Preface: Context Is Not Optional

BIG IDEA: Before we ask what a text means for us, we must ask what it meant to them — because the Author's original meaning is not our obstacle, it is our anchor.

Most Bible misreading does not happen because people are careless It happens because people ask the right question in the wrong order

The wrong order: What does this mean to me? — first question

The right order: What did this mean to them? — first question

Then: What does this mean for me? — second question

Reversing that order is not just a minor error — it is how cults are built, how false teaching spreads, and how well-meaning believers end up with a Bible that says whatever they need it to say

Example:

Jeremiah 29:11 “11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

This verse is on coffee mugs, graduation cards, hospital room walls It is used to promise individuals that God has a personal prosperity plan for them

But who is the "you"? It is the nation of Israel in Babylonian captivity

The promise is that the exile will end in 70 years — not that your job situation will improve

The application is still rich and real — but you have to go through the original meaning to get there

Skipping context does not give you a more personal Bible. It gives you a false one.

Learning about who God is far more valuable to us than knowing we are going to have a good day.

Setup the text — Nehemiah 8:

The exiles have returned from Babylon

The wall of Jerusalem has just been rebuilt under Nehemiah

The people gather in the square before the Water Gate

They ask Ezra to bring out the book of the Law

What happens next is one of the most important scenes in the entire OT for understanding how God's people are supposed to read God's Word

Nehemiah 8:1–8 (KJV)

1 And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel.

2 And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month.

3 And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.

4 And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam.

5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up:

6 And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground.

7 Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place.

8 So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.

I. The Text Had an Original Audience

Historical Context · Nehemiah 8:1–3

A. What Nehemiah 8 shows us

The people gathered as one man — this is a community reading, not private devotion

They asked Ezra to bring the Law — they knew they were receiving something that came from outside themselves

They stood when the book was opened — posture of reverence for a received word

They listened from morning until midday — six hours Notice what they did not do:

They did not ask "What does this mean to me personally?" They received the Word as something that had been given — with a meaning already fixed

B. Every text was written to someone before it was written to us

The Law was given to Israel at Sinai

The Psalms were written by David and others in specific historical moments

The Prophets were preaching to specific nations in specific crises

Paul's letters were written to specific churches with specific problems

Revelation was written to seven specific churches in Asia Minor

None of it was written first to us — and that is not a problem. That is the glory of it.

God spoke real words to real people in real history — and preserved those words so that we could hear Him speak

C. The two questions that establish historical context

Who wrote it?

Author, background, circumstances

Moses wrote the Pentateuch as the leader of a newly formed nation coming out of slavery

Paul wrote Galatians in the heat of a crisis over legalism

John wrote Revelation as an exile on Patmos under Roman persecution

Knowing the author does not change what the text says — it illuminates why it says it that way

To whom was it written?

Original recipients, their situation, their need

The Sermon on the Mount was preached to Jewish crowds living under Roman occupation who expected a political Messiah

The book of Hebrews was written to Jewish believers tempted to abandon Christ and return to Judaism

Colossians was written to a church being infiltrated by early Gnostic philosophy

The original audience shapes the urgency, the tone, and the emphasis of the text

D. Example: Psalm 22

"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" — Psalm 22:1

Written by David — a real cry from a real man in a real moment of abandonment If you skip the historical context and jump straight to the crucifixion you miss something important

You miss the fact that David's genuine cry of desolation — written a thousand years before Calvary — became the very words Jesus cried from the cross

The Christological meaning does not replace the historical meaning — it is built on top of it

You need both or you lose the weight of either

"What did this text mean before it meant anything to you?"

I do not like to say the Text was not written primarily to you. That over simplifies and takes away one of the supernatural aspects of the Author. If I wrote a letter to Thatcher to read and Selah reads it then that would be her reading someones mail. But if when I wrote it I wrote it with both of them in mind and asked them both to read it. The it is something different. However, the context of the letter is set in Thatcher’s first.

E. Practical: How to find the historical context

Read the book introduction in a good study Bible Ask: When was this written? What was happening politically, religiously, culturally? Read the chapters before and after your passage For the Epistles — read the whole letter in one sitting before studying any part of it For OT books — look up the historical setting in 1 and 2 Kings or Chronicles Resources to use:

The Ryrie Study Bible — introduction and notes for each book A Bible dictionary — look up the author, the book, the time period A Bible atlas — geography matters more than most people realize

[SCREEN: Finding Historical Context · When? · What was happening? · Read before and after · Read the whole book first]

...appBox("This week before you read any Bible passage — spend two minutes asking: Who wrote this? When? To whom? Write down what you find before you read a single verse.")

PREACHER NOTE: Transition — "The text had an original audience. And that audience heard something specific."

II. The Text Had an Original Meaning

A. The key verse — Nehemiah 8:8

Nehemiah 8:8 “8 So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.”

