KNOWING THE BIBLE
Read and pray: “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” (Is 7:14)
PRINCIPLES OF INTERPRETING THE BIBLE
In this chapter, we need to see some of the principles of interpreting the Bible. If we want to study the Bible, we must understand it. To understand the Bible, we need to interpret it. Without interpretation or explanation, naturally, we will have no way to understand the Bible.
We know that all things have their own principles. The more valued and important a matter is, the more rigorous its governing principles and laws will be. If a certain matter has no meaning or importance, and can be carried out in any way, there is no need to speak of laws, principles, or rules. But if a matter is respectable and occupies a significant and prominent place, if it is something great and noble, certainly there will be principles and laws governing that matter; it cannot be taken lightly.
The Bible is an extremely great item in the universe. Besides our Lord and God of glory, I believe the greatest item in the universe is the Bible that we have before our eyes and in our hands. Since the Bible is so important, we need the proper interpretation so that we may study it and understand it. This interpretation must be governed by definite rules, laws, and principles. We cannot interpret it as we please.
Now that we have seen how the Bible was written, how it was translated into different languages, and placed in our hands as such an available book, we must discover the governing principles and laws for its interpretation and study. This will not only help us to understand the Bible, but also help us to avoid many errors.
All rules are a kind of protection. If a train has no tracks to run on, it will not only be unable to move smoothly, but it will also lack protection. When there are tracks, the train moves without jolts and has adequate protection. It is the same with the study of the Bible.
If someone studies and expounds the Bible in a blind and careless way, the result will be inconceivable and even dangerous. Our thoughts often have no limits. It is very dangerous for a person to judge according to what he thinks and interpret according to what he conceives through his senses.
If we want to study the Bible properly and understand it accurately, a restrictive interpretation is necessary. If we want a restrictive exposition of the Bible, we must find the principles and laws of interpreting the Bible. Here we will show ten of these principles.
AS LITERAL AS POSSIBLE
The first principle for interpreting and understanding the Bible is: as literal as possible. We must firmly hold to the fact that when God inspired men to write the Bible, He used words that are fully understandable to man. When we try to understand the Bible today, we must understand the thought of God strictly and precisely according to the letter of the words.
We must not think that, since the Bible was inspired by God, it always transcends human language, and therefore is open to spiritual interpretation. This is a dangerous thesis.
We must interpret the Bible according to the literal meaning of the words. No matter how difficult or absurd a literal interpretation may seem to us, we must adhere strictly to the literal meaning.
Let us mention some examples. An obvious example is the prophecy of the Old Testament, in Isaiah, concerning the Lord Jesus being born of a virgin. Today, the Lord Jesus has already been born of a virgin.
Therefore, for us it is no surprise when we read or hear this word. But in the time of Isaiah, when men read what he had written about a virgin giving birth to a son and calling him Immanuel, would they not have had difficulties in their minds?
A person would certainly have difficulty in understanding how a virgin could be pregnant. Some might have turned to a spiritual interpretation, suggesting that the virgin could mean something other than a real virgin. But when this prophecy was fulfilled, it was fulfilled literally. The virgin referred to a real virgin.
Also, the book of Zechariah, in the Old Testament, prophesied that the Lord Jesus would enter Jerusalem for the last time riding on a donkey colt. When someone read this, at that time, he might have found it hard to understand, because to them, the One whom others would proclaim “Hosanna”, the King worthy of praise, the most esteemed of Israel, could never enter Jerusalem riding on a donkey colt.
People would have considered it illogical to ride a donkey colt. For this reason, they would have interpreted this prophecy spiritually, in such a way that it meant something different. However, when the prophecy was fulfilled, it was fulfilled literally in all aspects. The word was donkey colt, and indeed it was a donkey colt.
When we read the Bible, on the one hand, we must receive spiritual inspirations, but on the other hand, we must not alter the literal meaning in order to fit a spiritual interpretation.
Only when a literal interpretation of a prophecy or parable leads to absurd or improper situations can they be interpreted spiritually. But such cases are few in the Bible.
It must be carefully considered whether a passage should be interpreted literally or spiritually. There is a great difference in this. I have heard that some interpret the locusts in Revelation as today’s airplanes, and the plague coming from the heavens as the bombs dropped by the airplanes. This is ridiculous. We must be careful not to interpret the Bible so freely.
If someone wants to find examples of strange and irrational interpretations, let him read “The Signs of the Times”, published by the Seventh-day Adventists. There one can find the most unrestrained and absurd interpretations. We must not interpret the Bible in this way.
We must hold to the principles and adhere, as much as possible, to the literal meaning. Only when the literal interpretation of some words, in some visions, prophecies, and parables becomes very absurd and foolish can they be interpreted spiritually.
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