Servant
Leadership School
September 14, 2003
Observation – Interpretation -
Application
The Inductive Method
Observation - The word,
phrase, passage that you are focusing on.
Here are some specific things to be looking for in a passage (things to
“Observe”)
Who: are the main characters?
What: are the main events? ideas? doctrines?
When: was it written? did it take place? will it happen?
Where: was it written? did it take place? will it happen?
Why: was it written? does the author include this?
How: is it done?
explained? compared?
Interpretation - What the
word, phrase, passage means
We see an example of this in the Scripture:
(Neh 8:1-8 KJV) And all the
people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before
the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the
law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel.
{2} And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and
women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the
seventh month. {3} And he read therein before the street that was before the
water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and
those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto
the book of the law. {4} And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which
they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and
Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his
left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana,
Zechariah, and Meshullam. {5} And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the
people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the
people stood up: {6} And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the
people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their
heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground. {7} Also Jeshua,
and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita,
Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to
understand the law: and the people stood in their place. {8} So they read in
the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to
understand the reading.
These fellows that stood with Ezra “gave the sense” in order to help the
people understand what the Scriptures meant.
When it comes to interpretation, it’s important to understand that the
meaning isn’t “what it means to me”. The
Scripture means what God intends it to mean.
Sometimes we can get together with our friends to study the Scriptures, and
it’s my desire that we would begin to cultivate more home fellowships in the
church for this purpose. But when we get
together, it’s not right to sit in a circle and ask everyone “what it means to
you”. It’s great for people to share
ideas and ask questions. But the meaning
of Scripture isn’t up to what I think it means.
It has a specific, real meaning. I
may not always understand what that meaning is, but that’s why we study and
prepare. The danger of having small
group discussions about Scripture is when we aren’t careful about finding out
the meaning of the Scripture. I have a
concern when people gather together to talk about Scripture, but nobody has
done any studying or preparation.
(2 Pet 1:20-21 KJV) Knowing
this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
{21} For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of
God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
Application - How the
word, phrase, or passage can apply to your life.
That’s our goal in Scripture, not just to be knowing what it means, but how
if affects our lives.
James wrote,
(James 1:22-25 KJV) But be
ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. {23} For
if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding
his natural face in a glass: {24} For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way,
and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. {25} But whoso looketh
into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a
forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his
deed.
Blessing comes by not just hearing God’s Word, but doing it.
Jesus said,
(Mat 7:24-27 KJV) Therefore
whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto
a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: {25} And the rain descended, and
the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not:
for it was founded upon a rock. {26} And every one that heareth these sayings
of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built
his house upon the sand: {27} And the rain descended, and the floods came, and
the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall
of it.
It’s not just hearing, but obeying what God’s Word says that helps us
survive the storms of life.
When it comes to application of Scripture, it is a wonderful thing to have
people share in small groups of how the Scripture applies to them. Application does not mean the same thing as
interpretation. Once we understand what
the Scripture means, we will find many ways to put it into practice in our own
lives.
Examples:
From Wednesday night:
Psalm 14:3 they are all together become filthy (O)
(I) Man becomes worse without God, not better.
Lesson
The result of god-less-ness
Illustration
In 1924 the Soviet revolutionist Leon Trotsky promised that with the
abolition of God would come a new breed of man.
"Man will become immeasurable stronger, wiser and subtler; his body
will become more harmonized, his movements more rhythmic," Trotsky wrote. "The average human type will rise to the
heights of an Aristotle, a Goethe, or a Marx.
And above this ridge new peaks will rise."
-- Graeme Crouch,
Chairman, Bible/Theology Dept., Prairie Bible College
Illustration
Cal Thomas wrote in 1992,
Nadia Hundert of Kiev
knows of the end results of atheism, especially in public education. Three years ago she wrote a letter to the
publication Soviet Ukraine. Hundert’s
message ought to be read wherever religious intolerance is practiced.
“Today, as a consequence of an atheistic upbringing,” she
wrote, “we are knee-deep in alcoholics, drug addicts, other chemically
dependent individuals, loafers, bums, criminals, savages, uncouths, dullards,
cruel and rightful juveniles who commit crimes for the fun of it. These are people who were brought up by
non-believer parents and an atheistic society.
Christians lived with religion for 1,000 years and provided us with a
rich heritage, which we have succeeded in destroying without fire or
flood.... It would be a very good thing
if, in re-structuring the school curriculum, the education specialists included
teaching of religion in our schools.”
It appears the Russians have learned something from
us. It also appears we have learned
nothing from them.
Lesson
(A) A need for a Savior
Paul quotes these first couple of verses in Romans 3:
(Rom 3:10-12 KJV) As it is written, There is none righteous,
no, not one: {11} There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh
after God. {12} They are all gone out of the way, they are together become
unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Paul takes this literally, that not just those who say they’re atheists say
“there’s no God”, but in a sense we all own up to this. We all live to some extent as if there is no
God.
Paul uses this as part of his point to say that all of man is sinful.
(Rom
3:23-24 KJV) For all have sinned,
and come short of the glory of God; {24} Being justified freely by his grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
God’s own children often live as if He doesn’t exist.
Yet He has loved us so much that He sent His Son Jesus to
die for our sins.
We need a Savior.
From Last Sunday:
Psalm 8:1 To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of David.
Gittith (O) – Gittiyth – (I) “a wine-press” or, “from Gath”;
possibly an instrument from the Philistine city of Gath,
either invented in Gath or invented
by David while in Gath.
David wrote a psalm for the Gittith (Ps. 8). So did Asaph (Ps. 81) and the Sons of Korah
(Ps. 84)
(A) Maybe it’s okay to use
secular instruments in music. God can use those electric guitars and drums.
It could be that this means it is a song of “delight”, referring to the
“wine-press”.
