Studying the WordPart 1

Study Tools that You Need HereA Bible Preferably an Interlinear Bible keyed to Strongs J.P. Greens Interlinear is good, but the text is so smallA NotebookText Highlighter (various colors)

Basic BooksStrongs Exhaustive Concordance of the BibleBible DictionaryBible LexiconEerdmans Handbook to the BibleJewish and Church History booksBible Atlas (Maps)

Approach to Studying the BibleDo all you can to present yourself to God as someone worthy of his approval, as a worker with no need to be ashamed, because he deals straightforwardly with the Word of the Truth.2 Timothy 2:15

Gods WordGod expects us to familiarize ourselves with His Word. Only by fully appreciating it will we act on it. Yeshua said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4, quoted from Deuteronomy 8:3).

Psalms 119:105 affirms: Your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

1) Start with PrayerProbably one of the most common reasons why believers don't study the Bible is based on this complaint, "I just don't understand it!" Before you start each study session, begin by praying and asking God to open your spiritual understanding.

2 Timothy 3:16The Bible says in 2 Timothy 3:16, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." (NIV) So, as you pray, realize that the words you are studying are inspired by God. Psalm 119:130 tells us, "The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple." (NIV)

2) Read the Entire Book Context, Context, ContextSpend some time, perhaps several days, reading through the entire book. Do this more than once. As you read, look for themes that may be woven into the chapters. Sometimes you'll detect a general message in the book.

For example, in the book of James, an obvious theme is "Persevering through Trials." Take notes (hence the notebook) on the ideas that jump out at you.

Life Application PrinciplesLook also for "life application principles." An example of a life application principle in the book of James is: "Make sure my faith is more than just a statement - it should result in action." It's a good practice to try and pull out these themes and applications on your own as you meditate, even before you begin using other study tools. This gives an opportunity for God's Word to speak personally to you.

3) Zoom InNow you will slow down and read the book verse by verse, breaking down the text, looking for deeper understanding. Hebrews 4:12 begins with, "For the word of God is living and active..." (NIV)

Now let's see what it looks like under a microscope, as we begin breaking down the text. Using a Bible dictionary, look up the meaning of the word living in the original language. It is the Greek word 'Za' meaning, "not only living, but causing to live, vivifying, quickening."

4) A Deeper MeaningYou start to see a deeper meaning: "God's Word causes life to come about; it quickens." Because God's Word is alive, you can study the same passage several times and continue to discover new, relevant applications throughout your walk of faith.

5) Choose Your ToolsAs you continue to do this type of verse by verse study, there's no limit to the wealth of understanding and growth that will come from your time spent in God's Word. For this portion of your study, you will want to consider choosing the right tools to aid you in your learning, such as a commentary, lexicon or Bible dictionary.

A Bible study guide or perhaps a study Bible will also help you dig deeper. There are also many useful on-line Bible study resources available, if you have access to a computer for your study time.

6) Be a Doer of the WordDon't just study God's Word for the sake of studying. Be sure to put the Word into practice in your life. Yeshua said in Luke 11:28, "But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice." (NLT)

ApologeticsPart 2

Apologetics Not Apologizing, but Defending!Doesnt mean that we apologize for what we believe, but Defending what we believe!

- Strong's Number: 627 Transliterated Word Phonetic Spelling apologia ap-ol-og-ee'-ah Definition verbal defense, speech in defense a reasoned statement or argument

1 Peter 3:15but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always {being} ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence

We need to be able to make an Apologia for the Hope that lies within us!With gentleness and reverence

We Need to be Able to Answer the Question:Why do we believe what we believe?

What we believe and why we believe must be based upon what the Scriptures say:

ExegesisTheological Positions; IdeasReading out (exe) of the Scriptures

Thats the RubThe reason why there is such diversity of understanding is that most often we read into the Scriptures what we want the Scriptures to say.

Known as EisegesisPreconceived Theology; IdeasReading Into (eise) the Scriptures!

With Eisegesis We Can Make the Bible say ANYTHING We Want!Judas went out and hanged himself (Matthew 27:5)And Jesus said, Go, do thou likewise. (Luke 10:37)what thou doest, do thou quickly! (John 13:27)

When, in reality, we should study out the Scriptures from its own perspective!

