Venom
11-23-2003, 01:32 PM
Again, for all the authors of this extensive biblical study, refer to, Part I- Accuracy of Scripture and Salvation. (http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=bodybuilder&Number=590954& Forum=bodybuilder&Words=How%20to%20use%20the%20Wor d%20of%20God%20Part%201&Match=Entire%20Phrase&Sear chpage=0&Limit=25&Old=1week&Main=590954&Search=tru e#Post590954)
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This is a must read. You will be thoroughly edified from the truths found within. Enjoy!
Several areas such as, so called bible “contradictions”, doctrinal disputes, etc are additionally covered in this complex study. Enjoy!
Daily Bread
Exodus 16: 13 - 21
13 And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host. 14 And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. 15 And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat. 16 This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents. 17 And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. 18 And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. 19 And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. 20 Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them. 21 And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted.
Now Israel begins to be provided for by the immediate hand of God. I. He makes them a feast, at night, of delicate fowl, feathered fowl (Ps. 78:27), therefore not locusts, as some think; quails, or pheasants, or some wild fowl, came up, and covered the camp, so tame that they might take up as many of them as they pleased. Note, God gives us of the good things of this life, not only for necessity, but for delight, that we may not only serve him, but serve him cheerfully. II. Next morning he rained manna upon them, which was to be continued to them for their daily bread.
That which was provided for them was manna, which descended from the clouds, so that, in some sense, they might be said to live upon the air. It came down in dew that melted, and yet was itself of such a consistency as to serve for nourishing strengthening food, without any thing else. They called it manna, manhu, "What is this? or , "What a poor thing this is!" despising it: or, "What a strange thing this is!" admiring it: or, "It is a portion, no matter what it is; it is that which our God has allotted us, and we will take it and be thankful.
It was pleasant food; the Jews say that it was palatable to all, however varied their tastes. It was wholesome food, light of digestion, and very necessary (Dr. Grew says) to cleanse them from disorders with which he thinks it probable that they were, in the time of their bondage, more or less infected, which disorders a luxurious diet would have made contagious. By this spare and plain diet we are all taught a lesson of temperance, and forbidden to desire dainties and varieties. They were to gather it every morning, the portion of a day in his day, Thus they must live upon daily providence, as the fowls of the air, of which it is said, That which thou givest them they gather (Ps. 104:28); not to-day for to-morrow: let the morrow take thought for the things of itself. To this daily raining and gathering of manna our Saviour seems to allude when he teaches us to pray, Give us this day our daily bread. We are hereby taught, Prudence and diligence in providing food convenient for ourselves and our household. What God graciously gives we must industriously gather; with quietness working, and eating our own bread, not the bread either of idleness or deceit as Paul says. God's bounty leaves room for man's duty; it did so even when manna was rained: they must not eat till they have gathered.
Contentment and satisfaction with a sufficiency. They must gather, every man according to his eating; enough is as good as a feast, and more than enough is as bad as a surfeit. Those that have most have, for themselves, but food, and raiment, and mirth; and those that have least generally have these: so that he who gathers much has nothing over, and he who gathers little has no lack. There is not so great a disproportion between one and another in the comforts and enjoyments of the things of this life as there is in the property and possession of the things themselves. Dependence upon Providence: Let no man leave till morning but let them learn to go to bed and sleep quietly, though they have not a bit of bread in their tent, nor in all their camp, trusting that God, with the following day, will bring them their daily bread. It was surer and safer in God's storehouse than in their own, and would thence come to them sweeter and fresher.
Mt. 6:25, Take no thought for your life, etc. See here the folly of hoarding. The manna that was laid up by some (who thought themselves wiser and better managers than their neighbors, and who would provide in case it should fail next day), putrefied, and bred worms, and became good for nothing. Note, That proves to be most wasted which is covetously and distrustfully spared. Those riches are corrupted, James 5:2, 3. Let us set ourselves to think, Of that great power of God which fed Israel in the wilderness, and made miracles their daily bread. What cannot this God do, who prepared a table in the wilderness, and furnished it richly even for those who questioned whether he could or no? Ps. 78:19,20. Never was there such a market of provisions as this, where so many hundred thousand men were daily furnished, without money and without price. Never was there such an open house kept as God kept in the wilderness for forty years together, nor such free and plentiful entertainment given. The feast which Ahasuerus made, to show the riches of his kingdom, and the honour of his majesty, was nothing to this, Ect. 1:4. It is said
When the sun waxed hot, it melted; as if what was left were drawn up by the heat of the sun into the air to be the seed of the next day's harvest, and so from day to day. Of that constant providence of God which gives food to all flesh, for his mercy endures for ever, Ps. 136:25. He is a great housekeeper that provides for all the creatures. The same wisdom, power, and goodness that now brought food daily out of the clouds, are employed in the constant course of nature, bringing food yearly out of the earth, and giving us all things richly to enjoy.
One of the most important messages of this passage of scripture is as follows:
Deuteronomy 8:3
3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.
John 4:32-33
32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. 33 Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? 34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
God gave us an example here of how to study his word. He showed us, how he humbled Israel, and told them to have their, "daily bread." If they did not have their daily bread, the next day it rotted, and was worthless to them.
Are you having your daily bread? Are you diligently studying Gods word? Because if you continually hold off, and wait for the next day, and continue waiting, as the bread of Manna was rotted and filled with worms, so shall your knowledge of Gods word, and spiritual walk wither. Consider this verse:
Matthew 4:1-4
1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
You need to treat the bible like you do food. On a daily bases you need to be feeding yourself, out of necessity. You need to be hungry for it, and surround yourself with the truth habitually.
John 17:17
17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. 9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
Hebrews 8:8-10
8 ...Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: 9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
More on interpreting the bible:
Interpreting the Law
From the very earliest days of the church Christians have struggled to understand how to interpret the Old Testament Law. The first church council was convened at Jerusalem in an attempt to settle just that issue. The decision made there was that Gentile Christians were not required to obey the Law, but were to avoid activities that would offend the conscience of their Jewish brothers and sisters (Acts 15:24-29). Even so, Paul still struggled with those who wished to force Gentiles to be circumcised and obey the Law (see Pauls argument in Galatians). Over the next few centuries increasing antipathy between Jews and Christians resulted in many Christians rejecting the Old Testament completely, or resorting to allegory to interpret it, so avoiding its literal meaning. One writer, for example, interpreted the food laws of Deuteronomy 14:7 in the following way. The clean animal symbolizes a true Christian who is able to both chew the cud (=meditate on the Word) of God, the Bible) and be cloven-footed (=walk in the world while not being corrupted by it and in the Spirit at the same time).(1) Such interpretations are no doubt ingenious, but have nothing to do with the authors original intent, which should always be our guide when interpreting the Bible.
Even today there are certain groups around the world who consider themselves to be the New Israel. In America there are the so-called Christian Reconstructionists who seek to apply the Law of Moses to a modern state. There are many others who have a similar distorted understanding of the relevance of the Law of Moses.(2)
The Law is a Covenant
The whole of the Old Testament is sometimes referred to as the Law (e.g. Rom. 3:19), but more usually it meant the five books of Moses; Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy (Rom. 3:12b; Gal. 4:21). For the purposes of this study I will be defining the Law as the commandments given to Moses for the people of Israel, which start in Exodus 19 until the end of Deuteronomy. These commandments form parts of a Covenant, which was an concept which was well understood in the ancient world. A Covenant is a formal agreement between two parties, specifying what each party should receive from the other and defining penalties for failure to live up to the terms of the agreement. There are several covenants in the Old Testament (Gen. 9:1-17; 15:1-21; 17:1-14; 2 Sam. 7:12-16). Most were two sided, requiring both sides to live up to their obligations, but one (significantly, the Abrahamic covenant) was one-sided and so was not dependent on man living up to his side. Both the stronger (called the suzerain) and the weaker (the vassal) parties received a copy of the covenant. The Law is actually as two-sided covenant made between God and Israel. It contains the same elements as other biblical and secular covenants made during the same period of history. The similarities cannot be pressed too far, as their are some differences between the Biblical covenants and their extra-biblical counterparts.(3) In Israel’s case the two identical copies of the Ten Commandments were both kept in the ark, because it was simultaneously the dwelling place of God (the Suzerain) and the central point of Israel (the vassal).(4) Incidentally the ark of Covenant was the same size and shape as a kings footstool, which reinforces the imagery of the Holy of Holies as Gods throne-room on earth.(5)
The details of the covenant in Exodus and Deuteronomy, the former governing a wandering life in the desert, while Deuteronomy represents a renewal of the Covenant gives specific instructions concerning life in the Promised Land.(6)
Table 1: Common Elements of Ancient Covenants
Element
Description
Example
Preamble
Identifies the parties to the Covenant: I am the Lord your God
Exod. 20:2; 34:6-7; Deut. 1:1-5
Prologue
Contains a brief history of the relationship of both parties: who brought you ought of Egypt, out of the land of slavery
Exod. 20:2; Deut. 1:6-4:49
Stipulations
Requirements of the covenant, the law themselves
Exod. 20:3-7; 34:11-26; Deut. 5:1-26:49
Witnesses
The gods are the witnesses to extra-biblical covenants, but in the Bible God Himself is the witness. There is one biblical example of heaven and earth serving as witnesses
Heb. 6:13-14; Deut. 31:28
Sanctions
A statement of blessings and cursings
Exod. 20:5-6, 7, 12; Deut. 11:26-32; 27:1 - 30:20
Document Clause
Provisions for reviewing the terms of the covenant. In extra-biblical covenants this clause required the covenant to be deposited in a temple and be read publicly
Exod. 25:16; Deut. 6:6-9; 17:18-20; 31:19-21, 24-27
Most of the Law Refers Only to Israel
The Mosaic Covenant therefore represents Gods dealing with the nation of Israel. As such it is not directly applicable to us. Many commandments deal with situations only found in an agricultural community, including what to do about dangerous animals (Exod. 21:28-32, 35-36), uncovered pits (21:33-34), and fires in fields (22:6). Others speak of the purity which God expects from His people, expressed even in their agricultural practices (Deut. 22:9, 11). Another good example of this are the food laws and regulations concerning uncleanness (Num. 19:11-19; Lev. 11:41-45). The Israelites were forbidden to eat certain animals and to avoid touching anything dead, but such rules were not binding on non-Israelites (Deut. 14:21).(7) In the New Testament Jesus declared that all foods were now to be considered ceremonially clean (Mark 7:19), and His words were later echoed by Paul (Col. 2:20-23; 1 Tim. 4:3-5).(8)
The commandments can be divided into two types:
Those that give general principles based on specific examples. This obviously makes the Law more workable as there was no need for an encyclopaedic set of rules when a general one would do. Leviticus 19:9-14 is a good example of these types of commandments.(9)
Those that deal with individual cases. Sometimes Laws refer only to one particular case, such as how to treat your Hebrew servant (Deut. 15:12-17), or those concerning the remarriage of a divorced woman (Deut. 24:1-2).(10)
Some commandments that seem to be very strange to us because we do not understand their original context. Why did God forbid the trimming of beards (Lev. 19:27-28; 21:5) or the cooking of a young goat in its mothers milk (Exod. 23:19; 34:26; Deut. 14:21)? The cutting of beards and hair in this manner (and the closely related disfigurement - Deut. 14:1) was common among the Canaanites. Cutting of the body was practiced by the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:28). The worship of Yahweh was in no way to be confused with pagan practices. Most commentators point out that the Canaanites practiced a fertility rite that required the cooking of a kid in milk, so this commandment seems to have been intended to outlaw such a practice.(11) Another plausible explanation is that it was considered wrong for a kid to be cooked in the very medium by which it was previously sustained and nourished.
The Law is Applicable Only When Renewed in the New Testament
Jesus said that He had not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it (Matt. 5:17-18). Fulfillment was a major preoccupation in Matthews Gospel (1:22; 2:15, 17, 23, 4:14). In saying this Jesus was not saying that the Law was no longer the Word of God, but that the true purpose of the Law was to point beyond itself to His teaching, person and work. Traditionally it has been common practice to divide the Law into two parts, the moral and the ceremonial. While the ceremonial was fulfilled in Christ, it is argued that the moral Law is universally applicable. However the Bible itself does not make such a differentiation and both moral and ceremonial commandments are often found mixed together (see Exod. 23; Lev. 19; Deut. 22-23). Both parts of the Law equally point forward to Christ.
