class 3 inductive bible study (tyrannus course...

Inductive Bible Study (Tyrannus Course #1) RGGJR/FBCCS/2020

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Inductive Bible Study…Tyrannus Course #1 Class #3…Observation Part 3

Review

1. Exegesis/ Eisegesis? What’s the difference? Exegesis

Eisegesis

Here is a long and convoluted statement of purpose underlying our exegetical approach… We are seeking to know God better and better and to glorify Him more and more together on His Mission by learning what He has said in His Word to us. We are starting with the premise that God indeed had something He wanted to say to us through His Word. We also accept that God the Holy Spirit, as the Author (A) of Scripture, moved through human authors (a), using common human languages in various forms of written literature utilizing historical, grammatical, and lexical conventions to convey want He wanted to say to us by utilizing a normal historical, grammatical, lexical, interpretive process illuminated by God the Holy Spirit. Therefore, empowered by God the Spirit, we seek to bring out of Scripture what God said.

2. “Inductive Bible Study”

Observation: What do I see? Wait! Slow down! Not, yet what do I think it means?

Interpretation: What does it mean? Wait! Not what does it mean or say to me personally? Rather what did the A/a author “mean” (authorial intent) when it was written (or originally collected/edited)?

Application: What does it do in my life/ our life together? Wait! Not simply that I “know” more Bible information. Rather, how does it or should it or could it change us/me and make us/me clearer image bearers on mission in the world? All of this will be in line with what the A/a author intended not what I wish he intended or have always heard he intended.

Correlation: How does this fit in the bigger picture of understanding God’s truth and living LIFE? Wait! Not that the meaning of the A/a changes. Rather, I/we grow in our knowing of God, his ways, and his Word and can see connections today we couldn’t see yesterday. This is part of the beauty of the Living Word of God! Quick Review of Highlights of Reading Assignment (Living by the Book: The Art and Science of Reading the Bible; Hendricks &Hendricks chapters 5-17

“The Value of Observation”

“You must Learn to Read”

“Ten Strategies to First-Rate Reading” (Thoughtfully, Repeatedly, Patiently, Selectively, Prayerfully, Imaginatively, Meditatively, Purposefully, Acquisitively, Telescopically)


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Review of Week #2 Class…Observation: Words (phrases)

Connection (word in my head)

Repetition (word repeated for emphasis or additional info)

Keystone (sense of word holding a key to unlock)

All of the… (Just asking these of words goes a long way to slow us down and help us observe) Who? (!!!!!!!)

What?

Where?

When?

Why?

How?

Geographical (words of place names, locations, physical movement, directions, etc.)

Chronological (time, dates, sequence of event words)

Tense (grammar of words related to verbal action, aspect, mood, etc. English helps available for non- Greeks/Hebrews)

Conditional (if words)

Connective (prepositional phrase, conjunction words—little words that make a big difference)

Command (words that direct thought, action, etc.)

Covenantal/Promise (words that speak to future certainties)

Question (words that ask things rhetorically or otherwise)

Quotation (words that indicate citations—usually from OT but not always)

Figure (words that are metaphorical or may be metaphorical)

Emphatic (!! Words)

List (words appearing in a list and related to other words that way)

Out-of-Place! (Words that seem odd to the observer in the context)

Not understood! (Words I just don’t know or feel I don’t know well enough)

Observational Questions (You are probably asking them in your head already they help some of us bridge the gap to interpretation later)


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Observations: Connections of Ideas and Beyond

Ultimately, if we want to know what God is saying to us in His Word, we will need to move from observing the smallest pieces such as words to how those words form ideas and then how those ideas form “arguments.” You may OBSERVE that the word “argument” seems strange in the context of Bible study. Let me assure you, that all it means is what the author (A/a) is trying to say and do by using words and arranging them as he has done.

We, have made the process of observing words as we read more explicit. This slows us down to see what is there rather than gloss over it by reading into it what is already in our heads. This gives us a helpful reading stance and a good deal of information (so far only in the form of questions to answer). With the way language and literature work, we now also have to observe larger blocks of information (BTW: larger and larger blocks).