Like ProspectingTaking gold out of the earth!

The process of careful study of a biblical passage in relation to its historical setting; its setting in the overall collection that makes up the scriptures, specific questions of language and literary form, and how it has been understood by past interpreters, in order to provide a foundation for hearing what the passage may have to say to us today.Careful Study

2 Timothy 2:15Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

HermeneuticsPart 3

Herman WHO???

HermeneuticsHermeneutics (Hermeneutic means interpretive), is a branch of philosophy concerned with human understanding and the interpretation of texts.

Name DerivationName derived from a Greek word connected with the name of the god Hermes, (Mercury) the reputed messenger and interpreter of the gods.

Biblical HermeneuticsHermeneutics is a science and art of interpreting the text of scripture.

[Dr. Milton Terry- Biblical Hermeneutics 1890]

Acts 14:11-13 When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, "The gods have come down to us in human form!Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.

Biblical HermeneuticsDetermines how we interpret what the Bible is saying to us - Interpret: make clear understandableGives tools to ask intelligent questions about what the Biblical text says, rather than be deceived by what TV, a book, article, or person may say.

There IS a Difference betweenInterpretation andTranslation

Interpretation1. The action of explaining the meaning of something: "the interpretation of data".2. An explanation or way of explaining: "it's open to interpretation".

Translation1. The process of translating words or text from one language into another: "Constantine's translation of Arabic texts into Latin".2. A written or spoken rendering of the meaning of a word, speech, book, or other text, in another language.

What We Must Desire to Do: To seek the Message that God IntendedOne Meaning: One Mind.

Rules of Scripture InterpretationHow we interpret Scripture is known as Biblical Hermeneutics.

Principles of InterpretationIt is not a hit or miss proposition. It is detailed, carefully spelled out. Both Jewish and Christian scholars have come to basic agreement on principles of interpretation as far as methodology.

Principles of InterpretationThe purpose of this course of study is to go through the principles of Hermeneutics.

Written to a Specific People:Gods Word was written by and to a people in another time and place in history, people with a different culture, customs, environment, and language. So that those people could understand what God Wanted them to understand.

Contained in Gods Word are:Stories, poetry, literal and figurative language.Gods Word was written by one mind: Gods!

Need to Realize: The Bible is a Hebraic WorkTo best understand the Bible, we need to approach it from the Hebraic perspective, since it IS a Hebraic book!

Hebraic HermeneuticsStudying the Scripture from a Hebraic perspective.

As Torah Submissive Believers in Yeshua, our Messiah and LordWe believe that the Torah IS applicable and pertinent to ALL Messianic believers: both Jewish and Non-Jewish!

Need to be able to make a defense to our brethren who believe otherwise!

We Need to Understand Where Others Are Coming From and Relate to them from the Biblical (Hebraic) Perspective!We need to be able to cross the bridge to reach out to them.Shaul did this with the Athenians at Mars Hill in Acts 17:16-31.

Shaul did not use a SINGLE Verse of Scripture to ThemBecause Scripture did not yet hold authority over them and their lives.He used their poets, philosophers and world-view to reach them!

Likewise, We Must KNOW and RELATETo those who do not yet grasp our understanding from their OWN world-view and perspective.Then we bring them over the bridge to see ours.This DOESNT mean that they will come across to our perspective!

Thats the Job of the Ruach haKodesh!Holy Spirit convicts of sin:

John 16:5-15 5 "But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, `Where are You going?' 6 "But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 "But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. 8 "And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; 11 and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

John 16:5-1512 "I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. 14 "He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. 15 "All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.

Our Job is to Bear WitnessHis Job is to reveal it to those who see and hear our witness!

Rabbinic HermeneuticsPart 4

PaRDeSPardes, which means paradise or garden in Hebrew, is an acronym for four Hebrew words: Pshat, Remez, Drash, Sod.

The Four Levels of Interpretation These are which the rabbis tell us can be applied to every passage of Scripture.

1) Pshat, the Safe and Sure RoadPshat literally means to make a road. Pshat is also the most important level of interpreting Scripture.

It is the simplest level of interpreting Scripture: What it says is what it means.

As its name suggests, it is like a road winding through the wilderness. To the side of the road are the other levels of interpretation, there to be explored, and as long as we always keep the road in sight and return to it when we are done with our excursion, were safe.