Three things happened in this verse:

They read distinctly — clearly, carefully, word by word

They gave the sense — they explained the meaning

They caused them to understand the reading — comprehension was the goal

This is the earliest description of expository preaching in the Bible

The goal was not inspiration.

It was not emotion.

It was understanding.

Ezra and the Levites were doing what every faithful teacher must do — they were finding and communicating the original meaning of the text

B. What we mean by original meaning

Every passage has one meaning — what the author intended when he wrote it It may have many applications — but it has one meaning

The meaning is fixed. The applications are varied.

This is the difference between exegesis and eisegesis:

Exegesis — drawing the meaning out of the text

Eisegesis — reading meaning into the text

The preacher's job — and the Bible reader's job — is always exegesis

C. The three grammatical questions

[SCREEN: Three Questions · What does it say? · What did the words mean then? · How does it fit together?]

What does it say?

Read the text carefully.

Read it multiple times.

Do not assume you know what it says because you have heard it before.

Many people know famous verses by reputation rather than by actual reading.

Observation is a skill.

Train yourself to slow down and see what is actually on the page.

Note: subjects, verbs, objects.

What is being commanded? What is being promised? What is being described?

What did the words mean then?

Words change meaning over time — especially in a 400-year-old translation

Conversation in the KJV often means manner of life or conduct — not a verbal exchange

Prevent in the KJV means precede or go before — not to stop something from happening

Charity in 1 Corinthians 13 is the KJV word for love — agape

Carriage in Acts 21:15 means baggage — not a vehicle

A good Bible dictionary or word study tool resolves most of these quickly

This is not about doubting the translation — it is about reading it carefully

How does it fit together?

Genre matters enormously

You do not read poetry the same way you read law

You do not read prophecy the same way you read history

You do not read a letter the same way you read apocalyptic literature

The Bible contains at least seven distinct genres — each with its own rules of interpretation

D. The seven genres of the Bible

[SCREEN: Seven Genres · Law · History · Poetry · Wisdom · Prophecy · Epistle · Apocalyptic]

Law — Leviticus, Deuteronomy

Commands given to Israel under the Mosaic Covenant

Ask: Is this part of the moral law, the ceremonial law, or the civil law?

The dispensationalist distinguishes — not all OT law applies directly to the church age believer

But all of it is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, instruction

History — Joshua through Esther, Acts

Describes what happened — does not always prescribe what we should do

Descriptive is not the same as prescriptive

The fact that someone in the Bible did something does not mean God endorses it or that we should do it David's many wives are described — not endorsed

Poetry — Psalms, Song of Solomon, Lamentations

Parallelism, imagery, hyperbole are standard features — not errors "The LORD is my shepherd" — this is metaphor, not biology

Read for the theological truth being expressed through the image

Do not flatten poetry into prose — you will lose the beauty and distort the meaning

Wisdom — Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Job

Proverbs are general principles, not absolute promises "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it" — Proverbs 22:6

This is a wisdom principle — a general pattern, not a guarantee

Treating it as a promise can cause enormous pain to faithful parents of prodigal children

Prophecy — Isaiah through Malachi

Has both immediate and future dimensions

Ask: Was this fulfilled in the near future for Israel, in the coming of Christ, or is it yet future?

The dispensationalist reads unfulfilled prophecy literally — what God said He will do, He will do exactly as He said Context usually tells you which horizon the prophet is addressing

Epistle — Romans through Jude

Letters written to specific congregations or individuals

Read the whole letter before studying any part of it

The occasion of the letter shapes every section of it

Understand the problem being addressed before you apply the solution

Apocalyptic — Revelation, Daniel, Zechariah

Symbolic, visionary, highly figurative

The figures are usually explained within the text or elsewhere in Scripture

Do not invent meanings for symbols — find them in the Bible itself

The dispensationalist reads the structural framework literally even while interpreting the symbols

F. Illustration — the telegram

ILLUSTRATION: In the 1800s a telegram had to be read in its original context to be understood correctly. Telegrams were charged by the word so writers compressed everything. "SEND MONEY STOP BROTHER SICK STOP" meant something very specific in its historical and literary context. If you read it like modern prose you would be confused by the word STOP. You have to know what a telegram is and how it works before you can understand what it is saying. Every text in the Bible is like that — it was written in a specific form, in a specific time, for a specific reason. Read it that way first. Then you will understand what it is saying.

APPLICATION: Pick one passage you know well. Before you look at what it means for you — spend five minutes answering:

What genre is this?

What did the key words mean in their original context?

How does the surrounding passage shape the meaning?

III. That Meaning Is Our Anchor, Not Our Obstacle

A. What happened after Ezra read — Nehemiah 8:9–12

The people wept when they heard the Law

They had understood it — and the understanding moved them Nehemiah told them: "This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep"

Then: "Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet...for the joy of the LORD is your strength"

The understanding of the text led directly to a life response

That is the model: understand the text → let it work on you → respond with your life

B. The observation — interpretation — application grid

Observation — What does it say?

