The Study of Herman

When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness he tempted him with three great temptations. These temptations are the root of many more. All three had to do with misinterpreting and applying what God has said in His word, the Bible and attacking the character of God. (see Matthew 4:1-10) Satan has been doing that ever since and thus has been trying to get followers of Jesus off track and under his deception and bondage and deceiving non-Christians onto the road of destruction. Interpreting the Bible is very, very important as well as its application. Unless we correctly interpret and apply God’s word we will be wandering around in the wilderness.

The first temptation was the temptation of presumption. As God’s word says, “And the tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread” (Matthew 4:3) Whenever we are dictating to God and telling God how things should go and demanding that He do them according to our desires and our timing we are falling into the snare of the devil. As some has said, “The counterfeit comes as a demand and a request as authentic.” At the root of the temptation is a wrong understanding of God and our relationship to Him as revealed in His word. Jesus corrects the devil with scripture rightly interpreted and applied. “But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Satan was trying to get Jesus to put things in their wrong order. He was trying to get God to serve our demands rather than serve God. A miracle working God as demand. The temptation if to use God and try to manipulate Him rather than worship, love and serve Him.

In the second temptation Satan uses the scripture and tries to get Jesus to act presumptuous and again wrongly interpret and apply the scripture. Satan quotes Psalm 91:12 which says, “On their hands they (angels) will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.” Satan was trying to get Jesus to jump off the mountain and do something spectacular so that people would follow and honor him. Beware of using the world’s unethical methods to accomplish God’s goals. Usually, the problem is that the people are bored and just looking for excitement, they don’t’ than become committed followers of Jesus. Moses led the people through the wilderness and they experienced together many miracles, but than when they were directed to enter the promise land they refused. God than used and blessed other people.

It is important to note that the quote from Psalms 91:10-12 in the Bible about the angels watching over us so that we will not even “dash you foot against a stone” is poetic language conveying a truth largely in metaphor and in this instance the truth conveyed is how God is watching over us, but it doesn’t mean we will never stub our toe. It is metaphoric poetic language and must be interpreted and applied this way.

In the third temptation Satan again tempts Jesus with presumption. Satan is saying you can be focused on the world and its riches and power and glory and still serve God. (Matthew 4:8-11) You can serve the flesh and you can still serve God. You can serve sin and still serve God. This is similar today with the prosperity gospel of some teachers and preacher. Talk about misinterpreting and applying scripture. Jesus at another time says, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24). You are primarily serving one, you can not serve both.

Now to get to the title of this blog, “The Study of Herman.” Hermon used to be and I don’t know if it still is, but it was a one picture cartoon in the newspaper. Actually, I want to talk about the study of Hermeneutics. The is the study of principles of interpretation of the Bible. This is a very important understanding to have in reading and interpretating the scriptures. For instance, the scripture says in Psalm 61:4, “Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings!” This doesn’t mean that God is like a bird and has feathers. It is poetic language and is saying that God loves me watches over me and is close to me. Context has everything to do with correctly interpretating scripture. In another part of scripture Jesus says, “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell” (Matthew 5:29-31) Jesus is not talking literally cutting off your hand or plucking out your eye, he is using a literary device called hyperbole. A hyperbole is an exaggerated statement to make an important point. The point is that we should take sin very, very seriously because it harms us and offends God. Sin will separate us from God and unites to the devil.

To interpret the Bible in context we must know what kind of language It is in. We must understand what it meant in the context or time of the writing and how it was understood by them of that day and in the context and thus then to apply it today. It must also be interpreted according to what it has said before and after. It also must be interpretated in the context of the whole of the Bible and this is where Theology is helpful and necessary. These are few of the Biblical principles of interpretation of the Bible. I would recommend Bernard Ramm’s book for further study, Protestant Biblical Interpretation.

Too many people read back into the Bible. For instance, some read the book of Revelation and develop a system and then read back into scripture and make the scripture fit their system. Too many have learned something in the past from someone they have respected and it works for them, even though it may not be a Biblical understanding and needs to be challenged by further study. What works for you is not the bottom line, it is what does the Bible say. Others develop a system and think they have it all figured out and squeeze everything into that system rather than letting the scripture speak for itself in context. There is a lot we know about God from the Bible and His ways, but there is a lot that is beyond our comprehension at this time and we must allow for mystery. It will take eternity to learn all about God and His beauty and his just and good ways. His goodness is vast.

If we think that the study of God’s word is easy, we should think again. Our own flesh and devil work against coming to the right interpretation and application. It takes diligence to be a student of God’s word and to be an apprentice of Jesus. As the scriptures say, “The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting, but diligence is man’s precious possession” (Proverbs 12:27). Of course, knowledge must also have a large portion of grace combined with it. But as you abound in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us—see that you abound in this grace also” (2 Corinthians 8:7).

As the Apostle Paul said in God’s word, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

Satan from the beginning of creation of mankind wanted man to doubt God’s word, doubt God’s character and doubt the consequences of what God said. Satan said to Eve, “But the serpent said to the woman, you will not surely die. For God know that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4-5). Satan lied. Adam and Eve died spiritually, died physically and everyone without Christ who has committed even one sin, will die eternally in hell separated from God. Sin separates us from God and Jesus unites us. Satan temped Adam and Eve to be their own god. Man wanting to be his own god is the root of all sin. It is the folly of Satan and all who take this approach. Who are you going to serve, because you going to serve somebody? To primarily serve self is to be like Satan and also to follow his way.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me’ (John 14:6). Which way are you going? There is a road that leads to death and there is a road that leads to abundant and eternal life, but it is not the easy road. Choose this day which road you will be on. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Resources

Protestant Biblical Interpretation, Bernard Ramm

Introduction to Biblical Interpretation, William W. Klein, Craig L. Blomberg, Robert L. Hubbard Jr.