God as our Hermeneutical Guide
Good Morning Friends,
Not everything in scripture is equally plain or equally important to me. I discount the more difficult passages in the light of clearer ones in search of the big picture of harmony. I even have favorite scripture. But, I am not sure this is right. In reading scripture my thoughts seem to spiral from text to context and toward the horizon of its meaning and significance for me today. Regardless, it is one of the ways I seek the meaning of the Bible. I seem to learn the meaning of scripture by studying its parts in context and then in connecting the parts I learn something about the whole that is alive and relevant for me now. And then I listen and read sermons. Some themes just permeate scripture…for example Jesus and his redemptive acts help me to connect the puzzle pieces. God’s covenants bring structure. Then certain traditions around scripture define meaning. That is important. But not all traditions agree. To sort it out I enjoy reading scripture aloud in small groups…that seems to help bring clarity and also some lively discussion…as iron sharpens iron. Ultimately though I have discovered that I cannot do this on my own. My point is that when it comes to the meditations of our hearts and the words of our mouths, when it comes to our study of God’s Word we need God as our Hermeneutical Guide.
15Scripture: Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth.
2 Timothy 2:15 (NRSV)
16All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
2 Timothy 3:16 (NRSV)
Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. While I kept silence, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah Therefore let all who are faithful offer prayer to you; at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters shall not reach them. You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with glad cries of deliverance. Selah I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding, whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle, else it will not stay near you. Many are the torments of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the Lord. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.
Psalm 32 (NRSV)
Message: Today we read a special psalm of penitence that is often sung or recited during the Lenten season. It is about confession and the blessings and fruits of a confessing heart… salvation. Commentary from the Interpreter’s Bible indicates that it was a favorite of both Luther and Augustine. It is a wisdom psalm with a purpose of instructing us on how to act when we are troubled and afflicted. It is about God’s dealings with those desiring to be righteous…a picture of Jesus as our guide. The psalmist, David, describes his experience of being made spiritually new… how he gets a fresh start… how his slate, our slate is wiped clean so we can come closer to the Lord. The psalmist encourages us as he describes how confessing his failure to God changes his life. He holds nothing back, he lets out all his dark emotions and pressures. God’s mercy drives the healing, guiding him. This turning point of honest confession results in the sin and guilt disappearing. He prays his confession. And then having the knowledge of one’s self as a sinner and having come into wisdom, having unburdened his soul, he responds with obedience to the advice revealed, he bears witness to the pardon he has received and this births gratitude and gratitude love. It ends with a shout of joy…a triumph of peace…a celebration with God our protector, God our forgiver, God our light, God our Word, God our Guide.
Pray we be forgiven. Pray we not spend too much of our lives regretting our past or our present. Pray we engage God as our guide in the Word…in our hearts. Pray we appreciate the importance of language in forming our thoughts. Pray we confess our sins and be saved so we can share in the blessings. Pray our Bible reading be fruitful. Pray we listen for the truth. Pray we understand the context of the scripture we are reading. Pray we pay attention when scripture is explained in greater detail in scripture that follows. Pray we not try to make scripture say what we want it to say. Pray we trust in the clarity of scripture on those things that are most important. Pray we understand whether scripture is literal or figurative. Pray we appreciate tradition. Pray we handle disagreements wisely. Pray we enter a conversation with the art and the artist of the Bible seeking understanding in a newness of thought making it our own. Pray God guide us in a revelation of what we are to know, how we are to apply what we know and the motivation to act on what glorifies God. Pray as we seek illumination and order that we not substitute interpretation for explanation…information for transformation. Pray we be glad in the Lord.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 