Interpretation

Interpretation answers the question, “What does this mean?”

Freedictionary.com defines it as: “an explanation or conceptualization.” There is only one meaning to a text, and that is determined by what it meant to the people it was written to.

“Our goal is to grasp the meaning of the text God has intended. We do not create meaning out of a text; rather, we seek to find the meaning that is already there.”   ¹

 

How we do interpretation.

For our discussion on Interpretation we will use the analogy that is found in the book, “Grasping God’s Word” by Duvall and Hays. They call it the “Interpretive Journey.” As you will see we have already completed the first step of the journey with our Observation work.

Step 1   Grasping the text in their town
– what did the text mean for the original author and his original audience?

Step 2   Measuring the width of the river to cross
– what separates us today from those original writers and readers?

Step 3   Crossing the “principlizing” bridge
– what timeless/theological principles exist in this passage?

Step 4   Grasping the text in my town [will cover in Application next week]
– how can I apply those principles to my own life so that I learn from the text what the                                    original  audience learned?

Step 1 Grasping the text in their town – what did the text mean for the original author and original audience?

Use all the preparation and observation work to arrive at what it meant to the people it was written to.

Preparation:  It is crucial to follow our Guide, the Holy Spirit. Someone can read and understand some of the words in Scripture, but without a prepared heart, faith and the Holy Spirit, they will lack the spiritual framework, motivation, and understanding to grasp a given passage in its whole- Bible context.

• An unbeliever can comprehend the sense of words, the rules of grammar, and the general logic or flow of a passage. However, Paul says in 1 Cor 2:14 that an unbeliever rejects the message of Scripture. They are not persuaded of its truth and will not apply it to their lives.
• We should not say, “All I need is the Holy Spirit for interpretation.”
• o   The Spirit expects us to use our minds in Bible study.
• o   The Spirit does not create new meaning or provide new information beyond what Scripture says. There are not “new” insights apart from Scripture.
• o   The Spirit helps us to grasp the meaning of Scripture by showing us how we need to apply it, to have sensitivity to Scripture’s message. This is not “new revelation” but fresh understanding of the Bible’s meaning.
• o   The Spirit convicts us that Scripture is divinely inspired.
• o   The Spirit impresses upon us the full meaning (i.e., importance) of the Scriptures.
• o   The Spirit works in our hearts to receive the Word (application).  The interpretive task is not simply an intellectual one; it involves our entire being and the help of the Holy Spirit. Consequently, spiritual preparation becomes crucial for perceiving the truth of the Scriptures and receiving that truth into your life.

Observation: The quality of observation will determine the accuracy of interpretation.

Let go of pre-conceived ideas about the text. Familiarity can help or hinder you at times. Grasping God’s word gives the following precaution. “Pre-understanding refer to all of our preconceived notions and understandings that we bring to the text, which have been formulated, both consciously and subconsciously, before we actually study the text in detail.” ¹

 Review your notes of the following:

• The place in the storyline of the overall Bible story.
• Literary genre and how that affects your reading.
• Who, what, when, where, why and how

Make summary statements of what the text meant to the people it was written to.

 

Step Two – Measuring the width of the river to cross – what separates us today from those original writers and you as a reader today?

• Culture – Identify any unique differences between their culture and ours.
• Language – Identify any words that are significantly different from our understanding.
• Time – Identify the time of the passage.
• Situation – Identify significant differences between their situation and our situation today.
• Covenant – If it is an Old Testament passage, identify those significant theological differences that came as a result of the life and work of Jesus Christ.

Step Three – Crossing the “timeless principle” bridge – what timeless principles exist in this passage?

Considering all your summary notes and observations, look for an over-arching “Theological Principle.” The theological principle is part of the meaning that you are discovering in the text.

