We are walking in today: How to Study The Bible: Principle of Interpretation Part 2
Witness speak throughout the Bible: H550 'amar--to say, to answer, to say in one's heart, to think, to command, to promise, to intend
Exo 4:14 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, H559 Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.
The Torah testifies...............
Deu 5:27 Go thou near, and hear all that the LORD our God shall say: H559 and speak thou unto us all that the LORD our God shall speak unto thee; and we will hear it, and do it.
The prophets proclaim..................
Isa 30:10 Which say H559 to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:
The writings bear witness...........................
Eze 11:5 And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and said H559 unto me, Speak; H559 Thus saith H559 the LORD; Thus have ye said, H559 O house of Israel: for I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them.
Isa 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak H559 not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
Now if you don't understand the rules of interpretation, the rules of hermeneutics, then you begin to run off into your own interpretation. And what they've done, is developed laws and principles that protect you from applying your own ideas and your own approach to interpreting documents. Timothy was commanded by the Most High, through Paul to exercise great care in handling His authoritative message. Paul said Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)
In other words, Paul is telling Timothy the message that what you and I have is so important we can't afford misinterpretation! Much of what we call Hebrew lifestyle, much of it is misinterpretation--and is bondage. Because people have misunderstood what was meant. In some churches they have a foot washing service, where everyone takes off shoes and socks and has their feet washed.
And they would read the scripture from John chapter 13 where Yahusha washes the disciples' feet. So you have this as a doctrine? It's not a doctrine. It was never intended to be a doctrine. Never to be an Instituted practice of the church. Never!! When you read the context of it. It was not a constitutional part of the life of the church! It was a practical experience, within the culture of His day. Listen, we don't live in that culture. In the day of Yahusha, people wore as a normal way of dress they wore robes and they also wore sandals. They didn't wear shoes like you wear today. They didn’t wear socks. It was hot and humid out there--they were happy not to have any socks! They wore long clothes not because it was holy, the long clothes would trap cool air. So you had your own little AC with you. The more baggy the clothes, the more the air will be trapped. There would be an air pocket between your skin and the clothing. That's why they wore the robes. It wasn't for holiness.
Now when you go back and you read the Bible and you begin to interpret from that book, you have to be careful. Because you could transfer things out of a culture and put it in yours, and it's not appropriate. Now when they were going to eat at someone's house. There's a way they ate--they did not sit at tables like we do today--the only thing above the table was your hands and your face. Back then, they ate lying down and they propped themselves on one elbow--as a matter of fact, they can only eat with one hand. The other hand was illegal. See there were other things---they have to pass the plate a certain way. There was a reason for passing the plate a specific way, because certain hands couldn't be used. Whatever hand you used to clean with in the bathroom, it was illegal to use it to eat with now. You don't know, it's a cultural thing in the East, Yahusha’s day. So I'm going to talk about passing things a certain way. It wasn't for being holy. That's the way they ate. They also remember now they wore sandals. They wore robes and they ate lying down. They threw big pillows on the floor and big cushions and that's the way they eat. Even now in some parts of the Middle East--as a matter of fact, if you go to Arabia. They put you on the floor you sit on a pillow and you eat that way you eat with your legs crossed. Sometimes they still lay down. That still happens today. That's the way Yahusha in this culture ate. He says go to the town and prepare to have the passover feast. Every year was a Passover feast to celebrate the coming out of Egypt. So that was a dinner every year, once a year the whole nation celebrated. They celebrate the Passover. So He says go to the next town, you will meet a woman--she can show you where this room is. They go to this town, they meet a lady with a jug they follow her. She shows them a little room now while they're going remember now--they got sandals on. It's hot and everywhere there is dust. They didn’t have paved roads like we have now, so by the time you went from one house to another house your feet were filled with dust. Now, how do you eat? Laying down.
