The Interpretive

Journey

– Hour One –

Introduction

to

Biblical Interpretation

This is where hermeneutics comes in…

Hermeneutics is the science of interpretation, especially of the Scriptures.

In a narrow sense, hermeneutics refers to understanding the text as it refers to readers today .

In a broader sense, hermeneutics refers to understanding both the original meaning (exegesis) and its meaning for us today.

Waltzing Matilda

1. Once a jolly swagman camped beside a billabong,Under the shade of a coolibah tree.And he sang as he sat and waited while his billy boiled,“You’ll come a-waltzing, Matilda, with me.”

Waltzing Matilda

CHORUS

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda,You’ll come a-waltzing, Matilda, with me.

And he sang as he sat and waited while his billy boiled,

“You’ll come a-waltzing, Matilda, with me.”

Waltzing Matilda

2. Down came a jumbuck to drink beside the billabong,Up jumped the swagman and seized him with glee.And he sang as he shoved that jumbuck in his tucker-bag,“You’ll come a-waltzing, Matilda, with me.”

Waltzing Matilda

CHORUS

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda,You’ll come a-waltzing, Matilda, with me.

And he sang as he sat and waited while his billy boiled,

“You’ll come a-waltzing, Matilda, with me.”

Waltzing Matilda

3. Up rode the squatter, mounted on his thoroughbred;Down came the troopers – 1, 2, 3.“Where’s that jolly jumbuck you’ve got in your tucker-bag?You’ll come a-waltzing, Matilda, with me.”

Waltzing Matilda

CHORUS

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda,You’ll come a-waltzing, Matilda, with me.

And he sang as he sat and waited while his billy boiled,

“You’ll come a-waltzing, Matilda, with me.”

Waltzing Matilda

4. Up jumped the swagman right into the billabong;

“You’ll never catch me alive,” said he.And his ghost may be heard as you ride beside the billabong,“You’ll come a-waltzing, Matilda, with me.”

Waltzing Matilda

CHORUS

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda,You’ll come a-waltzing, Matilda, with me.

And he sang as he sat and waited while his billy boiled,

“You’ll come a-waltzing, Matilda, with me.”

Waltzing Matilda

1. Once a jolly swagman camped beside a billabong…

• swag = a bedroll, backpack, also called “Matilda”

• swagman = hobo, itinerant worker

• billabong = a water hole

Under the shade of a coolibah tree.• coolibah tree = a type of eucalyptus tree

Waltzing Matilda

And he sang as he sat and waited while his billy boiled,

billy = an old tin can used to boil water

“You’ll come a-waltzing, Matilda, with me.”

Waltzing Matilda

2. Down came a jumbuck to drink beside the billabong,

jumbuck = sheep

Up jumped the swagman and seized him with glee.

Waltzing Matilda

And he sang as he shoved that jumbuck in his tucker-bag,

tucker = food

tucker-bag = bag for carrying food

“You’ll come a-waltzing, Matilda, with me.”

Waltzing Matilda

3. Up rode the squatter, mounted on his thoroughbred; squatter = land owner / sheep owner

thoroughbred = horse

Down came the troopers – 1, 2, 3. troopers = policemen

Waltzing Matilda

“Where’s that jolly jumbuck you’ve got in your tucker-bag?You’ll come a-waltzing, Matilda, with me.”

Waltzing Matilda

4. Up jumped the swagman right into the billabong;

“You’ll never catch me alive,” said he.And his ghost may be heard as you ride beside the billabong,“You’ll come a-waltzing, Matilda, with me.”

Hermeneutics

asks three vital questions:

1. What does the text say?

2. What did the text mean to the original readers?

3. What does the text mean to us?

Examples of what can happen if we don’t answer

these three questions, if we just read the Bible and

believe and follow the Bible’s instructions:

John 9:31 - God hears not sinners

Mark 13:15 - And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house

Gal 5:2 - If ye be circumcised, then Christ is of no effect

1 Timothy 5:23 - Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake

I Cor. 6:12 - All things are lawful for me.

Matt 19:21 - Sell all you have and give to the poor.

We want to be aware of eisegesis and

become more skilled at exegesis

Eisegesis: putting our own ideas into a

passage

Exegesis: critical explanation or

interpretation, especially of Scripture.

Exegesis is generally used to refer to

determining what the text originally

meant

We want to be aware of…

PRECONCEPTIONS.