With this in mind it is fair to conclude that the commands of the Old Testament are not binding on Christians, except where they are specifically renewed under the New Covenant. It would seem to be a simple matter to locate New Testament renewals of many of the commandments, but care must be taken to understand the context in which an Old Testament commandment is mentioned in the New. References in the Gospels or Acts are sometimes made to a certain Law simply because it was Jewish practice, and not because it was being renewed by Jesus or the apostles. Jesus discussion of the practices of the Pharisees is a good example of this (see Matt. 23:23; Luke 11:42). Jesus mentioned tithing in passing as something that the Pharisees did, but there is no evidence elsewhere in the New Testament so suggest that tithing was practiced by the early church or that it was a requirement for Christians.(14)
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Table 2:
The Renewal of Commandments in the New Testament
OT Reference
-Commandment
-New Testament Reference
Exod. 20:3
You shall have no other gods before me
Matt. 4:10
Exod. 20:4
You shall not make any idols
Eph. 5:5; 1 John 5:21
Exod. 20:7
You shall not misuse the name of the Lord
James 5:12
Exod. 20:8-11
Remember the Sabbath
Col. 2:16-17 (not renewed in NT)
Exod. 20:12
Honour your father and mother
Matt. 19:17-19; Eph. 6:1-3
Exod. 20:13
You shall not murder
Matt. 5:21-22; 19:17-19; Rom. 13:9-10
Exod. 20:14
You shall not commit adultery
Matt. 5:27-28; 19:17-19
Exod. 20:15
You shall not steal
Matt. 15:16: 19:17-19; Rom. 13:9-10
Exod. 20:16
You shall not give false testimony
Matt. 15:16; 19:17-19
Exod, 20:17
You shall not covet
Luke 12:15; Rom. 13:9-10; Gal. 5:21
Table 2 traces the continuation of nine of the ten commandments, but even with these (the heart of the so-called moral Law) the references are often not as clear-cut as some might like. Even the Ten Commandments require careful contextualization in order to make their details relevant to our culture and situation, e.g. how many of us are likely to covet their neighbors donkey today? The point is that we should look below the surface at what the underlying meaning of the commandments is. Jesus Himself did this when asked which was the greatest commandment (Matt. 22:34-40). He replied that it was Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind(Deut. 6:5), and added that the second was Love your neighbor as yourself(Lev. 19:18). He concluded that these too summed up the whole of the Old Testament (Matt. 22:40; cf. Rom. 13:9-10).
Writing to Timothy, the apostle Paul is adamant that all of Scripture is inspired and is useful (2 Tim 3:16), including the Law. Two contemporary uses of the Law will make up the remainder of this study: (A) The Law as a reflection of the character of the Lawgiver, and (B) the Law as a prefigurement of Christ and His work.
A) The Law Teaches Us About the Character of the Lawgiver
Gods character does not change (Malachi 3:6), as so whatever the Law teaches us about the nature of God will be useful to us wherever and whenever we live. The design of the Tabernacle speaks clearly of Gods holiness and separation from sin. Everything in the Tabernacle required cleansing with blood, and the nearer the presence of God one came, the fewer people were allowed to enter there. The Holy of Holies could only be entered once a year by the high priest on the day of Atonement (Lev. 16:1-34). Because of His Holiness, the Lord requires perfection, no blemish was allowed on anything presented at the Tabernacle (Deut. 15:21; 17:1). The Lord also expected His people be pure (Deut. 18:9-13) if they wished Him to dwell amongst them. The Tabernacle and sacrificial system do not just speak of Gods separation from man, they also speak eloquently of His desire to dwell amongst His people and to have fellowship with them. Even if in only a limited way they did provide a means of fellowship with God. Ultimately they both point to Christ Himself as we shall see below. Table 3 lists some of the major concerns of the covenant, reflecting those areas which are close to Gods heart and reflections of His character. The underlying meaning of many are reflected in the New Testament.
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Table 3: Major Social Concerns in the Covenant ¤
Concern
Explanation
OT References
NT Parallel
Personhood
Everyone’s person is to be secure
Exod. 20:13; 21:16-21, 26-31; Lev. 19:14; Deut. 24:7; 27:18
False accusation
Everyone is to be secure against slander and false accusation
Exod. 20:16; Exod. 23:1-3; Lev. 19:16; Deut. 19:15-21
1 Tim. 5:19
Woman
No woman is to be taken advantage of within her subordinate status in society
Exod. 21:7-11, 20, 26-32; 22:16-17; Deut. 21:10-14; 22:13-30; 24:1-5
Eph. 5:25-33
Punishment
Punishment for wrongdoing shall not be excessive so that the culprit is dehumanized
Deut. 25:1-4
2 Cor. 2:5-11
Dignity
Every Israelites dignity and right to be Gods freedman and servant are to be honored and safeguarded
Exod. 21:2, 5-6; Lev. 25; Deut. 15:12-18
Eph. 6:9; Col. 4:1
Inheritance
Every Israelites inheritance in the promised land is to be secure
Lev. 25; Num. 27:5-7; 36:1-9; Deut. 25:5-10
Eph. 1:13-14, 18; Heb. 9:15; 1 Pet. 1:4
Property
Everyone’s property is to be secure
Exod. 20:15; 21:33-36; 22:1-15; 23:4-5; Lev. 19:35-36; Deut. 22:1-4; 25:13-15
Matt. 6:19-21
Fruit of Labor
Everyone is to receive the fruit of his labors
Lev. 19:13; Deut. 24:14; 25:4
1 Cor. 9:1-12; 1 Tim. 5:17-18
Fruit of the ground
Everyone is to share the fruit of the ground
Exod. 23:10-11; Lev. 19:9-10; 23:22; 25:3-55; Deut. 14:28-29; 24:19-21
2 Cor. 8:13-15
Rest on Sabbath
Everyone, down to the humblest servant and the resident alien, is to share in the weekly rest of God’s Sabbath
Exod. 20:8-11; 23:12
Heb. 4:1-11
Marriage
The marriage relationship is to be kept inviolate
Exod. 20:14; see also Lev. 18:6-23; 20:10-21; Deut. 22:13-30
1 Cor. 6:13- 20; 1 Thess. 4:3-5; Heb. 13:4
Exploitation
No one, however disabled, impoverished or powerless, is to be oppressed or exploited
Exod. 22:21-27; Lev. 19:14, 33-34; 25:35-36; Deut. 23:19; 24:6, 12-15, 17-18; 16:18-20; 17:8-13; 19:15-21
1 Thess. 4:3-6; James 1:27 - 2:7
Fair trial
Everyone is to have free access to the courts and is to be afforded a fair trial
Exod. 23:6,8; Lev. 19:15; Deut. 1:17; 10:17-18; 16:18-20; 17:8-13; 19:15-21
1 Cor. 6:1-6
Social Order
Every person's God-given place in the social order is to be honored
Exod. 20:20:12; 21:15, 17; 22:28; Lev. 19:3,32; 20:9; Deut. 17:8-13; 21:15-21; 27:16
Rom. 13:7; 1 Tim. 2:1-4
Law
No one shall be above the law, not even the king
Deut. 17:18-20
Animals
Concern for the welfare of other creatures is to be extended to the animal world
Exod. 23:5, 11; Lev. 25:7; Deut. 22:4, 6-7; 25:4
¤ Table based on NIV Study Bible, 271.
The blank spaces in some of the categories in Table 3 do not mean that the Old Testament principles are no longer valid; it is simply that the New Testament, does not mention them specifically.
B) The Law Prefigures the Person and Work of Christ
There are two extremes to avoid in interpreting the Law as a type of what was achieved by Jesus Christ. The first is to see only the historical application of the Law and ignore the way that it is appropriated in the New Testament. The second extreme is more common. This occurs when the Old Testament is not read as prefiguring the New, it is read as if it were the New!(15) According to this view Moses did not see a Tabernacle on the mountain (Hebrews 8:5) - he saw Jesus Christ Himself - and so understood exactly what each item of the Tabernacle signified. Such interpretation often leads to a very forced and fanciful eisogesis(16) in which every single verse describing the Tabernacle is made to speak of Christ in some way. The original context is completely ignored and the short-comings of the Old Testament covenant swept under the carpet. Nothing new is learnt from such interpretation other than what is read in from the New Testament revelation of the person and work of Christ. The table below outlines some of the types that can be found in the Law. In constructing it I have limited myself to those types which have good New Testament support. It is far from exhaustive and is meant to spur you on to search the Scriptures for yourselves.
Table 4: Biblical Types and Antitypes in the Law of Moses
OT Type
OT Reference
NT Antitype
NT Reference
The people of Israel
Exod. 19:6
Believers
1 Peter 2:5
The Prophet like Moses
Deut. 18:17-19
The Messiah
John 5:46; 6:14; 7:40; Acts 3:22-26; 7:37
Animal sacrifices
Lev. 1-7
The cross
Heb. 7:27; 10:1-4; 1 Peter 2:24
Gods presence with His people
Exod. 40:34-38; Num. 9:15-23
The incarnation of Jesus
Matt. 1:23; John 1:14; Acts 2:2-4; 1 Cor. 3:10-17; 6:19
Bread of the presence (made from manna)
Exod. 25:23-30
Jesus the bread of life
John 6:32-33, 35
Altar of incense
Exod. 30:1-10
The prayers of the saints
Rev. 5:8; 8:3
Washing basin / laver
Exod. 30:17-21; 38:8
Washing from sin in baptism / satisfying spiritual thirst / the Holy Spirit
Acts 2:38 / John 4:13-14 / John 7:37-39; Acts 1:5; 10:47
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The grain offering
Lev. 2
Jesus offered us His flesh to eat
John 6:54-58
The high priesthood
Lev. 8
A mediator between God and men
1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 7:26-28
The Passover lamb
Exod. 12:1-28, 43-49
Jesus Christ
Acts 8:32: 1 Cor. 5:7; 1 Peter 1:15-19; 2:21-23.
Feast of first fruits
Lev. 23:11; Deut. 16:9-12
Christs resurrection
1 Cor. 15:20, 23
The day of atonement
Lev. 16
The cross
Rom. 3:25; Heb. 9:7-8, 23-28; 13:11-13
The bronze serpent
Num. 21:5-9
The cross
John 3:14-16
The smitten Rock
Exod. 17:5-7
Christ
1 Cor. 10:4
Two Examples of the Interpretation of the Law
Many Christians believe that they can receive a satanic curse down the family line on the basis of Exodus 20:6 and Deuteronomy 28:15-66. First of all, note that it God Himself that does the cursing - neither the devil or demons are mentioned anywhere. These verses refer to God’s covenant with Israel and not to Christians. There is therefore no biblical basis for hereditary curses upon Christians. Indeed there is good biblical evidence to refute such a belief, for Jeremiah states that under the New Covenant no one will be punished for someone else’s sin (Jer. 31:29-30). There is no support for this view in Galatians 3:13 which speaks about Christ freeing us from the curse of the Law. The curse here is not part of the covenantal curses, but the curse of relying on obeying the Law for salvation (Gal. 3:10-12).
Some Christians feel that it is wrong to eat black pudding because of the commandments regarding the eating of blood (Lev. 7:22-27; 17:13-14). Such objections could be dismissed on the grounds that the original readers would not be thinking of anything like black pudding when they read these commandments, which were intended to forbid the eating of meat with the blood still in it and the drinking of blood linked with pagan ceremonies. Further support for the argument against black pudding found by appealing to Acts 15:20, 29 which was the decision of the Jerusalem Council concerning Jewish/Gentile relations. As Dr. David Petts explains these verses cannot be used in this way:
The passage in Acts 15 must be interpreted in its context - the decision at that time to tell the Gentiles to abstain from meats offered to idols etc., was only considered necessary because of evident difficulties that had arisen between Jewish and Gentiles Christians. To keep the peace the Council agreed that the Gentiles need not be circumcised but that they should abstain from certain meats offered to idols, blood, thing strangled, and fornication, all of which were intimately connected with the pagan worship of the time. Interpreted this way the decision of the Council need not be understood to be binding on all Christians for all time (although course the prohibition against fornication is backed up elsewhere). That this interpretation is basically correct is confirmed by the fact that in 1 Corinthians 8-10 (written some five years after the Council of Jerusalem) Paul makes it clear that in principle one may eat meat offered to idols and need only abstain if one is likely to cause a brother to stumble.(17)
Interpretation of the New Testament Letters:
Imagine that you are sitting in your living room and the telephone rings. Someone picks it up and speaks to the person phoning in. You hear only half of the conversation, which runs something like this:
Hello Dave, How are you?...Yes, I’ve been thinking about that question and I think that you should go ahead as we discussed....No, that’s not a good idea because I’ve never been able to get it to work that way...Yes, Ill meet you there at 4 o’clock...Well, do your best...Good bye for now...Click!
