Why Do We Need To Interpret Scripture?
We are involved in the work of interpretation anytime we read. The author has some information that he is trying to convey to an audience. The difficulty is that writing is communicated through the culture and the life experience of the writer. A good writer will try very hard to make his thoughts understandable to a wide audience, but time, words and circumstances change.
The reader also comes in his or her culture and life experiences. The writer’s job is to try and bridge the communication gap with his reader. The reader’s task is come to terms with the writer. The reader must try to enter the writer’s world. Only through this work on the writer’s and the reader’s part can communication happen.
The Scriptures offer an additional challenge. God’s communication to us is about eternal things and the content of his message transcends culture. His truth does not change from season to season or from culture to culture. But He chose to communicate through people and to people. To be understood, the message had to speak to a specific people at a specific time, using images and symbols that they would understand. The Scriptures are wrapped in a culture. We must enter the world of the original audience to understand the full content of God’s message to us. This is the work of interpretation.
My goal here is to present the basic tools and skills necessary for good bible study. This will not be exhaustive since the there is so much to grow into during a life of communicating with God through his Scripture, but it will get you on your way. These lessons will present one skill at a time. Do not feel that you have to master them all before you can begin to have a profitable time studying the Scriptures. The goal is to develop these skills over time and to see your study deepen.