The principle should:

• be reflected in the text
• be timeless and tied to specific situation
• not be culturally bound
• corresponds to the rest of the Scripture
• be relevant to contemporary and biblical audiences

**Theological interpretation must come from the text and not be forced on to a text.

Key questions to ask the text about its theology:

• What does the text tell us about the character of God?
• How does the text further explain aspects of God’s redemptive plan?
• In what way(s) does the text strengthen the redemptive message of the gospel?
• What does the text teach about man’s sinful condition?
• Are there ethical, social, cultural aspects needing to be observed or taught?
• In what ways does the text strengthen the anticipation (OT) or the fulfillment (NT) of the person and work of Christ?

Here are some guidelines for finding timeless truths:

Old Testament Commands – Right or wrong, many often assume that some OT commandments no longer apply to us, while on the other hand, we feel certain that others are valid for today. To properly determine which are valid we need to understand some basic facts about the OT:

• The OT contains over 600 different commands (mostly in the Pentateuch).
• The OT is the record of God’s covenant with Israel.

Guidelines for Applying
Old Testament Commands: Old Testament Commands:	Is the command restated in the NT? Is the command revoked in the NT? What is the principle behind the OT command?	Although we are no longer under the Old Covenant, we need to remember that the laws of the Old Covenant reflect God’s character. Therefore, the principles behind these laws should still be valid, even though some specific expressions of the laws may be obsolete.
New TestamentCommands	Much of the teaching of the NT can be applied directly to us today, but sometimes a biblical teaching is directed so specifically to the culture of the ancient world, that another culture cannot understand it. Evaluate whether specific statements are cultural and temporary, or timeless— spanning across all ages.	We should understand that every cultural expression in the Bible is a result of some timeless principle. And even though a cultural expression cannot be carried over directly to another culture, the timeless truth behind it can. Just because it is cultural does not mean it can be ignored.
Applying Biblical Promises	Because we are no longer under the Old Covenant, we cannot assume that promises of that covenant directly apply to us. Such promises are usually associated with the blessings God promised the people of Israel if they obeyed His law. Before applying a promise, we must identify the person or group to whom the promise was originally given. Most prophetic books were written directly to Israel and Judah. We cannot ignore the original audience and historical context of these books without serious danger of mis-applying what we read.
Categories of Promises Directly Intended for Us	Promises that are universal in scope. Promises given to the church. Promises given to other groups to which we belong.
Conditional or Unconditional	Once we conclude that a promise applies to us, we must also ask whether the fulfillment is dependent in any way on our actions or attitudes.
Promises vs. Principles	A principle is not the same as a promise. A principle is usually based on who God is— and God never changes. But a promise is based on what God has said He would or would not do. Both the conditions and the recipients of His promise have sometimes changed greatly from the Old to the New Covenant.
Promises vs. Proverbs	In spite of appearance, most proverbs are not promises. They are wise sayings or principles that are generally true of life. Those who follow the advice given in Proverbs will have wisdom for dealing with the practical areas of life.

Common pitfalls of interpretation

• “over-spiritualizing,” “allegorical’ [fanciful story with 2 levels of meaning,]” “typology.”

While often unconscious of their interpretive method, many Christians today nonetheless frequently employ an intuitive or feels-­‐right approach to interpretation. If the text looks as if it could be applied directly, then they attempt to apply it directly. If not, then they take a spiritualizing approach to the meaning – an approach that borders on allegorizing the biblical text (which shows little or no sensitivity to the biblical context).  Or else they simply shrug their shoulders and move onto another passage, ignoring the meaning of the text altogether.” ¹

As careful readers and students of the Bible,  in partnership with the Holy Spirit, we do not need to fall into the trap of trying to make something more than is already there. There are enough main and plain things in Scripture to encourage us for a life time!

¹ J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays, Grasping God’s Word (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005).

Supplemental Materials:

Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes book summary

Desiring the Kingdom – worldview

Desiring-the-Kingdom-Review-by-Brent-Colby

preview–practice-makes-perfect-emlet