The table was in the shape of a T or a U. That's the way the tables were in those days and you would lie down next to them. You would have people's feet all over the place, get it? So now there was a custom in every house. There was a servant that was hired at that house or living in the house and their job included cleaning the house, preparing the food but also to be at the door when the guests arrive wash the dust off of the guest feet. Every house had a little space near the door, with a basin and cleaning stuff for this purpose. It was not there just for beauty. It was a practical hygiene--when you came to eat, you sat down the servant took your feet and washed them. They would not let you in unless you wash your feet. Why? Because they don't want your dusty toes in their face. It was hygiene--it was decent and courteous. So the disciples came to this house and there was no servant. I believe Yahusha set that up--you know, He knows everything--He tested these guys, servant spirit. That was the message actually, it was serving. They come to the house and there's no servant to wash feet on that day. So they waited for hours outside, and didn't want to go in. The table is set and everything, He told them, go ahead and I’ll join you all later. They stay outside--waiting for the servant. Yahusha shows up, and says what are you all doing out here? They said there's no servant here to wash our feet. So he goes out, gets the bucket, gets the water put in the basin. And He washes their feet. This totally devastated them, because He is their leader. Remember Peter's response? No, don't touch me! Yahusha said look, if you don't--you don't eat with us. You know the custom. Now we spiritualized that, you know. Got all kinds of deep stuff! Look Peter if you don't wash your feet, you can't go inside. Then Peter said, well bathe me, but He said no, no, no, no. Only your feet got dust! We got all kinds of assignments out of that one! And then He says did you all realize what I did outside? Did you learn something from that? That was His message--you know the greatest among you is to serve one another. He was teaching them a lesson. He wasn't saying churches all over the world shall wash dirty feet! When you come to the service--you didn't walk threw dust from the road and have dirty feet! So that foot washing service was a modern day interpretation of the culture and custom of Yahusha’s time.
So you want to be a servant to the kingdom of the Most High? Look to help each other out with real needs, not things or traditions that someone thought up! Take care of your place of worship, don’t wait for the janitor to clean it! If something needs to be done, and you can do it--do it yourself. That was the lesson. But if you interpret this thing, wrong--you get the wrong meaning. You get the wrong thinking. Then you get it wrong--so much going on and you got hundreds of people doing this thing and believe they are doing the Most High's will and hating it all the way.
So don't worry, there'll be no foot washing services in this ministry, okay? No, but if you come to my house for dinner and you are sweaty, I will offer you my bathroom-I'll even wipe your face. That's what he meant. You do have to take your shoes off cause in my house because I want to keep my carpets clean. Otherwise we don’t need to wash feet, since we don't eat reclining--where there would be feet close to our face. Thank you, the Most High! So why is interpreting the Bible important? Simple, because you want the correct meaning for living, application. Now the objectives of interpreters. What are the objectives of the interpreters? The Bible is the greatest book that has ever been written, and in the Bible the Most High Himself speaks to man. It offers comfort, in sorrow; guidance, in perplexity; advice and counsel for our problems. Thank the Most High for the Bible! It offers rebuke for our sins and our wrongdoings and also inspiration for our daily living. Thank Abba for the Bible!! But I dare say that the Bible can be so misinterpreted to become a burden? And actually a curse in some ways if it's wrongly interpreted. The objectives of the interpretation of the interpreters, is the key here. The task or the objective the interpreters of the Bible, is to find out the meaning of a statement. Whether it's a command or a question. To find out the meaning of a statement and for the author and for the first hearers of that statement. In other words, the interpreters objective is to find out the meaning of a statement--first for the author, the one who's making the statement then for the hearers--those who he's speaking to or the readers, those who he's writing to as in Paul's case most of the time. Then from that meaning to transmit, that meaning to modern readers. That's the objective of the interpreter. Okay, so simply put our objective as interpreters of this wonderful book is to determine the meaning of the statement, whether there's a question or a command.
The meaning for the author, the one who's saying it or writing it. The meaning for the reader or the hearer who the writer is addressing and how to apply that to a modern experience, that is the goal or the objective of the interpreter. So it's not just understanding the meaning of it.
