Psalm 1:3e
Scott and Janet
Be aware of your cultural presuppositions. We all have presuppositions – some have arrived and were reinforced via reliable and consistent reasons; others – not so much! Be aware that the culture in which we were raised greatly informs how we see Scripture. This is true of all the ‘cultures’ of your life: religious, ethnicity, gender, political, familial, geographical (not just differing nations, but regional, urban, agrarian . . .), educational . . . An example of a few of my presuppositions:
Cultural Worldview
Biblical Interpretation Biblical Worldview
Cultural Interpretation
I believe there is a Creator. I believe this Creator is personal. I believe the Creator personally brought all that is into being and maintains its existence. I believe humanity bears the mark, or image, of the Creator expressed in ways such as: rational thought; ethical and moral behaviors; relational commitments; societal issues of justice, order, sacrifice and mercy; intentional and purposeful directions in living. I believe the Creator chose to reveal to humanity in Jesus Christ and in the written history of a people and sacred teachings: The Bible. I believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God and as such, should shape and form the way I think and the practices of my life.
I could go on a long while on presuppositions – and even the ones above barely scratch the surface about just the Religious presuppositions I have. When I come to the Bible, I come with these sets of thoughts already with me. I do not have to prove these suppositions over and over again every time I come to Scripture: they are now firmly presupposed. But I do need to be aware of them. An example of a cultural worldview that can impact my understanding of Scripture is that I am an American raised with the mindset of self-determination, freedom and individual rights. Does that impact how I see the Bible? Yes, it does. The task is not to rid myself of presuppositions; the task is to be aware of how they can infiltrate my interpretations and seek to counterbalance their influence through rigorous research and reflection and honesty. This topic is a deep and extensive study – but this is as far as I will take this for a Sunday morning conversation! I think you get the point that the need to question ourselves and our preconceived notions about things can and does impact our application of the Bible. This week:
Think about the reasons you think like you think. Limit your reflections to a narrow topic. What presuppositions do you have? Which of these are open to change and which seem set in concrete? How do presuppositions benefit us in everyday life? How may they hinder us?
Some Common Approaches to Interpreting Scripture There are ways in which we can lay aside some of our culturally shaped biases—our presuppositions—and seek to understand Scripture freshly. 1. Within the Bible, what type of literature am I reading? Is it poetic? Is it historical? Does it have a lot of prophecy in it? Is there a lot of imagery used to describe other things or events? Does it read like a class assignment? Does it sound like a personal letter? This is knowing the genre of the text. 2. Context, if not king, stands in royal lineage. Context is vital. A word is set in a sentence. A sentence is set in a paragraph. A paragraph is set in chapter. A chapter is set in a book. A book is set in a series. A series is set in a Volume. Context looks closely at the topic, setting and form being studied. Just a few examples:
a. Authorial context. The concepts being presented by an author often find expression in other writings by the same author. Even though we hold that Scripture theopneustos (God breathed, inspired by God; 2 Timothy 3:16), we do not hold to ‘automatic writing.’ The writers of Scripture were not unconscious or in a place where only their hands wrote the words. By the Spirit, they were inspired. Their personalities and stylistic forms are evident. Even if they did not always fully understand what they wrote—especially in the prophetic—they were nonetheless present, conscious while writing (see 1 Peter 1:10-12). What is the writer’s intention? What was the writer meaning to say? b. Theological context. What teaching is being set forth in a given passage? Does it find harmony with other teachings by the same author and the other authors of Scripture? c. Historical/cultural context. David likely wrote Psalm 51 in response to the historical events of 1 Samuel 1112. Paul likely mentions going to the “third heaven” as a result of his beatings and stoning ()2 Corinthians 12:1-4; 2 Corinthians 11:22-29. What, too, was the historical context of some of Jesus’ teachings? For example: Caesar’s denarius for taxes (Matthew 22:19-21); the tower in Siloam that fell (Luke 13:4); why would Jesus call Herod a ‘fox’ in Luke 13:31-32? Why was Herodias so hateful of John the Baptist that she would have him beheaded (Matthew 14:1-12)? d. Linguistic/grammatical context. Greek. Hebrew. Syntax. Verbs. Nouns. Understanding the languages is really helpful – but not essential that you can read Greek or Hebrew. So many aids are available on the web for your use. As Indiana Jones was told when selecting the simple, wooden chalice, “You must choose. But choose wisely.” You are not a Greek specialist because you use Strong’s Concordance on your computer. Choose several good sites that give you great, solid information. 3. Occam’s razor. William of Ockham (c. 127-1347) was a Franciscan friar, a student of logic and a theologian/philosopher. He simply taught us that given several explanations for something – the simpler one is usually better. As he wrote, “More things should not be used than are necessary.” Another way of saying this: At its face, what is the text saying? The more straightforward and simple reading is often the preferred. Having said this, we are aware that simple does not ignore genre or context. 4. Does it make sense? Can my interpretation hold up cross-culturally, multi-ethnically, across generations? While the forms and figures of speech differ, can the principle enunciated work for everyone? If not, it may well be that I am interpreting through the lenses of my own cultural leanings 5. Since Scripture is God’s revelation of Himself to us – it makes sense to ask questions that focus on a theocentric perspective. What does this passage tell us about God? About Jesus? About the Holy Spirit? About redemption? Application of these principles to Psalm 1:3e – “In all that he does, he prospers.” As you read the questions, think about what Approaches to Interpreting Scripture apply to the questions.
What is the tense of Proverbs 1? What is the context of 1:3e? What cultural/agricultural settings have we talked about in regards to this Psalm? What imagery is being used? As a Westerner, how might I interpret, “In all that he does, he prospers.” Would my interpretation hold up in different cultures and countries? When other Psalms speak of prospering, what does it indicate? o The Hebrew for prosper is tsalach (pronounced: saw-lay-achh). o It is used once in Proverbs 28:13.
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In Psalms, it is used in 1:3; 7:7; 45:4 and 118:25 While Westerners often think of prospering in financial terms, the Scripture defines some things as more essential than money: Psalm 19:7-11; Ecclesiastes 7:11-12; Matthew 6:19-20 Approach 4 asks if it makes sense. If prospering means to do well in business, money and financial security, how does that work for Believers around the world? See Ecclesiastes 9:11. To prosper, tsalach, means to advance, make progress. How does this fit in with Psalm 1? So, how do the righteous prosper?