A
little bit of open-mindedness when it comes to the Bible can lead to a lot of
new understanding
Those of us who love the Bible are
often very superstitious about it. We don't like change. We like God's Word to
be solid, sure, unchanging, but is this the right attitude to have.
Whatever our attitudes toward the
Bible are, the Bible itself tells us in no uncertain terms we are supposed to
have a healthy, growth oriented approach to it. Yes, it is the same yesterday,
today and forever, but we are always changing and growing and looking at things
in life differently. We need to have this kind of orientation to our approach
of looking at Scripture with a healthy sense of "growing in grace and in knowledge."
Note a couple of texts which point this out so clearly.
"But grow in the grace and
knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and
to the day of eternity. Amen. (II Peter 3:18 ESV)
"so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God." (Colossians 1:10 ESV).
"But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day." (Proverbs 4:18).(1)
"so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God." (Colossians 1:10 ESV).
"But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day." (Proverbs 4:18).(1)
Some
practical advice on how to embrace this type of orientation towards Biblical
learning
I guess one could enter now into a
long dissertation about all of the ways one could change their attitudes
towards Biblical knowledge and how there are many ways in which we can do some
things a little bit differently and come to more accurate understandings of
things, but I want to keep this post fairly light and just give one example.
This example does not require you
to:
1. Do major study
2. Learn any new languages
3. Buy a new Bible version
4. Obtain any Bible helps or other
resources
5. Do any comparative study of words
or the like
No, it just requires you to look a
little bit differently at what is already there in front of you.
Let us look at an example of this
from the book of Psalms.
Have
a healthy suspicion of English Bible Versions and because of that keep your
mind open
One thing that is important to
remember about the Bible that we have today in English is that these versions,
many of which are masterpieces of scholarship and reflect very well God's Word,
still are productions of human beings and because of that, we need to keep our
minds open to learning new things about that good old Book. But all along,
let's remember one thing. Behind all of the human influence on the Bible, there
is the Spirit of God in action. Be open to that Spirit and be open to looking
at things differently. Here is an example of looking at things a little bit
differently.
The
Book of Psalms and understanding it better
One of my favorite books in the
entire Bible is the book of Psalms. It is a book which represents God's
orientation to music in a way.
The thing is, though, when we look
at this book, there are layers on this masterpiece that have been placed there
by mankind, which often are not helpful. One example of this is in how all of
these Psalms are numbered, titled and organized.
Here, though, we are just going to
focus on one point: The titles to the Psalms.
Now this may seem a bit esoteric,
but I think it illustrates a point of how we, by just adjusting our thinking
ever so slightly according to the information that is already in front of us,
we can have a new view of something which, in fact, has been there all along.
It is just that our understanding of it was not in line with God's design.
The Book of Psalms, the titles and
understanding one simple point to orient ourselves correctly
Many of us have read the book of
Psalms and marveled at their beauty and majesty. Yes, they are magnificent. But
there is more to them than meets the eye. There is so much to learn from this
book because it reflects something of the mind of God which we want to come
closer to.
Have you ever noticed how some of
the Psalms have these titles in front of them? Look at any Bible Version and
you will notice this. For example, look at Psalm 45, it says something like the
following at the beginning:
" To the chief Musician upon
Shoshannim, for the sons of Korah, Maschil, A song of loves."
Now, this may seem insignificant and
has little impact on the meaning of what we are reading here? Here we could be
right and we could be wrong. If we just read over this, which is a part of
God's Word, we may not see what God wants us to see here that is His design for
His music book.
The thing is, when God designs His
universe, His creation, His children or His Scripture, He does not need to
check with us to see if we agree with how He designs things. No, it is up to us
to orient ourselves towards how God designs, creates, thinks and does things.
If we have this attitude always being open to God's Ways, we might find that
God is more open to showing us how He thinks more and does things.
Now, getting back to this
unimportant thing, let's take a look at another section of Scripture which has
a writing style which is exactly like what we are here reading in the book of
Psalms. It is found in the book of Habakkuk and I am going to here quote all of
Habakkuk Three. Check out the design and note in particular the bolded texts.
A
prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth.
O Lord, I have heard the report of
you,
and your work, O Lord, do I fear.
In the midst of the years revive it;
in the midst of the years make it
known;
in wrath remember mercy.
God came from Teman,
and the Holy One from Mount Paran.
Selah
His splendor covered the heavens,
and the earth was full of his
praise.
His brightness was like the light;
rays flashed from his hand;
and there he veiled his power.
Before him went pestilence,
and plague followed at his heels.
He stood and measured the earth;
he looked and shook the nations;
then the eternal mountains were
scattered;
the everlasting hills sank low.
His were the everlasting ways.
I saw the tents of Cushan in
affliction;
the curtains of the land of Midian
did tremble.
Was your wrath against the rivers, O
Lord?
Was your anger against the rivers,
or your indignation against the sea,
when you rode on your horses,
on your chariot of salvation?
