Discovering What the Bible Means

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Discovering What the Bible Means</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="132" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id265.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Seeing What the Bible Says"><U><B><IMG SRC="007151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id266.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Language and Literature"><U><B><IMG SRC="008151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="35" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="20" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="13"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="27"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> Previous/Next Sermon</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="www.stanbaker.org"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biblical and Theological Studies"><U><B>Biblical and Theological Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church Ministry"><U><B>Church Ministry</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sermon Notes"><U>Sermon Notes</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Personal"><U><B>Personal</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org"><U>stan@stanbaker.org</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Discovering What the Bible Means</B></div> <div> <B>Series: How to Understand the Bible, Part 3</B></div> <div> <B>Berean Bible Church, </B><B>January 13, 2002pm</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Overview of the Process</B></div> <div> Observation</div> <div> Interpretation</div> <div> Application</div> <bR> <div> <B>Context (Again!)</B></div> <div> A. Examine the context. You cannot understand the passage as well without this step. Ignoring the context sets one up for major mistakes in interpretation! For a case study, see Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you . . .” (when a student gets this on a graduation card, what does it usually mean? What does it mean in the context? How does it apply to the graduating student?).</div> <div> B. Any interpretation and application must be consistent with the context.</div> <div> C. Look for the author’s intended meaning. Clues are given in the context.</div> <bR> <div> <B>“Literal” Interpretation</B></div> <div> A. <U>Literal vs. Figurative</U>? Literal interpretation refers to following standard rules for discovering meaning in a text, including recognizing the presence of figures of speech (which have a literal meaning).</div> <div> B. <U>Literal vs. Allegorical</U>?  Example of allegorical interpretation -- Psalm 1:3, tree planted by rivers of water "speaks of both baptism and the cross. His leaf not withering means that the godly person will bring provision and hope to many people." (Zuck, p. 33). Literal interpretation does not allow a text to be loaded with allegorical significance if there are not such clues in the text.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Figures of Speech</B></div> <div> "A figure of speech is a word or phrase that is used to communicate something other than its literal , natural meaning" (Sterrett) -- English examples: "argument doesn't hold water," "stand up for the Word of God," "I was tickled to death" (Zuck, p. 144).</div> <bR> <div> <B>Common Kinds</B></div> <div> A. Comparison: <U>Simile</U> (like, as), 1 Pet 1:24, "All men are like grass." <U>Metaphor</U> (implicit), Matt 5:13, "You are the salt of the earth."</div> <div> B. Substitution: <U>Metonymy</U> (one word substituted for another; Prov 12:18, "The tongue of the wise brings healing"), <U>Synecdoche</U> (part substituted for whole, vv.; Rom 16:4, "they risked their own necks"), <U>Personification</U> (human characteristics ascribed to inanimate objects; Isa 55:12, trees clapping hands),  <U>Anthropomorphism</U> (human characteristics ascribed to God; Jer 26:3, God repenting; 2 Chron 16:9, eyes of the Lord), <U>Euphemism</U> (substituting an inoffensive expression for an offensive one; 1 Thess 4:13-15, death as falling asleep).</div> <div> C. Over- / Understatment: <U>Hyperbole</U> (deliberate exaggeration,  Ps 6:6, "I make my bed swim, I dissolve my couch with my tears"), <U>Irony</U> (ridicule expressed indirectly in form of a compliment (1 Kings 18:27, "Shout louder . . .  surely he is a god"; 1 Cor 11:19, "No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval.")</div> <bR> <div> <B>How to Interpret a Figure of Speech</B></div> <div> A. Recognize the presence of and type of figure.</div> <div> B. Identify to what or to whom the figure refers.</div> <div> C. State the point of comparison between the figure and the referent.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Language Issues: Words</B></div> <div> A. The meaning of words is only one part of the puzzle.  Defining all the words in the verse does not equal understanding the verse. It is only one part.</div> <div> B. The meaning of a word in it’s context is not necessarily the same as the root meaning of the word. One Greek word for “servant” comes from words meaning “under-rower” of a boat. But when that word “servant” is used, it does not necessarily have anything to do with boats and rowers.</div> <div> C. You cannot assume later meanings of a word are at work in a particular context. “Vision” in Proverbs 29:18, means divine revelation, communication, a word from God. “Dynamis” (power) in Rom 1:16 is not the same as modern dynamite.</div> <div> D. Most words have many possible meanings depending on use in context.  Pick the one that fits. “Head” (kephale) can also mean source; leader; extreme part of something (Eph 1:22, 1 Cor 11:3). “Flesh,” lit. body, humanity, sinful nature (1 Cor 5:5, flesh or sinful nature).</div> <bR> <div> <B>Language Issues: How Words Are Put Together</B></div> <div> Words can be put together in a variety of ways to mean a variety of different things. Examine the options and choose the best one based on the context.</div> <div> Some examples:</div> <div> A. Greek Genitive Case (“of [noun]”)</div> <div> Body <U>of sin</U> (Rom 6:6) – sinful body; attribute</div> <div> Temple <U>of his body</U> (John 2:21) – temple which is his body; apposition.</div> <div> The Love <U>of Christ</U> (2 Cor 5:14) – Christ’s love for us (subject) or our love for him (object)?</div> <div> B. Participles</div> <div> Phil 2:6 – “<U>being</U> in very nature God” – although he was in very nature God.</div> <div> Matt 1:19 – “Joseph, <U>being</U> a righteous man” – because he was a righteous man.</div> <div> Col 2:7 – “walk, <U>having</U> been rooted (because you have been rooted?), <U>being</U> built up (by means of being built up?)...”</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> copyright, 2002, Stanley Baker</div> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> </td> </tr></table></body>