Understanding the Bible
Understanding the Bible
The Bible does not mean what it says. You heard me correctly. When the
Bible says something, it does not always mean it as it is said. There
are any number of things said in the Bible which do not mean what the
words actually say. Today on our program, we will notice some of these
instances and by so doing will be able to learn a very valuable lesson
about the world's most important document, the Bible. Please stay
tuned.
The West End Church of Christ presents this program just for you. Our
sole concern is in you, the radio listener. We do not presume to be the
most intelligent people on earth, therefore we do not presume you are
less knowledgeable of the Scriptures than we. We do hope you will
profit from our efforts, because we have no creed, no human
organization, no central authority that dictates what we teach. We are
free and unrestricted in our teaching. We come to you with no church to
promote, no creed, no confession or discipline to defend, no doctrinal
position to uphold. All we come to you with is the Bible, nothing else.
And to show you how sincere our concern is, we urge anyone who listens
to call in question anything that you believe is not in harmony with the
Bible. That means anything at all.
We will never either ask for or accept financial donations. When you
hear others, on radio programs similar to this one, asking you to send
in money so you will be blessed, you are hearing those who view radio
preaching as something you need to finance -- but if we are ever unable
to bear the financial responsibility for this program it will go off the
air. We strongly oppose the efforts of those who continually beg for
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But we would love for you to get acquainted with West End Church of
Christ. Please accept our warm invitation to visit with us. Each
Sunday we begin our schedule at 9 a.m. with Bible classes for all ages.
At 10 a.m. we assemble to worship God in song, prayer, teaching, giving
of our means, and partaking of the sacred memorial feast, the Lord's
Supper. At 6 p.m. we again meet to worship. At 7 p.m. every Wednesday
we have Bible classes for all ages. Our meeting house is at the corner
of Parkside Drive and Old Morgantown Road, just across from A & W Root
Beer and Lampkin Park. Please come be with us, at least one time. It
will cost you absolutely nothing, and just may be the most important
visit you will ever make to a religious meeting.
You heard it correctly. The Bible does not mean what it says -- always.
There are times when something is said in the Bible that cannot be taken
for face value. Now, I am not talking about plain and unequivocal
statements of fact, nor am I referring to things that are obviously
intended to be taken literally. When I say the Bible does not mean what
it says I am speaking only of those things that are said and written in
figurative language. It is a mistake to think the Bible is a literal
book that must always be taken literally and interpreted and applied
literally. The fact is that the opposite is true. The Bible is not a
fully literal book. There are many literal truths in the Bible. But
there is also some very beautiful and graphic figurative teaching in the
Bible which, when taken literally, distort the truth.
It is very important for us to get this fact clear in our thinking. The
correct understanding of prophecy demands that we are able to
distinguish between literal and figurative language. The failure to do
so has led to many down right absurd predictions by many religious
teachers. It is not uncommon to hear some teacher of the Bible declare
that the Bible is filled with prophecy and that each prophecy will be
literally fulfilled. Just recently, a good case in point was heard over
this very radio station. Likely, if you remain tuned today you will
hear more of the same. It has been alleged that the prophecy of Isaiah
11 must be literally fulfilled. It reads: "There shall come forth a Rod
from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The
Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and
understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge
and of the fear of the Lord. His delight is in the fear of the Lord,
and He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide by the
hearing of His ears; but with righteousness He will judge the poor, and
decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth
with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay
the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, and
faithfulness the belt of His waist. The wolf also shall dwell with the
lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the
young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones shall lie down
together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child
shall play by the cobra's hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand
in the viper's den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy
mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as
the waters cover the sea."
After reading this selection it is quite clear that it is a highly
figurative prophecy. But we hear men affirming that this must literally
be fulfilled sometime in the future. The time is coming when wild
beasts will be completely tame gentle, they tell us. It may be possible
for a ravenous wolf to live in gentle peace with a little innocent lamb,
but only if the basic nature of the wolf changes. It might be possible
for a young lion who normally feasts on young fatling cattle to change
its dietary requirements. But the nature of the wild carnivorous lion
must change. The nursing baby might be able to play with poisonous
cobras and rattlesnakes, but not unless things change completely. But
there are some things that cannot happen literally. The "knowledge of
Jehovah" cannot literally "fill" the earth -- not literally! Look back
to verses 1 and 2. Jesse, the ancestor of David and of Christ, cannot
have a literal root and branch. Vegetables and plants have literal
roots and branches -- not humans. When we speak of humans who have
roots or branches we are speaking figuratively. No one expects to be
able to teach weeds or trees the books of the Bible. No one ought to
expect animals to understand the Sermon on the Mount. Man cannot tame
wild beasts by teaching them principles of righteousness from God's word
-- not literally. We cannot understand, from this prophecy, that human
beings have such things as literal roots and branches. But the
advocates of a literal application of prophecy affirm blindly that all
of this must have literal fulfillment eventually.