You are left trying to fill in the gaps in the conversation from the clues given in the parts that you could hear. If you know who Dave is and what he is calling about you have a good chance of filling in the gaps correctly. If you dont, you can always check with the person who answered the phone .
When we come to read the 23 letters found in the New Testament we are faced with a similar situation to the one described above. However, we are separated by almost 2 000 years of history from the writer and the recipients, and we cannot ask Paul or Peter what the questions were that they were answering, much as that would help us. Our task if not hopeless, because there are enough clues within the letters, the NT and background material, to reconstruct the situation and understand the argument. In a sense we are involved in a detective game and by following a few simple principles we can succeed in our goal. This study will outline these principles. Later we will learn how to apply what we learn to our lives today.
Letter Writing in the First Century AD
Letters in the 1st Century followed a conventional style, just as modern letters do, whether they are business or personal in nature. The following list explains the various elements that you would expect to find in an ancient letter:
1) The name of the writer. (e.g. Paul, Peter, etc.)
2) The name of the recipient (e.g. the church of God at Corinth).
3) A greeting (e.g. Grace and peace to you from God our Father...).
4) A prayer wish our thanksgiving (e.g. I always give thanks for you...(
5) The body - containing an argument, answering questions, giving instructions, etc.)
6) Final greeting and farewell (e.g. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you...).(1)
Not all of the letters in the New Testament follow this pattern. Some have various elements missing, so don’t think that they all must be there because they are in this list! In ancient times it was usual for a person wanting to send a letter to have someone write it down for him. He would then read through what his secretary had written, making changes were necessary and adding a personal note at the end in his own hand. The NT writers also followed this practice as we can see from Rom. 16:22 (see also 2 Thess. 3:17 & 1 Pet. 5:12).
Reading The Letters
There is no substitute for reading the letters through in one sitting. After all, you wouldn’t read part of a letter from a friend in dribs and drabs. Remember that most of the letters contain an argument or series of arguments that develop as the letter progresses. Take time to read the letter right through, then again in another translation if you can. The idea is to be continually asking yourself What’s the point? What was the writer trying to communicate? Then start again and ask the following questions. Writing your thoughts in a notebook as you go will be helpful.
1) What do you notice about the people being addressed by the letter? Are they Jews or Greeks, wealthy or slave, their problems, attitudes, etc.
2) What was the writers attitude to them. Was he rebuking, encouraging, giving instructions, etc.?
3) Note any specific things that give you a clue as to why the letter was written.
4) Note the letters natural, logical divisions.(2)
Number 4) requires some further clarification, especially if you use a version that divides the text so that each verse begins on a new line. Remember that the New Testament writers, the same as every other writer wrote in paragraphs and not in verses. The verse divisions were added to the New Testament in 1557 by Robert Stephanas, a Parisian printer while he was on a coach journey.(3) The story goes that every pothole in the road made his pen jump and create another verse number! Versions that divide the text into paragraphs are better, but make up your own mind where the paragraph divisions should be. The paragraph titles in modern versions are not in the original - try to ignore them and get the meaning from the text for yourself.
In addition to the information given about the recipients in the text, compare the information in the book of Acts to see what light that throws upon the situation. Consulting a good Bible Dictionary (such as the New Bible Dictionary, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia or the Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible) will also help you. This will provide you with all the available background information available from other 1st century sources and archaeology.
Finally, it is important to remember that our cultural and lifestyle is very different to that in New Testament times. The letters contain a great deal of theology, but it is always theology directed to a particular person or situation. Remember that while understanding what the text meant to its original audience is the essential first step in reading the letters, it is only the first step (even if it is the easiest and in many ways the most exciting). No one who reads the Bible can say that he or she has succeeded in understanding it until they have been able to apply it to their own lives.
Applying the Letters
Applying the NT letters to the modern church is often more difficult than it might appear at first. There are many books that discuss the issues involved in detail, but here I want to provide some general guidelines, supported by examples, that will help. These guidelines are intended to allow you to understand what the NT letters have to say to the Church. There is no contradiction between this meaning and any you might arrive at through your devotional reading of the Scriptures. The difference is while the personal meaning may be authoritative for you, only the meaning for the Church is authoritative for everyone. Try and let your devotional reading be informed and enhanced by the methods I will explain, and not replaced by them. They may not provide you with all the answers you would like, but they should help you to ask the right questions.
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1. ) A TEXT CANNOT MEAN SOMETHING TO US THAT IT COULD NOT HAVE MEANT TO ITS ORIGINAL READERS.(4) This is a very important principle and is the best test of whether you have applied the text correctly. A good example is found in 1 Corinthians 13:8. Many churches teach that this means that when the Bible was completed, spiritual gifts would cease. They then go on to say that modern day Christians who speak in tongues are carnal or deceived by the devil. This could never have been the texts intended meaning, because Paul was not referring to the Bible as the perfect thing that was coming - he was talking about the return of Jesus.
2. Whenever we share similar specific life situations with the first-century world, Gods Word to us is the same as his Word to them.(5) There are many passages in the letters which can be related directly to our lives today. The sin lists in the letters are an obvious application of this principle. Wherever you go in the world certain things will always be wrong, e.g. 1 Cor. 6:9-11; Gal. 5:19-21.
3. When our situation and that of the original recipients is different, look for the universal principle behind what is being said. No one in Britain is a slave, so Pauls instructions for slave/master relationships are not directly applicable. It is not hard, however, to recognize the principles underlying Colossians 3:22-25, and apply them to your workplace. Similarly, no one is likely to be offered meat that has been sacrificed to an idol (Rom. 14:1-15:2; 1 Cor. 8:1-13; 10:14-11:1). However, the underlying principle of not offending a weaker brother or sisters conscience is extremely important. There are many things that are not specifically mentioned in the Scriptures that believers may have different opinions about - sometimes quite strong opinions. We are not to offend others by expressing these opinions. In these situations it is better to keep our opinions to ourselves.
4. A scriptures context will help you decide whether a verse has a direct or indirect application for today. 1 Corinthians 15:29 refers to a practice called baptism for the dead. From it the Mormons derive their doctrine of baptizing people for their deceased relatives and ancestors. Although over 40 possible meanings for the verse have been proposed, no one can say for sure which is right. The wider scriptural context (the whole of the Bible), ancient literature and archaeology give us no clue here. As Paul only mentions it is passing he was probably not approving of the practice, but merely using it as an example of the Corinthians illogical thinking. It could well be that this is one of the matters that Timothy would clear up when he arrived (1 Cor. 4:17). If the practice could be substantiated elsewhere as something that all believers should do, then the situation would be different: as it is, we dont baptize for the dead. Some texts can have what is called an extended meaning. A good example of this is 2 Cor. 6:14-16. This has traditionally been understood as forbidding a Christian to date or marry an unbeliever. However, it is not clear what Paul was forbidding the Corinthians to do - all we know is that it involved idolatry. The application to marriages in this case is still valid, but only because it is supported elsewhere in Scripture (e.g. 1 Cor. 7:39).(6)
5. There are some texts that do not have either a direct or indirect application today. This might seem to be a strange thing to say, but when we read the letters we recognise many of these passages without thinking. Good examples are the personal remarks and greetings given by the writers, e.g. no one to my knowledge (except Timothy) has ever felt called to fetch Pauls cloak for him (2 Tim 4:13), or pass on his greetings (Rom. 16:3-15). This being so we should be very cautious about saying that a text has no meaning for the church today, because as we grow in our understanding we might find that it is relevant after all (cf. 1 Tim. 3:16). The texts given as examples all serve to illustrate something about the writer and his situation, and are therefore useful to us indirectly. You may find that the Holy Spirit will speak to you through a text that has no meaning for the church in general, so if you are called to be a Turkish cloakroom attendant on the basis of 2 Tim. 4:13 - go for it!
Finally, if you are struggling to understand the letters, you are not alone. Even in the first century believers found Pauls letters difficult (see 2 Peter 3:15-16). This does not mean that we give up. Correctly interpreting and applying the Bible requires diligence and effort on our part (2 Tim. 2:15), but this does not put the meaning beyond the grasp of anyone.
Interpreting the Books of Wisdom:
What is Wisdom?
Wisdom can probably be best defined as the ability to make godly choices in life. 1) The study and collection of wise sayings that would help people make good decisions was a preoccupation in the ancient world. Kings of many nations employed men to collect and record wise sayings. The wisdom literature contained in the Bible differs from that produced by other nations because it recognizes that a relationship with the Living God is the starting point in the search for wisdom (Psalm 111:10; Prov. 1:7; 2:1-4; 9:10; Job 28:28; Eccl. 12:13). The wisdom books of the Bible are Job, Ecclesiastes, Proverbs and the Song of Solomon. Wisdom sayings are also found in the Psalms and in both narrative and prophecy (1 Sam. 24:13; 1 Kings 20:11; Jer. 31:29; Ezek. 18:2). In the New Testament wisdom sayings can be found in Romans 12; 1 Cor. 13; Gal. 5:19-23; Eph. 5:22-6:9; Col. 3:5-17; Hebrews 3:12-19; 4:11-13; 6:1-12; James 1-3; 1 Peter 2:11-17. The aim of wisdom sayings is intensely practical - it is to supply you with the information you need to make the right choices. Because of this practical orientation of these sayings and our unfamiliarity with this style of writing we often misunderstand and misapply them. For this reason we will look at each of the four wisdom books of the Old Testament in turn and attempt to set out a few principles that will help in their interpretation.
Proverbs
A proverb is a highly concentrated statement of truth. The book of Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings complied over a long period of time and from a variety of sources, including Solomon (1:1; 10:1; 25:1) and Agur, son of Jakeh (30:1). These sayings are expressed in Hebrew poetry in a variety of forms. The writers make use of the same parallelisms as are found in the Psalms, e.g. synonymous parallelism 17:4; 16:13, 18; 21:14), step parallelism (11:22; 12:14; 15:23-24) and antithetical parallelism (10:1; 11:21; 12:2; 17:9).(2) Proverbs 31:10-31 is written in the form of an acrostic - each stanza beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet (21 in all). Another common device is the so-called x/x+1 device (e.g. 6:6-19; 30:15-16, 18-19, 21-23). This involves the use of the formula: There are (x) things that (x+l) things that...e.g. There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him (Prov. 6:16). The same formula is found outside Proverbs, e.g. Hosea 6:2. Such devices served as an aid to memorization.
Fee & Stuart offer the following caution when it comes to interpreting the Proverbs:
A proverb is a brief particular expression of a truth. The briefer the statement is, the less likely it is to be totally precise and universally applicable. We know that long, highly qualified, elaborate statements of fact are not only difficult to understand, but virtually impossible for most people to memorise. So the proverbs are phrased in a catchy way, so as to be learnable by anyone.(3)
Hyperbole is a common element in Proverbs, which explains why so many are misinterpreted. Hyperbole is a deliberate exaggeration made in order to make a point. Unless this is recognized all sorts of strange readings are possible. For example: Does the Lord deport unbelievers (10:30)? Are the wicked incapable of any good deed (12:10)? Do wise men go around attacking cities (21:22)? Will looking at the Crown Jewels make them vanish (23:5)? In all of these examples the answer is no because hyperbole is being used, e.g. the righteous enjoy a security that the Lord alone provides; the wicked man is characterized by cruelty; to be wise is better than to have military strength, and the pursuit of happiness through wealth is like chasing a shadow.
Although there is an important theological element in Proverbs (e.g. The fear of the Lord... 1:7; 3:7; 16:6, 22; 24:21-22; 28:14) their emphasis is very much on practical matters such as how to live successfully and have a rewarding life. Proverbs are not legally binding promises from God. He will not always demolish your neighbors house because he or she wont go to church with you (14:11), He wont underwrite whatever foolish thing you decide to do (16:3), nor (sadly) are Christian parents guaranteed that their children will become believers (22:6; cf. John 1:12-13).
