of God will be completed when the redeemed have been gathered in.

We Don’t Have to Pick One

I don’t think we can or should nail down exactly one thing that Paul meant by the “good work.” He certainly has their financial partnership in mind. But then he also immediately moves into their personal sanctification (of which their financial partnership is but one expression).

So I’m not arguing that Phil 1:6 is not about personal sanctification. I only want to add that, when we see how their communal partnership is also in view, we see personal sanctification tangibly demonstrated in the community. In this way, Phil 1:6 is similar to 3 John 8, which describes financial support of missionaries in partnership language, and as an expression of walking in the truth (3 John 4).

Context matters.

Thanks to my colleague Dave Royes for the idea for this post.

For more examples of why context matters, click here. 

4 Ways the Old Testament Points to Jesus

By

Bryan Chapell briefly describes four ways the Old Testament points to Jesus.

  1. Some passages predict who Christ is and what he will do.
  2. Some passage prepare God’s people to understand redeeming grace.
  3. Some passages reflect God’s provision of or our need for grace.
  4. Some passages describe the lifestyle that results from God’s work of grace.

This is not an exhaustive list, but it’s a great start to consider when figuring out how to see Jesus in any Bible passage.

Check it out!

How to Understand the Context of the Proverbs

By

Context really matters. But it matters in different ways for different genres of literature. I showed last week how the poetry of the psalms sits within the context of the public and private worship of Israel. This week, I’d like to show how the poetry of the proverbs sits within the context of Israel’s wisdom tradition.

Try Memorizing Proverbs

I once tried to memorize portions of the book of Proverbs. It was smooth sailing, as long as I was working within the first 9 chapters. But it was agonizing to try memorizing sizable passages from chapters 10 or 11 (and following). The agony mainly derived from the lack of coherent thought from verse to verse!

Chapters 30 and 31 aren’t so bad, but chapters 10 to 29 of Proverbs contain such a jumble of topics that it can be difficult to study them or even read them. They were simply meant for slow, meditative digestion. Sometimes, there may be a coherent subject matter for a few successive verses (for example, laziness in Prov 26:13-16 or gossip in Prov 26:20-28). But most of the time, you never know what will come next. Ecclesiastes 9:17-11:6 works the same way, presenting an assortment of proverbs for reflection.

Now we can only conjecture why God decided to deliver this wisdom to humanity in this way. We can’t know for sure why this is, but I respect the theory I heard from a seminary professor: that real life works this way (constantly jumping from topic to topic, and task to task); therefore, the wisdom of Proverbs mirrors our experience of daily life.

Potential Misuse of the Proverbs

This lack of coherent argumentation creates a potential pitfall, into which hordes of aspiring gurus delight to hurl themselves: exploiting Proverbs for practical purposes. There are many books out there on how Proverbs can help you to run a business, optimize your life, or thrive as a family. Here is just one example. (To be clear: I’m not recommending this book. I just put an affiliate link there in case I can plunder someone’s drive for success, wealth, and happiness to help support this blog).

The problem is that we can then use the Proverbs to support our personal dreams or preferred lifestyle. So Prov 18:13 becomes a habit of a highly effective person. And Prov 29:18, KJV provides a strategic planning process.

The Context of the Proverbs

So what is the context for the proverbs? In what light ought we to interpret these sound bites and wise sayings?

Proverbs 9:1 tells us that “wisdom has built her house; she has hewn her seven pillars.” In light of the structure of the book as a whole, I believe this “house” refers to the first 9 chapters. I’ll simply assert the point now, as I’ve already dedicated more space elsewhere to defend it.

Solomon labors to lay a foundation in those first 9 chapters. He defines wisdom, he explains how to become wise, and he clears out the obstacles that will hinder wisdom. He spreads the feast of wisdom clearly and repeatedly within the dining hall of “the fear of the Lord.” He illustrates why there can be no wisdom apart from both a humble reception of God’s truth and a passionate imitation of God’s character.

So he builds that house. He constructs the pillars and the framework. Then he invites us to tuck into the feast laid out in the book’s remaining chapters.

Conclusion

The point is this: The context of every proverb (the sayings found in chapters 10-31) is the worldview constructed in Proverbs 1-9. If we attempt to apply a particular proverb to any part of life, and we don’t begin with the fear of the Lord and overcome the obstacles of easy money and easy sex, we are misusing that proverb. We are disregarding the context and working in opposition to the intentions of the Holy Spirit who inspired the proverb.

So we typically won’t access the context of a proverb by looking at the verses right before and after it. Instead, we must become familiar with the worldview constructed in the first 9 chapters of the book. Check out my series on Proverbs 1-9 for an analysis of this worldview.

The Most Important Context for Interpreting the Bible

By

We’ve written much over the last few months about the importance of context. And Michael Heiser has an important article at the Logos Talk blog entitled “What is the Proper Context for Interpreting the Bible?”

