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Hermeneutics
Lecture 2
June 3, 2018
Prepared by
R. Spencer
Outline
Necessary Attitude •
The first rule: Let Scripture interpret Scripture•
The second rule: Literal meaning•
Grammatical– -historical method
Genre–
Context–
Christological Focus–
Covenant Theology–
Typology–
Examples•
Outline – Review
Necessary Attitude • – humble, sincere desire,
serious effort, regularity, under authority, we
need the Holy Spirit, so ask!
The first rule: Let Scripture interpret Scripture•
The second rule: Literal meaning•
Grammatical– -historical method
Genre–
Context–
Christological Focus–
Covenant Theology–
Typology–
Examples•
Outline – Review
• Necessary Attitude
• The first rule: Let Scripture interpret Scripture –
Scripture is a unity and cannot contradict itself
• The second rule: Literal meaning
– Grammatical-historical method
– Genre
– Context
– Christological Focus
– Covenant Theology
– Typology
• Examples
Outline – Review
Necessary Attitude •
The first rule: Let Scripture interpret Scripture•
The second rule: Literal meaning • – we want to
know what God meant; the plain meaning
Grammatical– -historical method
Genre–
Context–
Christological Focus–
Covenant Theology–
Typology–
Examples•
Outline – Review
Necessary Attitude •
The first rule: Let Scripture interpret Scripture•
The second rule: Literal meaning•
Grammatical– -historical method – this is the plain
meaning when genre etc. are taken into account
Genre–
Context–
Christological Focus–
Covenant Theology–
Typology–
Examples•
Outline – Review
Necessary Attitude •
The first rule: Let Scripture interpret Scripture•
The second rule: Literal meaning•
Grammatical– -historical method
Genre–
Context–
Christological Focus–
Covenant Theology–
Typology–
Examples•
Genre – Review
• To get at the plain literal meaning of a text, we
must know what kind of writing it is
• Examples:
– Proverbs are not laws or promises
– Poetry is not historical narrative
– Narrative is not directly didactic
– Parables are not allegories
– Prophecy is not primarily to tell us about the future
• Poetry & Figures of Speech
Handle Parables Carefully
Parables are not allegories! (although there • may
be multiple elements that are symbolic – e.g., the
parable of the sower in Mark 4) – we should look
for the primary thing being taught by the parable
and must remember the first rule! Don’t concoct
a doctrine from a questionable reading of a
parable
I recommend James • Boice’s book The Parables
of Jesus
Handle Parables Carefully
Consider the Parable of the Shrewd Manager in •
Luke 16:1-8
The manager was cheating his master and was called –
to account
The manager knew he was losing his job and –
prepared for it by cheating again! He reduced the
debts of his master’s debtors so that they would treat
him favorably after he lost his job
The master commended him for his shrewdness–
The Shrewd Manager
Should we conclude that the shrewd manager is •
being held up as an example to emulate?
Only in very limited ways:•
He saw clearly what was happening–
He planned for the future–
He moved quickly to deal with the problem–
We should do the same! We should see that we •
will all die and face judgment and prepare for
that judgment by surrendering to Christ today
The Shrewd Manager
• Secondarily, the parable is followed by three
aphorisms about money & trust (vv 9-13):
I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that
when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with
much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be
dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in
handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if
you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who
will give you property of your own?
No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and
love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the
other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
The Shrewd Manager
These aphorisms teach us that:•
We should use our money in this life with an eye to –
our heavenly reward, not earthly pleasure
We must be trustworthy, even in small things–
You can– ’t serve both God and money
Some study notes • only list these as the lessons
to learn from the parable, which misses the main
point!
Handle Parables Carefully
Consider the Parable of the Wedding banquet in •
Matthew 22:1-14
Jesus begins, • “The kingdom of heaven is like a
king who prepared a wedding banquet for his
son.”
We are told this is a parable of the kingdom of heaven–
We are told it is a wedding banquet for the king– ’s son
Therefore, we have biblical warrant for •
interpreting this in terms of the wedding of Christ
with his bride, the church; and God is the king
Handle Parables Carefully
Most of this is not controversial, but what about •
the guest without wedding clothes? What are
those clothes?
Many modern commentators say that they are •
the perfect righteousness of Christ and leave it at
that (even Boice falls into this trap)
But, what about Revelation • 19:7-8?
the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has
made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was
given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous
acts of the saints.)
Handle Parables Carefully
• The first rule says that we must use Scripture to
interpret Scripture, and in this case we have an
explicit reference to the heavenly counterpart to
the wedding feast in this parable; in light of this
we must interpret the wedding clothes as being
both the righteousness of Christ (it was given her
to wear) and our practical righteousness (the
righteous acts of the saints), which proves that
we are truly saved (in other words the clothes
are both justification and sanctification)
• The other view is a partial truth that feeds an
antinomian spirit
Prophecy
The main purpose is • not to tell us about the
future!
– “Prophecy does have a future aspect. But the
prediction of God’s doings was given to a particular
historical people, to awaken and stir them. They might
not grasp all the meaning of the message, but the
message – with the disclosure of future things – was
given to influence the present action.”