The characters described in Proverbs are often misunderstood. A fool is not a dimwit but an unbelieving pagan (12:15-16; Psalm 14:1). His life is sure to end in ruin because he has rejected the source of true wisdom - the Lord himself. The simple (Prov. 1:4) can be best defined as ...those who are easily persuaded and who lack judgment (9:4, 16), who are immature, inexperienced and naive (cf. Ps. 19:7)(4) The sluggard is an unproductive, lazy. good-for-nothing. Such a person will never succeed at anything he does because he never does anything (Prov. 6:6-10; 10:26; 12:11; 14:23; 15:19; 20:13; 24:30-34). Two of the major themes of the book - Wisdom and Folly - are often personified as an elegant hostess (1:20-21; 3:13-20; 8:1-9:6; 28:26) and a shabby adulteress (5:1-14; 6:20-7:27; 9:13-18)(5) respectively.
Many Christians, particularly those ensnared by the “health & wealth gospel major on the positive things that Proverbs says about worldly riches (3:3-10; 10:4, 22; 13:21-22; 14:20; 19:4; 21:21). However, Proverbs must be read as a whole and no individual statement taken as the whole truth on any subject. When studying the book it is very helpful to collate the various themes. When this is done with the subject of riches a more balanced picture is given (10:15:11:4; 11:18; 17:5; 23:4-5). Likewise Proverbs 18:8 might well sound like it is saying that gossip is a good thing, until one looks at the rest of Proverbs (10:11, 18; 11:18; 17:4; 18:6-7). Bribery is said to have its benefits (17:8; 21:14), but the rest of Scripture is very negative towards it (Deut. 16:19; 1 Sam. 8:3; 12:3; Prov. 15:27; 17:23; 28:21; 29:4; Eccl. 7:7; Isa. 1:23; 33:15).
Proverbs have to be fully contextualized in order to be fully understood,(6) e.g. 22:11 can hardly be applied directly today when royalty occupies a far different role to that which it held in ancient Israel. A modern application might be that the Lord grants the righteous favor with those in positions of authority. Likewise 25:24 is not saying that it is better to live in a precarious position on top of a house. Unlike the people in Old Testament times we do not live in houses with flat roofs, which often had a room in which people could sleep (e.g. 2 Kings 4:10). Today we would say that it is better to live in the attic or the garage than with a quarrelsome wife (that you should never have married).
The Book of Job
The basic principle for interpreting Job can be summarized concisely in three words: context, context and context. Those who read the book a chapter a day or pick out proof texts at random are likely to be misled by its teaching. Only by reading it right through (preferably in one sitting) can one grasp what it is trying to say.
The book of Job can probably be best described as a vindication of Gods justice in the light of human suffering. There are nine characters in the story: the narrator; the Lord; Satan; Job; Jobs wife; Eliphaz; Zophar; Bildad and Elihu. Of these nine only the words of the narrator and those of the Lord Himself are absolutely true. The words of Satan are shown to be false as the story develops: Job was not devoted to God because of the benefits that brought him; his relationship was far deeper than that (16:19-21; 19:23-27). The words of Jobs wife (2:9) are immediately rejected by Job as foolish (2:10).
The Nine Characters in the Book of Job
Character
References
Narrator
1:1-6, 12b-20; 2:1, 7-8, 10b-3:1; 31:1-5
The Lord
1:7a, 8, 12a; 2:2a, 3, 6; 38:1-40:2, 6-34
Satan
17:7b, 9-11; 2:2b, 4-5
Job
1:21-22; 2:10a; 3:2-26; 6:1-10:22; 12:1-14:22; 16:1-17:16; 19:1-29; 21:1-34; 23:1-24:25; 26:1-31:40; 40:4-5; 42:1-6
Jobs wife
2:9
Eliphaz
4:1-5:27; 15:1-35; 22:1-30
Zophar
11:1-20; 20:1-29
Bildad
18:1-21; 25:1-5
Elihu
32:6-37:24
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Jobs three friends present what the original readers of Job would have understood as the orthodox position on suffering: no man is sinless and the Lord hands out his punishment according to the degree of sin committed.(7) As Job was suffering they concluded that the reason for this was that he had sinned. The words of Eliphaz epitomise this supposed cause and effect relationship between sin and suffering. He maintains that the innocent never suffer (4:7), whereas the wicked reap what they sow (4:8-9) and experience a life of torment (15:20-35). All Job has to do is to repent of his secret sin and God will restore his prosperity (22:21-30). Job replies that this is clearly not the case - the wicked do not get what they deserve in this life (21:1-34; 24:1-17) and he continually maintains his own innocence (31:1-40). The frustration of Job and his friends grows as the story develops as neither party can persuade the other side that he/they are in the wrong.
Elihu, who is a younger man (32:6-7), speaks last. He comes nearest to providing Job with an answer by pointing beyond his situation to the awesomeness of God. Job and his friends were too limited in their viewpoints, thinking that they were capable in fathoming Gods purposes. The Lord does not leave Job with this partly satisfying, partly infuriating answer(8) and speaks to Job directly out of a storm (38:1). He chides Job for his limited perspective, but vindicates him against the accusations of his friends (42:7-9). Finally Job is restored and God blesses him more abundantly than before (42:10-16).
The message of the book might be summed up by Isaiah 55:8-9: Gods ways are higher than ours. True wisdom is to be found only in a relationship with the Lord, and not in seemingly logical arguments lacking a heavenly perspective.(9) The message of the book of Job is extremely relevant today as it ever was. Gods character has not changed(10) and neither has man finite knowledge.(11)
Ecclesiastes
Ecclesiastes is source of mystery to most Christians. Many wonder what it is doing in the Bible at all, since it seems to be so negative in its outlook on life. Others consider its meaning to be too deep for them and for all practical purposes they ignore the book. Such reactions are understandable, because Ecclesiastes presents us with a consistent message: everything in this life (wisdom, pleasure, hard work, advancement, riches and obedience) is meaningless because in the end whatever we have done we will all die (9:2-10). There are some verses that offer practical advice on wise living in a similar vein to Proverbs. These include advice on the use of the tongue (5:2-3; 10:12), making vows (5:4-6), bribery (7:7), anger (7:9), wisdom (7:11-12, 19) and how to act when before the king (8:2-6). Ecclesiastes establishes a deliberate contrast with the rest of Scripture because the writers intention was to demonstrate that a life lived out as if God does not exist or is not involved in human existences meaningless and pointless. The last two verses carry the punch-line to the whole book - fear God and obey him; He will bring all ours deeds to judgment. These verses point the reader to the rest of Scripture (particularly the Pentateuch where the commandments [12:13] are to be found).(12)
Song of Songs
The Song of Songs has been a problem for Christians over the years. Not because its meaning is obscure, but rather because it is all too clear! The Song is a poem about the love that a man has for a woman and vice versa. Its intention was to teach Hebrew men and women about true romantic love that they should seek, find and continue to experience within the lifelong relationship of marriage. Sadly by the turn of the fourth century AD the church fathers had begun to relegate marriage a poor second place to celibacy. They spiritualized the Song and argued that it spoke of the love relationship between God and Israel, or more usually between Christ and the Church.(13) This interpretation became popular and is still widely held even today. It is difficult to understand the exegetical gymnastics that are required to read such a meaning into Song 5:2-6!(14)
Fee & Stuart provide a very helpful summary of the contents of the Song:
There are many other kinds of expressions of love and fondness in the Song in addition to visual comparisons and dream sequences. There are also such components as statements of the ardor of love (e.g. 1:2-4), advice and challenge from observers of the romance (e.g., 1:8; 5:9), romantic invitations from the man to the woman and vice versa (e.g., 7:11-13; 8:13), purposely exaggerated boasts about the greatness of the woman by the man and vice versa (e.g., 2:8-9), the need to resist temptation to be unfaithfully attracted to anyone else (e.g., 6:8-9), and declaration that a lovers attraction can be stronger even than the splendor of so great a king as Solomon himself (e.g., 3:6-11 following on 2:16-3:5; cf. 8:11-12). All these are cast in the form of musical poetry, but they are nevertheless all related logically and rationally to life’s choices about love, romance and sex.(15)
In a world that speaks a great deal about love and little about the commitment that marriage requires, this book reminds us of Gods original purpose for man and woman (Gen. 2:21-24) that they be united in a stable, lifelong, loving relationship. The New Testament presents marriage as a picture of Jesus relationship to the church (Eph. 5:22-33; Rev. 22:17). In a sense it is impossible for someone who has never experienced marriage to grasp the full depth of such an illustration.(16)
Contradictions
Now that I explained the rules of interpretation, I'm going to discuss contradictions in the bible.
"Is the Bible the inspired Word of God, or merely a number of documents man-written? If it were divinely inspired by an all- good, never-changing God, these contradictions would not be in it...[no wonder that] more than 65 million Americans...are not church members."
This is the statement of the Society of Separationists, Inc., the group of atheists following the "revelations" of their "priestess," Madalyn Murray O'Hair. Many agnostics and atheists today dismiss the Word of God instantly by appeal to the "innumerable contradictions" they have found in it. "How," they ask, "can you expect us to believe in an all-powerful God who can't keep his own revelation straight?"
These people, however, are speaking out of a deep ignorance. They simply don't know whereof they speak. Most of the ones who cry out about the "millions of contradictions" in the Bible can't list more than three or four at the most of which they have any personal knowledge.
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The old adage that "many put down the Bible before they pick it up" is sadly too true.
You will also find many sites dedicated to finding alleged contradictions in the bible.
The following replies are to alleged Biblical contradictions cited by Jim Meritt (needless to say, not a Bible scholar, but an oceanographer) on the web page, "A List of Biblical Contradictions" at http://www.infidels.org/news/atheism/extra/bible-contradictions.html.
I've covered most of his entries on this page; now as I develop this page as an encyclopedia, we are turning this into a matter of brief comments on individual points made uniquely by Meritt, followed by links to solutions to contradictions.
This site covers nearly all of the alleged contradictions in great detail. Lesson: an oceanographer should not try to become a bible scholar.
http://www.tektonics.org/JPH_AALOBC.html
First of all, just what is a contradiction? W. Arndt in his Does the Bible Contradict Itself? (p. viii) says that a contradiction is "The principle that it is impossible for the same thing to be and not to be at the same time and in the same sense....This agrees in substance with the famous definition of Aristotle....'That the same thing should at the same time both be and not be for the same person and in the same respect is impossible.'" In the vernacular we might say, "it can't be a hot, cold, wet, dry, sunny, dark day in the same place at the same time."
Logically it is expressed as "A cannot be non-A." In order to resolve an apparent contradiction in the scriptures, we need only present one other possibility. If one says that he has never stolen anything, we only have to show that he has stolen once to prove him wrong. It doesn't matter if he has stolen once, ten times, or thousands of times. It's still more than never. In the same way, one who says the Bible is contradictory is saying that no one can ever find any possible solution. As soon as we can bring up even one possibility, we have refuted his contradiction. Other possible resolutions only serve to increase the ridiculousness of his position. Sometimes there are five or more resolutions to one alleged discrepancy and the believer is at liberty to choose the one he thinks is the best.
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Another consideration to keep in mind as we study supposed discrepancies is often referred to as "Aristotle's Dictum," John Warwick Montgomery in History and Christianity (p. 29) summarizes his dictum as "the benefit of the doubt is to be given to the document itself, not arrogated by the critic to himself." In other words, the author probably knows more about the event than the critic does, and so we should allow him the benefit of the doubt unless we have clear evidence to the contrary.
Some of these "contradictions" can actually be viewed as God's way of allowing the Bible to triumph in an almost impossible situation. If the gospels, for example, were exactly the same, the critics would immediately cry, "Scheme! Collusion!" And yet, if the gospels did contradict each other, the critics would cry even louder, "Fraud! How can a true God lie?" God has chosen the perfect road between these two positions. He has directed the minds and hearts of the scripture writers to write exactly what he wanted but in their own styles. This allows for differences without contradictions.
That is one possible explanation for the variety of written testimony in the Bible. Another explanation was ably put by Bishop Richard Whately (On Difficulties in the Writings of St. Paul):
The seeming contradictions in scripture are too numerous not to be the result of design; and doubtless were designed, not as mere difficulties to try our faith and patience, but as furnishing the most suitable mode of instruction that could have been devised, by mutually explaining and modifying or limiting or extending one another's meaning....Instructions thus conveyed are evidently more striking and more likely to arouse the attention; and also, from the very circumstance that they call for careful reflection, more likely to make a lasting impression.