We could try to observe the connections a whole book of the Bible at once. I might be able to do that with “Philemon” or “2 John” but anything bigger than these is beyond me. This is no problem. Why? Because authors also break their longer arguments into smaller parts that are connected within the parts and then connected to other parts to accomplish what they want to communicated. You may have OBSERVED, that I have done that here.

BTW: the connections within and between the parts of an author’s argument can vary with the genre or type of literature. For example, connections in the Psalms are not usually the same type as those used by Paul in his epistles. This is why the “read differently” to us. We will look at this later when we get to “interpretation.”

So, how will we determine the smaller sections with which to begin working?

What is this symbol?

It is a _______________________ or a __________________. It marked _____________________.

Why was it needed?... Where did it go?... So now what?

Why does this Bible cost this much?...Is there an answer for cheapo me?


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Observation: Types of Connections

The “connections of ideas” below help make up “arguments” in sections, books and, with some theological additions, the whole of Scripture.

We are not looking at these “theological connections” quite yet. However, I realize are minds are not blank slates and what we already know and have concluded can enter our interpretations and even our observations. At this point we are still attempting to observe from as open and neutral a stance as possible to allow for exegesis.

NB (almost Italiano here “Nota bene!”) The chapter and verse divisions (900’s AD OT and 1500’s AD NT) in our translations many times are not the best places for division of ideas based on observing A/a connections of ideas. Sometimes even the physical printing of “book” divisions (e.g., Luke & Acts) gives us a false sense of a “disconnection” of A/a ideas. (e.g. (more almost Italiano…Verse=Colossians 2:20-21; Chapter=Matthew 16 & 17). We are seeking to observe connections in whole ideas which usually are helped by paragraph indications (but, again, not always).

The list of “connections” to observe below is not exhaustive (although, at first, you may feel it is exhausting) and not in order of frequency or importance. I have culled these from lists made by the Hendricks, Ron Pritz, others (?) and my own experience in observing ideas in Scripture of different genre.

AGAIN, I am not suggesting you must memorize the list. I am saying you should become aware of the idea of “idea connection” used by A/a to say what A/a wants to say in Scripture. You can always go back and peruse this list or some other list if the connection is not obvious to you.

This is another reminder, as the Hendricks’ reading for this class emphasized, that Bible STUDY is not often a cursory matter that happens magically. It is the Holy Spirit empowered and guided WORK of understanding a text that was written to mean something the way texts can mean something.

Examples of Idea Connections

1. Comparison…John 3:5-8 compares being “water/Spirit” born with natural birth

2. Contrast…Romans 6:19-23 contrasts living as a slave to sin versus living as a slave to righteousness. We often quote the conclusion of the longer contrast found in 6:23

3. Cause and Effect/ Result…Romans 1:18-32 “the God handed them over downward spiral” is a long series of ideas related by cause and effect. Cause: Fail to glorify God as God and effect: your mind will become darkened to other realities as well. This example also shows a progression downward connection between ideas of cause & effect/result where ultimately the effect is that a person not only sins but actively promotes sinning in others.

4. Repetition (words, phrases, ideas, “sounds,” structures etc.) Genesis: “generations of” (“toledotes”) Psalm 136: “His love endures forever. The “I am statement by Jesus in John’s Gospel. Romans 1:18-32 “handed over” cycles (shows sometimes A/a uses many signals of connection in ideas so we get it (here cause/effect/reason, progression and repetition)


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5. Progression of Thought… (see Romans 1:18-32 above) Romans 5:1-5 From been justified to having peace with God and access to His grace as our new sphere of life to rejoicing in hope of ultimate glorification to being able to rejoice in suffering because response in suffering can move to producing perseverance to producing righteous character to knowing hope. Justified people can rejoice in suffering because it can strengthen our grasp of hope etc. etc. AND, of course, James teaches the same thing about joy in suffering.

6. Climax…Romans 1-3 the argument climaxes with the conclusion that all men—Jew/gentile—Pretty good Law keeper/ abject pagan all sin and fall short of imaging God (his glory) so all must come to God by faith in the work of Jesus to live out true righteousness and fulfill their purpose for existence. The emphasis is on “ALL the same way” and climaxes with this.

