A
Look At Biblical Interpretation
Definitions
of “interpretation” according to Webster's 1828 dictionary:
“1.
The act of interpreting; explanation of unintelligible words in
language that is intelligible. interpretation
is the design of translation.
2. The act
of expounding or unfolding what is not understood or not obvious; as
the interpretation of dreams and prophecy.
3. The
sense given by an interpreter; exposition. We sometimes find various
interpretations of the same passage of Scripture and other ancient
writings.
4. The
power of explaining.”
That gives us a pretty good idea of
what the word “interpretation” means. I believe definition 1 and
2 best fit the Biblical sense of the word.
Definition number 4 is good, “the
power of explaining”. Who has the power of explaining the Bible?
The very first book (Genesis) tells us...
Genesis
40:8 And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no
interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations
belong to God? tell me them, I pray you.
Interpretations
belong to God, not man. Man has no business interpreting scripture.
God gives the interpretation, He is the one that explains His own
words. For example, the Holy Spirit use to give people the gift of
tongues in order to get His word to those who spoke other languages
(this was done until the completion of the Bible—1 Corinthians
13:8-12).
1
Corinthians 12:
[8]
For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the
word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
[9] To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
[10] To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
[11] But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
[9] To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
[10] To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
[11] But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
1
Corinthians 14:
[26]
How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, everyone of you hath
a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an
interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.
[27] If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.
[28] But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.
[29] Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.
[30] If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace.
[31] For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.
[32] And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.
[33] For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
[27] If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.
[28] But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.
[29] Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.
[30] If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace.
[31] For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.
[32] And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.
[33] For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
1
Corinthians 14:40 Let
all things be done decently and in order.
Notice
that the Spirit gave a man the gift of tongues and another the gift
of interpretation. God gave the message and the interpretation. The
tongues did not come from man, they came from God. Likewise the
interpretation of those tongues did not come from man, they came from
God. God does not put out words and expect man to guess what those
words mean, He interprets them Himself. The interpretation belongs to
Him.
The
Bible is a literal book, not figurative. This does not mean that the
Bible does not use metaphors and figurative language when describing
literal events and prophecies. God expects us to take His word
literally and not figuratively. The Bible is to be taken “as it is
written”, a phrase used 45 times in the Bible. When Christ and the
apostles taught the Bible they taught it “as it is written”. They
did not give a “private interpretation” of it.
Paul
talked a lot about “what saith the scriptures?” (Rom. 4:3, 9:17,
10:11, 11:2, Gal. 4:30, etc.) The scriptures are not “open to
interpretation”, they “SAITH” what they mean “AS IT IS
WRITTEN”. James said that the scriptures do not say things in vain
(James 4:5). Peter believed that what is “contained in the
scriptures” mattered (1 Pet. 2:6). Paul REASONED with people out of
the scriptures (Acts 17:2). Therefore the scriptures themselves have
to be REASONABLE and not figurative, open-interpretation, type
fables.
Some
people believe that the words of scripture are not written literally
and that they are only meant to convey God's thoughts. They believe
that we cannot take something “as it is written” but that we can
only take the general thought or idea of the scriptures. That is
untrue. God's WORDS are how He conveys His thoughts. His words are
His thoughts and ideas.
Isaiah
55:
[8]
For my
thoughts
are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the
LORD.
[9] For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
[10] For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
[11] So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
[9] For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
[10] For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
[11] So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
Look
at what Peter said in 2 Peter 1:16-2:3
“For
we
have not followed cunningly devised fables,
when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from
God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him
from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were
with him in the holy mount. We have also a
more sure word of prophecy;
whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth
in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your
hearts: Knowing this first, that
no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
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.
But
there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall
be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable
heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon
themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious
ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And
through covetousness shall they with feigned
words
make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth
not, and their damnation slumbereth not.”
Peter
wrote that the scriptures are “sure”, they are not “cunnigly
devised fables”, and they are not open to “private
interpretation”. Peter contrasts the SURE WORD as being the
opposite of “cunnigly devised fables” and “feigned words”.
What
are fables? Webster's 1828 Dictionary says that a fable is “a
feigned story or tale, intended to instruct”
and “a fictitious narration intended to
enforce some useful truth or precept”.
The scriptures are NOT fables. They are SURE WORDS. They are “truth”
(John 17:17) and they do not speak in vain (James 4:5).
What
are feigned words? Webster's 1828 Dictionary says that feign means
“to invent or imagine”,
“to pretend; to assume a false appearance”,
and “to form and relate a fictitious tale”.
Therefore the scriptures are not “feigned words”. We cannot
interpret them by assuming
a false appearance.
The Bible says what it means and means what it says. To approach the
Bible assuming that it is full of figurative things that really have
a different meaning than what they say is a “private
interpretation”.
For
example...To approach the book of Revelation under the assumption
that it does not say exactly what it means, that it was written as a
fable to convey truths and precepts from God intending to instruct us
is a wrong approach. It is to be taken “as it is written”. That
is what it says. The book of Revelation puts emphasis on the fact
that it is prophecy and that it should be taken as it is “written”.
Revelation
1:3 - Blessed
is he that readeth, and they that hear the
words of
this prophecy,
and keep those things which
are written
therein: for the time is at hand.
Revelation
22:7 - Behold,
I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth
the sayings
of the prophecy
of this book.
Revelation
22:10 - And
he saith unto me, Seal not the
sayings
of the prophecy
of this book: for the time is at hand.
Revelation
22:18 - For
I testify unto every man that heareth the
words
of the prophecy
of this book, If any man shall add
unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are
written
in this book:
Revelation
22:19 - And
if any man shall take
away from the
words of
the book of this
prophecy, God
shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy
city, and from the things which are written
in this book.
The
end of the book of Revelation puts emphasis on NOT CHANGING the words
of the book. They are not to be twisted/changed, the words in
Revelation are written just as God wanted them to be kept.
The
problem most people have with this method of Bible interpretation is
that they do not understand Revelation. Not that anybody can
understand any book of the Bible completely, but we can at least
understand how it should be taken and what it means in general—though
nobody can understand the vast details in the word of God.
When
there is scripture that contains imagery and figurative words, God
always interprets those things. We are never left to wonder and guess
what was meant. As we saw in 1 Corinthians 12 and 14, when God gave
words He also interpreted them. He never leaves us wondering and
guessing. God is not the author of confusion (1 Cor. 14:33), His
words are reasonable and sure (Acts 17:2, James 4:5). They are not
fables and feigned words.
God
interprets His own words....
Revelation 17:
[1] And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
[2] With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
[3] So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
[4] And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
[5] And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
We
do not need to interpret the passage, God gave us the
interpretation.....
[6] And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
[7] And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
[8] The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
[9] And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
[10] And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
[11] And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
[12] And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
[13] These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
[14] These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
[15] And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
[16] And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
[17] For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
[18] And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
The
puzzling verses (1-5) are interpreted by the angel in verses 6-18.
God did not leave us wondering and guessing as to what was meant, He
gave us the interpretation. The Bible always says when it is being
figurative and it explains what the figure is.
The
scriptures are not fables nor feigned words. They are sure,
reasonable, of no private interpretation, and they are to be taken as
they are written. “That your faith should not stand in the wisdom
of men, but in the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:5)
As
a final note, the apostle Paul was inspired of God and the things
that he wrote were the commandments of God (1 Cor. 14:37).....and how
did he speak? How were God's words delivered from him?
God
gives us His word plainly and “as it is written”. Our faith
should not stand in the private interpretations of man's wisdom (2
Pet. 1:20). Our faith should stand in the power of God, His word.
--Eli
Caldwell
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