We should never forget that just because we do not have a particular answer is no reason to admit defeat and say there is no answer. Many young Christians have started to read the Bible only to put it down in frustration with their faith damaged because they were unable to answer their own questions about Bible passages that apparently had problems. None of us knows all of the answers. I have not read everything written on alleged discrepancies or their resolutions and yet I can confidently say that since I began my study I have never found a "contradiction" that I have not been able to either answer myself or find an answer for. If I were unable to find an answer, the testimony of my previous experience would lead me to doubt my own study, not to doubt the Bible
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This is a must read. You will be thoroughly edified from the truths found within. Enjoy!
Several areas such as, so called bible “contradictions”, doctrinal disputes, etc are additionally covered in this complex study. Enjoy!
Daily Bread
Exodus 16: 13 - 21
13 And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host. 14 And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. 15 And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat. 16 This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents. 17 And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. 18 And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. 19 And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. 20 Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them. 21 And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted.
Now Israel begins to be provided for by the immediate hand of God. I. He makes them a feast, at night, of delicate fowl, feathered fowl (Ps. 78:27), therefore not locusts, as some think; quails, or pheasants, or some wild fowl, came up, and covered the camp, so tame that they might take up as many of them as they pleased. Note, God gives us of the good things of this life, not only for necessity, but for delight, that we may not only serve him, but serve him cheerfully. II. Next morning he rained manna upon them, which was to be continued to them for their daily bread.
That which was provided for them was manna, which descended from the clouds, so that, in some sense, they might be said to live upon the air. It came down in dew that melted, and yet was itself of such a consistency as to serve for nourishing strengthening food, without any thing else. They called it manna, manhu, "What is this? or , "What a poor thing this is!" despising it: or, "What a strange thing this is!" admiring it: or, "It is a portion, no matter what it is; it is that which our God has allotted us, and we will take it and be thankful.
It was pleasant food; the Jews say that it was palatable to all, however varied their tastes. It was wholesome food, light of digestion, and very necessary (Dr. Grew says) to cleanse them from disorders with which he thinks it probable that they were, in the time of their bondage, more or less infected, which disorders a luxurious diet would have made contagious. By this spare and plain diet we are all taught a lesson of temperance, and forbidden to desire dainties and varieties. They were to gather it every morning, the portion of a day in his day, Thus they must live upon daily providence, as the fowls of the air, of which it is said, That which thou givest them they gather (Ps. 104:28); not to-day for to-morrow: let the morrow take thought for the things of itself. To this daily raining and gathering of manna our Saviour seems to allude when he teaches us to pray, Give us this day our daily bread. We are hereby taught, Prudence and diligence in providing food convenient for ourselves and our household. What God graciously gives we must industriously gather; with quietness working, and eating our own bread, not the bread either of idleness or deceit as Paul says. God's bounty leaves room for man's duty; it did so even when manna was rained: they must not eat till they have gathered.
Contentment and satisfaction with a sufficiency. They must gather, every man according to his eating; enough is as good as a feast, and more than enough is as bad as a surfeit. Those that have most have, for themselves, but food, and raiment, and mirth; and those that have least generally have these: so that he who gathers much has nothing over, and he who gathers little has no lack. There is not so great a disproportion between one and another in the comforts and enjoyments of the things of this life as there is in the property and possession of the things themselves. Dependence upon Providence: Let no man leave till morning but let them learn to go to bed and sleep quietly, though they have not a bit of bread in their tent, nor in all their camp, trusting that God, with the following day, will bring them their daily bread. It was surer and safer in God's storehouse than in their own, and would thence come to them sweeter and fresher.
Mt. 6:25, Take no thought for your life, etc. See here the folly of hoarding. The manna that was laid up by some (who thought themselves wiser and better managers than their neighbors, and who would provide in case it should fail next day), putrefied, and bred worms, and became good for nothing. Note, That proves to be most wasted which is covetously and distrustfully spared. Those riches are corrupted, James 5:2, 3. Let us set ourselves to think, Of that great power of God which fed Israel in the wilderness, and made miracles their daily bread. What cannot this God do, who prepared a table in the wilderness, and furnished it richly even for those who questioned whether he could or no? Ps. 78:19,20. Never was there such a market of provisions as this, where so many hundred thousand men were daily furnished, without money and without price. Never was there such an open house kept as God kept in the wilderness for forty years together, nor such free and plentiful entertainment given. The feast which Ahasuerus made, to show the riches of his kingdom, and the honour of his majesty, was nothing to this, Ect. 1:4. It is said
When the sun waxed hot, it melted; as if what was left were drawn up by the heat of the sun into the air to be the seed of the next day's harvest, and so from day to day. Of that constant providence of God which gives food to all flesh, for his mercy endures for ever, Ps. 136:25. He is a great housekeeper that provides for all the creatures. The same wisdom, power, and goodness that now brought food daily out of the clouds, are employed in the constant course of nature, bringing food yearly out of the earth, and giving us all things richly to enjoy.
One of the most important messages of this passage of scripture is as follows:
Deuteronomy 8:3
3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.
John 4:32-33
32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. 33 Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? 34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
God gave us an example here of how to study his word. He showed us, how he humbled Israel, and told them to have their, "daily bread." If they did not have their daily bread, the next day it rotted, and was worthless to them.
Are you having your daily bread? Are you diligently studying Gods word? Because if you continually hold off, and wait for the next day, and continue waiting, as the bread of Manna was rotted and filled with worms, so shall your knowledge of Gods word, and spiritual walk wither. Consider this verse:
Matthew 4:1-4
1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
You need to treat the bible like you do food. On a daily bases you need to be feeding yourself, out of necessity. You need to be hungry for it, and surround yourself with the truth habitually.
John 17:17
17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. 9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
Hebrews 8:8-10
8 ...Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: 9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
More on interpreting the bible:
Interpreting the Law
From the very earliest days of the church Christians have struggled to understand how to interpret the Old Testament Law. The first church council was convened at Jerusalem in an attempt to settle just that issue. The decision made there was that Gentile Christians were not required to obey the Law, but were to avoid activities that would offend the conscience of their Jewish brothers and sisters (Acts 15:24-29). Even so, Paul still struggled with those who wished to force Gentiles to be circumcised and obey the Law (see Pauls argument in Galatians). Over the next few centuries increasing antipathy between Jews and Christians resulted in many Christians rejecting the Old Testament completely, or resorting to allegory to interpret it, so avoiding its literal meaning. One writer, for example, interpreted the food laws of Deuteronomy 14:7 in the following way. The clean animal symbolizes a true Christian who is able to both chew the cud (=meditate on the Word) of God, the Bible) and be cloven-footed (=walk in the world while not being corrupted by it and in the Spirit at the same time).(1) Such interpretations are no doubt ingenious, but have nothing to do with the authors original intent, which should always be our guide when interpreting the Bible.
Even today there are certain groups around the world who consider themselves to be the New Israel. In America there are the so-called Christian Reconstructionists who seek to apply the Law of Moses to a modern state. There are many others who have a similar distorted understanding of the relevance of the Law of Moses.(2)
The Law is a Covenant
The whole of the Old Testament is sometimes referred to as the Law (e.g. Rom. 3:19), but more usually it meant the five books of Moses; Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy (Rom. 3:12b; Gal. 4:21). For the purposes of this study I will be defining the Law as the commandments given to Moses for the people of Israel, which start in Exodus 19 until the end of Deuteronomy. These commandments form parts of a Covenant, which was an concept which was well understood in the ancient world. A Covenant is a formal agreement between two parties, specifying what each party should receive from the other and defining penalties for failure to live up to the terms of the agreement. There are several covenants in the Old Testament (Gen. 9:1-17; 15:1-21; 17:1-14; 2 Sam. 7:12-16). Most were two sided, requiring both sides to live up to their obligations, but one (significantly, the Abrahamic covenant) was one-sided and so was not dependent on man living up to his side. Both the stronger (called the suzerain) and the weaker (the vassal) parties received a copy of the covenant. The Law is actually as two-sided covenant made between God and Israel. It contains the same elements as other biblical and secular covenants made during the same period of history. The similarities cannot be pressed too far, as their are some differences between the Biblical covenants and their extra-biblical counterparts.(3) In Israel’s case the two identical copies of the Ten Commandments were both kept in the ark, because it was simultaneously the dwelling place of God (the Suzerain) and the central point of Israel (the vassal).(4) Incidentally the ark of Covenant was the same size and shape as a kings footstool, which reinforces the imagery of the Holy of Holies as Gods throne-room on earth.(5)
The details of the covenant in Exodus and Deuteronomy, the former governing a wandering life in the desert, while Deuteronomy represents a renewal of the Covenant gives specific instructions concerning life in the Promised Land.(6)
Table 1: Common Elements of Ancient Covenants
Element
Description
Example
Preamble
Identifies the parties to the Covenant: I am the Lord your God
Exod. 20:2; 34:6-7; Deut. 1:1-5
Prologue
Contains a brief history of the relationship of both parties: who brought you ought of Egypt, out of the land of slavery
Exod. 20:2; Deut. 1:6-4:49
Stipulations
Requirements of the covenant, the law themselves
Exod. 20:3-7; 34:11-26; Deut. 5:1-26:49
Witnesses
The gods are the witnesses to extra-biblical covenants, but in the Bible God Himself is the witness. There is one biblical example of heaven and earth serving as witnesses
Heb. 6:13-14; Deut. 31:28
Sanctions
A statement of blessings and cursings
Exod. 20:5-6, 7, 12; Deut. 11:26-32; 27:1 - 30:20
Document Clause
Provisions for reviewing the terms of the covenant. In extra-biblical covenants this clause required the covenant to be deposited in a temple and be read publicly
Exod. 25:16; Deut. 6:6-9; 17:18-20; 31:19-21, 24-27
Most of the Law Refers Only to Israel
The Mosaic Covenant therefore represents Gods dealing with the nation of Israel. As such it is not directly applicable to us. Many commandments deal with situations only found in an agricultural community, including what to do about dangerous animals (Exod. 21:28-32, 35-36), uncovered pits (21:33-34), and fires in fields (22:6). Others speak of the purity which God expects from His people, expressed even in their agricultural practices (Deut. 22:9, 11). Another good example of this are the food laws and regulations concerning uncleanness (Num. 19:11-19; Lev. 11:41-45). The Israelites were forbidden to eat certain animals and to avoid touching anything dead, but such rules were not binding on non-Israelites (Deut. 14:21).(7) In the New Testament Jesus declared that all foods were now to be considered ceremonially clean (Mark 7:19), and His words were later echoed by Paul (Col. 2:20-23; 1 Tim. 4:3-5).(8)
The commandments can be divided into two types:
Those that give general principles based on specific examples. This obviously makes the Law more workable as there was no need for an encyclopaedic set of rules when a general one would do. Leviticus 19:9-14 is a good example of these types of commandments.(9)
Those that deal with individual cases. Sometimes Laws refer only to one particular case, such as how to treat your Hebrew servant (Deut. 15:12-17), or those concerning the remarriage of a divorced woman (Deut. 24:1-2).(10)
Some commandments that seem to be very strange to us because we do not understand their original context. Why did God forbid the trimming of beards (Lev. 19:27-28; 21:5) or the cooking of a young goat in its mothers milk (Exod. 23:19; 34:26; Deut. 14:21)? The cutting of beards and hair in this manner (and the closely related disfigurement - Deut. 14:1) was common among the Canaanites. Cutting of the body was practiced by the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:28). The worship of Yahweh was in no way to be confused with pagan practices. Most commentators point out that the Canaanites practiced a fertility rite that required the cooking of a kid in milk, so this commandment seems to have been intended to outlaw such a practice.(11) Another plausible explanation is that it was considered wrong for a kid to be cooked in the very medium by which it was previously sustained and nourished.
The Law is Applicable Only When Renewed in the New Testament
Jesus said that He had not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it (Matt. 5:17-18). Fulfillment was a major preoccupation in Matthews Gospel (1:22; 2:15, 17, 23, 4:14). In saying this Jesus was not saying that the Law was no longer the Word of God, but that the true purpose of the Law was to point beyond itself to His teaching, person and work. Traditionally it has been common practice to divide the Law into two parts, the moral and the ceremonial. While the ceremonial was fulfilled in Christ, it is argued that the moral Law is universally applicable. However the Bible itself does not make such a differentiation and both moral and ceremonial commandments are often found mixed together (see Exod. 23; Lev. 19; Deut. 22-23). Both parts of the Law equally point forward to Christ.
