Audio Transcript
Welcome again to the podcast, and welcome again to speaking about our Bible-reading plan this 12 months. We began the brand new 12 months wanting on the religious battles we should overcome in our Bible studying. That was APJ 2112, an exquisite episode with all kinds of nice recommendation for how one can learn the Bible in a 12 months, simply considered one of many episodes on Bible-study ideas from the thirteen-year historical past of the podcast — particularly within the Epistles and how one can break down a paragraph from the Bible to its particular person statements, its propositions, to find out how these propositions relate to 1 one other logically. For a sampling of different episodes that can assist you learn your Bible higher, see the Ask Pastor John guide on pages 1–46, the longest part within the guide.
As we discover ourselves within the second half of January, we’re within the means of studying Genesis 37–50 collectively, fourteen fascinating chapters concerning the lifetime of Joseph — world-famous tales. And as we learn these chapters, we’re making an attempt to know the worth of the Bible’s narratives for our personal lives. As we do, right here’s the query from Nicholas, who lives in Ontario, Canada — who’s, I collect, a pastor: “Hi there, Pastor John. Thanks in your tireless work on this podcast. I’m presently listening on Audible to your guide Studying the Bible Supernaturally. It has been such an exquisite refresher on why to learn the Bible and how one can focus my studying and research for private devotion and sermon prep.
“My query is relating to narratives. You make the purpose that your revolution in studying got here if you found that the Bible’s authors had been making arguments and that tracing these arguments properly was key to understanding the creator and, thus, God’s intention within the phrase. I see how this is applicable to the Epistles of the New Testomony and in your LAB movies via Paul’s letters and even in Knowledge Literature. However what about narratives? My church is presently preaching via Luke, and whereas there may be certainly construction, how do you ‘arc out’ a story? Are there completely different keys you search for? Are there particular transitions, markers, or triggers you’re on the lookout for within the narrative texts?”
Let me see if I can get all people in control with what he’s asking. I put an enormous emphasis on following an creator’s practice of thought with a view to discover his true intention. And I do consider that probably the most basic purpose of studying is to find the creator’s intention — what he needs to speak.
Now, there could also be different good results of studying in addition to that discovery. You would possibly simply discover leisure, for instance. However with out pursuing this foundational impact of discovering an creator’s intention, we’re being discourteous, and we’re treating authors the best way we don’t wish to be handled — like after we attempt to talk one thing, and anyone says, “I don’t actually care what you’re making an attempt to speak. I’m going to take your phrases to imply this or that.”
And within the course of, we’re going to lose an incredible alternative for rising. If we don’t care about discovering what one other particular person has found in actuality, and we simply need to learn our personal concepts in, we’re not going to develop. And a couple of Peter 3:18 says, “Develop within the grace and data of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” So, I argue that one important technique of pursuing that purpose — of discovering an creator’s intention and rising in data and charm — is to rigorously hint an creator’s argument.
Tracing Arguments
By argument, I don’t imply quarrel. (Typically folks use the phrase argument otherwise than I do.) I imply a sequence of thought that builds from foundations to conclusions. For instance, Romans 1:15–17 goes like this: “I’m keen to evangelise the gospel to you additionally who’re in Rome. [Because]” — there are going to be three of those becauses. Hear now:
I’m keen to evangelise the gospel to you additionally who’re in Rome. [Because] I’m not ashamed of the gospel, [because] it’s the energy of God for salvation to everybody who believes. . . . [Because] in it the righteousness of God is revealed from religion for religion.
I learn my Bible for twenty years earlier than I found that’s the best way Paul wrote. So, there are 4 statements right here, proper? Massively essential statements. And my level is you could’t perceive Paul’s intention, what he’s making an attempt to speak, until you perceive the logical relationships between these 4 statements. And Paul indicators loud and clear these relationships by utilizing the phrase as a result of 3 times. He’s constructing an argument from foundations to conclusions.
