13. Figuring Out the Figurative

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Middle School Activity

This Friday @6pm, church

High School Activity

Sunday, June 7th

Roach’s house after potluck service, 3:15-7:30pm

Combined Camp Activity

Friday, June 12th, 6pm

Meet @church, bus to camp

Pack running shoes, active wear, Bible

Random Question

Would you rather be an expert at one thing or be kinda good at many things?

Prayer

Lesson

Intro

Here’s an important lesson for us Bible students! Have you ever heard someone talk about the amazing things they’ve discovered in the Bible, and then wonder, “How in the world do you see that?! That’s not what it says!” Today we’ll take a look at how we should interpret the Bible in a healthy way.

Sticky Interpretation

1. Allegorical - Making the Bible say whatever I want it to say.

“Wonderful things in the Bible I see, things that were put there by you and by me!”

Origen’s Interpretation of the Good Samaritan

- Jerusalem = paradise

- Jericho = the world

- Robbers = hostile powers. Robbers strip the man of his clothes and beat him.

- A priest passes by him on the road, the priest is the law

- A levite passes by him on the road, the levite is the prophets

- But a Samaritan comes by to help, the Samaritan is Jesus, and JEsus heals the man’s wounds. The wounds represent disobedience.

- Samaritan pays for part of his hotel expenses, promises to return; that’s Jesus, promising to come again.

Did anyone follow that? What did I just do with the parable of the good samaritan? (Made it say whatever I want)

Can you see how this could be problematic? (If anyone can make it say what they want, how do I know I have the right interpretation? Your allegory is as good as mine!)

How do we solve this? (Literal interpretation, take the Bible as it is said)

Good Interpretation

1. Literal Interpretation – “It means what it says!”

“When the plain sense makes sense, seek no other sense.”

2 Peter 1:20 is a key passage when talking about taking the Word literally,

2 Peter 1:20–21 NKJV

20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

What does it mean to have a private interpretation?

Only the spiritual elites will know what this verse REALLY says...

- Lightbulb

Mentality: To understand God’s Word, you need to reach a level of special knowledge.

But what does Peter say about God’s Word? Is understanding the Bible only for a few people?

I’m going fishing this weekend, can you watch my dogs for me?

- You proceed to sell my dog on FB marketplace

- “You said you were leaving for good, so I sold you dog, just as you told me to do!”

For the majority of things we say, we want to be understood literally, It’s just the way we talk.

But do we always talk in literal ways? (No; sarcasm, expressions, etc.)

What are some expressions we say?

- Raining cats & dogs

- I laughed so hard I nearly died

- She just had to bite the bullet that time

- My computer argued with me and refused to work

The Bible doesn’t always want to be taken literally. Sometimes it will obviously make an expression or a figure of speech.

Jesus called Herod a Fox in Luke 13:32

James and John were called the sons of thunder, did thunder and lightning literally give birth to them?

But How do I Deal with the Figurative Stuff?

So, the question is for us, What happens when the “plain sense” doesn’t make common sense?

1. Use the literal sense unless there is good reason not to.

Read your Bible assuming that the people writing it were just like us. Most of the time we speak in a literal way, why should we assume the Biblical writers are any different?

Have you ever heard of the term “Spiritualizing the text”?

Making some elaborate interpretation about something spiritual

Ex. Song of Solomon

2. Use the figurative sense when the passage tells you to do so.

Turn to Genesis 37 with me,

Genesis 37:6 NKJV

6 So he said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed:

What should you expect to read after hearing this? (Dream, figurative language)

Genesis 37:7 NKJV

7 There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf.”

What is Joseph describing? (Bundles of wheat in a field, one stood up higher than all the others)

What would this look like if we took it literally? (Joseph & brothers are literally bundles of wheat)

It’s obviously figurative, so we need to understand it figuratively!

Genesis 37:8 NKJV

8 And his brothers said to him, “Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.

How did his brothers understand it? Literally or figuratively? How do we know that? (Understood the meaning of the dream, did not question the wheat bundles)

When Scripture says a dream is coming, we need to understand it in that context.

3. Use the figurative sense if a literal meaning is impossible.

Symbolism is used in many books and passages of Scripture.

Symbolism def: An image that expresses a meaning

Powerpoint

- Heart = love, compassion

- Lion = King, courage, stength

- Wedding ring = marriage

- Chains = Prison, bondage

- Rose = Romance

Turn to Revelation 1:16

Revelation 1:16 NKJV

16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.

What is this verse saying if we take it literally? (A sword came out of Jesus’ mouth)

Whenever you see something unlikely like this, you need to have your figurative cap on.

What does this mean then? How do we figure out what it means? (Context!)

What’s happening in vs. 7? (Jesus returns in the clouds, those guilty for crucifying Him will see Him and mourn.)

God will return in judgment, He will judge the churches mentioned in ch. 2

So, when we get back to vs. 16 with our context of God’s judgment, what should we expect the sword to symbolize? (Jesus will judge the world when He returns)

4. Use the figurative sense if a literal meaning would involve something immoral.

John 6:53–55 NKJV

53 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.

If you take these words literally, what is Jesus telling you to do? (Eat His flesh and blood, be a cannibal)

This would’ve been totally repulsive to anyone who follows the Law, and this is why we get vs. 60

John 6:60 NKJV

60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?”

Can God sin? Can God command us to do sinful things? (Absolutely not!)

So, when a command like this one is brought up, what should we do? (Understand that Jesus is talking figuratively)

5. Use the figurative sense if the expression is an obvious figure of speech.

1 Corinthians 15:55 NKJV

55 “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?”

What is Paul doing with death? (personifying it)

Other examples

“into the hand of his enemies”

Nehemiah 9:27 NKJV

27 Therefore You delivered them into the hand of their enemies, Who oppressed them; And in the time of their trouble, When they cried to You, You heard from heaven; And according to Your abundant mercies You gave them deliverers who saved them From the hand of their enemies.

“He sleeps”

John 11:11 NKJV

11 These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.”

(Vs. 14, Lazarus is dead.”)

6. Use the figurative sense if a literal interpretation goes contrary to the context and scope of the passage.

Turn to Revelation 5,

Revelation 5:1 NKJV

1 And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals.

Where are we? (Heaven; throne room of God)

Scroll with seven seals

Nobody can open them, no one was found worthy to open it

Revelation 5:5 NKJV

5 But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.”

All of a sudden, a literal lion shows up in heaven, grabs the scroll with His paws and unseals the seals...

Is this how I should understand it? (No, because the context leads up to Christ being the only One worthy to opening the scroll, He prevailed over sin and death)

7. Use the figurative if a literal interpretation goes contrary to the general character and style of the book.

Take the book of Psalms for example, it’s poetry, so it is filled with expressions and figure of speech.

For something like that, is it a good idea to always assume it’s speaking literally? (No, because you understand you are reading poetry)

Psalm 63:7 NKJV

7 Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.

8. Use the figurative sense if a literal interpretation goes contrary to the plan and purpose of the author.

9. Use the figurative sense if a literal interpretation involves a contradiction of other scripture.

10. Use the figurative sense if a literal interpretation would involve a contradiction in doctrine.

Conclusion

Having said all these things, how should we normally interpret Scripture? (literally!)

This lesson was to show you what to do when you con’t help but take it figuratively.