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Back to the Bible Podcast
Episode 124: Bible Study Basics, 3
00:30:02
In this episode, we consider the importance of the background to a Biblical text.
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Back to the Bible. Let it be our plea, God's Word alone, our authority, every word, every step in the name of Christ, back to the Bible for the way of life. What a privilege it is to be able to consider God's Word with you today. We are thankful for every opportunity that we have to join together in look at the Scriptures. And we hope it is our aim, it's our desire that you will find that we are indeed interested in going back to the Bible for it all, that we want to use the Scriptures, use the Word of God to shape every aspect of our life, whether that's what we do in our day to day work and in our responsibilities, to our family, in our moral lives, but also what we do with relationship to local congregations, to the church and to the work that we have to do in that. So over the last couple of episodes we have, of course we've been inserting these into our study of the Book of Acts, but we've been looking at key principles for Bible study and I want to do that one more time. I think that's what I've anticipated for today. And what I would like to do is consider some questions that we should be asking of a text as we look at it. Because if we are interested in going back to the Bible, I think being able to read the Bible well, significant. If we're not reading the Bible well, then it is very easy for us to make misapplications and misunderstand what certain texts are saying. And I hope that I can illustrate that through this lesson. And I hope that I can give some examples of places where we need to be careful so that we are careful all the way along. We want to, as Paul told Timothy, we want to be diligent and handle the word accurately. That we don't want to be flippant and we don't want to be casual with the text in a way that would indicate that we're not appreciating the significance of what we are reading. Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 2, verse 15 to be diligent, to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed. Accurately handling the word of truth now there is a way in which we could inaccurately handle the word of truth. Peter would talk about in 2 Peter chapter 3 that some folks would twist the words of Paul to their own destruction as they do the rest of the Scriptures. So do you see that there is even in Scripture a concern about twisting God's words? And so we want to consider very carefully how to study God's Word. And we will do that. Let me make mention of a few ways to contact us. You can reach out to us. The easiest way perhaps would be through our website, backtothebiblepodcast.com backtothebiblepodcast.Com there are contact forms there that you can fill out and you can reach out to us with a message, whether that's about a program that you would like for us to have a lesson that you would like for us to talk about. Perhaps you have a question about something we've already talked about, or maybe you have a critique or a challenge to something that we've said. You also can reach out to us and give us a word of encouragement if it's something that's helpful. And one thing that you can reach out to us as well is perhaps you're looking for Bible study. You would like to engage with personal study with someone, if that's with us, if we're in range of doing that, that would be wonderful. But it may be that you're in a place where, of course, we could do it over the phone or through Zoom or Skype or something like that. But it might be that we can put you in contact with someone close to you and you could study the Bible with them. Maybe you are looking for a local congregation nearby, and we would love to put you in contact with a group that is interested in going back to the Bible for it all. Now, I have a condition on that. I cannot recommend any perfect churches. Just so everybody knows there are no perfect churches out there. But there are churches whose goal is to go back to the Bible. They might be small. They might not be meeting in a building that you consider to be really fancy or elaborate. There might be other things about them that you don't understand or that doesn't match what you see in the rest of the religious world. But that would not be the stipulations for my recommendation. My recommendation would be based on the fact that I think that they are committed to going back to the Bible for it all. Now, here's the thing. It is also possible that they're not committed going back to the Bible for it all. And I am mistaken about that. But do you know that we can always test. The Bible calls us to test all things, to prove all things, to hold fast to what is good and to abstain from. From what is evil. And especially if you're in Walker county listening on the radio or Franklin county listening on the radio, then of course there would be places that have helped me be the person that I am. And I would point you in those directions. But really, almost anywhere I think we can find a group of folks within driving range at least, who are committed to going back to the Bible. So let's look at some Bible principles in looking and studying the text. Let me say that I think that in our efforts to study the Bible, one of the key things is just what I just said is studying the text. I think there are lots of great Bible class books on certain topics. But what happens sometimes is we get a topic and we just get all the passages about that. We think that they're about that and we look at them and it's almost as if we don't look at them in their context. We don't look at them in their. With their background, any of that. And so you