BIBLE STUDY -- INTERPRETATION & APPLICATION

BIBLE STUDY – INTERPRETATION & APPLICATION

Thursday, September 10, 2015

Acts 17:10-12 And the brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. They, when they arrived, went into the synagogue of the Jews. And these were more noble than those of Thessalonica, in that they received the Word with all readiness of mind and searched the Scriptures daily to see if those things were so. Therefore many of them believed, and quite a few of honorable Greek women and men.

  Though there is but one interpretation of Scripture verse, there may be many applications. 1Corinthians 8:9-13 is a perfect example; roast beef then, _________ now, _________ tomorrow.

  I like Brother Cadfael mysteries on PBS, and have enjoyed the entire fictional but historically accurate BBC series of murder mysteries. Cadfael is a 12th century Welsh Benedictine monk living at Shrewsbury Abbey in western England during the destructive civil war for the crown of England between King Stephen and Empress Maud.

  One interesting thing to us is the superstitious manner in which the population along with most of the Abbey monks make decisions, including those pertaining to innocence or guilt. A popular method being blindfolding, letting the pulpit Bible flop open, then having the person put their finger on page; the verse often requiring religious leaders’ interpretation of application to the situation. Hilarious unless we consider how frequently life or death was decided by this method.

  Of course erudite Christians today don’t act so foolishly, do they?

  Ever heard the one about the Christian, already of low opinion of himself, depressed after reading the latest scientific findings on self-esteem?

  Thinking he should probably do a bit of Bible reading to look for solace, he remembered how Granny did so when she was troubled. Standing in his grimy home before his shabby dirty kitchen table piled high with cockroachs roaming he held his Bible, closed his eyes and let it drop. Slowly, ever so slowly, he lowered his finger until it touched a page. Opening his eyes expectantly, he read “He departed and went and hung himself.”

  Puzzled, he recalled Granny at times like this repeating her trusted procedure, so he did so.

  This time “Then Jesus said, ‘Go and do likewise.’”

  By this time quite nervous about his prospects, he thought “One more try ought to do it.”

  And what did he point to? “Then Jesus said to him, ‘What you do, do quickly.” L

  For those of you that are ill today, especially with the current creeping crude, would it improve hope of recovery were you to eyes-closed point-method read “In vain you will use many medicines; you shall not be cured.”?

  Though over decades I personally have met some using this old method, more common flawed practice is preconceived “apple” ideas, often from grannies in our life, and the biggie: less than “noble” lackadaisical attitude toward Bible study including principles of interpretation (hermeneutics).

  Search for personal application we may and very well should.

  And then there’s verses like 2Timothy 2:15 that have but one basic interpretation and application; work.  EBB4

PS. To illustrate the opening DT paragraph: In the good olde days beer came in bottles. Way back then a pastor friend loved going fishing on his day off, taking lunch and cold soda in his little boat. When breweries started canning beer he had to stop drinking from cans as the dry Christians on the lake shores would think him partaking of alcohol and it would adversely affect his ministry in that county.