Following Narratives
Now, Nicholas’s query is how that detailed, rigorous give attention to the logical relationships between explicit statements pertains to the interpretation of massive sections of narrative within the Bible or tales within the Bible. (And he might increase it out and say, “How does it relate to poetry and parable?” And so forth.)
Occasions which can be woven collectively in a sure means — that’s what I imply by narrative. Ought to we search the creator’s intention in the identical means? And my reply is, in precept, sure, however within the particulars of how the creator indicators his intention, we’re going to have to observe for different issues than merely one proposition following one other proposition with a logical connector in between. Tales don’t work like that. However biblical authors write tales for a motive. They’re making an attempt to speak one thing to us. They need us to seek out it.
“I put an enormous emphasis on following an creator’s practice of thought with a view to discover his true intention.”
One in every of Jesus’s fundamental criticisms — I do not forget that, once I wrote that guide he referred to, I used to be simply blown away by this, that I noticed this actually for the primary time. One in every of Jesus’s fundamental criticisms of the Pharisees was that he stated they didn’t know how one can learn. It will need to have completely galled them. They had been the readers, proper? Again and again, he says, “Have you ever not learn? Have you ever not learn?” (Matthew 12:3; 19:4; 22:31). “Have you ever not learn?” And so they’re scratching their heads and saying, “That’s all we do — learn.” In fact they learn. So, what does he imply? He means, “You might be studying and never studying. You might be seeing and never seeing.”
In different phrases, there are actual intentions that the impressed authors — on this case, the Outdated Testomony authors that the Pharisees learn every single day — have to speak, whether or not via cautious sentence-by-sentence exposition or whether or not via poetry or whether or not via narrative, and people Pharisees weren’t seeing it in any respect. That’s what Jesus was upset about.
So sure, we should always search for an creator’s intention in all writing — all writing that’s price its salt. And sure, we should always search for no matter clues the creator provides us. And all good authors do give clues to assist us discover what he’s making an attempt to speak. These clues with regard to narrative could be repetitions, or the order of occasions, or what the dialogues really say, or the consequences of sure occasions, or precise inserted interpretive feedback by the creator, and so forth. So let me simply give a couple of illustrations from among the best tales within the Outdated Testomony.
Authorial Intention within the Joseph Story
I’m pondering of Joseph now (Genesis 37–50). Some regard this as among the best brief tales that’s ever been written, if you wish to put it in these classes. It’s a completely riveting story, and also you marvel, What on this planet is happening right here? The place is that this going — this story? There are fourteen entire chapters about Joseph’s desires, the hatred of his brothers, their promoting him into slavery, his fall additional and additional into distress as Potiphar’s spouse lies about him, after which he goes to jail and he’s forgotten in jail, after which he turns into the second-ranked ruler in Egypt, and the folks of God are saved from hunger within the famine, and the road of the Messiah is preserved. Oh, that’s what was occurring.
And there are quite a few layers of intentions on this writing. I need to get it out of individuals’s minds that if you learn a story, get the large image; get the one massive level. Effectively, sure, by all means, get the one massive level; it could govern all of the others. However there are lots of little factors that authors make alongside the best way.
Huge Image: Sovereignty
So, let’s begin with the large image of this story. Moses doesn’t go away us — I believe Moses wrote this guide, Genesis — questioning concerning the massive overarching intention of the story. He fills us in with a few very clear, pointed abstract statements of what he’s been speaking about. For instance, Joseph says in Genesis 45:7–8,
God despatched me [to Egypt] earlier than you to protect for you a remnant on earth, and to maintain alive for you a lot survivors. So it was not you who despatched me right here [even though you sold me into slavery], however God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his home and ruler over all of the land of Egypt.
In different phrases, all these apparently human occasions that we’ve been studying about for fourteen chapters, even the sinful ones, had been within the management of the sovereign God, who’s sending his emissary via sinful actions all the way down to Egypt to avoid wasting his folks. That’s loopy. That’s great. That’s nearly the that means of the Bible, in parable.