say, well, we're getting book, chapter and verse for that. Yes, you are. And that is better than a sharp stick in the eye, I can tell you that. But it is not the way that we need to be looking at the scriptures. Whenever we're doing a topical study as we. I want it, for example, if we're doing a study of the Holy Spirit, I want to see every passage that talks about the Holy Spirit. But I'm not just looking at those passages. That one verse or that one phrase just simply on its own. I need to be setting it within the paragraph or the chapter or the book or within the context of the whole of Scripture in order to understand what's happening in this particular passage. That's true with every type of text. There is almost always something that we say that somebody could pluck out and it would make it sound as if we were saying the opposite of what we were saying. But what we need to know is that we want the whole context in order to make sure that we're getting what God actually intended for us to hear. So let me give you some examples that I think will help us in this. First of all, the approach that I think that is helpful is called the inductive Bible study. Now, inductive Bible study, all that means is that rather than bringing our own biases into the text, though, that's very difficult to do. We all have beliefs and experiences and perspectives that we're going to bring to the text. So we have to be careful about that. But what we want to do is we want to draw out of the text what it is saying. And that requires really three levels. We want to observe the text, then we want to interpret the text and Then we want to apply the text. Now, the observation or the interpretation, somebody might say, okay, what are we talking about interpreting the text? Are we allowed to just have our own interpretation? That's not what I'm saying. The first stage, the observation stage is just seeing what is there, what words are being used. Do I need to get the definition of those words? What is in the text? Are there repeated words? What came before and what came after? That's the observation. The interpretation is, okay, what does that mean? Why does that matter? And the application is what does that mean for me, I am afraid that too many Bible studies begin with the question what does that mean to you? Right. And that is a key question in lots of small group Bible studies, Sunday school Bible classes is they will read a passage and they will say, what does that mean to you? And immediately the jump is to well, the way it makes me feel or what I think about. And it's like those are not the things we need to be considering first. What we need to be considering is what does this passage say and what does it mean, period? Not what does it mean to you, but what does it mean period? Then once we understand that, then we can say, how does that apply to me? What does that mean for me? Because the text of Scripture does not mean different things for different people. Now it might apply in different ways to different people. When my wife and I read the same text, it doesn't mean anything different, but in her role as a wife and mother in going to mean there's probably different applications than there is to me as a dad and a husband. And so we have to consider that as we look at the text, there are some passages, they mean exactly the same thing, but they give some instructions to the elderly and some instructions to the young that they're going to make different applications from that. I hope that that is clear. So we want to see what's in the text, we want to interpret it, and we want to then apply it in our life. Now there are lots of good resources out there that will help you in this and I would love to reach out and to commend some of those to you. But for now we'll just leave it at there are good resources and if you'd like to know what they are, then reach out and I will try to share some of those with you on. Alright, so when we come to a text we want to see. Well, let me say this before we do that. When we're looking at in a Bible class and we're doing a topical Study. Let me suggest that it's better, that it's better if we do textual study. And the reason that that is is not because that's the only way we can do Bible class. Along the way, for sure, let's add topics in. You know, we want to consider the work of local churches, or we want to consider the Holy Spirit, or we want to talk about moral problems. All right, let's address all of those things. But I believe that if we make it our habit to study the text first, then when we come to a topic to study it, when we reference the passages, we not only know that verse that's being cited, but we know what's going on around it and we can see if proper application is being made. And I think that's significant. So let me just say I preach topical sermons and I teach in topical Bible classes from time to time, but my primary focus is the text and working through it. Now, somebody might say, well, you're still not very good. Alright, my claim is not that I'm good at this. My claim is this is what I want to be good at, is understanding Bible passages in their context. So don't use my end results as a model necessarily, if you don't think I'm right about it. But the goal, I think is exactly right, to want to understand every passage in its context, every passage in its balance with the rest of Scripture, so that when we make applications of it, we are doing so in a way that is accurate. And I think that will make our topical studies more effective. For example, if you are studying the Holy Spirit and you are just citing random passages in the book of Ephesians, it can get, maybe it would be very difficult to have the right understanding. But I heard a lesson just last week of a man who went through