Historical, cultural, and literary context all matter. And the context of orthodox Christian interpretation over the last 2,000 years matters. But more than any of that, Heiser argues that the most important context to which we must pay attention (and with which historical, cultural, and literary context only “flirt”) is the context of the biblical writers.

We must do all we can to get into their heads, to understand their worldview, to grasp what factors led to the production of the literature contained in the Bible.

Heiser writes:

As certain as this observation is, there is a pervasive tendency in the believing Church to filter the Bible through creeds, confessions, and denominational preferences. That’s not a bad thing. It’s a human thing. Creeds are useful for distilling important points of theology. But they are far from the whole counsel of God, and even farther from the biblical world. This is something to be aware of at all times.

Lest I be misunderstood, I’m not arguing that we should ignore our Christian forefathers. I’m also not saying that we’re smarter. They were prodigious intellects. The problem isn’t their brain power—it’s that they were simply too removed from the world of the biblical writers and had little chance of bridging that gap.

It might sound odd, but we’re actually in a better position than any of our spiritual forefathers in that respect. We live at a time when the languages of the major civilizations that flourished during the lifetimes of the biblical writers have been deciphered. We can tap into the intellectual and cultural output of those civilizations. That output is enormous—millions of words. We can recover the worldview context (their “cognitive framework” in scholar-speak) of the biblical writers as never before. The same is true of the New Testament writers because they inherited what had come before them and were part of a first-century world two thousand years removed from us.

In conclusion:

I know firsthand this is a hard lesson. It isn’t easy to put the biblical context ahead of our traditions. But if we don’t do that, we ought to stop talking about how important it is to interpret the Bible in context lest we be hypocrites. I can honestly say that the day I decided to commit myself to framing my study of Scripture in the context of the biblical world instead of any modern substitute was a day of liberation. It’s what put me on a path to reading the Bible again—for the first time. You can do that, too.

Check it out!

How to Understand the Context of the Psalms

By

We’ve given a long list of examples to show how critical literary context is for interpreting Bible verses. Many of our favorite and most-quoted verses either find greater nuance or challenge our presumption when we read them in the context of the argument or story in which they reside.

But different kinds of literature work in different ways. And “context” does not always work in exactly the same way.

Take, for example, the Psalms. While each psalm is a self-contained poem that ought to be read in its own right—and not twisted to say whatever we want it to say—”context” in the psalms is more fluid than in other books of the Bible. The poetic/literary context may help us to avoid clear misinterpretation. But there is another equally important context for these poems: Israel’s life of worship and personal devotion. Similar to how we might quote a line of a favorite hymn without deep analysis of the statement’s context, we might find ourselves using Psalm verses in the same devotional manner.

For example, before I can quote or sing, “hither by Thy help I come,” must I first understand what an “Ebenezer” is (Come Thou Fount, verse 2)? For another example, I can find encouragement that “I once was lost but now am found” without having to explain in detail that this amazing grace is a sweet-sounding doctrine that saves wretches like me.

Why can I say this about the Psalms? Where does this idea come from?

From looking at how the Psalms were actually used in ancient Israel. If we look at Old Testament examples of people referencing the Psalms, they rarely quote an entire psalm. Instead, they mash together a pile of quotes from a variety of psalms. This mash of verses becomes a newly sung or prayed poem in its own right.

Scott Barkley (2008), Creative Commons

Example #1: Relocating the Ark

When King David moves the ark of the covenant back to Jerusalem and sets it inside his new tent, a celebration erupts, rife with harps, lyres, cymbals, trumpets, and singing (1 Chr 16:1-7). And the song they sing that day is recorded for us:

  • 1 Chr 16:8-22 largely matches Psalm 105:1-15 (only the first third of the psalm).
  • 1 Chr 16:23-33 has been modified from Psalm 96:1-13 (most of the psalm, but with a few lines omitted).
  • 1 Chr 16:34 concludes with a common introductory refrain from many psalms (Ps 106:1, 107:1, 118:1, 118:29, 136:1 ).
  • 1 Chr 16:35-36 presents a second, responsive song, consists of a modification of Ps 106:47-48.

So here, in a concrete example of Israel’s worship, we see selections from at least 3 psalms mashed together with a refrain found in four other psalms. They did not need to clarify, to take one example, the context of Psalm 105 or 106 (the ups and downs of Israel’s history) in order to sing the “praise verses” from those psalms as part of the medley.

Example #2: Praying in the Fish’s Belly

We have a more rapid-fire example of selecting an assortment of verses and mashing them together in Jonah 2. This example also shows us not the corporate worship of the assembled people, but the private worship of a man crying out to his God.

