Observation is just the FACTS that are within
the text. Here are the next set of tools that will help expand on the
observation of you text.
1)
REPEATED WORDS/PHRASES: After you have made your list of
observational data points, print out your text (preferably without
the verse references), grab some colored pens, or highlighters and
start marking all of the repeated words or phrases.
In
the book “Digging Deeper”, by Nigel Beynon and Andrew Sach, they
state the following about repeated words.
“One
of the ways a Bible writer can get our attention or make sure we
don't miss something is to say it more than once. Our ears should
always prick up if we see the same word or phrase cropping up again
and again. It is obviously something the author wanted us to notice –
very possibly the heart of what he is saying.”
Consider
these repeated words or phrases as signposts on your interpretive
highway. They are going to point you in the direction of the point of
the passage which will help you discover the author's intent or
purpose for writing the book you are in.
2)
STRUCTURE: Most of the time the repeated words and phrases will
provide the structure of the text. “Structure”, you say... “Why
do we need structure, we are not building a house.” Structure is
critical in order to provide you with the central point of the
passage. Two things to keep in mind about structure: 1) Ignore the
chapter and verse breaks, while these are helpful to provide standard
reference points, they are often times a hindrance when looking for
the real structure of the text. 2) This point you always want to keep
in the forefront of your mind when you are going through the Bible.
The Bible is a Jewish text, written by Jews, mostly written for Jews.
This includes both the Old and New Testaments. While the New
Testament was written in Greek, it still maintained its “Jewishness”
in both structure and form.
So
what is so different in Jewish writings then in Greek/Roman writings,
the main difference is the structure. Most of the time we think in a
linear fashion. We are taught this way in school in they way we
outline: Introduction, Point 1, Point 2, Point 3, (each with their
own sub-points), and a conclusion. Hebrew/Jewish structure is
different, it is formed in a CHIASM (pronounced ky′-az-um)...
“A WHAT?”.
A
chiasm is a literary structure designed to focus the point of the
message, it is usually structured as:
A
B
C
D
C
B
A
Or
in some of the Psalms or Proverbs it is structured as:
A
B
B
A
As
you can see it form is comprised of repeated words or ideas. So
finding the repeated words or ideas will help you to discover the
structure of the text and point you to the main idea or point that
the author wants you to focus on.
3)
CONTEXT: Next we want to look at the context of the passage we are
looking at. We must remember to keep the passage in its original
context. There are many in “Christendom” that like pulling out a
single verse and creating whole theological premises on it without
giving a second thought to the original context.
As
Dr. D.A. Carson's father stated, “A
text without a context is a pretext for a proof text.”
Pulling
texts out of their context allows anyone to create any theological
rule they want and leads right down the path of legalism.
Context
should be viewed like the following diagram (the diagram was taken
from the book: “Digging Deeper”, by Nigel Beynon and Andrew Sach,
pg. 37)
As you can see from the image you start at the sentence level and move out, much like a ripple on lake. When you move out, the surrounding and greater context helps to inform the smaller context. Keep that in mind when you are interpreting a passage, allow the greater information of the surrounding texts/passages/books to shape your understanding of the passages.
