Knowable Word

Helping ordinary people learn to study the Bible

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The Greatest Enemy of Interpretation is Observation

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Interpretation happens when we figure out why a passage says what it says. We fail to interpret well when we fail to figure out why the passage says what it says.

The chief obstacle to excellent interpretation is observation.

Of course I don’t think observation is a bad thing. I’ve already written about how we should value careful observation. (See here for a few common examples of less-than-careful observation.) Careless observation leads directly to incorrect interpretation.

However, when you study the Bible, you can’t stay in observation. It’s easy to feel like you’ve really studied the Bible, when it’s possible that all you’ve done is observe.

For example, people often go to Romans 1:18-32 to show that humanity is sinful. Excellent observation! But why does Paul go to such great lengths to show how sinful humanity is? Perhaps it’s because he wants to tighten the noose slowly and imperceptibly around the reader. “Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges” (Rom 2:1, ESV).

We find another example in Philippians 4:4-9. This passage is full of beautiful sayings commonly quoted by Christians. We love to “rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil 4:4). We find great comfort in letting our requests be made known to God, with supplication and thanksgiving (Phil 4:6).

These are good observations. But why are these verses here? The Philippian church was experiencing a serious rift between two prominent women (Phil 4:2-3). So Paul sent instructions for resolving the conflict to one of his companions in the church. Read Phil 4:4-9 in that light, and the passage comes alive.

Old Testament narratives make up one last set of examples. As we observe these stories, we might notice all kinds of characters to either imitate or avoid, but we might fail to move into interpretation. Now viewing these characters as examples is not wrong (see 1 Cor 10:11), but it’s all too easy to stop with such observation. Why are the stories there? To show us Jesus, of course (John 1:45, Luke 24:44-47). The trick each time is to figure out how.

Remember not to let familiarity get in the way of your observation. And don’t let observation get in the way of your interpretation.

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What the Presidential Debate Taught Me About Bible Study

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It must be terribly inconvenient to run for President of the United States.

The debate last night must have required tremendous preparation.  Not only do President Obama and Governor Romney have to prepare to present their own positions, each must prepare to make his opponent’s position seem foolish.  Each must also prepare to respond to whatever accusations the other might bring to the floor.

And then there are all the social dynamics: moderator, attendees, cameras.  Personal lives get exposed; mistakes in judgment get exploited; everything is scrutinized.

And all for one purpose: to get my vote.

But what difference will it make if one candidate wins my vote?  How can I make a difference?

Here’s the beauty of how it works.  By winning one person at a time, vote after vote after vote, an aspiring leader does something magical.  Many individuals make up this thing we call “the people.”  And when the people elect a leader, stuff changes.  Policies take effect.  Administrations administrate.  The glorious future begins to spill into the dreary present.

What did last night’s debate teach me about Bible study?  That it’s all worth it. 

It’s terribly inconvenient to study the Bible.  It’s not easy.  It requires discipline and practice.  I might not get it at first.

But, as I do it, I get better at handling the Word (2 Tim 2:15).  The better I handle the Word, the better equipped I am at passing it on (2 Tim 3:16-17).  The better I am at passing it on, the more likely I am to make a significant difference for God’s Kingdom.

So keep going to church, week after week.  Keep reading your Bible.  Keep learning how to communicate it effectively.

It will feel mundane.  It will feel like hard work.  But it’s how God changes the world.

“You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim 2:1-2).

Do you think it’s worth it to study the Bible?  What encourages you to keep doing it when it’s inconvenient or difficult?

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100th Post Giveaway

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We’ve now blogged 100 posts, and we decided to celebrate with a brand new website and a FREE ESV STUDY BIBLE (personal size).  This is the best study Bible I’ve come across.  Check out my Goodreads review if you don’t believe me.

We’re giving a way a free personal size ESV Study Bible

To enter the giveaway, you can place as many entries as you want, within the following guidelines.  You’ll get one entry for each of the following:

  • Going onto our Facebook page and Liking the post on our timeline that says, “We’re giving away a free ESV Study Bible.”
  • Adding Knowable Word into your Circles on Google+.
  • Following Knowable Word on Twitter.
  • Re-tweeting any of Knowable Word’s old tweets.  Each RT earns one entry.
  • Finding old posts you liked on the Knowable Word blog and commenting on them thoughtfully.  Note: your comments must be thoughtful, i.e. engaging with the post’s content.  Our panel of strict judges will not accept comments along the lines of “great post!” or “thanks for writing this one!”  Each comment, up to a maximum of one comment per post, gives you one entry, with one exception: A bonus entry will be given for each comment that employs both of the words “study” and “Bible.”
  • Leaving a comment on this post telling us what you think of the new site (such as how it looks, how easy it is to find stuff, etc).  Only one entry per person will be granted for commenting on this post, with one exception: A bonus entry will be given if your comment references a Scripture passage.

We are giving away one (1) free personal size ESV Study Bible.  The winner will be selected at random from all entries.  Entries will be accepted until 7:30pm Eastern Time on Thursday, November 1, 2012.

