Principle #7...Bible reading week 35, day 1

Today's devotion is the last of our series on the meaning of the text.  What is the "meaning" of a written text with relationship to what we read in Scripture.  The answer we have been working with is, "The meaning of a text is what the author intended to communicate by his words."  We have been underlining "what the author intended" and "by his words."  We are striving to keep our eyes on the author and discover the intention rather than create something from our reader's eyes and wander into the area of relativity.

Let's summarizes where we have been so far.

Principle #1 - The Bible Assumption - The Bible corrects when the readers interpret the author's intention wrongly.

Principle #2 - The Golden Rule - Do onto the authors as you the reader would have readers do to you as an author.  No one likes their words twisted or misinterpreted.

Principle #3 - The Humble Path - We are to discover what the author intended rather than creating our own meanings.  Pride hinders us from this discover.

Principle #4 - The Biblical Worldview - The Bible has a worldview that is to be communicated and also lived out.  It is a specific view because we are going with what the author intended, what God intended for how we should live.

Principle #5 - It Never Changes - The meaning is history and therefore it doesn't change from age to age or person to person.

Principle #6 - Establish Right & Wrong - The meaning gives stability to the Word of God as it can be relied upon to give us objective not subjective answers.

And onto Principle #7 - We May Know God

This definition of meaning makes it possible for God to communicate to us with authority and trustworthiness, so that we may know His promises and His instructions for our everlasting joy.

Hebrews 6:13-18 says,

"For when God made a promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater to swear by, He swore by Himself:  I will indeed bless you, and I will greatly multiply you.  And so, after waiting patiently, Abraham obtained the promise.  For people swear by something greater than themselves, and for them a confirming oath ends every dispute.  Because God wanted to show His unchangeable purpose even more clearly to the heirs of the promise, He guaranteed it with an oath, so that though two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us."

God is making an oath to Abraham.  These oaths have weight because they are they made with something outside of ourselves to give validation.  So I swear on a stack of Bible or my mother's grave.  What does God swear by?  What is great than He?  Even He makes an oath to us by Himself because no one is greater than He so that we can have strong encouragement even in our fleeing for refuge.  We can have strong encouragement that what He has said will be our fulfilled hope.

2 Peter 1:20, 21 says,

"Above all, you know this:  No prophecy of Scripture comes from the prophet's own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by the will of man; instead, men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."

Where are these words coming from?  We read the names of the prophets and the writers but the source is from God.  The will of these words are from God.  The transmission is not something man has dreamed up or cleverly put together but from God Himself through authors to us.

2 Timothy 3:16, 17 says,

"All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."

Their are purposes for the words that God has given to us.  It is profitable to teach us.  It is profitable to stop us when we are going the wrong way.  It is profitable to set before us the right way.  It is profitable to give examples to follow that become our new direction for life.  It results in us being able to do the work set before us because God's words are training us to accomplish it for His glory and in His way.

1 Corinthians 14:37, 38 says,

"If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, he should recognize that what I write to you is the Lord's command.  If anyone ignores this, he will be ignored."

Here we go thinking again.  This thinking needs to line up with the Lord's command.  The Lord's command, the author's intent is what goes and therefore if it isn't what the author intended then it is to be ignored.  Those who are prophets or those who are spiritual are those who recognize what God says.

Proverbs 2:1-5 says,

"My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, listening closely to wisdom and directing your heart to understanding; furthermore, if you call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it like hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and discover the knowledge of God."

Let us end this series with these beautiful words from Proverbs.  Let us be those who call out to insight.  Let us be those who lift up voices to understanding.  Let us be those seeking God's voice.  Let us be those who search for what He says rather than what we think.  May we be people who understand the awe of God and know Him more.  All of this comes from the start, "if you accept my words and store up my commands within you."  May we listen closely and direct our hearts to His meaning of the text.  Let us pray.

"Lord may we go with the Bible's assumption, may we apply the golden rule, may be take the humble path, may we understand the Biblical worldview, may we see the established history You have given, may we go with the objective rather than the subjective, and may we be amazed that You have communicated with us to know and be in awe of You.  Amen."

Pastor Adam