With this in mind it is fair to conclude that the commands of the Old Testament are not binding on Christians, except where they are specifically renewed under the New Covenant. It would seem to be a simple matter to locate New Testament renewals of many of the commandments, but care must be taken to understand the context in which an Old Testament commandment is mentioned in the New. References in the Gospels or Acts are sometimes made to a certain Law simply because it was Jewish practice, and not because it was being renewed by Jesus or the apostles. Jesus discussion of the practices of the Pharisees is a good example of this (see Matt. 23:23; Luke 11:42). Jesus mentioned tithing in passing as something that the Pharisees did, but there is no evidence elsewhere in the New Testament so suggest that tithing was practiced by the early church or that it was a requirement for Christians.(14)
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Table 2:
The Renewal of Commandments in the New Testament
OT Reference
-Commandment
-New Testament Reference
Exod. 20:3
You shall have no other gods before me
Matt. 4:10
Exod. 20:4
You shall not make any idols
Eph. 5:5; 1 John 5:21
Exod. 20:7
You shall not misuse the name of the Lord
James 5:12
Exod. 20:8-11
Remember the Sabbath
Col. 2:16-17 (not renewed in NT)
Exod. 20:12
Honour your father and mother
Matt. 19:17-19; Eph. 6:1-3
Exod. 20:13
You shall not murder
Matt. 5:21-22; 19:17-19; Rom. 13:9-10
Exod. 20:14
You shall not commit adultery
Matt. 5:27-28; 19:17-19
Exod. 20:15
You shall not steal
Matt. 15:16: 19:17-19; Rom. 13:9-10
Exod. 20:16
You shall not give false testimony
Matt. 15:16; 19:17-19
Exod, 20:17
You shall not covet
Luke 12:15; Rom. 13:9-10; Gal. 5:21
Table 2 traces the continuation of nine of the ten commandments, but even with these (the heart of the so-called moral Law) the references are often not as clear-cut as some might like. Even the Ten Commandments require careful contextualization in order to make their details relevant to our culture and situation, e.g. how many of us are likely to covet their neighbors donkey today? The point is that we should look below the surface at what the underlying meaning of the commandments is. Jesus Himself did this when asked which was the greatest commandment (Matt. 22:34-40). He replied that it was Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind(Deut. 6:5), and added that the second was Love your neighbor as yourself(Lev. 19:18). He concluded that these too summed up the whole of the Old Testament (Matt. 22:40; cf. Rom. 13:9-10).
Writing to Timothy, the apostle Paul is adamant that all of Scripture is inspired and is useful (2 Tim 3:16), including the Law. Two contemporary uses of the Law will make up the remainder of this study: (A) The Law as a reflection of the character of the Lawgiver, and (B) the Law as a prefigurement of Christ and His work.
A) The Law Teaches Us About the Character of the Lawgiver
Gods character does not change (Malachi 3:6), as so whatever the Law teaches us about the nature of God will be useful to us wherever and whenever we live. The design of the Tabernacle speaks clearly of Gods holiness and separation from sin. Everything in the Tabernacle required cleansing with blood, and the nearer the presence of God one came, the fewer people were allowed to enter there. The Holy of Holies could only be entered once a year by the high priest on the day of Atonement (Lev. 16:1-34). Because of His Holiness, the Lord requires perfection, no blemish was allowed on anything presented at the Tabernacle (Deut. 15:21; 17:1). The Lord also expected His people be pure (Deut. 18:9-13) if they wished Him to dwell amongst them. The Tabernacle and sacrificial system do not just speak of Gods separation from man, they also speak eloquently of His desire to dwell amongst His people and to have fellowship with them. Even if in only a limited way they did provide a means of fellowship with God. Ultimately they both point to Christ Himself as we shall see below. Table 3 lists some of the major concerns of the covenant, reflecting those areas which are close to Gods heart and reflections of His character. The underlying meaning of many are reflected in the New Testament.
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Table 3: Major Social Concerns in the Covenant ¤
Concern
Explanation
OT References
NT Parallel
Personhood
Everyone’s person is to be secure
Exod. 20:13; 21:16-21, 26-31; Lev. 19:14; Deut. 24:7; 27:18
False accusation
Everyone is to be secure against slander and false accusation
Exod. 20:16; Exod. 23:1-3; Lev. 19:16; Deut. 19:15-21
1 Tim. 5:19
Woman
No woman is to be taken advantage of within her subordinate status in society
Exod. 21:7-11, 20, 26-32; 22:16-17; Deut. 21:10-14; 22:13-30; 24:1-5
Eph. 5:25-33
Punishment
Punishment for wrongdoing shall not be excessive so that the culprit is dehumanized
Deut. 25:1-4
2 Cor. 2:5-11
Dignity
Every Israelites dignity and right to be Gods freedman and servant are to be honored and safeguarded
Exod. 21:2, 5-6; Lev. 25; Deut. 15:12-18
Eph. 6:9; Col. 4:1
Inheritance
Every Israelites inheritance in the promised land is to be secure
Lev. 25; Num. 27:5-7; 36:1-9; Deut. 25:5-10
Eph. 1:13-14, 18; Heb. 9:15; 1 Pet. 1:4
Property
Everyone’s property is to be secure
Exod. 20:15; 21:33-36; 22:1-15; 23:4-5; Lev. 19:35-36; Deut. 22:1-4; 25:13-15
Matt. 6:19-21
Fruit of Labor
Everyone is to receive the fruit of his labors
Lev. 19:13; Deut. 24:14; 25:4
1 Cor. 9:1-12; 1 Tim. 5:17-18
Fruit of the ground
Everyone is to share the fruit of the ground
Exod. 23:10-11; Lev. 19:9-10; 23:22; 25:3-55; Deut. 14:28-29; 24:19-21
2 Cor. 8:13-15
Rest on Sabbath
Everyone, down to the humblest servant and the resident alien, is to share in the weekly rest of God’s Sabbath
Exod. 20:8-11; 23:12
Heb. 4:1-11
Marriage
The marriage relationship is to be kept inviolate
Exod. 20:14; see also Lev. 18:6-23; 20:10-21; Deut. 22:13-30
1 Cor. 6:13- 20; 1 Thess. 4:3-5; Heb. 13:4
Exploitation
No one, however disabled, impoverished or powerless, is to be oppressed or exploited
Exod. 22:21-27; Lev. 19:14, 33-34; 25:35-36; Deut. 23:19; 24:6, 12-15, 17-18; 16:18-20; 17:8-13; 19:15-21
1 Thess. 4:3-6; James 1:27 - 2:7
Fair trial
Everyone is to have free access to the courts and is to be afforded a fair trial
Exod. 23:6,8; Lev. 19:15; Deut. 1:17; 10:17-18; 16:18-20; 17:8-13; 19:15-21
1 Cor. 6:1-6
Social Order
Every person's God-given place in the social order is to be honored
Exod. 20:20:12; 21:15, 17; 22:28; Lev. 19:3,32; 20:9; Deut. 17:8-13; 21:15-21; 27:16
Rom. 13:7; 1 Tim. 2:1-4
Law
No one shall be above the law, not even the king
Deut. 17:18-20
Animals
Concern for the welfare of other creatures is to be extended to the animal world
Exod. 23:5, 11; Lev. 25:7; Deut. 22:4, 6-7; 25:4
¤ Table based on NIV Study Bible, 271.
The blank spaces in some of the categories in Table 3 do not mean that the Old Testament principles are no longer valid; it is simply that the New Testament, does not mention them specifically.
B) The Law Prefigures the Person and Work of Christ
There are two extremes to avoid in interpreting the Law as a type of what was achieved by Jesus Christ. The first is to see only the historical application of the Law and ignore the way that it is appropriated in the New Testament. The second extreme is more common. This occurs when the Old Testament is not read as prefiguring the New, it is read as if it were the New!(15) According to this view Moses did not see a Tabernacle on the mountain (Hebrews 8:5) - he saw Jesus Christ Himself - and so understood exactly what each item of the Tabernacle signified. Such interpretation often leads to a very forced and fanciful eisogesis(16) in which every single verse describing the Tabernacle is made to speak of Christ in some way. The original context is completely ignored and the short-comings of the Old Testament covenant swept under the carpet. Nothing new is learnt from such interpretation other than what is read in from the New Testament revelation of the person and work of Christ. The table below outlines some of the types that can be found in the Law. In constructing it I have limited myself to those types which have good New Testament support. It is far from exhaustive and is meant to spur you on to search the Scriptures for yourselves.
Table 4: Biblical Types and Antitypes in the Law of Moses
OT Type
OT Reference
NT Antitype
NT Reference
The people of Israel
Exod. 19:6
Believers
1 Peter 2:5
The Prophet like Moses
Deut. 18:17-19
The Messiah
John 5:46; 6:14; 7:40; Acts 3:22-26; 7:37
Animal sacrifices
Lev. 1-7
The cross
Heb. 7:27; 10:1-4; 1 Peter 2:24
Gods presence with His people
Exod. 40:34-38; Num. 9:15-23
The incarnation of Jesus
Matt. 1:23; John 1:14; Acts 2:2-4; 1 Cor. 3:10-17; 6:19
Bread of the presence (made from manna)
Exod. 25:23-30
Jesus the bread of life
John 6:32-33, 35
Altar of incense
Exod. 30:1-10
The prayers of the saints
Rev. 5:8; 8:3
Washing basin / laver
Exod. 30:17-21; 38:8
Washing from sin in baptism / satisfying spiritual thirst / the Holy Spirit
Acts 2:38 / John 4:13-14 / John 7:37-39; Acts 1:5; 10:47
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The grain offering
Lev. 2
Jesus offered us His flesh to eat
John 6:54-58
The high priesthood
Lev. 8
A mediator between God and men
1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 7:26-28
The Passover lamb
Exod. 12:1-28, 43-49
Jesus Christ
Acts 8:32: 1 Cor. 5:7; 1 Peter 1:15-19; 2:21-23.
Feast of first fruits
Lev. 23:11; Deut. 16:9-12
Christs resurrection
1 Cor. 15:20, 23
The day of atonement
Lev. 16
The cross
Rom. 3:25; Heb. 9:7-8, 23-28; 13:11-13
The bronze serpent
Num. 21:5-9
The cross
John 3:14-16
The smitten Rock
Exod. 17:5-7
Christ
1 Cor. 10:4
Two Examples of the Interpretation of the Law
Many Christians believe that they can receive a satanic curse down the family line on the basis of Exodus 20:6 and Deuteronomy 28:15-66. First of all, note that it God Himself that does the cursing - neither the devil or demons are mentioned anywhere. These verses refer to God’s covenant with Israel and not to Christians. There is therefore no biblical basis for hereditary curses upon Christians. Indeed there is good biblical evidence to refute such a belief, for Jeremiah states that under the New Covenant no one will be punished for someone else’s sin (Jer. 31:29-30). There is no support for this view in Galatians 3:13 which speaks about Christ freeing us from the curse of the Law. The curse here is not part of the covenantal curses, but the curse of relying on obeying the Law for salvation (Gal. 3:10-12).
Some Christians feel that it is wrong to eat black pudding because of the commandments regarding the eating of blood (Lev. 7:22-27; 17:13-14). Such objections could be dismissed on the grounds that the original readers would not be thinking of anything like black pudding when they read these commandments, which were intended to forbid the eating of meat with the blood still in it and the drinking of blood linked with pagan ceremonies. Further support for the argument against black pudding found by appealing to Acts 15:20, 29 which was the decision of the Jerusalem Council concerning Jewish/Gentile relations. As Dr. David Petts explains these verses cannot be used in this way:
The passage in Acts 15 must be interpreted in its context - the decision at that time to tell the Gentiles to abstain from meats offered to idols etc., was only considered necessary because of evident difficulties that had arisen between Jewish and Gentiles Christians. To keep the peace the Council agreed that the Gentiles need not be circumcised but that they should abstain from certain meats offered to idols, blood, thing strangled, and fornication, all of which were intimately connected with the pagan worship of the time. Interpreted this way the decision of the Council need not be understood to be binding on all Christians for all time (although course the prohibition against fornication is backed up elsewhere). That this interpretation is basically correct is confirmed by the fact that in 1 Corinthians 8-10 (written some five years after the Council of Jerusalem) Paul makes it clear that in principle one may eat meat offered to idols and need only abstain if one is likely to cause a brother to stumble.(17)
Interpretation of the New Testament Letters:
Imagine that you are sitting in your living room and the telephone rings. Someone picks it up and speaks to the person phoning in. You hear only half of the conversation, which runs something like this:
Hello Dave, How are you?...Yes, I’ve been thinking about that question and I think that you should go ahead as we discussed....No, that’s not a good idea because I’ve never been able to get it to work that way...Yes, Ill meet you there at 4 o’clock...Well, do your best...Good bye for now...Click!