You stripped the sheath from your
bow,
calling for many arrows. Selah
You split the earth with rivers.
The mountains saw you and writhed;
the raging waters swept on;
the deep gave forth its voice;
it lifted its hands on high.
The sun and moon stood still in
their place
at the light of your arrows as they
sped,
at the flash of your glittering
spear.
You marched through the earth in
fury;
you threshed the nations in anger.
You went out for the salvation of
your people,
for the salvation of your anointed.
You crushed the head of the house of
the wicked,
laying him bare from thigh to neck.
Selah
You pierced with his own arrows the
heads of his warriors,
who came like a whirlwind to scatter
me,
rejoicing as if to devour the poor
in secret.
You trampled the sea with your
horses,
the surging of mighty waters.
I hear, and my body trembles;
my lips quiver at the sound;
rottenness enters into my bones;
my legs tremble beneath me.
Yet I will quietly wait for the day
of trouble
to come upon people who invade us.
Though the fig tree should not
blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will take joy in the God of my
salvation.
God, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the deer's;
he makes me tread on my high places.
To the choirmaster: with stringed
instruments.
Now, what we see here is how God
designs His Psalmodic music go back to Psalm 45 for a moment in any version. I
am going to quote here using the ESV:
To
the choirmaster: according to Lilies. A Maskil of the Sons of Korah; a love
song.
My heart overflows with a pleasing
theme;
I address my verses to the king;
my tongue is like the pen of a ready
scribe. (Psalm 45:1, ESV)
With joy and gladness they are led
along
as they enter the palace of the
king.
16 In place of your fathers
shall be your sons;
you will make them princes in all
the earth.
17 I will cause your name to be
remembered in all generations;
therefore nations will praise you
forever and ever. (Psalm 45:15-17 ESV)
When you compare how the Psalm 45
compares to Habakkuk 3, note the differences. What you find is when English
translators position the Psalms, we find that they are adding parts to the
titles of one Psalm, which are in fact designed to be positioned at the end of
the previous Psalm!
When we go to the ESV at the top of
Psalm 46, we read the following:
To the choirmaster. Of the Sons of
Korah. According to Alamoth. A Song.
God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
(Psalm 46:1, ESV)
The thing is, though, when one looks
at the context and information of Psalm 45, we find that the phrase in the
title for Psalm 46 where is says:
"To the choirmaster. Of the
Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth."
This section, in fact, is linked,
according to the model in Habakkuk Three, to the end of Psalm 45! Psalm 46
should begin with the title of just:
A Song.
For more information on all of this
and its importance, see Dr. Bullinger's Companion Bible, Appendices 64-66.
Conclusion
Now, this exercise in dealing with
the book of Psalms might seem a bit academic, but what I am asking you to do is
not change one thing about your opinion or orientation to the book of Psalms,
but just to be willing to look at the information in a different way, which, in
fact, could be closer to the way God actually designed it before English
translators got ahold of the Bible.
There is nothing wrong with English translators,
but as I said before, we need to be growing in grace and in knowledge" and
we need a healthy attitude to looking at things from that good old Book just a
little differently.
Many of you who read my blog or who
have read my book on the corporal punishment of children and what the Bible
says about it note that I am asking you to take a different view to the use of
the term "child" in particular in the book of Proverbs, for example.
I am not asking you to change your view towards God or His Word, but just to
look at it in a different way realizing that it is possible that looking at it
differently may get us closer to an accurate understanding.
I pray that is the result we all
reach and are seeking in our approach to understand God and His Word.
(1) I am grateful to my late father for his important booklet "Progressive Revelation" (Foundation for Biblical Research, Pasaden:CA, 1974) On the first page, my dad made reference to these three texts as follows:
"Let us first understand the intent of the phrase. By "progressive" we do not mean "moden" or "liberal." We are using it in the sense of something being passed successively from one point of a series to the
next. Or, even more definitely, "to progress step-by-step towards improvement until a desired higher plane of development is reached."
The principle is well attested in several biblical verses.
"But grow in grace, and in the knowlege of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (Il Peter 3:18).
"That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful mn every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God" (Colossians 1:10).
"The path of the just is as a shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day" (Proverbs 4:18).
(1) I am grateful to my late father for his important booklet "Progressive Revelation" (Foundation for Biblical Research, Pasaden:CA, 1974) On the first page, my dad made reference to these three texts as follows:
"Let us first understand the intent of the phrase. By "progressive" we do not mean "moden" or "liberal." We are using it in the sense of something being passed successively from one point of a series to the
next. Or, even more definitely, "to progress step-by-step towards improvement until a desired higher plane of development is reached."
The principle is well attested in several biblical verses.
"But grow in grace, and in the knowlege of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (Il Peter 3:18).
"That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful mn every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God" (Colossians 1:10).
"The path of the just is as a shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day" (Proverbs 4:18).
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