According to the Pattern

Introduction

This is a phrase that has become cliche in some circles.

It denotes a mindset that emphasizes authority and biblical interpretation.

This mindset has triggered reactions from people who increasingly deny our ability to interpret God’s word with any degree of accuracy.

God & Patterns

There are several different words translated pattern in the Bible:

7 instances of “pattern” in OT translated from 5 words

One of the words is translated as beautiful in one place and ugly in another (Gen. 26:7; Gen. 41:3).

The idea seems to be the very representation of something.

So it carries a notion of faithful and even objective representation (Num. 8:4).

Another word is associated with laws and what is immoveable most often translated statutes (Lev. 18:4; Jer. 33:25).

There is a word that seems to be less precise in its usage:

It refers to something that is “like” or “resembles” (Gen. 1:26; Ezek. 1:26).

The place where it is translated pattern is a man giving a pattern of something he saw (2 Kgs. 16:10).

Finally, there is a word that is only found twice in the Old Testament but its context helps us see the precise nature of its usage (1 Chron. 28:19).

The New Testament has a single word for pattern which we will consider more thoroughly

We first see the word used in reference to the tabernacle (Ex. 25:9, 40).

Stephen makes reference to this passage (Acts 7:44).

The Hebrew writer emphasizes this very point (Heb. 8:5).

The Apostles gave patterns in less tangible areas (Phil. 3:17; 2 Thess. 3:9).

In this we see that pattern is not just something we make up, but something God intended to communicate (Deut. 29:29; Eph. 3:4).

God means us to find that pattern even in the midst of narrative (Deut. 8:3; Matt. 4:1-4).

Williamsburg illustration

Simple or Complex

Hermeneutics is the study of interpretation.

That already sounds complex and it can certainly get that way as we explore the subject.

But many simple things are complex when you put them under the microscope and make a study of them.

The hermeneutics of our brethren have often been criticized as too complex.

“I have argued in an earlier series that the “Command, Example, Inference” (CEI) method of Churches of Christ within the Stone-Campbell Movement is quite complex. It has all kinds of hidden rules about “binding examples,” implied commands, generic/specific categories, prohibitive vs. permissive silence, the law of exclusion, etc.” - John Mark Hicks

“On the other hand, I have been suggesting that we do something which I believe is much more simple but yet also profound. I have suggested that we:

Read Scripture to discern the theological substance (identify the metanarrative).

Apply that theological substance to our context (recontextualize the metanarrative)

Live that substance as participation in God’s story (participate in the metanarrative)”

This is like saying the rules of grammar are complex (Mk. 12:26).

The reality of gravity is not complex but the study of it is.

Seeds go in the ground and plants come up is a simple truth but then folks start talking about photosynthesis and the like. Why have they got to make it so complicated?

So it is with Bible study, you can understand the principles without even knowing that you understand them.

They are the very ground we walk on.

But once we start talking about them, it is like any other assumed reality in life. The conversation can get pretty complex.

Those conversations are helpful especially when we get into more complex questions of interpretation.

Not all questions of interpretation are of equal difficulty (Heb. 6:1-2).

More Than a Pattern

Another accusation is that the Bible isn’t just a list of propositions.

“This form of induction isolates the “facts” of the text and decontextualizes them by extracting “timeless” propositions which take on a new meaning as we put them into a different context than the narrative flow of Scripture itself.” - John Mark Hicks

Timeless propositions like “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” (Ex. 3:6).

In many cases, the propositions add up to greater propositions (Rom. 13:9).

The patterns are more important than the details (Heb. 8:5; Zech. 4:10).

But what if the pattern is not adhered to (Num. 20:12).

This doesn’t reduce the importance of patterns, it increases it.

Conclusion

Our goal is not to say we have all the answers.

But it is to say we have all we need.

It is to proclaim that God has revealed Himself through His word and through becoming the incarnate word.

It is to proclaim that God is capable of making Himself known in ways that His own creation is capable of interpreting.

To deny this proposition is to ultimately deny all propositions. And once you have done this, then you have untethered yourself and are adrift in the abyss.

Do you believe in Him and that He has revealed Himself to us. Then respond to the gospel call.