A. Berkeley Mickelsen, Interpreting the Bible, Wm. B. Eerdmans
Publishing Co., 1974, pg. 287
Prophecy
– “The future aspect of prophecy was not given to
satisfy man’s curiosity about the future. …
… the message of the prophet was meant to induce
holy living and a spontaneous, loving obedience to
God.” Ibid, pg. 288
When Dr. Richard Pratt spoke here on •
Interpreting Old Testament Prophecies in 2000,
he noted that when we read the prophets we
should think of ourselves as listening in on
someone else’s conversation
Prophecy
Consider Ezekiel prophesying to the captives in •
Babylon:
Ez– 11:17-19 “Therefore say: 'This is what the
Sovereign LORD says: I will gather you from the
nations and bring you back from the countries where
you have been scattered, and I will give you back the
land of Israel again.' They will return to it and remove
all its vile images and detestable idols. I will give them
an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will
remove from them their heart of stone and give them a
heart of flesh.”
Prophecy
• How do we understand this sentence?
– “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new
spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of
stone and give them a heart of flesh.”
• We must first ask what it meant to the people at
the time!
– It must have been enigmatic, but certainly in context it
was a great encouragement for them to seek the Lord
and live holy lives!
• We know that this verse, along with Ezekiel 36
and Jeremiah 31, is speaking about new birth,
but it didn’t mean that to the people at that time
Apocalyptic Literature
• “apocalyptic” comes from the Greek word
αποκαλυψις, which means revelation and is the
first word in the original Greek version of the
book we call Revelation
Daniel, Ezekiel and Zechariah also contain •
apocalyptic material
We must be • very careful with this genre and
remember that the purpose is not primarily to tell
us the future, but to cause us to live holy lives
now
Apocalyptic Literature
Stick to the main themes!•
For example:•
Daniel: Pastor Mathew wrote that the theme of the –
book of Daniel “is that God Most High reigns. In other
words, God is sovereign over all and does what he
pleases, not what men or nations or political leaders
please.” From The End is Coming
Revelation: A major theme is the throne of God – – and
therefore his rule. Joel Beeke wrote about Chapter 9,
“God controls Satan so that he cannot ultimately harm
believers, but is an instrument for the destruction of
the wicked – that is the theme of Revelation 9.”
Genre – Review
To get at the plain literal meaning of a text, we •
must know what kind of writing it is
Examples:•
Proverbs are not laws or promises–
Poetry is not historical narrative–
Narrative is not directly didactic–
Parables are not allegories–
Prophecy is not primarily to tell us about the future–
Poetry & Figures of Speech•
Poetry & Figures of Speech
• To whatever extent meter and rhyme are used in
Hebrew poetry it is largely lost in translation and
not important for understanding
• When wordplay is used, it is often noted in good
study Bibles – this is not critical for
understanding, but certainly enhances it and
adds depth
• Hebrew poetry makes extended use of several
types of parallelism, and recognizing these can
aid in understanding
Poetry & Figures of Speech
You can see which passages in your NIV or ESV •
are poetry by the typesetting – the example
below is from Jeremiah 4 in the ESV
Poetry
Let• ’s look at a few examples of wordplay
Tell it not in Gath; weep not at all. • Micah 1:10a
In Hebrew, – “tell” sounds like Gath
In Beth • Ophrah roll in the dust. Micah 1:10b
– Beth Ophrah in the Hebrew literally means house of
dust
Pass on in nakedness and shame, you who live •
in Shaphir. Micah 1:11a
Shaphir– in Hebrew means splendid. So, the prophet
was saying that those who live in splendid would go
naked and in shame
Poetry
Those who live in • Zaanan will not come out.
Micah 1:11b
Zaanan– sounds like the Hebrew for come out. So, the
prophet is saying that those who live in come-out town
will not come out
Beth • Ezel is in mourning; its protection is taken
from you. Micah 1:11c
– Beth means house and Ezel resembles a word
meaning withdraw, or withhold, so the prophet is
saying that the house of withdraw will withdraw its
protection from you
Poetry
• There are many types of parallelism – let’s look
at a few common ones
• Synonymous parallelism:
– The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Ps 19:1
• Each line is a colon and the two lines (cola) say
essentially the same thing using different words
– Heavens = skies
– Declare = proclaim
– Glory of God = work of his hands
We learn that God’s glory is not something abstract –
it is that which manifests some aspect of his being
Poetry
Psalm • 19:1 is a bicolon (i.e., it has two cola),
which is the most common form
There are also • tricola and, rarely, monocola
Cola are grouped into strophes, which usually •
contain one main topic or idea (strophes are
divided by space in the NIV and ESV) – for
example, look at Psalm 1 – it is made up of three
strophes …
Poetry
1 Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
4 Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
The blessed man
The contrast
between the
wicked and the
righteous in this
life
The contrast in
eternal destiny
Poetry
• Another example of synonymous parallelism
– Show me your ways, O LORD,
teach me your paths Ps 25:4
– Show me = teach me
– Your ways = your paths
• Another example of synonymous parallelism
– [The Lord] forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases Ps 103:3
– This examples shows that the two cola do not need to
say the same thing, just something similar
Poetry
Antithetic parallelism:•
A gentle answer turns away wrath, –
but a harsh word stirs up anger. Pr 15:1
A gentle answer is the opposite of a harsh word–
To turn away wrath is the opposite of stirring up anger–
Example of antithetic parallelism•
A wise son heeds his father's instruction, –
but a mocker does not listen to rebuke. Pr 13:1
The parallels do not need to be true opposites, but the –
ideas are clearly antithetical
Poetry
There are other types as well, and not everyone •
agrees on the names, and they can be combined
Example of a combined • tricola
For surely your enemies, O LORD, –
surely your enemies will perish;
all evildoers will be scattered. Ps 92:9
The first two cola are a – stairlike parallelism
(something is added in the 2nd colon)
The second two cola are synonymous–
Poetry
Seeing parallelism can sometimes help with •
understand too
– I am the LORD, and there is none else. I form the
light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create
evil: Is 45:6b-7a (KJV)
If you spot the parallelism (light – – peace, darkness –
evil) you will see that “evil” here does not mean moral
evil; the NIV renders this verse as,
I am the LORD, and there is no other. I form the light –
and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create
disaster;
Figures of Speech
• Figures of speech are important!