Now you can understand how to apply it and that's important. Because I gave you an example concerning the washing of feet. Not only did I interpret it in the context of what was happening; what Yahusha meant and why He did it and who He did it to and why He did it to them. But I also am responsible for translating that to your modern experience, so that you can take the principle that He was teaching and apply it now. It might mean doing something for someone that is not specifically washing their feet, but has the same principle of service. That's interpretation, okay? So everything the interpreter is after, is truthful meaning and appropriate application and that is a challenge!
Now if you don't understand the rules of interpretation, the rules of hermeneutics, then you begin to run off into your own interpretation. And what they've done, is developed laws and principles that protect you from applying your own ideas and your own approach to interpreting documents. Timothy was commanded by the Most High, through Paul to exercise great care in handling His authoritative message. Paul said Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)
In other words, Paul is telling Timothy the message that what you and I have is so important we can't afford misinterpretation! Much of what we call Hebrew lifestyle, much of it is misinterpretation--and is bondage. Because people have misunderstood what was meant. In some churches they have a foot washing service, where everyone takes off shoes and socks and has their feet washed.
And they would read the scripture from John chapter 13 where Yahusha washes the disciples' feet. So you have this as a doctrine? It's not a doctrine. It was never intended to be a doctrine. Never to be an Instituted practice of the church. Never!! When you read the context of it. It was not a constitutional part of the life of the church! It was a practical experience, within the culture of His day. Listen, we don't live in that culture. In the day of Yahusha, people wore as a normal way of dress they wore robes and they also wore sandals. They didn't wear shoes like you wear today. They didn’t wear socks. It was hot and humid out there--they were happy not to have any socks! They wore long clothes not because it was holy, the long clothes would trap cool air. So you had your own little AC with you. The more baggy the clothes, the more the air will be trapped. There would be an air pocket between your skin and the clothing. That's why they wore the robes. It wasn't for holiness.
Now when you go back and you read the Bible and you begin to interpret from that book, you have to be careful. Because you could transfer things out of a culture and put it in yours, and it's not appropriate. Now when they were going to eat at someone's house. There's a way they ate--they did not sit at tables like we do today--the only thing above the table was your hands and your face. Back then, they ate lying down and they propped themselves on one elbow--as a matter of fact, they can only eat with one hand. The other hand was illegal. See there were other things---they have to pass the plate a certain way. There was a reason for passing the plate a specific way, because certain hands couldn't be used. Whatever hand you used to clean with in the bathroom, it was illegal to use it to eat with now. You don't know, it's a cultural thing in the East, Yahusha’s day. So I'm going to talk about passing things a certain way. It wasn't for being holy. That's the way they ate. They also remember now they wore sandals. They wore robes and they ate lying down. They threw big pillows on the floor and big cushions and that's the way they eat. Even now in some parts of the Middle East--as a matter of fact, if you go to Arabia. They put you on the floor you sit on a pillow and you eat that way you eat with your legs crossed. Sometimes they still lay down. That still happens today. That's the way Yahusha in this culture ate. He says go to the town and prepare to have the passover feast. Every year was a Passover feast to celebrate the coming out of Egypt. So that was a dinner every year, once a year the whole nation celebrated. They celebrate the Passover. So He says go to the next town, you will meet a woman--she can show you where this room is. They go to this town, they meet a lady with a jug they follow her. She shows them a little room now while they're going remember now--they got sandals on. It's hot and everywhere there is dust. They didn’t have paved roads like we have now, so by the time you went from one house to another house your feet were filled with dust. Now, how do you eat? Laying down.