Read the text. Read it again. Read it a third time.

Note every detail. Note what is repeated. Note what surprises you.

Note what you do not understand — those are the places where you need to dig. Ask: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?

Do not move to interpretation until you have spent real time in observation.

Most people spend ten seconds in observation and ten minutes in application. Reverse that ratio.

Interpretation — What does it mean?

Apply everything from Points I and II Historical context — who wrote it, to whom, when, why?

Grammatical context — what do the words mean, what is the genre, how does it fit together?

Canonical context — how does this passage connect to the rest of the Bible?

Ask: What is the one main thing this text is saying? State it in one sentence. If you cannot state it in one sentence you do not yet understand it.

Application — What do I do?

Only after observation and interpretation

Application without interpretation is sentiment It feels spiritual but it produces nothing but emotional response disconnected from truth

The application must be rooted in the interpretation — it flows from it, it does not replace it

Ask: What does this truth require of me? What must I believe differently? What must I do differently? What must I stop? What must I start?

Random Example:

Jeremiah 50:17-20

1. Historical Context

Author: Jeremiah

Audience: Judah (God’s people), with a prophetic message against Babylon

Time: Late 600s to early 500s BC, around the time of the Babylonian exile

Setting: Babylon has conquered Judah and scattered Israel

Purpose: To declare God’s judgment on Babylon and His restoration of His people

Key tension:

Babylon was used by God to judge His people

But Babylon went too far in pride and cruelty

Now God turns and judges Babylon

2. Grammatical Context

Key phrases:

“Israel is a scattered sheep”

Image of vulnerability, helplessness, and being driven away

“Lions have driven him away”

Refers to powerful empires: Assyria first, then Babylon

“Nebuchadnezzar… hath broken his bones”

Total devastation, not just defeat but crushing

Verse 18:

God judged Assyria already He will now judge Babylon the same way

Verse 19:

Restoration language

“Bring Israel again to his habitation” Places like Carmel, Bashan, Ephraim, Gilead = abundance and fullness

Verse 20:

Stunning statement:

“Iniquity… shall not be found” “Sin… shall not be found” Not because they had none, but because God removes it

Genre:

Prophetic poetry Uses imagery, parallelism, and covenant language

3. Canonical Context

This passage connects to the whole Bible:

A. Covenant Pattern

Sin → Judgment → Restoration

Seen throughout the Old Testament (Deuteronomy framework)

B. Shepherd Theme

“Scattered sheep” points forward to:

Jesus Christ as the Good Shepherd (John 10)

C. Forgiveness Promise

“Sin shall not be found” connects to:

Jeremiah 31:34 — “I will forgive their iniquity”

Fulfilled in the Gospel through Christ

D. Judgment of Nations

Babylon becomes a symbol of worldly power opposed to God Picks up again in Revelation

4. One-Sentence Meaning

God will judge the nations that oppress His people and will restore His people by completely removing their sin.

If you miss that, you miss the passage.

Application — What do I do?

Now we move carefully. Not before interpretation. From it.

1. What must I believe differently?

God sees injustice and will deal with it No power that opposes God lasts My sin is not just covered, it is removed by God

2. What must I do differently?

Stop trusting in worldly systems for security Start trusting God’s justice, even when it feels delayed Live as someone restored, not someone still scattered

3. What must I stop?

Stop minimizing sin like it is small Stop acting like forgiveness is partial or uncertain

4. What must I start?

Start living in the freedom of forgiven sin Start seeing yourself as gathered, not abandoned Start resting in the Shepherd instead of striving

5. What does this truth require of me?

It requires you to trust God’s justice and live in the reality of His full forgiveness.

C. The danger of skipping to application

The prosperity gospel is almost entirely application without interpretation

The preacher finds a verse, skips the context, and applies it directly to the felt need of the audience It feels like faith.

It produces false hope.

This is why context is not optional — because wrong interpretation produces wrong application

And wrong application in the spiritual life is not neutral — it causes real damage

“God is going to destroy anyone who has hurt me, and I should expect Him to crush my enemies and elevate me back to a place of blessing where nothing bad ever happens again.”

What It Turns Into

Personal vengeance theology

“God is on my side against my enemies”

Instead of: God judges sin, including mine

Prosperity thinking

“Restoration = easy, abundant life now”

Instead of: ultimate restoration in God’s plan

Cheap grace

“Sin won’t even be found, so it doesn’t matter”

Instead of: sin removed through costly atonement

CONCLUSION

Go back to Nehemiah 8:8 — "they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading"

That is the standard.

That is the goal.

Not feelings.

Not impressions.

Not what I need this to say today. Distinctly.