• Bullinger, in his 1898 book Figures of Speech
Used in the Bible, lists 217 of them!
• Bullinger notes,
– “an unusual form (figura) is never used except to add
force to the truth conveyed, emphasis to the statement
of it, and depth to the meaning of it.”
– “In fact, it is not too much to say that, in the use of
these figures, we have, as it were, the Holy Spirit’s
own markings of our Bibles.”
E. W. Bullinger. Figures of Speech Used in the Bible
Figures of Speech
Figures of speech are used in prose too, but they •
are far more common in poetry
There are many types, let• ’s just examine a few
Figures of Speech
Similes and metaphors are very common•
Example similes:•
my groans pour out like water– Job 3:24
He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which –
yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not
wither. Whatever he does prospers. Ps 1:3
Reckless words pierce like a sword – Pr 12:18a
We should always ask • “In what sense is the
comparison intended to be true?” (note that the
2nd example above answers that question!)
Figures of Speech
Example metaphors: (Again • – ask, “in what
sense are these intended?”)
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.–
Ps 23:1
– “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother
and be united to his wife, and the two will become one
flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking
about Christ and the church. Eph 5:31-32
For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body– —
whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were
all given the one Spirit to drink. Now the body is not
made up of one part but of many. … 1 Cor 12:13f
Figures of Speech
• Anthropomorphisms are a type of metaphor, we
must seek to understand the point being made
– Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save,
nor his ear too dull to hear. Is 59:1
– God does not have arms or ears, but the meaning is
clear, he does hear and he can save
– This is what the LORD says: "Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you
will build for me? Where will my resting place be?
Is 66:1
– God does not sit on a throne, have feet, live in a
house or need rest; but he rules over all the earth and
we should fear and serve him
Figures of Speech
Anthropopathisms• are different because God is
personal and does, in fact, have emotions
But, • Mickelsen correctly notes,
“Grief, anger, wrath, etc., are all genuine responses of
God. The metaphorical element arises from the fact that
human grief, anger, and wrath are a complex array of
elements. Grief can involve self-pity; anger can be filled
with an irrational obsession for revenge; wrath can be
overlaid with a passion to return in kind. Yet these
elements must be excluded from an accurate picture of
God’s grief, anger, and wrath. God’s response is
genuine; it is the human counterpart that is tainted by
corrupt elements.” Mickelsen, op. cit., pg. 185
Figures of Speech
Many biblical figures of speech are drawn from •
agriculture, livestock and wildlife and modern city
dwellers need to do some work to understand
the full meaning
Examples•
In Judges – 6:25-26 Gideon is told to offer “the second
bull … the one seven years old” from his father’s
heard – what does that mean?
The significance is that this bull would be the next –
herd sire (the first one might be getting near the end of
his useful life), so that is a serious threat to the future
of the whole herd and the owner’s livelihood
Figures of Speech
Also consider•
He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables –
me to stand on the heights. Ps 18:33
What does a deer have to do with the heights?–
I will howl like a jackal and moan like an owl.– Mic 1:8
How many of us have heard a jackal?–
Therefore, we need to take the time to find out •
what these references mean
Figures of Speech
• The litotes is a deliberate understatement, using
a negation of the contrary idea, to emphasize a
point
• Example litotes
– A false witness will not go unpunished,
and he who pours out lies will not go free. Pr 19:5
– We see synonymous parallelism and a litotes in each
colon, liars will certainly be punished and imprisoned
• Example litotes
– … in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I
did not run or labor for nothing. Phil 2:16
– Paul ran for the greatest of all prizes
Figures of Speech
Example litotes from Wednesday night!•
the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses –
his name. Ex 20:7
This emphasizes that God will most certainly •
hold those who misuse his name guilty and they
will be punished!
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