Keep it in Context

 

I was asked to write an article for a women's ministry recently and was given the verses and the topic to write on. I was looking forward to doing this until I pulled out my bible and read the scriptures and discovered they really had nothing to do with the topic.

One of my biggest pet peeves is when people cherry pick verses out of the Bible to make them mean what they want them to mean. Good exegesis is the critical, systematic interpretation of a text to discover its original, intended meaning, rather than imposing your own personal biases onto it. The seminary I attended hammered that home to me and yet, I see people doing the opposite all of the time. 

Some activities and questions to ask yourself as you read a passage are the following:

Read the entire passage. Keep in mind that the the headings, chapter numbers, and verse divisions in modern Bibles are not original to the text. Sometimes you have to read more than the chapter.

You can use the following categories and questions as you read:

Setting

"What is the cultural setting of this passage?" "What was going on in the culture to which it was written?"

"What was the context going on at that time in history?"

"What phrases or words are repeated?" That is usually a sign that something of significance is being said.

"Are there any contrasts or comparisons?" Look for words such as therefore, but, whereas, like. Those are your clues to look at the passage prior to what you are reading.

Interpretation for that Time

"What would this passage mean to the people reading at that time?"

"What is the main subject?" "What is the author trying to communicate to the original audience?"

"Does it tell us something about the character of God or Jesus?"

"Are there other scriptures that help define this passage?"

Application

"What does it mean for me today?"

"What is the Holy Spirit trying to say to me through this?"

"Is there a specific response I should have to the lesson here?"

It is so easy to pluck verses out of a passage of scripture and make them say what we want them to say. However, if we want to have an accurate interpretation of God's word we have to read within context. 

May we all be good students of the word of God. Remember context, context, context!