  • Jonah 2:2 = Ps 120:1, Lam 3:55-56
  • Jonah 2:3 = Ps 88:6-7, 42:7
  • Jonah 2:4 = Ps 31:22
  • Jonah 2:5 = Lam 3:54, Ps 69:1, 18:4-5
  • Jonah 2:6 = Ps 116:3, 9:13, 30:3
  • Jonah 2:7 = Ps 142:3, 143:5, 18:6, 88:2, 11:4
  • Jonah 2:8 = Ps 31:6
  • Jonah 2:9 = Ps 50:14, 26:7, 22:25, 116:14, 116:18, 3:8

Now you’ll notice that the lines from Jonah are not typically exact quotes of the related psalm verses. But it should be easy to see how those verses from many psalms have shaped Jonah’s prayer. He’s taken all the verses about watery judgment, earthen graves, and rising up to call upon the Lord, and he’s compiled them to make the prayers of many psalmists his own.

Conclusion

While we are never justified in using a psalm verse in a manner contrary to its meaning in the context and flow of the poem, it is clear that we can and should draw on verse selections, or compilations of verse selections, to inform both our corporate and personal worship. We do not violate the principle of “context” if we take a selection of verses with a common metaphor and combine them into a new poem.

The Shocking Judgment of Ananias and Sapphira

By

Matthew Boffey takes a look at the story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 to see what Luke’s point may be in this compact and impactful narrative.

Boffey observes the text well, marking comparisons and contrasts, repetition, and climax. He asks good interpretive questions, answering only those which are assumed or addressed in the text. He lets the rest of his questions go. And he applies the text personally from its main point. Do you fear God?

This is a great example of skilled Bible study, and I commend it to you.

Check it out!

ESV Gospels, Reader’s Set

By

If you haven’t yet caught on to the reader’s Bible fad, the ESV Gospels, Reader’s Set set might be the perfect gateway. And if you already own and love a reader’s Bible, there might still be a place on your shelf for this new edition of the gospels from Crossway.

What It Is

A reader’s Bible is an edition published to encourage and assist lengthy reading. Many of the latest reader’s editions remove all footnotes, cross-references, section headings, verse numbers, and (more often than not) chapter numbers. You’re left with the plain text of Scripture, elegantly typeset, so you can sit and read for hours on end.

This new edition from Crossway presents only the four gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—each with its own undersized hardbound volume, in a sturdy slip case. This is something you’ll enjoy having on your shelf. And you’ll enjoy even more having it in your hands while you get lost in the narrative glory.

What It Does

The page layout of these reader’s gospels is very similar to the layout of the ESV Reader’s Bible, 6 Volume Set, which I loved enough to write reviews both before and after reading it. The fonts, margin proportions, and clean text block are the same. It uses the same number of unobtrusive headings for each book’s major divisions.

The biggest difference is that the Gospels set is about half the size. Each volume is just larger than a compact disc and fits in your hand, or in your pocket. This small size makes the pages fly past as you read.

And this is marvelous, because this edition does what reader’s Bibles do best, and it does it even better than previous editions: It gives you permission to keep reading and reading and reading. The smaller size makes me feel like I should just keep reading, and I’ll finish the book before I know it.

In addition, these four volumes do not come with ribbon bookmarks. At first, I was not pleased with this aberration. But now that I’ve spent more time with these four volumes, I have found the lack of bookmark to provide further permission and encouragement to keep reading. It really is not hard to read a complete gospel in one sitting with this edition! And that is something to be commended.

What Could Be Better

My biggest complaint is that the covers of the four volumes are all the same rust color, with no distinguishing visuals or artwork, besides the name on the spine (which is not terribly easy to read). But since these volumes are meant for extended reading, and not for frequent reference, this visual plainness is easy to forgive.

In addition, I would prefer for the ESV Reader’s Bibles to be more like the NIV Sola Scriptura Bible Project and break up the text according to its natural structural divisions. As it is, the text presents in one lengthy block, with no breaks, for pages on end. But this complaint goes for both this set and the Six-Volume Set.

Conclusion

I am thrilled to have received a complimentary copy of this set from Crossway in exchange for an honest review. I expect to use it often. Right now, it’s perfect for a repeated re-reading of Luke’s gospel as I prepare to teach that book.

If you haven’t yet tried a multi-volume reader’s edition of the Bible, the ESV Gospels, Reader’s Set would be an excellent and inexpensive start. And if you’re already a fan of reader’s Bibles, this will add another useful tool to your workbench.

Find it at Amazon or Westminster.

Disclaimer: Amazon and Westminster links are affiliate links. Clicking them and buying stuff will enable us to continue reviewing Bibles for you, at no extra cost to yourself.

Why Bother With the Bible?

By

It’s an important question. And, writing for TGC Africa, Sike Osinuga claims that being a Christian without the Bible is like playing soccer without a ball.

Such a situation is unseemly not to mention unlikely yet it serves as a metaphor for Christianity throughout Africa. Though it is unthinkable that a game of soccer would kick off without a ball, many Christians go about their lives without regularly hearing from God in his Word. Actually, many wonder why we should even bother with the Bible.

Osinuga has some helpful thoughts on the nature and benefits of the Scripture, and how God speaks to us when we take it up to read. It’s encouraging to see what God is doing among his churches in Africa.

Check it out!