The table was in the shape of a T or a U. That's the way the tables were in those days and you would lie down next to them. You would have people's feet all over the place, get it? So now there was a custom in every house. There was a servant that was hired at that house or living in the house and their job included cleaning the house, preparing the food but also to be at the door when the guests arrive wash the dust off of the guest feet. Every house had a little space near the door, with a basin and cleaning stuff for this purpose. It was not there just for beauty. It was a practical hygiene--when you came to eat, you sat down the servant took your feet and washed them. They would not let you in unless you wash your feet. Why? Because they don't want your dusty toes in their face. It was hygiene--it was decent and courteous. So the disciples came to this house and there was no servant. I believe Yahusha set that up--you know, He knows everything--He tested these guys, servant spirit. That was the message actually, it was serving. They come to the house and there's no servant to wash feet on that day. So they waited for hours outside, and didn't want to go in. The table is set and everything, He told them, go ahead and I’ll join you all later. They stay outside--waiting for the servant. Yahusha shows up, and says what are you all doing out here? They said there's no servant here to wash our feet. So he goes out, gets the bucket, gets the water put in the basin. And He washes their feet. This totally devastated them, because He is their leader. Remember Peter's response? No, don't touch me! Yahusha said look, if you don't--you don't eat with us. You know the custom. Now we spiritualized that, you know. Got all kinds of deep stuff! Look Peter if you don't wash your feet, you can't go inside. Then Peter said, well bathe me, but He said no, no, no, no. Only your feet got dust! We got all kinds of assignments out of that one! And then He says did you all realize what I did outside? Did you learn something from that? That was His message--you know the greatest among you is to serve one another. He was teaching them a lesson. He wasn't saying churches all over the world shall wash dirty feet! When you come to the service--you didn't walk threw dust from the road and have dirty feet! So that foot washing service was a modern day interpretation of the culture and custom of Yahusha’s time.
So you want to be a servant to the kingdom of the Most High? Look to help each other out with real needs, not things or traditions that someone thought up! Take care of your place of worship, don’t wait for the janitor to clean it! If something needs to be done, and you can do it--do it yourself. That was the lesson. But if you interpret this thing, wrong--you get the wrong meaning. You get the wrong thinking. Then you get it wrong--so much going on and you got hundreds of people doing this thing and believe they are doing the Most High's will and hating it all the way.
So don't worry, there'll be no foot washing services in this ministry, okay? No, but if you come to my house for dinner and you are sweaty, I will offer you my bathroom-I'll even wipe your face. That's what he meant. You do have to take your shoes off cause in my house because I want to keep my carpets clean. Otherwise we don’t need to wash feet, since we don't eat reclining--where there would be feet close to our face. Thank you, the Most High! So why is interpreting the Bible important? Simple, because you want the correct meaning for living, application. Now the objectives of interpreters. What are the objectives of the interpreters? The Bible is the greatest book that has ever been written, and in the Bible the Most High Himself speaks to man. It offers comfort, in sorrow; guidance, in perplexity; advice and counsel for our problems. Thank the Most High for the Bible! It offers rebuke for our sins and our wrongdoings and also inspiration for our daily living. Thank Abba for the Bible!! But I dare say that the Bible can be so misinterpreted to become a burden? And actually a curse in some ways if it's wrongly interpreted. The objectives of the interpretation of the interpreters, is the key here. The task or the objective the interpreters of the Bible, is to find out the meaning of a statement. Whether it's a command or a question. To find out the meaning of a statement and for the author and for the first hearers of that statement. In other words, the interpreters objective is to find out the meaning of a statement--first for the author, the one who's making the statement then for the hearers--those who he's speaking to or the readers, those who he's writing to as in Paul's case most of the time. Then from that meaning to transmit, that meaning to modern readers. That's the objective of the interpreter. Okay, so simply put our objective as interpreters of this wonderful book is to determine the meaning of the statement, whether there's a question or a command.
The meaning for the author, the one who's saying it or writing it. The meaning for the reader or the hearer who the writer is addressing and how to apply that to a modern experience, that is the goal or the objective of the interpreter. So it's not just understanding the meaning of it.
Now you can understand how to apply it and that's important. Because I gave you an example concerning the washing of feet. Not only did I interpret it in the context of what was happening; what Yahusha meant and why He did it and who He did it to and why He did it to them. But I also am responsible for translating that to your modern experience, so that you can take the principle that He was teaching and apply it now. It might mean doing something for someone that is not specifically washing their feet, but has the same principle of service. That's interpretation, okay? So everything the interpreter is after, is truthful meaning and appropriate application and that is a challenge!
Shema Selah what practices do we uphold that were never intended according to the Bible?!?!? https://youtu.be/izfIBPLmtMw
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