After which, in Genesis 50:20, Joseph says to his brothers, “As for you, you meant evil towards me, however God meant it for good, to convey it about that many individuals must be saved alive.” I believe that if you learn that, you nearly have to return and reread the story, as a result of now you get it. Now you say, “Oh, that’s the place it was all going.” And you’ll reread the story and say, with that clue in your thoughts, “This meant that, and this was going right here,” and also you see God’s hand extra instantly.
So, the large level is that the human sinfulness of God’s folks, or human sinfulness towards God’s folks, not solely doesn’t thwart his saving plans; it advances his saving plans. They’re a part of the plans of God to avoid wasting his folks and eventually his Messiah and produce him into the world via that line. In order that’s the large image, and he clues us in with hints all alongside the best way and with that massive explanatory assertion on the finish.
Sub-Level: Steadfast Love
However there are different clues of that means and layers of that means in addition to the large interpretive assertion on the finish. Alongside the best way, Moses mingles worsening circumstances with encouraging phrases. Joseph is thrown into the pit. He’s bought as a slave. He’s removed from house in Egypt. He’s lied about by Potiphar’s spouse. He’s forgotten in jail. Down, down, down, down. You’ll be able to graph this story, and it corresponds to a lot of your lives. I’ve completed this for our folks: I graph it and say, “The place are you on this horribly descending graph of depressing circumstances in your life?” And he involves the top, after which he appears to be forgotten by God. What on this planet? It’s speculated to sound that means.
However alongside the best way, he says issues like (Moses says), “The Lord was with him and . . . the Lord brought about all that he did to achieve his palms” (Genesis 39:3). Or once more, “The Lord was with Joseph and confirmed him steadfast love and gave him favor within the sight of the keeper of the jail” (Genesis 39:21). So we get these hints alongside the best way that although issues are getting worse for Joseph, it’s not due to his sinfulness. He’s not bringing this on himself. It’s not as a result of he’s been deserted by God, however due to God’s hidden function. And as we learn, we need to know, “What’s the aim? What’s the aim? God, you say you’re for him. You don’t appear to be you’re for him.”
Sub-Level: Sexual Purity
Yet one more illustration of how the creator will get throughout his intention — and this is likely one of the perplexing issues to me in the entire story. Chapter 38 completely, it appears, interrupts the stream of this story. The story begins in chapter 37 with the desires and the promoting into slavery in Egypt, and bang — Moses inserts chapter 38 as quickly as the large story begins, and it’s so extraneous. It tells this weird story about Judah, Joseph’s older brother, who winds up getting his daughter-in-law pregnant, pondering she’s a prostitute. Now, no matter else is happening right here, my query is, “Moses, why right here? Put that chapter earlier than chapter 37; let the story stream. What’s the purpose of interrupting the narrative with this chapter 38?”
Effectively, right here’s my suggestion (and I might like to know whether or not it’s proper or not), as a result of the very subsequent factor after that horrible immorality of Judah in chapter 38 — the very subsequent factor we examine in Joseph’s story is his unimaginable uprightness in sexual relations with Potiphar’s spouse, who tries to seduce him. And Moses data his phrases: “How then can I do that nice wickedness and sin towards God?” (Genesis 39:9).
So, I believe the ordering of the narrative with the insertion of Judah’s sexual immorality simply earlier than Joseph’s staggeringly efficient and delightful sexual morality is to underline in brilliant colours the distinction between Judah’s unfaithfulness and Joseph’s wonderful sexual uprightness, which merely goes to indicate that there could be details to narratives and many sub-points to narratives that we must be alert to.
What Is the Creator Saying?
So, in reply to Nicholas’s query: whether or not we’re studying a tightly argued epistle of Paul or a sweeping narrative throughout fourteen chapters, we’re all the time on the lookout for what the creator intends to speak. And we search for the sorts of clues that he provides us, whether or not in exposition or in narration, to assist us discover the intention. And I might simply say to Nicholas that the extra you learn, the extra I learn, with that purpose of recognizing these suggestions and pointers that authors give us, the extra you’re going to see.