the book of Ephesians and tried to put each passage about the Holy Spirit in its context. And I learned more about the Holy Spirit in that than I have in a long, long time. Because what he was doing is he was saying, this is what Paul is writing about. Let's try to understand this in his line of thinking. And it was very, very helpful. Alright, that's just a word on that. So when we come to a text, I think the first thing that we need to look at is the background. The background. So for example, one question we would ask, so you know, four or five questions about the background. One would be, who is this that is speaking now? You might say, well, what does that matter? Isn't it all the inspired word of God? Indeed, it is. Every word is inspired of God and is profitable. However, sometimes when that word is being recorded, when that word is being recorded, it is an accurate reflection of what somebody was saying who was not telling the truth. You see what I'm saying? Sometimes it is the author, the inspired author, writing down words of someone who was a liar. So in Job 2 and verse 4, Job 2:4, Satan answered the Lord and said, skin for skin. Yes. All that a man has he will give for his life. However, send forth your hand now and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you in your face. Now, is that true? Well, let me tell you this. What Satan says right there is a lie. Is not true. Job is not someone who just gives skin for skin. He is not someone who gives all that he has for his life. He had his bone and flesh touched and he did not curse God to his face. Who's speaking? Satan speaking. Sometimes I think the Book of Job is a. Should I say a wonderful example or a terrible example of this. People will go through the Book of Job and they will cite passages and they will say, see, look at what it says here. Look at this. Look at this. And they don't realize that lots of the Book of Job is Job's friends who have a misunderstanding about who God is speaking. And lots of passages in the Book of Job, even when they're spoken by Job, are passages where he is. He is on the threshold of crossing over into blasphemy. And so what we have to do is we have to be very careful when we read a text because just because someone is right writing it down, that we need to know who it is that is speaking. And I think that there are times where people cite passages that are not intended to be understood that way because they're not looking at who is doing the speaking. And I think that's a very basic background question to be asked. We also need to know not just who is speaking, but. But who is being spoken to. Let me give you an example of this. This is in Acts 1:4. Gathering them together, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father. Which he said, you heard from me. For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. Now, some people look at that text and see the promise made to them about the Holy Spirit baptism. And they have taken the Scriptures and said, well, we just. That's for us. That's for us today. But I want you to see this. Look at verse two. He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles. He had chosen verse three, to whom he also presented himself alive. Verse four. And gathering them together, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem. As we go through, we're going to be introduced to the 120 the other disciples of Jesus. But when we come to chapter two and the baptism of the Holy Spirit actually happens, we're talking about the apostles again. Chapter 1 and verse 26, he was added to the 11 apostles, chapter 2, verse 1. And when the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all together in one place. Now, is it possible he's talking about the 120? Okay, sure. But the last group he referenced was the 11 apostles. And now added to 12 with Matthias. And he references they all being together in one place. The last one that was referenced was the twelve apostles, the last group that was referenced. And then they begin. They're all filled with the Holy Spirit. Now somebody says, yes, that's for us. There are groups that call themselves Pentecostal because they want to reproduce the Pentecostal event of Acts chapter 2. But remember, to whom did he make the promise of this? Not the 120, the apostles. And then as you go through the whole text, you will see that it is the apostles who are doing the speaking. If you will look down at verse 14, Peter, taking his stand with the 11, raised his voice and declared to them, and they will call out. In verse 37, they call to Peter and the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what must we do? So what you need to see is that the people who get what we're talking about at the beginning of chapter two is the apostles, not the whole group. So who is being spoken to is important, because there are times, especially when, as we're making application today, especially things that are said to the apostles with regards to the way the Holy Spirit is going to work in their life. That is an application that is made. We benefit from that. It has an application for us. But really the application is the trustworthiness of the Word rather than how the Holy Spirit is going to operate in our life directly. Now, let me also say this. So we talk about who is speaking, who is being spoken to. And sometimes the situation itself matters. Sometimes the situation matters. For example, in First Corinthians, chapter 7 and verse 8, the text there says, but I say to the unmarried and to widows that it is good for them if they remain. Even as I Is Paul saying that people should remain single? I don't think Paul is saying that, except for the situation that they are in. And he will say, verse 10, but to the married I give instructions, not I, but