The Gospel Coalition posted Kathy Keller’s review of A Year of Biblical Womanhood, a new book by Rachel Held Evans. Since Evans presents the book as an exploration of biblical interpretation, Keller judges it on those terms. As a result, the review covers several key Bible study concepts. Check it out!
Another Enemy of Interpretation is Relativism
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.
The Greatest Enemy of Interpretation is Observation
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.
What the Presidential Debate Taught Me About Bible Study
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?
Why Should We Interpret?
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.
What to Observe: Four More Tips
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.
- 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!
- 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?
- 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?
- 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?
Bible Gateway’s Bible Study Tips
Bible Gateway, one of the best Bible search engines online, posted on their blog a basic introduction on how to study the Bible. It looks like they should have some good posts with more practical tips over the next few days.
Check it out!
How to Read this Blog
Since I’m writing this blog to help ordinary people learn to study the Bible, it makes sense (at least to me) to help you learn how to read this blog profitably.
Different people learn in different ways. So I’ve taken a few different approaches to communicate our ideas.
Learner #1: Just the Facts
Some people learn best by hearing the main ideas first. Once they understand the principle, then it helps to see them illustrated. This is the more intuitive thinker. If you are this person, you likely would prefer to look up an address on Google Maps rather than having someone give you their own set of directions to their house.
If this describes you, you might benefit by clicking on “Method” under “Categories” in the sidebar. In the “Method” posts, I start with the principles before implementing them. I also presented the principles in a (somewhat) orderly manner.
Learner #2: Show Me the Money!
Some people learn best by seeing something done. Once they see it in practice, and can experience the payoff directly, they’re more interested in going back to understand the principles behind the practice. This is the more step-by-step thinker. If you are this person, you likely would prefer to have someone describe the tried and true route to their house rather than needing to figure it out yourself.
If this describes you, you might benefit by clicking on “Bible Study” under “Categories” in the sidebar. In the “Bible Study” posts, I aim simply to demonstrate good Bible study of specific passages.
If you’d like more help with the principles, you can click on “How’d You Do That?” under “Categories” in the sidebar. In these posts, I explain the principles behind a few specific “Bible Study” posts. The “How’d You Do That?” posts link to the posts they explain to enable you to read the two posts in conjunction.
Learner #3: Give Me More
Some people will be interested in help with specific parts of Scripture, or in seeing more and more examples. If this describes you, just type the name of a book of the Bible into the search bar. That will bring up a list of all posts on passages from that book.
Learner #4: Prove to Me You’re Not a Weirdo
Some people want to make sure I’m not the only person in the world saying the things I’m saying. That’s not a bad desire, in light of how common it is for teachers to lead others astray with “innovative” or “superior” ideas.
That’s why, from time to time, I point out examples on the internet of other Bible teachers who demonstrate important Bible Study principles. You can find these posts in the “Check it Out” category.
Please let me know if you have any suggestions on further ways I can help you grow in your study of God’s Knowable Word! I’d also love to hear which type of posts you’ve found most helpful.
How’d You Do That? (9/16/12)
From time to time we like to “show our work” and explain what principles drive our Bible study.
In Sunday’s post, we examined Proverbs 1:10, ESV (“My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent”) and saw how the Bible commands us to reject easy money. Here’s how we got there.
Observation
By observing the grammar of the verse, we noticed that the main sentence is a command: “Do not consent.” Also, we observed the words: the thing we ought not consent to is enticement from sinners.
Interpretation
In my study, I started with a question: what is the enticement from sinners that we ought not consent to? Is it just anything, or does Solomon have something specific in mind?
Answering that question led me to observe the whole section (Prov 1:10-19) in its context. This examination led me to observe the final verse (Prov 1:19), which makes clear that the chief enticement Solomon has in mind is toward “unjust gain.”
What is “unjust gain”? Acquiring money or possessions through any unlawful means. Since most of the section describes a gang recruiting someone to violence against another person, it would appear that Solomon considers “unjust” any means of gaining money that will hurt other people.
Thus, my conclusion of the main idea: “the pursuit of a quick buck, at the cost of serving others, will always keep us from being wise.”
Application
From here, we merely had to consider what it looks like in our generation to gain more money at the cost of serving others.
The chief heart application is that we allow ourselves to be sucked into money-making schemes (like going into more credit card debt, getting a new car like the neighbor’s, or spending too much time at the office).
By way of head application, we must know which things will tempt us, and we must choose in advance to watch out for them.
For hands application, we should make different choices when the temptation comes. We should reject easy money.
See here for an explanation of these three types of application.
My hope in walking through this process is that you will be able to duplicate it in your own study of the Bible!
What to Observe: Genre
Professor and Poet Marilyn Hacker once said, “Poetry seems to have been eliminated as a literary genre, and installed instead, as a kind of spiritual aerobic exercise – nobody need read it, but anybody can do it.” She lamented the loss of poetry’s unique place and rigorous standards in popular writing. The implications of her perspective impact our Bible study, because sometimes it can be easy to miss the significance of a text’s genre.
In answer to the question “how do I observe a Bible passage?” or “where do I begin when I sit down to study the Bible?” we’ve discussed numerous items to consider: words, grammar, and structure. Today we come to a fourth item: genre.
Genre is easy to miss because it’s not something that is likely to change substantially from verse to verse. Once you observe a book’s genre, you’re likely to come across only minor deviations from time to time. The important thing is that we remain on the lookout.
Let’s use our study of Luke 2:1-24 as an example.
The main observation to make is straigtforward: the genre of this text, as with most of Luke, is historical narrative. The author reports on events that actually happened (see Luke 1:1-4 for his intentions), but he does so by telling a story. He doesn’t issue a medical report or a media sound byte. He’s done his research, interviewing witnesses and collecting relevant documents, but he presents the facts in the shape of a narrative of the key events that verify the truthfulness of what has been taught about Jesus.
What are the implications of this observation?
- It really happened. Luke 2:1-24 speaks of governors, shepherds, and angels. A baby is born to a virgin. These things are neither fable nor fairy tale. They were researched, verified, and presented as historical fact.
- The story has an agenda. Although factually trustworthy, it would be naive to conclude that the text was written in a coldly objective way. The author still has an agenda. He includes certain details, and excludes others, for a reason. The purpose of the story is to tell a story, not to report on every little thing that might forestall potential questions. How many shepherds were there? Did the angels have wings? Were they floating in the sky? Was Jesus born in a stable or a cave? We don’t know. Such specifics were not part of Luke’s agenda.
One more thing: observe that the genre changes briefly in Luke 2:14, where we get a brief switch to poetry.
We know Luke 2:14 is poetry because:
- the angels were praising God (likely singing)
- the quote consists of two parallel lines (the chief component of Jewish poetry)
Why is this observation significant? Because we ought to change our expectations. “Glory to God in the highest” does not mean that God exists physically at a higher altitude than everyone else. Something more poetic, more figurative, is intended.
