Transcript Studying the Word - Beth Yeshua Messianic Fellowship

Studying the Word
Part 1
Study Tools that You Need Here
1. A Bible – Preferably an Interlinear
Bible keyed to Strong’s – J.P.
Green’s Interlinear is good, but the
text is so small…
2. A Notebook
3. Text Highlighter (various colors)
Basic Books
4. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance
of the Bible
5. Bible Dictionary
6. Bible Lexicon
7. Eerdman’s Handbook to the Bible
8. Jewish and Church History books
9. Bible Atlas (Maps)
Approach to Studying the Bible
“Do all you can to present yourself to
God as someone worthy of his
approval, as a worker with no need to
be ashamed, because he deals
straightforwardly with the Word of the
Truth.”
2 Timothy 2:15
God’s Word
God expects us to familiarize ourselves
with His Word. Only by fully appreciating it
will we act on it. Yeshua said, “…It is
written, Man shall not live by bread
alone, but by every word that proceeds
out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4,
quoted from Deuteronomy 8:3).
Psalms 119:105 affirms:
“Your word is a
lamp unto my
feet, and a
light unto my
path.”
1) Start with Prayer
Probably one of the most common
reasons why believers don't study the
Bible is based on this complaint, "I just
don't understand it!" Before you start
each study session, begin by praying
and asking God to open your spiritual
understanding.
2 Timothy 3:16
The Bible says in 2 Timothy 3:16, "All Scripture is
God-breathed and is useful for teaching,
rebuking,
correcting and
training
in
righteousness." (NIV) So, as you pray, realize
that the words you are studying are inspired by
God. Psalm 119:130 tells us, "The unfolding of
your words gives light; it gives understanding
to the simple." (NIV)
2) Read the Entire Book – Context,
Context, Context
Spend some time, perhaps several days,
reading through the entire book. Do this
more than once. As you read, look for
themes that may be woven into the
chapters. Sometimes you'll detect a general
message in the book.
For example, in the book of James, an
obvious theme is "Persevering
through Trials." Take notes (hence the
notebook) on the ideas that jump out
at you.
Life Application Principles
Look also for "life application principles." An
example of a life application principle in the
book of James is: "Make sure my faith is more
than just a statement - it should result in
action." It's a good practice to try and pull out
these themes and applications on your own as
you meditate, even before you begin using other
study tools. This gives an opportunity for God's
Word to speak personally to you.
3) Zoom In
Now you will slow down and read
the book verse by verse, breaking
down the text, looking for deeper
understanding. Hebrews 4:12 begins
with, "For the word of God is living
and active..." (NIV)
Now let's see what it looks like under a
microscope, as we begin breaking
down the text. Using a Bible
dictionary, look up the meaning of the
word living in the original language. It
is the Greek word 'Zaõ' meaning, "not
only living, but causing to live,
vivifying, quickening."
4) A Deeper Meaning
You start to see a deeper meaning: "God's
Word causes life to come about; it
quickens." Because God's Word is alive,
you can study the same passage several
times and continue to discover new,
relevant applications throughout your walk
of faith.
5) Choose Your Tools
As you continue to do this type of verse by
verse study, there's no limit to the wealth of
understanding and growth that will come
from your time spent in God's Word. For this
portion of your study, you will want to
consider choosing the right tools to aid you in
your learning, such as a commentary, lexicon
or Bible dictionary.
A Bible study guide or perhaps a study
Bible will also help you dig deeper.
There are also many useful on-line
Bible study resources available, if you
have access to a computer for your
study time.
6) Be a Doer of the Word
Don't just study God's Word for the sake
of studying. Be sure to put the Word into
practice in your life.
Yeshua said in Luke 11:28, "But even more
blessed are all who hear the word of God
and put it into practice." (NLT)
Apologetics
Part 2
Apologetics – Not Apologizing, but
Defending!
Doesn’t mean that we “apologize” for
what we believe, but Defending what
we believe!
ἀπολογία - Strong's Number: 627
Transliterated Word Phonetic Spelling
apologia ap-ol-og-ee'-ah
Definition
1. verbal defense, speech in defense
2. a reasoned statement or argument
1 Peter 3:15
“…but sanctify Christ as Lord in your
hearts, always {being} ready to make a
defense to everyone who asks you to
give an account for the hope that is in
you, yet with gentleness and
reverence…”
We need to be able to make an
“Apologia” for the Hope that lies
within us!
With gentleness and reverence
We Need to be Able to Answer the
Question:
“Why do we believe what we
believe?”
What we believe and why we
believe must be based upon what
the Scriptures say:
Exegesis…
Theological Positions;
Ideas
Reading “out” (exe) of the Scriptures…
That’s the Rub…
The reason why there is such diversity
of understanding is that most often
we read into the Scriptures what we
want the Scriptures to say.
…Known as “Eisegesis”
Preconceived Theology;
Ideas
• Reading “Into” (eise) the Scriptures!
With Eisegesis We Can Make the Bible
say ANYTHING We Want!
…Judas went out and hanged himself…
(Matthew 27:5)
And Jesus said, “Go, do thou likewise.”