These are “preunderstandings.”

Preunderstandings change with

study of a passage.

We want to be aware of…

PRESUPPOSITIONS.

Presuppositions do not change.

They have to do with overall view of

Bible

How can we cross that river?

Different people try different ways.

Intuitive

or

“feels-right”

approach

“Well, to me this

verse means….”

Spiritualizing

approach

Imaging some deep

hidden meaning

Get discouraged

and

give up

This weekend we

hope to offer you

an accurate,

consistent

approach

to interpreting

and applying

God’s Word.

The Bible is God’s communication of Himself

and His will to us.

We do not create meaning; rather, we seek to

discover the meaning that is already in the

Bible.

Theological principles revealed in specific

passages of the Bible are applicable to both

the biblical audience and to Christians today.

We can use biblical principles to cross the

river of differences.

Basic Assumptions of the Journey

1 – What Was Meant Then & There?

What did the text mean to the biblical audience?

2 – Then & There vs. Here & Now

What differences may divide us from the biblical

audience?

3 – Crossing the Divide

What is the theological principle in this text?

4 – Application Here & Now

How should individual Christians today apply the

theological principle in their lives?

There are 4 steps in this journey…

Example–Joshua 1:1-9

After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: "Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Great Sea on the west. No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

"Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

The Lord commanded Joshua,

the new leader of Israel, to draw

strength and courage from God’s

empowering presence, to be

obedient to the law of Moses, and

to meditate on the law so that he

would be successful in the

conquest of the Promised Land.

Step 1: What was meant then & there?

What did the text mean to the

biblical audience?

We are not leaders of the nation

Israel (although some of us may

be leaders in the Church). We are

not embarking on the conquest of

the Promised Land. We are not

under the old covenant of law.

Step 2: Then & There vs. Here & Now

What are the differences between the

biblical audience and us?

To be effective in serving God

and successful in the task to

which He has called us, we

must draw strength and courage

from His presence. We must

also be obedient to God’s Word,

meditating on it constantly.

Step 3: Crossing the Divide

What is the theological principle in

this text?

• Spend more time meditating on

God’s Word

• Obey God when He calls you to a

new and demanding ministry,

trusting in His presence to empower

you.

• Focus on God’s presence to bring

you new courage and strength in

your present ministry situation.

Step 4: Application Here & Now

How should individual Christians

today apply the theological principle in

their lives?

This seminar is not, itself,

the interpretive journey.

But, hopefully, these

highlights will encourage you

to take the actual trip

each time you study God’s Word.

The Holy Spirit worked in the lives of the

human authors of Scripture with the result

that they wrote what God wanted to

communicate (2 Tim. 3:16).

- That task is a finished work. -

The Holy Spirit continues to work to bring

believers to receive and to understand the

truth of Scripture.

- That task is an ongoing work. -

Can we grasp God’s Word apart from the

Holy Spirit?

Well, “Yes” – We can gain a COGNITIVE grasp

of basic grammatical and historical content –

(secular classes re: the Bible)

“… but only to a degree”

So… “No” – grasping God’s Word involves

accepting the message of the Bible in a

personal, experiential way

“The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come

from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he

cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

– 1 Corinthians 2:14

Cognitive Discerning

Dimension Truth Application

Holy Spirit’s Role

So…

The Holy Spirit does not make valid

interpretations automatic— there are no

“autopilot interpretations.”

The Spirit does expect us to use our

minds, proper interpretive methods, and

good study helps to interpret the Bible

accurately.

The Spirit does not create new meaning

or provide new, secret information.

The Spirit does help us grasp the

meaning of God’s Word by discerning

theological principles and applying them

to our lives.

The Spirit does not change the Bible to

suit our purposes or to match our

circumstances.

The Spirit does bring the meaning of

the Bible to bear on our lives.

• Convicts us that the Bible is divinely inspired

• Impresses on us the full meaning of the

Scriptures

• Works in our hearts so that we accept its

message

“The Spirit’s work in interpretation is not to change the sense

[the meaning of the text] but to restore us to our senses.”

—Kevin Vanhoozer

Conclusion

Methods and procedures are important (no “spiritual” switch we can flip where God does all the interpreting for us)

But there is a real danger of over-intellectualizing what it means to communicate with God.

As you study, pray that the Holy Spirit would work in you so that you can enter into the heavenly conversation.

Questions

or

Comments?

Hour Two Begins at 3:00 p.m.