The winner will be posted on this site by November 5, 2012.  The winner will have until November 19 to contact us with his or her shipping address for the free Bible.

We take no responsibility for any comments that fail to survive our spam filtering software.  Please make sure you don’t comment using an email address like KVUSGAVSYXP2@yahoo.com.

Thank you for helping us spread the word about how to study God’s Knowable Word!

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Why Should We Interpret?

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The second major step in the Bible study process is interpretation.  To ask why we should do it is to assume the answer.

Do you get it?  Interpretation is all about asking WHY.

In the Observation phase, we deal with what a passage says.  In the Interpretation phase, we deal with why the passage says what it says.

Please tell me “Why?”

My 2-year old daughter just entered the interpretation phase of life.  It’s a significant milestone!  I remember when it happened.  We got home from church, and my wife told the children to get out of the van and go into the house.  Charlotte immediately asked, “Why?”

I’m pretty sure she doesn’t even know what “why” means.  She’s just heard her older siblings say it so much that she figured she should do so as well.

God created us to interpret.  Communication always moves beyond the What to the Why.  A sidelong glance appears to imply romantic interest.  A grunt gets interpreted as displeasure.  Failure to make eye contact seems to indicate uncertainty.  Such analysis is the stuff of slumber parties and network news programs.  We move from Observation to Interpretation all the time.

We ought to do it in Bible study as well.  Don’t stop with Observation.  Keep moving forward to make sure you understand the Why.  That’s the key to interpretation.

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What to Observe: Four More Tips

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We’ve seen five things you can observe when you study a Bible passage: words, grammar, structure, genre, and mood.  Here is a final hodgepodge of things to observe.

  1. Repeated Words.  I can’t repeat it enough.  Pay attention to stuff that repeats.  This is one of the simplest observations you can make.  Get a Bible that you don’t mind writing in, and highlight repeated words with the same color.  The author’s big ideas will jump right off the page.  For example, Genesis 14 repeats the word “king” more than 20 times.  It’s even built into one of the character’s names (Melchizedek means “king of righteousness”).  The author wants us to think about what a true king looks like!
  2. Comparison and Contrast.  A passage often shows how two or more things are similar (comparison) or different (contrast).  Picking up on that connection can help.  For example, Gen 24, Gen 29, Exod 2, and John 4 all describe interactions between a man and a woman at a well of water.  What is similar and different in each account?
  3. Characters.  Pay special attention to how each character is named in a passage.  Authors will communicate important stuff just by using certain names.  For example, Genesis 21, which has a lot to say about Ishmael, never mentions his name.  He’s always “the son of Hagar” or “the son of the slave woman.”  Why do you think that is?
  4. Connectors.  Words like “therefore,” “in those days,” or “in the same way” draw significant connections between sentences, paragraphs, or chapters.  Notice the connections so you can work to figure out why they’re there.  For example, Genesis 15:1 begins with “after these things.”  How might it affect your understanding of this chapter, if you think about how Abram might be feeling immediately after the events of chapter 14?

What else can we observe?

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Observations about Women in Proverbs 31

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On Saturday, the Huffington Post ran a Religion article about what Proverbs 31 says (and doesn’t say) about women.  The journalist makes some excellent observations from the text.

The unfortunate thing is that he concludes that a woman’s value ought to be found in her character and accomplishments, when the Bible claims that one’s value derives from Christ and not self (Col 3:1-4).

Check it out!

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What to Observe: Mood

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Scottish writer Thomas Carlyle said, “There are good and bad times, but our mood changes more often than our fortune.”  It’s no less true for the authors of Bible books than it is for us.

When you sit down to study a Bible passage, you’ll make great progress by observing words, grammar, structure, and genre.  One further element is important, although more subjective: mood.

What is mood?  Let me demonstrate by writing the same sentence a few different ways:

  1. I’m not upset with you.
  2. I’m not upset with you.
  3. I’m not upset with you.
  4. I’M NOT UPSET WITH YOU!!!

Can you sense a slightly different intention behind each one of those statements?  Can you picture a context in which you might express yourself simliarly?  For example, #1 might be a simple statement, but #4 might come after days of pestering (and it might be followed with, “but I will be if you keep this up!”).

Although ancient literature didn’t have conventions like bold and italic fonts or punctuation, there are certainly other ways to communicate mood.

Look at Luke 2:13, NET: “Suddenly a vast, heavenly army appeared with the angel, praising God and saying…”  What sort of a mood comes across?

How might the mood come across differently if Luke had said, “Other angels were present to affirm the message.”

Or, “With a grand chorus, multitudes of angels gave voice to their delight at this new development in world history.”

Or, “Spiritual forces of darkness were able to run rampant around the world that day, because all the good guys had gathered in one place to proclaim what a big deal this little baby was going to be.”

Or, “The shepherds listened with delight to the tune of these humble servants of God.”

The author of a Bible passage is able to communicate not just the details, but how the participants experienced those details.  In doing so, he desires the audience to experience this story similarly.

As far as the mood goes, Luke 2:13-14 should make you think more of “I don’t know what I’ve been told” than “Silent Night.”

Make sure you pay attention to the mood.

 

 

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