(Luke 10:37)
“…what thou doest, do thou quickly!”
(John 13:27)
When, in reality, we should
study out the Scriptures from its
own perspective!
Like Prospecting…
Taking gold out of the earth!
Careful Study…
The process of careful study of a biblical
passage in relation to its historical setting;
its setting in the overall collection that
makes up the scriptures, specific questions
of language and literary form, and how it
has been understood by past interpreters,
in order to provide a foundation for
hearing what the passage may have to say
to us today.
2 Timothy 2:15
“Be diligent to present yourself
approved to God as a workman who
does not need to be ashamed,
accurately handling the word of
truth.”
Hermeneutics
Part 3
Herman WHO???
Hermeneutics
Hermeneutics (Hermeneutic means
interpretive), is a branch of
philosophy concerned with human
understanding and the interpretation
of texts.
Name Derivation
Name derived from a
Greek word connected
with the name of the
god “Hermes,”
(Mercury) the reputed
messenger and
interpreter of the gods.
Biblical Hermeneutics
“Hermeneutics is a science and art of
interpreting the text of scripture.”
[Dr. Milton Terry- Biblical Hermeneutics 1890]
Acts 14:11-13
• When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they
shouted in the Lycaonian language, "The gods
have come down to us in human form!“
• Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called
Hermes because he was the chief speaker.
• The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just
outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to
the city gates because he and the crowd wanted
to offer sacrifices to them.
Biblical Hermeneutics
• Determines how we interpret what the
Bible is saying to us - Interpret: make
clear – understandable
• Gives tools to ask intelligent questions
about what the Biblical text says, rather
than be deceived by what TV, a book,
article, or person may say.
There IS a Difference between…
…Interpretation and
Translation
Interpretation
1. The action of explaining the meaning
of something: "the interpretation of data".
2. An explanation or way of explaining:
"it's open to interpretation".
Translation
1. The process of translating words or
text from one language into another:
"Constantine's translation of Arabic texts
into Latin".
2. A written or spoken rendering of the
meaning of a word, speech, book, or other
text, in another language.
What We Must Desire to Do:
To seek the Message that God
Intended
One Meaning: One Mind.
Rules of Scripture Interpretation
How we interpret Scripture is
known as Biblical Hermeneutics.
Principles of Interpretation
• It is not a hit or miss proposition. It is
detailed, carefully spelled out.
• Both Jewish and Christian scholars
have come to basic agreement on
principles of interpretation – as far
as methodology.
Principles of Interpretation
The purpose of this course of study
is to go through the principles of
Hermeneutics.
Written to a Specific People:
God’s Word was written by and to a
people in another time and place in
history, people with a different
culture, customs, environment, and
language. So that those people could
understand what God Wanted them to
understand.
Contained in God’s Word are:
• Stories, poetry, literal and figurative
language.
• God’s Word was written by “one
mind”: God’s!
Need to Realize: The Bible is a
Hebraic Work
To best understand the Bible, we
need to approach it from the
Hebraic perspective, since it IS a
Hebraic book!
Hebraic Hermeneutics
Studying the Scripture from
a Hebraic perspective.
As Torah Submissive Believers in
Yeshua, our Messiah and Lord
We believe that the Torah IS
applicable and pertinent to ALL
Messianic believers: both Jewish
and Non-Jewish!
Need to be able to make a
“defense” to our brethren
who believe otherwise!
We Need to Understand Where
Others Are Coming From and
Relate to them from the Biblical
(Hebraic) Perspective!
• We need to be able to “cross the
bridge” to reach out to them.
• Sha’ul did this with the Athenians at
Mar’s Hill in Acts 17:16-31.
Sha’ul did not use a SINGLE Verse
of Scripture to Them
• Because Scripture did not yet
hold authority over them and
their lives.
• He used their poets, philosophers
and world-view to reach them!
Likewise, We Must KNOW and
RELATE…
…To those who do not yet grasp our
understanding from their OWN worldview and perspective.
• Then we bring them over the bridge to see
ours.
• This DOESN’T mean that they will come across
to our perspective!
That’s the Job of the Ruach
haKodesh!
Holy Spirit convicts of sin:
John 16:5-15
5
"But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of
you asks Me, `Where are You going?' 6 "But because I
have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your
heart. 7 "But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage
that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not
come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. 8 "And He,
when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin
and righteousness and judgment; 9 concerning sin,
because they do not believe in Me; 10 and concerning
righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no
longer see Me; 11 and concerning judgment, because the
ruler of this world has been judged.
John 16:5-15
12
"I have many more things to say to you, but you
cannot bear them now. 13 "But when He, the Spirit
of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth;
for He will not speak on His own initiative, but
whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will
disclose to you what is to come. 14 "He will glorify
Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to
you. 15 "All things that the Father has are Mine;
therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will
disclose it to you.
Our Job is to Bear Witness
His Job is to reveal it to those who
see and hear our witness!
Rabbinic Hermeneutics
Part 4
PaRDeS
Pardes, which means “paradise” or
“garden” in Hebrew, is an acronym for
four Hebrew words:
1. P’shat,
2. Remez,
3. Drash,
4. Sod.
The Four Levels of Interpretation
These are which the rabbis tell us can
be applied to every passage of
Scripture.