You are left trying to fill in the gaps in the conversation from the clues given in the parts that you could hear. If you know who Dave is and what he is calling about you have a good chance of filling in the gaps correctly. If you dont, you can always check with the person who answered the phone .
When we come to read the 23 letters found in the New Testament we are faced with a similar situation to the one described above. However, we are separated by almost 2 000 years of history from the writer and the recipients, and we cannot ask Paul or Peter what the questions were that they were answering, much as that would help us. Our task if not hopeless, because there are enough clues within the letters, the NT and background material, to reconstruct the situation and understand the argument. In a sense we are involved in a detective game and by following a few simple principles we can succeed in our goal. This study will outline these principles. Later we will learn how to apply what we learn to our lives today.
Letter Writing in the First Century AD
Letters in the 1st Century followed a conventional style, just as modern letters do, whether they are business or personal in nature. The following list explains the various elements that you would expect to find in an ancient letter:
1) The name of the writer. (e.g. Paul, Peter, etc.)
2) The name of the recipient (e.g. the church of God at Corinth).
3) A greeting (e.g. Grace and peace to you from God our Father...).
4) A prayer wish our thanksgiving (e.g. I always give thanks for you...(
5) The body - containing an argument, answering questions, giving instructions, etc.)
6) Final greeting and farewell (e.g. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you...).(1)
Not all of the letters in the New Testament follow this pattern. Some have various elements missing, so don’t think that they all must be there because they are in this list! In ancient times it was usual for a person wanting to send a letter to have someone write it down for him. He would then read through what his secretary had written, making changes were necessary and adding a personal note at the end in his own hand. The NT writers also followed this practice as we can see from Rom. 16:22 (see also 2 Thess. 3:17 & 1 Pet. 5:12).
Reading The Letters
There is no substitute for reading the letters through in one sitting. After all, you wouldn’t read part of a letter from a friend in dribs and drabs. Remember that most of the letters contain an argument or series of arguments that develop as the letter progresses. Take time to read the letter right through, then again in another translation if you can. The idea is to be continually asking yourself What’s the point? What was the writer trying to communicate? Then start again and ask the following questions. Writing your thoughts in a notebook as you go will be helpful.
1) What do you notice about the people being addressed by the letter? Are they Jews or Greeks, wealthy or slave, their problems, attitudes, etc.
2) What was the writers attitude to them. Was he rebuking, encouraging, giving instructions, etc.?
3) Note any specific things that give you a clue as to why the letter was written.
4) Note the letters natural, logical divisions.(2)
Number 4) requires some further clarification, especially if you use a version that divides the text so that each verse begins on a new line. Remember that the New Testament writers, the same as every other writer wrote in paragraphs and not in verses. The verse divisions were added to the New Testament in 1557 by Robert Stephanas, a Parisian printer while he was on a coach journey.(3) The story goes that every pothole in the road made his pen jump and create another verse number! Versions that divide the text into paragraphs are better, but make up your own mind where the paragraph divisions should be. The paragraph titles in modern versions are not in the original - try to ignore them and get the meaning from the text for yourself.
In addition to the information given about the recipients in the text, compare the information in the book of Acts to see what light that throws upon the situation. Consulting a good Bible Dictionary (such as the New Bible Dictionary, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia or the Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible) will also help you. This will provide you with all the available background information available from other 1st century sources and archaeology.
Finally, it is important to remember that our cultural and lifestyle is very different to that in New Testament times. The letters contain a great deal of theology, but it is always theology directed to a particular person or situation. Remember that while understanding what the text meant to its original audience is the essential first step in reading the letters, it is only the first step (even if it is the easiest and in many ways the most exciting). No one who reads the Bible can say that he or she has succeeded in understanding it until they have been able to apply it to their own lives.
Applying the Letters
Applying the NT letters to the modern church is often more difficult than it might appear at first. There are many books that discuss the issues involved in detail, but here I want to provide some general guidelines, supported by examples, that will help. These guidelines are intended to allow you to understand what the NT letters have to say to the Church. There is no contradiction between this meaning and any you might arrive at through your devotional reading of the Scriptures. The difference is while the personal meaning may be authoritative for you, only the meaning for the Church is authoritative for everyone. Try and let your devotional reading be informed and enhanced by the methods I will explain, and not replaced by them. They may not provide you with all the answers you would like, but they should help you to ask the right questions.
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1. ) A TEXT CANNOT MEAN SOMETHING TO US THAT IT COULD NOT HAVE MEANT TO ITS ORIGINAL READERS.(4) This is a very important principle and is the best test of whether you have applied the text correctly. A good example is found in 1 Corinthians 13:8. Many churches teach that this means that when the Bible was completed, spiritual gifts would cease. They then go on to say that modern day Christians who speak in tongues are carnal or deceived by the devil. This could never have been the texts intended meaning, because Paul was not referring to the Bible as the perfect thing that was coming - he was talking about the return of Jesus.
2. Whenever we share similar specific life situations with the first-century world, Gods Word to us is the same as his Word to them.(5) There are many passages in the letters which can be related directly to our lives today. The sin lists in the letters are an obvious application of this principle. Wherever you go in the world certain things will always be wrong, e.g. 1 Cor. 6:9-11; Gal. 5:19-21.
3. When our situation and that of the original recipients is different, look for the universal principle behind what is being said. No one in Britain is a slave, so Pauls instructions for slave/master relationships are not directly applicable. It is not hard, however, to recognize the principles underlying Colossians 3:22-25, and apply them to your workplace. Similarly, no one is likely to be offered meat that has been sacrificed to an idol (Rom. 14:1-15:2; 1 Cor. 8:1-13; 10:14-11:1). However, the underlying principle of not offending a weaker brother or sisters conscience is extremely important. There are many things that are not specifically mentioned in the Scriptures that believers may have different opinions about - sometimes quite strong opinions. We are not to offend others by expressing these opinions. In these situations it is better to keep our opinions to ourselves.
4. A scriptures context will help you decide whether a verse has a direct or indirect application for today. 1 Corinthians 15:29 refers to a practice called baptism for the dead. From it the Mormons derive their doctrine of baptizing people for their deceased relatives and ancestors. Although over 40 possible meanings for the verse have been proposed, no one can say for sure which is right. The wider scriptural context (the whole of the Bible), ancient literature and archaeology give us no clue here. As Paul only mentions it is passing he was probably not approving of the practice, but merely using it as an example of the Corinthians illogical thinking. It could well be that this is one of the matters that Timothy would clear up when he arrived (1 Cor. 4:17). If the practice could be substantiated elsewhere as something that all believers should do, then the situation would be different: as it is, we dont baptize for the dead. Some texts can have what is called an extended meaning. A good example of this is 2 Cor. 6:14-16. This has traditionally been understood as forbidding a Christian to date or marry an unbeliever. However, it is not clear what Paul was forbidding the Corinthians to do - all we know is that it involved idolatry. The application to marriages in this case is still valid, but only because it is supported elsewhere in Scripture (e.g. 1 Cor. 7:39).(6)
5. There are some texts that do not have either a direct or indirect application today. This might seem to be a strange thing to say, but when we read the letters we recognise many of these passages without thinking. Good examples are the personal remarks and greetings given by the writers, e.g. no one to my knowledge (except Timothy) has ever felt called to fetch Pauls cloak for him (2 Tim 4:13), or pass on his greetings (Rom. 16:3-15). This being so we should be very cautious about saying that a text has no meaning for the church today, because as we grow in our understanding we might find that it is relevant after all (cf. 1 Tim. 3:16). The texts given as examples all serve to illustrate something about the writer and his situation, and are therefore useful to us indirectly. You may find that the Holy Spirit will speak to you through a text that has no meaning for the church in general, so if you are called to be a Turkish cloakroom attendant on the basis of 2 Tim. 4:13 - go for it!
Finally, if you are struggling to understand the letters, you are not alone. Even in the first century believers found Pauls letters difficult (see 2 Peter 3:15-16). This does not mean that we give up. Correctly interpreting and applying the Bible requires diligence and effort on our part (2 Tim. 2:15), but this does not put the meaning beyond the grasp of anyone.
Interpreting the Books of Wisdom:
What is Wisdom?
Wisdom can probably be best defined as the ability to make godly choices in life. 1) The study and collection of wise sayings that would help people make good decisions was a preoccupation in the ancient world. Kings of many nations employed men to collect and record wise sayings. The wisdom literature contained in the Bible differs from that produced by other nations because it recognizes that a relationship with the Living God is the starting point in the search for wisdom (Psalm 111:10; Prov. 1:7; 2:1-4; 9:10; Job 28:28; Eccl. 12:13). The wisdom books of the Bible are Job, Ecclesiastes, Proverbs and the Song of Solomon. Wisdom sayings are also found in the Psalms and in both narrative and prophecy (1 Sam. 24:13; 1 Kings 20:11; Jer. 31:29; Ezek. 18:2). In the New Testament wisdom sayings can be found in Romans 12; 1 Cor. 13; Gal. 5:19-23; Eph. 5:22-6:9; Col. 3:5-17; Hebrews 3:12-19; 4:11-13; 6:1-12; James 1-3; 1 Peter 2:11-17. The aim of wisdom sayings is intensely practical - it is to supply you with the information you need to make the right choices. Because of this practical orientation of these sayings and our unfamiliarity with this style of writing we often misunderstand and misapply them. For this reason we will look at each of the four wisdom books of the Old Testament in turn and attempt to set out a few principles that will help in their interpretation.
Proverbs
A proverb is a highly concentrated statement of truth. The book of Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings complied over a long period of time and from a variety of sources, including Solomon (1:1; 10:1; 25:1) and Agur, son of Jakeh (30:1). These sayings are expressed in Hebrew poetry in a variety of forms. The writers make use of the same parallelisms as are found in the Psalms, e.g. synonymous parallelism 17:4; 16:13, 18; 21:14), step parallelism (11:22; 12:14; 15:23-24) and antithetical parallelism (10:1; 11:21; 12:2; 17:9).(2) Proverbs 31:10-31 is written in the form of an acrostic - each stanza beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet (21 in all). Another common device is the so-called x/x+1 device (e.g. 6:6-19; 30:15-16, 18-19, 21-23). This involves the use of the formula: There are (x) things that (x+l) things that...e.g. There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him (Prov. 6:16). The same formula is found outside Proverbs, e.g. Hosea 6:2. Such devices served as an aid to memorization.
Fee & Stuart offer the following caution when it comes to interpreting the Proverbs:
A proverb is a brief particular expression of a truth. The briefer the statement is, the less likely it is to be totally precise and universally applicable. We know that long, highly qualified, elaborate statements of fact are not only difficult to understand, but virtually impossible for most people to memorise. So the proverbs are phrased in a catchy way, so as to be learnable by anyone.(3)
Hyperbole is a common element in Proverbs, which explains why so many are misinterpreted. Hyperbole is a deliberate exaggeration made in order to make a point. Unless this is recognized all sorts of strange readings are possible. For example: Does the Lord deport unbelievers (10:30)? Are the wicked incapable of any good deed (12:10)? Do wise men go around attacking cities (21:22)? Will looking at the Crown Jewels make them vanish (23:5)? In all of these examples the answer is no because hyperbole is being used, e.g. the righteous enjoy a security that the Lord alone provides; the wicked man is characterized by cruelty; to be wise is better than to have military strength, and the pursuit of happiness through wealth is like chasing a shadow.
Although there is an important theological element in Proverbs (e.g. The fear of the Lord... 1:7; 3:7; 16:6, 22; 24:21-22; 28:14) their emphasis is very much on practical matters such as how to live successfully and have a rewarding life. Proverbs are not legally binding promises from God. He will not always demolish your neighbors house because he or she wont go to church with you (14:11), He wont underwrite whatever foolish thing you decide to do (16:3), nor (sadly) are Christian parents guaranteed that their children will become believers (22:6; cf. John 1:12-13).
The characters described in Proverbs are often misunderstood. A fool is not a dimwit but an unbelieving pagan (12:15-16; Psalm 14:1). His life is sure to end in ruin because he has rejected the source of true wisdom - the Lord himself. The simple (Prov. 1:4) can be best defined as ...those who are easily persuaded and who lack judgment (9:4, 16), who are immature, inexperienced and naive (cf. Ps. 19:7)(4) The sluggard is an unproductive, lazy. good-for-nothing. Such a person will never succeed at anything he does because he never does anything (Prov. 6:6-10; 10:26; 12:11; 14:23; 15:19; 20:13; 24:30-34). Two of the major themes of the book - Wisdom and Folly - are often personified as an elegant hostess (1:20-21; 3:13-20; 8:1-9:6; 28:26) and a shabby adulteress (5:1-14; 6:20-7:27; 9:13-18)(5) respectively.
