Hermeneutics Lecture 2 - gracevalley.org · Lecture 2 June 3, 2018 Prepared by R. Spencer. Outline...

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!




Genre–

Context–



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



The second rule: Literal meaning • – we want to

know what God meant; the plain meaning


Genre–

Context–



Typology–

Examples•

Outline – Review




Grammatical– -historical method – this is the plain

meaning when genre etc. are taken into account

Genre–

Context–



Typology–

Examples•

Outline – Review





Genre–

Context–



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


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!


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


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.)


• 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!

Hermeneutics Lecture 2 - gracevalley.org · Lecture 2 June 3, 2018 Prepared by R. Spencer. Outline...

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