Have I Been Reading And Responding to The Word Of God Correctly?

This Biblical Interpretation lesson is a soul awakening experience. What make me say so? Being a Christian since 1998, I have been reading my Bible book by book and verses after verses religiously. It is a way to be close to God and hoping for GOD’s life transforming logos (the Word of God) to speak into my life. All these years of devotion time, I came to God with all kind of emotions, needs and prayers. I always find that every verse ministered to me in the way that I needed it most. I used it to share and speak into someone lives.  But is it really the right way to interpret God’s word?

Historical Context and Contemporary Context

"We do not create the meaning. Rather, we seek to discover the meaning that has been placed there by the author"(Grasping God's Word by J. Scott Duvall Pg195). But most of us inevitably read our bible verses with our emotion and always with presupposition. One must know that bible is not for readers to read just for the sake of information and become knowledgeable. I’ll briefly share steps that I have picked up on how we should study & apply God’s Word.

Our first approach is to read the text without interpreting it. Just read though it by coming to the text empty and not to expect any immediate understanding.

The Bible was written centuries a part but how do we derive meaning and implication so that we can develop application being in this contemporary world yet does not go out of context. In a simplified way, these are step taken so that we will minimise error in interpreting the Word of God. "Exegesis is the spadework for interpretation."(Biblical Interpretation by w. Randolph Tate Pg11). The term exegesis is to reading through the text with the understanding of what was the original message that the author intended for his targeted original audience.  We need understand the world behind the text by studying the historical context include knowing the author, original recipient of the letter, occasion, purpose of writing, and the specific historical context. Then, we must read into what is the general principle that is brought across through this message. To help us grasp the Words in the Bible, we need to know the world within the text. It does include the understanding of genre, word study, grammar, sentence structure and time factors as well. Every setting does carry the actual purpose and meaning. Each literature comes in different genres and to share a few main genres; law, prophecy, poetry and the narrative of gospels as well as epistles. Coupled with the study of world around the text by knowing in intended purpose of the book, the chapter and related contended around the verses. After all the above, we will know the universal message that God intended to bring to the audience or the recipients through this author

From here, we proceed to Hermeneutics; a process where how the general principle is telling to the contemporary world. What is this universal message from God written by the hand of the author meant for us; people of 21th century; the world in front the text.

Homiletic is how to apply and respond to the message by the hearer or reader of all nation, tribe & race; the world in front the text. It should result in fruit bearing or progression with the leading of Holy Spirit.

Here to share how Bible verses were used before my BI lesson. Some time back, I had an unpleasant encounter that reduced me to a corner of my room crying. At that point of time, though feeling helpless but the deep in me I know the love for God remains inside me. I still continue reading the Word of God with my tears flowing nonstop. These verses caught my eyes;

Luke 19:41-44 When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, "If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation."

I instantly responded to it with a prayer “In the name of Jesus, satan, return the peace Jesus has given to me” And that point, I felt victorious. I have treated “peace” as a property; an item that Jesus given to me but taken by satan. I wanted it to return to me. At this point, if I were to share with people around me the word “peace” before this lesson, I have got the message wrong across to the hearer. But after the BI class, it changed my understanding of the word “peace”.  With the good news that Jesus; our saviour come for sinners like us that doom for destruction, this word “peace” mean “salvation”, my response too will change. I’ll pray in this manner “Dear Heavenly Father, I give thanks to You. Thank You Jesus for your mercy and grace. Being a child of God, what sorrow and pain do I fear? Nothing will rob me of your unceasing love. All glory to You. I pray in the name of Christ Jesus, Amen!” So, isn’t the salvation I have received put me above all pain and sorrow that the world brought to all of us?

This is just a initial baby step taken to apply what I’ve learned in the class. I strongly believe that such interpretation skill can sharpen over time if I continue applying it. It will be more responsible of me stay within the context when dong our small group study or sharing it with others. Give thanks to God for how Holy Spirit guided us when we are still ignorant and also for sending Bro Han Hui to lead us through using appropriate steps to interpret His Word.