But when we forget the road, the plain meaning of Scripture, then we get into trouble.

Therefore, doctrine should never be made solely on a perceived midrash, remez, or sod, but always on the plain meaning of Scripture.

When the Bible says that God tested Abrahams faith by telling him to sacrifice Isaac, it means that God tested Abrahams faith by telling him to sacrifice Isaac.

When God told the Israelites to keep certain Appointed Times (moedim) or Feasts during the year, they were supposed to literally keep those feasts.

Remez: Following the HintsThe second level of Biblical interpretation is the remez, literally the hint of something deeper. This hint can be something as simple as the name of a place, as subtle as a misspelled word, or as obvious as a prophecy that has as yet unfulfilled elements.

One example of a remez is found in the Akkedah, the account of Isaacs sacrifice by his father Abraham. As we mentioned before, the pshat meaning is that God was testing Abrahams faith. However, there is also a hint of something else in the narrative: Abraham called the name of that place The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this day, "In the mount of the LORD it will be provided (Genesis 22:14).

Drash: (Midrash) Digging DeeperThe word drash literally means to dig or search, while midrash means teaching or learning.

Sod: The Secret MeaningThis final, deepest level of meaning is one that we have to treat with the utmost caution. It did indeed give rise to Kabalah, and more than any other level of interpretation has the potential to lead us astray. However, it can only lead us astray if we abandon the road of the pshat in pursuit of our mystical conjectures.

What is the sod? Stern defines it as a mystical or hidden meaning arrived at by operating on the numerical values of the Hebrew letters, noting unusual spellings, transposing letters, and the like. . . The implied presupposition is that God invests meaning in the minutest details of Scripture, even the individual letters.

The most obvious example of a sod in the NT is the famous Number of the Beast. As early as Irenaeus, it was understood that the name of the Antichrist, when rendered into Hebrew and/or Greek letters, would add up to the number of six hundred and sixty-six according to the numerology of those alphabets. And while the text comes out and states this to be the number, many authors nevertheless regard this as a sod.

Additional Rabbinic Rules:Hillels Seven Principles

Rabbi Hillel listed seven principles of interpreting Scripture which are recorded for us in the Talmud (y. Pesahim 33a; cf. Tosefta, Sanhedrin 7:11).

1) Kal vchomer (simple and complex): Inference from minor to major case (If such and such is so how much more so?")

2) Gezerah shavah (equal commandment): Two biblical commandments having a common word or phrase are subject to the same regulations and applications.

3) Binyan av mikatuv echad (a sweeping principle [derived] from one scriptural passage): One scripture serves as a model for the interpretation of others, so that a legal decision based on the one is valid for the others.

4) Binyan av mishne ketuvim (a sweeping principle [derived] from two scriptural passages): Two scriptures having a common characteristic serve as a model for the interpretation of others, so that a legal decision based on the two is valid for the others.

5) Kelal uferat uferat ukelal (general and particular, or particular and general): One scripture, general in nature, can be interpreted more precisely by means of a second scripture that is specific, or particular, in nature, and vice versa.

6) Kayotse bo bemakom acher (like that in another place): The interpretation of a scriptural passage by means of another passage having similar content

7) Davar halamed me'inyano (a thing that is learned from the subject): An interpretation of a scripture that is deduced from its context.

Principles in Forming Drash or RemezNote that these principles are consistent with forming a midrash or remez, as they form a basis for identifying two passages which are linked by language even when they are not thematically, and for identifying oddities in the text.

Someone once said, The Bible is shallow enough for a child to wade in it, but deep enough for an elephant to immerse in it. Indeed this is true, and the hour is far too late for mature believers to stay splashing in the kiddie pool. There is a depth and richness to the Scriptures that we have but barely scratched the surface of; we complain that we want more milk when the Eternal One offers us a steak dinner. Let us then obey the Bible and the example of the Apostles:

Therefore, leaving behind the initial lessons about the Messiah, let us go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of turning from works that lead to death, trusting God, and instruction about washings, s'mikhah (laying of hands), the resurrection of the dead and eternal punishment. And, God willing, this is what we will do. (Hebrews 6:1-3, CJB)