Many Christians, particularly those ensnared by the “health & wealth gospel major on the positive things that Proverbs says about worldly riches (3:3-10; 10:4, 22; 13:21-22; 14:20; 19:4; 21:21). However, Proverbs must be read as a whole and no individual statement taken as the whole truth on any subject. When studying the book it is very helpful to collate the various themes. When this is done with the subject of riches a more balanced picture is given (10:15:11:4; 11:18; 17:5; 23:4-5). Likewise Proverbs 18:8 might well sound like it is saying that gossip is a good thing, until one looks at the rest of Proverbs (10:11, 18; 11:18; 17:4; 18:6-7). Bribery is said to have its benefits (17:8; 21:14), but the rest of Scripture is very negative towards it (Deut. 16:19; 1 Sam. 8:3; 12:3; Prov. 15:27; 17:23; 28:21; 29:4; Eccl. 7:7; Isa. 1:23; 33:15).
Proverbs have to be fully contextualized in order to be fully understood,(6) e.g. 22:11 can hardly be applied directly today when royalty occupies a far different role to that which it held in ancient Israel. A modern application might be that the Lord grants the righteous favor with those in positions of authority. Likewise 25:24 is not saying that it is better to live in a precarious position on top of a house. Unlike the people in Old Testament times we do not live in houses with flat roofs, which often had a room in which people could sleep (e.g. 2 Kings 4:10). Today we would say that it is better to live in the attic or the garage than with a quarrelsome wife (that you should never have married).
The Book of Job
The basic principle for interpreting Job can be summarized concisely in three words: context, context and context. Those who read the book a chapter a day or pick out proof texts at random are likely to be misled by its teaching. Only by reading it right through (preferably in one sitting) can one grasp what it is trying to say.
The book of Job can probably be best described as a vindication of Gods justice in the light of human suffering. There are nine characters in the story: the narrator; the Lord; Satan; Job; Jobs wife; Eliphaz; Zophar; Bildad and Elihu. Of these nine only the words of the narrator and those of the Lord Himself are absolutely true. The words of Satan are shown to be false as the story develops: Job was not devoted to God because of the benefits that brought him; his relationship was far deeper than that (16:19-21; 19:23-27). The words of Jobs wife (2:9) are immediately rejected by Job as foolish (2:10).
The Nine Characters in the Book of Job
Character
References
Narrator
1:1-6, 12b-20; 2:1, 7-8, 10b-3:1; 31:1-5
The Lord
1:7a, 8, 12a; 2:2a, 3, 6; 38:1-40:2, 6-34
Satan
17:7b, 9-11; 2:2b, 4-5
Job
1:21-22; 2:10a; 3:2-26; 6:1-10:22; 12:1-14:22; 16:1-17:16; 19:1-29; 21:1-34; 23:1-24:25; 26:1-31:40; 40:4-5; 42:1-6
Jobs wife
2:9
Eliphaz
4:1-5:27; 15:1-35; 22:1-30
Zophar
11:1-20; 20:1-29
Bildad
18:1-21; 25:1-5
Elihu
32:6-37:24
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Jobs three friends present what the original readers of Job would have understood as the orthodox position on suffering: no man is sinless and the Lord hands out his punishment according to the degree of sin committed.(7) As Job was suffering they concluded that the reason for this was that he had sinned. The words of Eliphaz epitomise this supposed cause and effect relationship between sin and suffering. He maintains that the innocent never suffer (4:7), whereas the wicked reap what they sow (4:8-9) and experience a life of torment (15:20-35). All Job has to do is to repent of his secret sin and God will restore his prosperity (22:21-30). Job replies that this is clearly not the case - the wicked do not get what they deserve in this life (21:1-34; 24:1-17) and he continually maintains his own innocence (31:1-40). The frustration of Job and his friends grows as the story develops as neither party can persuade the other side that he/they are in the wrong.
Elihu, who is a younger man (32:6-7), speaks last. He comes nearest to providing Job with an answer by pointing beyond his situation to the awesomeness of God. Job and his friends were too limited in their viewpoints, thinking that they were capable in fathoming Gods purposes. The Lord does not leave Job with this partly satisfying, partly infuriating answer(8) and speaks to Job directly out of a storm (38:1). He chides Job for his limited perspective, but vindicates him against the accusations of his friends (42:7-9). Finally Job is restored and God blesses him more abundantly than before (42:10-16).
The message of the book might be summed up by Isaiah 55:8-9: Gods ways are higher than ours. True wisdom is to be found only in a relationship with the Lord, and not in seemingly logical arguments lacking a heavenly perspective.(9) The message of the book of Job is extremely relevant today as it ever was. Gods character has not changed(10) and neither has man finite knowledge.(11)
Ecclesiastes
Ecclesiastes is source of mystery to most Christians. Many wonder what it is doing in the Bible at all, since it seems to be so negative in its outlook on life. Others consider its meaning to be too deep for them and for all practical purposes they ignore the book. Such reactions are understandable, because Ecclesiastes presents us with a consistent message: everything in this life (wisdom, pleasure, hard work, advancement, riches and obedience) is meaningless because in the end whatever we have done we will all die (9:2-10). There are some verses that offer practical advice on wise living in a similar vein to Proverbs. These include advice on the use of the tongue (5:2-3; 10:12), making vows (5:4-6), bribery (7:7), anger (7:9), wisdom (7:11-12, 19) and how to act when before the king (8:2-6). Ecclesiastes establishes a deliberate contrast with the rest of Scripture because the writers intention was to demonstrate that a life lived out as if God does not exist or is not involved in human existences meaningless and pointless. The last two verses carry the punch-line to the whole book - fear God and obey him; He will bring all ours deeds to judgment. These verses point the reader to the rest of Scripture (particularly the Pentateuch where the commandments [12:13] are to be found).(12)
Song of Songs
The Song of Songs has been a problem for Christians over the years. Not because its meaning is obscure, but rather because it is all too clear! The Song is a poem about the love that a man has for a woman and vice versa. Its intention was to teach Hebrew men and women about true romantic love that they should seek, find and continue to experience within the lifelong relationship of marriage. Sadly by the turn of the fourth century AD the church fathers had begun to relegate marriage a poor second place to celibacy. They spiritualized the Song and argued that it spoke of the love relationship between God and Israel, or more usually between Christ and the Church.(13) This interpretation became popular and is still widely held even today. It is difficult to understand the exegetical gymnastics that are required to read such a meaning into Song 5:2-6!(14)
Fee & Stuart provide a very helpful summary of the contents of the Song:
There are many other kinds of expressions of love and fondness in the Song in addition to visual comparisons and dream sequences. There are also such components as statements of the ardor of love (e.g. 1:2-4), advice and challenge from observers of the romance (e.g., 1:8; 5:9), romantic invitations from the man to the woman and vice versa (e.g., 7:11-13; 8:13), purposely exaggerated boasts about the greatness of the woman by the man and vice versa (e.g., 2:8-9), the need to resist temptation to be unfaithfully attracted to anyone else (e.g., 6:8-9), and declaration that a lovers attraction can be stronger even than the splendor of so great a king as Solomon himself (e.g., 3:6-11 following on 2:16-3:5; cf. 8:11-12). All these are cast in the form of musical poetry, but they are nevertheless all related logically and rationally to life’s choices about love, romance and sex.(15)
In a world that speaks a great deal about love and little about the commitment that marriage requires, this book reminds us of Gods original purpose for man and woman (Gen. 2:21-24) that they be united in a stable, lifelong, loving relationship. The New Testament presents marriage as a picture of Jesus relationship to the church (Eph. 5:22-33; Rev. 22:17). In a sense it is impossible for someone who has never experienced marriage to grasp the full depth of such an illustration.(16)
Contradictions
Now that I explained the rules of interpretation, I'm going to discuss contradictions in the bible.
"Is the Bible the inspired Word of God, or merely a number of documents man-written? If it were divinely inspired by an all- good, never-changing God, these contradictions would not be in it...[no wonder that] more than 65 million Americans...are not church members."
This is the statement of the Society of Separationists, Inc., the group of atheists following the "revelations" of their "priestess," Madalyn Murray O'Hair. Many agnostics and atheists today dismiss the Word of God instantly by appeal to the "innumerable contradictions" they have found in it. "How," they ask, "can you expect us to believe in an all-powerful God who can't keep his own revelation straight?"
These people, however, are speaking out of a deep ignorance. They simply don't know whereof they speak. Most of the ones who cry out about the "millions of contradictions" in the Bible can't list more than three or four at the most of which they have any personal knowledge.
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The old adage that "many put down the Bible before they pick it up" is sadly too true.
You will also find many sites dedicated to finding alleged contradictions in the bible.
The following replies are to alleged Biblical contradictions cited by Jim Meritt (needless to say, not a Bible scholar, but an oceanographer) on the web page, "A List of Biblical Contradictions" at http://www.infidels.org/news/atheism/extra/bible-contradictions.html.
I've covered most of his entries on this page; now as I develop this page as an encyclopedia, we are turning this into a matter of brief comments on individual points made uniquely by Meritt, followed by links to solutions to contradictions.
This site covers nearly all of the alleged contradictions in great detail. Lesson: an oceanographer should not try to become a bible scholar.
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First of all, just what is a contradiction? W. Arndt in his Does the Bible Contradict Itself? (p. viii) says that a contradiction is "The principle that it is impossible for the same thing to be and not to be at the same time and in the same sense....This agrees in substance with the famous definition of Aristotle....'That the same thing should at the same time both be and not be for the same person and in the same respect is impossible.'" In the vernacular we might say, "it can't be a hot, cold, wet, dry, sunny, dark day in the same place at the same time."
Logically it is expressed as "A cannot be non-A." In order to resolve an apparent contradiction in the scriptures, we need only present one other possibility. If one says that he has never stolen anything, we only have to show that he has stolen once to prove him wrong. It doesn't matter if he has stolen once, ten times, or thousands of times. It's still more than never. In the same way, one who says the Bible is contradictory is saying that no one can ever find any possible solution. As soon as we can bring up even one possibility, we have refuted his contradiction. Other possible resolutions only serve to increase the ridiculousness of his position. Sometimes there are five or more resolutions to one alleged discrepancy and the believer is at liberty to choose the one he thinks is the best.
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Another consideration to keep in mind as we study supposed discrepancies is often referred to as "Aristotle's Dictum," John Warwick Montgomery in History and Christianity (p. 29) summarizes his dictum as "the benefit of the doubt is to be given to the document itself, not arrogated by the critic to himself." In other words, the author probably knows more about the event than the critic does, and so we should allow him the benefit of the doubt unless we have clear evidence to the contrary.
Some of these "contradictions" can actually be viewed as God's way of allowing the Bible to triumph in an almost impossible situation. If the gospels, for example, were exactly the same, the critics would immediately cry, "Scheme! Collusion!" And yet, if the gospels did contradict each other, the critics would cry even louder, "Fraud! How can a true God lie?" God has chosen the perfect road between these two positions. He has directed the minds and hearts of the scripture writers to write exactly what he wanted but in their own styles. This allows for differences without contradictions.
That is one possible explanation for the variety of written testimony in the Bible. Another explanation was ably put by Bishop Richard Whately (On Difficulties in the Writings of St. Paul):
The seeming contradictions in scripture are too numerous not to be the result of design; and doubtless were designed, not as mere difficulties to try our faith and patience, but as furnishing the most suitable mode of instruction that could have been devised, by mutually explaining and modifying or limiting or extending one another's meaning....Instructions thus conveyed are evidently more striking and more likely to arouse the attention; and also, from the very circumstance that they call for careful reflection, more likely to make a lasting impression.
We should never forget that just because we do not have a particular answer is no reason to admit defeat and say there is no answer. Many young Christians have started to read the Bible only to put it down in frustration with their faith damaged because they were unable to answer their own questions about Bible passages that apparently had problems. None of us knows all of the answers. I have not read everything written on alleged discrepancies or their resolutions and yet I can confidently say that since I began my study I have never found a "contradiction" that I have not been able to either answer myself or find an answer for. If I were unable to find an answer, the testimony of my previous experience would lead me to doubt my own study, not to doubt the Bible