1) P’shat, the Safe and Sure Road
P’shat literally means “to make
a road.” P’shat is also the most
important level of interpreting
Scripture.
It is the simplest level of
interpreting Scripture:
What it says is what it
means.
As its name suggests, it is like a road
winding through the wilderness. To
the side of the road are the other
levels of interpretation, there to be
explored, and as long as we always
keep the road in sight and return to
it when we are done with our
excursion, we’re safe.
But when we forget the road,
the plain meaning of Scripture,
then we get into trouble.
Therefore, doctrine should never
be made solely on a perceived
midrash, remez, or sod, but always
on the plain meaning of Scripture.
When the Bible says that God
tested Abraham’s faith by telling
him to sacrifice Isaac, it means
that God tested Abraham’s faith
by telling him to sacrifice Isaac.
When God told the Israelites to
keep certain Appointed Times
(mo’edim) or Feasts during the
year, they were supposed to
literally keep those feasts.
Remez: Following the Hints
The second level of Biblical interpretation
is the remez, literally the “hint” of
something deeper. This “hint” can be
something as simple as the name of a
place, as subtle as a misspelled word, or as
obvious as a prophecy that has as yet
unfulfilled elements.
One example of a remez is found in the
Akkedah, the account of Isaac’s “sacrifice” by his
father Abraham.
As we mentioned before, the p’shat meaning is
that God was testing Abraham’s faith. However,
there is also a hint of something else in the
narrative: “Abraham called the name of that
place The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this
day, "In the mount of the LORD it will be
provided” (Genesis 22:14).
Drash: (Midrash) Digging Deeper
The word drash literally means to
“dig” or “search,” while midrash
means “teaching” or “learning.”
Sod: The Secret Meaning
This final, deepest level of meaning is one
that we have to treat with the utmost
caution. It did indeed give rise to Kabalah,
and more than any other level of
interpretation has the potential to lead us
astray. However, it can only lead us astray if
we abandon the road of the p’shat in
pursuit of our mystical conjectures.
What is the sod?
Stern defines it as “a mystical or hidden
meaning arrived at by operating on the
numerical values of the Hebrew letters,
noting unusual spellings, transposing
letters, and the like. . . The implied
presupposition is that God invests meaning
in the minutest details of Scripture, even
the individual letters.”
The most obvious example of a sod in the
NT is the famous Number of the Beast. As
early as Irenaeus, it was understood that
the name of the Antichrist, when rendered
into Hebrew and/or Greek letters, would
add up to the number of six hundred and
sixty-six according to the numerology of
those alphabets. And while the text comes
out and states this to be the number, many
authors nevertheless regard this as a sod.
Additional Rabbinic Rules:
Hillel’s Seven Principles
Rabbi Hillel listed seven principles of
interpreting Scripture which are recorded for us
in the Talmud (y. Pesahim 33a; cf. Tosefta,
Sanhedrin 7:11).
1) Kal v’chomer (simple and complex):
Inference from minor to major
case (“If such and such is so…
how much more so?")
2) Gezerah shavah (equal
commandment):
Two biblical commandments having a
common word or phrase are subject to
the same regulations and applications.
3) Binyan av mikatuv echad (a
sweeping principle [derived] from one
scriptural passage):
One scripture serves as a model for
the interpretation of others, so that a
legal decision based on the one is valid
for the others.
4) Binyan av mishne ketuvim (a
sweeping principle [derived] from
two scriptural passages):
Two scriptures having a common
characteristic serve as a model for the
interpretation of others, so that a legal
decision based on the two is valid for
the others.
5) Kelal uferat uferat ukelal
(general and particular, or
particular and general):
One scripture, general in nature, can
be interpreted more precisely by
means of a second scripture that is
specific, or particular, in nature, and
vice versa.
6) Kayotse bo bemakom acher
(like that in another place):
The interpretation of a scriptural
passage by means of another
passage having similar content
7) Davar halamed me'inyano (a
thing that is learned from the
subject):
An interpretation of a scripture
that is deduced from its context.
Principles in Forming Drash or Remez
Note that these principles are
consistent with forming a midrash or
remez, as they form a basis for
identifying two passages which are
linked by language even when they are
not thematically, and for identifying
oddities in the text.
Someone once said, “The Bible is shallow
enough for a child to wade in it, but deep
enough for an elephant to immerse in it.”
Indeed this is true, and the hour is far too late
for mature believers to stay splashing in the
kiddie pool. There is a depth and richness to the
Scriptures that we have but barely scratched the
surface of; we complain that we want more milk
when the Eternal One offers us a steak dinner.
Let us then obey the Bible and the example of
the Apostles:
Therefore, leaving behind the initial
lessons about the Messiah, let us go on to
maturity, not laying again the foundation of
turning from works that lead to death,
trusting God, and instruction about
washings, s'mikhah (laying of hands), the
resurrection of the dead and eternal
punishment. And, God willing, this is what
we will do. (Hebrews 6:1-3, CJB)