When figurative language is used in the Bible it is for a purpose.
Something other than the literal words are intended. Let's look at just
a few examples which should help us understand how lions and calves,
wolves and lambs, as well as babies and snakes can come in contact with
each other harmlessly. In the prophets some very ferocious people were
called lions. Notice the following from Jeremiah. "The lion has come
up from his thicket, and the destroyer of nations is on his way. He has
gone forth from his place to make your land desolate. Your cities will
be laid waste, without inhabitant" (Jeremiah 4:7). This is an obvious
reference to the kings of Assyria and Babylon -- not to literal wild
beasts. Paul visited briefly with some elders with whom he had become
very close friends. He warned them that after his departure "savage
wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock" (Acts 20:29).
Does anyone think Paul meant literal wolves? If so, Paul's words should
have been understood as orders to begin a literal wolf hunt. No, Paul
was warning of men who would take on the nature of a ravenous wolf to
destroy the church internally.
Prophetic statements about wild beasts being tamed and gently living
harmoniously with other animals they would otherwise devour are
figurative ways of getting across a message. Men who are violent will
become gentle by obeying the gospel of Christ and living after the
pattern of the Lord Jesus. Notice in the above prophecy the expression,
"They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth
shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea."
Jehovah has a "holy mountain" and in that holy place there will be
peace, tranquillity, and harmony. "They" in this verse refers back to
the previously violent beasts of prey. The expression "mountain of
Jehovah," is used often in Isaiah's prophecy. Earlier he was inspired
to write:
"Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the
Lord's house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall
be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. Many
people shall come and say, 'Come, and let us go up to the mountain of
the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; he will teach us His ways,
and we shall walk in His paths.' For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the
nations, and shall rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into
plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift
up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. O house
of Jacob, come and let us walk in the light of the Lord" (Isaiah 2:2-5).
In the holy mountain of God where peace is possible, the house of God
would be established. This is a prophecy concerning the establishment
of the church Jesus promised to build. It was spoken some 600 years
before its fulfillment. Isaiah called this "the Lord's house." But in
the New Testament, the church Jesus built is called God's house.
Notice: I Timothy 3:15 reads, "But if I am delayed, I write so that you
may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is
the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." When
an inspired man says the house of God is the church of the living God,
that settles the question.
Isaiah was prophesying of the establishment of the Lord's church in the
last days. On Pentecost those "last days" began and the prophecy was
fulfilled. Peter spoke for God by declaring, "But this is what was
spoken by the prophet Joel: 'And it shall come to pass in the last
days,' says God, 'that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your
sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see
visions, your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on
My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall
prophesy'" (Acts 2:16-18). Do not look for this to be fulfilled today.
It has already been fulfilled. It is now fact -- not future. There is
no argument. "This is what was spoken by the prophet" refers to a
prophecy specifically involving "the last days." Isaiah and Joel both
looked directly to the Day of Pentecost as the target date for the
fulfillment of their prophecies about the great and notable events that
took place when the church of Christ came into existence for the very
first time.
One final thought about understanding figurative and literal language.
Those who demand literal fulfillment of prophecy have a real puzzle to
unravel. If, in studying prophecy, we are to understand the prophecies
literally and expect them to be literally fulfilled, consider a
comparison of two of Isaiah's statements. The first is found in chapter
40 of his prophecy. It reads: "The voice of one crying in the
wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a
highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain
and hill shall be made low; the crooked places shall be made straight,
and the rough places smooth" (Isaiah 40:3,4). This says that mountains
are going to be made low. A leveling would occur. No more valleys, no
more mountains -- all will be level and even. But remember Isaiah 2?
In that passage the mountain of the Lord's house was to be established
in the top of the mountains and hills. Such would be a complete
contradiction if we are to take prophecies literally. How can the
mountain of the Lord's house be established in the top of mountains that
are no longer there? That is the puzzle for our friends who so
vigorously pursue this absurd notion that all prophecies are to be taken
literally and literally fulfilled.
Please understand. The Bible does teach literally and factually. It is
true from cover to cover. It has many literal and plain things in it.
Those are the things on which we ought to concentrate our study and
application. But the Bible does have figurative language in it that
cannot be taken literally. It is patently irreverent to misapply
figurative language as if something literally had been intended. I hope
you have given some thought to these things. If you don't understand
something that has been said today, or don't think what has been taught
is correct, please respond. Please give your response to this lesson by
writing to the West End Church of Christ, or to this radio station.
But my time is gone. You can write to West End Church of
Christ, 1609 Parkside Drive, Bowling Green, KY 42101 or call 842-7880.
Till next time, read and study your Bible, obey God from your heart, and
live a life patterned after His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Good
bye.
Radio Sermon No. 89
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Children's NT Studies