the Lord. This is something that God spoke specifically on. Then he will say, I say not the Lord. And he's saying, this is something that Jesus did not speak specifically on. But then he says in verse 25, concerning virgins, I have no command of the Lord, but I give an opinion as one who by the mercy of the Lord is trustworthy. We need to see in each one of these sections that this is something that Jesus directly talked about. This is something that Jesus didn't talk about, but Paul is. And then here's something that Jesus didn't talk about. Paul doesn't have a command about, but is giving his opinion dealing with the situation. So somebody turns to this passage and say, well, it's better for people not to marry. I think there's a whole group of people who identify as Christians who says, First Corinthians 7 says that it's more spiritual, it's better for you if you don't marry. I think given the situation that the Corinthians were in, perhaps that was the case. But on the whole, when God sees marriage, he sees it as very good. It is. Listen, the Bible says it is not good for man to be alone, so he makes the woman and brings her to the man. And when he sees man and woman, he says it is very good. So let's not miss the situation in First Corinthians 7. That would cause us to misinterpret and misapply the that text to our religious practices. There are churches, there are religious groups that forbid certain leaders from marrying. And one of the passages they would use would be First Corinthians 7, it's more spiritual not to be married. Are there benefits to not being married? For sure, there are responsibilities and concerns and needs that have to be addressed. But the same is true if as not having children. Is having children a bad thing? Absolutely not. So we have to consider the situation, and under normal circumstances we would say that marriage is good and that godly people, good people, teachers of God's word, have been married and Paul is addressing a situation. Now, the last thing that I want to note today, I said this was going to be our last lesson on Bible study. I don't know that that's going to be the case. But the last thing I want to notice about background. We may still have a minute to get a little bit further in, but I want to think about the motivation behind the passage. Now, sometimes that's going to be difficult to understand. But understanding why something was written is helpful because if we have the understanding of why something was written, then we can give more explanations. So, for example, in the Book of Judges, in the last four chapters, well, 17, 18, 19, 20, and 21, so last five chapters, there are some horrific stories told. And I think the worst one may be the worst story in the whole Bible, but certainly a terrible one if it's not. The worst is the one of the man who goes to the city and they attack his virgin daughter, and they take him. Take the man's concubine, not the virgin daughter. The man has a virgin daughter, but the visitor comes in with a concubine and they attack her sexually and she dies because of the violence. And then the man whose concubine she is tells her to get up and let's go. And she doesn't move. And then she. He cuts her up and sends her through the city. Now, all of this looks horrible. You've got the man with a concubine, which is already questionable, depending on what that relationship looks like. Then you've got the other man offering his virgin daughter and a concubine. Then you've got these men raping the concubine when they were actually seeking the man who came in. But they take the concubine, then they kill her in their rape. Then he cuts her up and sends her. Okay. It gets worse and worse. And the way he treats her, he just looks down at her, she has been abused, and he just says, get up. Let's go. Now who is right in all of this? Who's being godly in this? Nobody. Nobody. And we would say, why is the Bible recording? Is it justifying something? Is it encouraging something in this? What's going on? No, none of that. When we look through this section of the Book of Judges, we can see the reason this passage is being recorded is to show the depths of the nation of Israel. Nothing in this is being encouraged. Nothing in this is being praised. It is all disgusting and awful. And it emphasizes a passage that is repeated in 17, 18, 19 and 21. This phrase. In those days, there was no king in Israel. Every man did what was right in his own eyes. You see, the motivation of this passage was not to give us life lessons. The motivation of this passage was not for you to find some way to apply when you're visiting some foreign city. The point of this passage was to show you the disaster, the moral wreck that Israel had become. And the motivation for this passage was to show you that the very fact that Israel exists at all was only by the mercy and the grace of God. It was not by their own moral capacity. It was not by their own goodness. Israel was a dumpster fire of evil and wickedness and sin. That's the motivation for this passage. Sometimes people will turn to text, especially in the Old Testament. They will see what happens, and they will say, is this justified? Is God praising this? No. No. Now, sometimes there are things that God praises and justifies that shock us. But that's because we are out of step with who God is, not because he needs to apologize for anything. But in this case, nothing's being praised here. This is ungodly, wicked, horrific activity. But it's recorded for us because we need to see that in those days, there was no king in Israel, not even God. And every person did what was right in his own eyes. We'll pick up on this lesson later on. Until next time, we bid you a pleasant good day in the name of Christ. Back to the Bible for the way of life.