Hello All,
(Just a general disclaimer that I must insert here at the beginning. I am but a lay person, like most of you. And these weekly “thoughts” are but my own. Not the definitive word on this or any topic. Just my own conclusions derived from my own study and faith in God. The greatest hope I have for these weekly “thoughts” is to have them be a springboard for further study on your part. Not to be a weekly treatise to be blindly accepted. So, please read them with this intent, this motive in mind).
Another tragedy struck my family last Monday, May 4. My 36 year-old son died. The cause is still unknown. But this death, after the tragic death of his sister (my daughter) and his mother (my wife), has left my remaining daughter and me reeling. I don’t usually share my personal life with you in these notes each week. But I must thank God for the love and support from those who know me and my daughter, who knew my son… and who love(d) us. One day, God will bring the pain and suffering to an end. Let us always strive to rescue as many as possible in the time we each have. God has given us a mission of love. Let us always be true.
Last week’s lesson from “The Adult Sabbath School Guide” was titled “Why is Interpretation needed”? This week’s lesson is titled “Language, Text and Context”. In these two lessons, the quarterly has done a good job of explaining why all translations of the Bible have a great measure of interpretation. And why the Bible must be read in context. I’ll first give a brief thought on the need for interpretation and then close with a thought on context.
The Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek languages used in the original writing of the Bible cannot be translated word-for-word into our modern languages. Not only can the meaning of the ancient words themselves be misapplied but entire sentence structures can be misunderstood, too. Therefore, the meaning of huge, whole sections of the Scriptures would not only be lost, but would be grossly misunderstood or misapplied. As the quarterly states on Monday’s (May 4) lesson, “The majority of the world population today does not speak and read those ancient languages. Hence, the Bible has to be translated into different modern languages”. Let us, therefore, not disparage the modern translations. They are there to help us.
This first brief thought is the idea of false interpretation. The basis of this “thought for the week” was started when I read in Thursday’s (May 7) lesson, “In fact, even in the time of the Apostles, theological error had already crept into the church, no doubt buttressed by false interpretation of Scripture”. This theological error was spawned by a certain reading of Scripture. A certain reading that was proved to be false. A certain reading by the quintessential Bible scholars of all-time (Pharisees), who incorporated all the rules, regulations, doctrines and commandments of Scripture into their life and the way they lived. So how could this be? How could they interpret Scripture so falsely? How could they misunderstand their God? And a more poignant question, “Have we redeemed sinners, we Christians at the end of time, repeated their false interpretation into our theology, too”? Are we repeating the same understanding? As a noted Rabbi once said to Graham Maxwell, “I don’t know why you Adventists disparage the Pharisees of Christ’s day… you are so like them”. OUCH! So have we repeated the same error, too?
Looking back over the Old Testament (the only Scripture at the time of Christ) you will see God acting to redeem Israel in the eyes of the surrounding nations even as He judges those nations. Israel elevated in the eyes of Egypt during the time of Moses, even as Egypt is judged. Israel elevated in the eyes of the Canaanites during the time of Joshua, even as the Canaanites are judged. Israel elevated in the eyes of the Philistines during the time of David, even as the Philistines are judged. Israel elevated in the eyes of the nations during the time of Solomon, even as the nations are being judged. No wonder sinful man, sinful Pharisees, interpreted the coming Messiah, the coming “Son of David” as a conqueror of the nations. For the Jews, God had a long history of judging the nations as He elevated Israel in the eyes of those nations. Why would not the coming “Christ” follow that same long-established method? It was the way that heathen, pagan people could understand the superiority of God. By seeing the superiority of His people Israel… and being judged by the God of Israel. But there is a fatal flaw that all of us sinners make when we read the Scriptures. And that fatal flaw has been repeated since the beginning of time. That flaw? Read on.
Christ said, “My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed” (John 6: 55). Later in the upper room, “and as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’ Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26: 26-28). This has been interpreted by sinful men as literal. Therefore, the priests of Christ for hundreds of years have claimed that during the sacrament of communion, those priests turn the bread and wine into the literal flesh and blood of Christ. This is an example of what sinful man can do with Scripture. Sinful man can miss the whole point of Scripture entirely, while appearing to honor Scripture. Doing what God has said without intelligent, thoughtful understanding.
The Scriptures decry over and over the lack of understanding of God’s people. That the deep things of God are not understood or even considered. That a literal reading of Scripture can miss the entire point of Scripture. Not always. But often enough… to the shame of God’s people. Hence the failure of the Pharisees. They missed the deeper meanings of the law even as they kept the letter of the law. They missed mercy, love and the self-sacrificing motive that the law enjoins. And this is the fatal flaw. Self. As long as self is alive and well, “self” will seek to follow God outwardly, while failing to follow Him inwardly. Failing to submit “self” to be crucified with Christ. And this is where we can fail to properly understand Scripture, too. We can be just like the Pharisees of old who missed their “Messiah”, even as they thought they were following. We can miss our “Christ” even as we think we are following… if we expect to retain self in the process.
Always remember that the Bible is almost exclusively a casebook, not a codebook. If we remember this, we will not go far astray. In fact, the codebook approach is what the Pharisees largely did. They applied a codebook interpretation to Scripture without understanding. Hence the misunderstanding of Christ when He told them the inward meaning of what they were outwardly doing. And modern-day Christianity has mimicked this. “God said it, I believe it, that’s all there is to it” says the bumper sticker. But do you UNDERSTAND? Obedience without intelligent understanding is an offense to God. EGW commented on this in Desire of Ages Pg. 157. Her heart went-out to the ignorant worshippers that went into the temple during Christ’s time on earth. “Numerous ceremonies were enjoined upon the people without the proper instruction as to their import. The worshipers offered their sacrifices without understanding” Sad. Led to this by the Jewish leaders who did not understand either. “God said it, I believe it, that’s all there is to it” was their philosophy. And the heretic Jesus was not going to undermine any long-held interpretation.
Paul, too, decries this lack of understanding as evidence that God is not leading you in Romans 1: 28-32. He includes a “lack of understanding” as comparable to envy, deceit, fornication… even comparable to murder and wickedness:
“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them”.
The main reason for any false interpretation or relying on any Scripture without understanding it, is because of the same motive that stands behind all sin… self… and the saving or promotion of self.
Lastly, by reading the Bible in context, we may likely see that some of our long-held ideas are really false. For example, does Paul give the definitive answer for a woman’s role in the church for all time (codebook approach) or for a certain time and condition (casebook approach)? In fact, the way we read the Bible may be one of the determining features that determine God’s true children. Most Christian denominations hold to the Bible. But how do they hold to the Bible? We Adventists who hold to the whole Bible must be the ones who know the Author of the Bible best. And be able to interpret the Bible best. To see the God of the Bible as He really is… meeting us where we are, speaking a language we can understand and by adapting (yes adapting) His direction to the objects of His direction.
For example, in Joshua, both Rahab and the Gibeonites are liars. Yet God uses the circumstances to bring them both close to Himself and rescue them. Rahab becomes the progenitor of Christ. And the Gibeonites become servants, providing support for the temple services. Amazing (read Joshua 2, 6, and 9 and you will see God working in ways that adapts to the situation. (Is this “situation ethics”? Whatever you call it, this is our God). We may denounce lying as commandment breaking (which it is) and denounce those who lie. Yet our God of love who gave those commandments works with liars in order to win them back to Himself. By reading the entire account in Judges, we see the God of the commandments adapting to the situation at-hand because He loves. Let us not make our God too small. He is bigger than you think.
Thanks for all the love and support for me and my daughter at this very trying time.
With brotherly love, Jim