(I) One suggestion even tied
this psalm to David’s victory over Goliath the giant of Gath. There are many things in this psalm common to
the story of David and Goliath.
(1 Sam 17:42-47 KJV) And when the Philistine looked about, and saw
David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth,
and ruddy, and of a fair countenance. {43} And the Philistine said unto David,
Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David
by his gods. {44} And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give
thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field. {45} Then
said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear,
and with a shield: but I come to thee in
the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel,
whom thou hast defied. {46} This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand;
and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the
carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild
beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in
Israel. {47} And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with
sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our
hands.
You’re going to see the ideas of God using “youth”, the power of the “name
of Yahweh”, and references to birds and animals.
Psalm 8:2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained
strength …
(Psa 8:2 NLT) You have taught children and nursing infants to give
you praise. They silence your enemies who were seeking revenge.
Lesson
(I) Perfect praise comes from kids
Jesus quotes this passage (actually quoting the Septuagint, the Greek
translation of this passage).
(Mat 21:12-16 KJV) And
Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought
in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of
them that sold doves, {13} And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be
called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. {14} And the
blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.
Jesus upset the way people had been doing church. He removed the people who were taking
advantage of the people. He reached out
to the hurting people. He brought
healing.
{15} And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful
things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna
to the son of David; they were sore displeased,
Some folks can get too religious for their own good. These folks didn’t like what Jesus was
doing. Yet Jesus was doing the very
things that God wanted to be done in His House.
One of the things they didn’t like was how the children
were praising Jesus.
{16} And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus
saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and
sucklings thou hast perfected praise?
Jesus quotes Psalm 8.
Little children know how to praise Jesus correctly.
(A) Children’s ministry
We have a great responsibility to children, yet for some
of us we seem to forget this.
Helping young ones grow in the Lord – not just
babysitting.
An outreach to parents as well – providing a place for
parents to feel comfortable in leaving their kids
Tools of the trade (cont’d)
Bibles:
Differences in versions
Types of translations:
Word for word
The idea is that you try and translate a passage in a manner so that every
Hebrew or Greek word is translated into an appropriate English word. The benefit is that you get a translation
that’s very close to the original text.
The down side is that these translations are usually harder to read
because the language is a little choppy and doesn’t flow very well.
Bibles: King James, New King James,
New American Standard
Phrase/idea translation
The idea behind this translation philosophy is to try to look at an entire
phrase as you are translating. It’s hard
to put Hebrew thoughts into English in a word for word translation and still
come up with the flow or thought that was intended. The benefit of this method is that the
reading is generally easier to understand and flows better. The down side is that the translation may not
quite accurately represent all that was intended. Sometimes it will lean towards one particular
idea that a passage conveys, but do it in a way that sacrifices other thoughts
that also may be conveyed in a passage.
Bibles: New International Version
Paraphrases
These are not strictly translations.
An author or editor will take a passage and put it into his own words,
elaborating when needed to help explain a little more what is being talked
about.
Example of comparing different types
of translations
Word for word –
(Isa 30:33 NASB) For Topheth has long been ready, Indeed, it
has been prepared for the king. He has made it deep and large, A pyre of fire
with plenty of wood; The breath of the LORD, like a torrent of brimstone, sets
it afire.
Phrase translation –
(Isa 30:33 NIV) Topheth has long been prepared; it has been
made ready for the king. Its fire pit has been made deep and wide, with an
abundance of fire and wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of burning
sulfur, sets it ablaze.
The second sentence is reworded to read a little more
smoothly, “Its fire pit …”
Paraphrase –
(Isa 30:33 NLT) Topheth--the place of burning--has long been
ready for the Assyrian king; it has been piled high with wood. The breath of
the LORD, like fire from a volcano, will set it ablaze.
Note the additions, “place of burning” and “Assyrian” to
explain the terms that might be questioned.
The problem is, these are an individual’s interpretation, even if it’s
mostly correct. “Topheth” is a “place of
burning”. But which “king”? It could be the “Assyrian” king, but it also
could be the antichrist, which you wouldn’t see if you were just limited to the
New Living Translation.
Types of manuscript foundation
Hebrew Old Testament – The Jewish scribes were very, very slow and careful
in their copying of manuscripts, and as a result, there is a great degree of
accuracy from one copy to the next.
Greek New Testament – The early church wasn’t as careful. They were just so excited when they got a
copy of a letter from Paul, or one of the gospel accounts, that they’d quickly
make as many copies as possible, and as a result, some copyist errors began to
creep into the copies. If one person
made a spelling error, then every other person copying from his copy would make
that same error. As a result, there are
about 150,000 variations in the Greek texts.
Don’t worry about that though, most are things like spelling errors. Of the variances, only .27% (400) actually
affect the possible meaning of the text, and only .03% (50) affect the meaning
to any large degree. NONE of the
variances alters “an article of faith or a precept of duty which is not
abundantly sustained by other and undoubted passages, or by the whole tenor of
Scripture teaching” (Philip Schaff, Comparison
to the Greek Testament and the English Version).
As a result of these variances, the Greek manuscripts can be divided into
“families” based on their similarities.
The two main “families” or texts are the “Byzantine” and the
“Alexandrian” texts. The idea is that
when a copyist in Alexandria made
certain mistakes in copying, all those who copied from him also copied his
mistakes as well.
Which family of texts is better?
There are scholars on both sides of the coin. When I went to seminary, I was taught that the
Alexandrian texts were the older, more reliable texts. Pastor Chuck feels that the Byzantine texts
are the more reliable texts.
Because of these two families of Greek texts, there are two streams of
Bible translations based on these texts:
Byzantine (also called “textus receptus” or, “received text”) – King James,
New King James.
Alexandrian – New American Standard, New International Version