7. Cruciality… I call these “hinge points” where there are major turns in narrative, purpose, tone, etc. Romans 12:1-2 Observe the word “therefore” because it marks a major hinge point in ideas and A/a purpose. See also Ephesians 4:1. Philippians 2:12 Paul, more than once, uses a “crucial”/ “hinge point” in letters to move from the foundational basis for righteous living to the description of righteous living. John 13:1 is a “hinge point” moving from Jesus’ broader ministry to the upper room ministry with his men because he knew the time had come to die.

8. Interchange… Romans 5:12-21 The interchanging between trespass and righteousness, grace and Law, disobedience and obedience heightens the differences (contrasts)

9. Continuation/Parenthesis… Philippians 1:7-8 Paul interrupts his prayer to tell them why it is “right for him to pray such things” then resumes the content of his prayer.

10. Particularization/Specific Examples… Matthew 6:1-18 Be careful about acts of righteousness done in front of others. For example, when you give to the poor, when you pray, and when you fast. Hebrews 11Gives examples of “faith” as the author is thinking of it.

11. Generalization… James 2:1-26 The discussion begins with the example of giving the obviously rich brother the best seat in the house and moves to the principle of “love your neighbor as yourself” in all ways which is an indicator of an active/alive faith in general.

12. …Introduction…Ruth 1:1-2 Introduces the book as happening in the “days of the Judges.” This might send one back to “judges” where the last line reads, “In those days, Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.”

13. Summarization… The above Judges 21:25, “In those days, Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.”

14. Interrogation… Romans 6 This first example is of rhetorical questions: “What shall we say the? Shall we go on sinning that grace may increase?...What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?” Mark 12:16 Jesus used questions such as, “Whose portrait is this?” (on Roman a coin) Did he not know the answer? Genesis 3:1 “Did God really say?” Genesis 3:9


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“Where are you?” Notice how recorded questions in the setting (that don’t break the 4th wall and address the reader) often are not for information but to probe the thinking of the one interrogated.

15. Stated Purpose… 1 John 5:13 “These things I write to you who believe in the NAME of the son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” However, what things and what is “having eternal life here?” Understanding of purpose statements can “drive” the whole of interpretation of a book. Luke 1:1-4 Luke says he writes so that Theophilus might know with certainty that what he has been taught about Jesus is certain truth.

16. Proof… John 9:1-41 The healed “man born blind” is offered as proof of Jesus being Lord to the Pharisees.

17. Parallelisms… Luke 6:43-45 A good tree bears good fruit and a bad tree bad fruit is parallel with a heart bearing good or bad fruit. (NB It is difficult to be exactly precise in these categories because they overlap. Here there is metaphor, comparison, contrast, etc. The point is not the burden of being “exactly right” in naming the category as if we will be tested by Jesus on whether it is #3 or #12. Rather, the point is slowing down and thinking about what the A/a is actually saying by thinking about how written literature worked and works.

[I should pause to note here how many of my examples are from Pauline epistles. The reason for this is first, because I have studied them the most (as do most Western-culture seminarians) and studied many of them more recently. Secondly, because Paul tends to write his idea connections more explicitly than in narrative and other types of literature. His connections are often more linear and sequential which makes them easier for the western-minded rationalist to see. But what happens if we only read “Paul?”

18. Hebrew Poetic Parallelisms (rhyming ideas)… -synonymous…repeats idea Psalm 19:1-2 The heavens declare…Day after day the pour forth speech --synthetic…advances idea Psalm 24:3-4 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD?...He who has clean hands etc. ---antithetic…contrasts idea Psalm 73:26 Ecclesiastes 10:2 “A wise man's heart inclines him to the right, but a fool's heart to the left." The point is not which goes right and which left—the direction-- but that wise and foolish hearts go two antithetical/opposite ways.

19. Acrostic… letters in a pattern form another pattern. Psalm 119 is 176 couplets shaped into 22 stanzas each headed with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet in order. Why?

20. Diatribe… a strong speech against someone or something. Romans 2:1-5 “You therefore have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else…” James 2:18-19 “But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds…” It is sometimes difficult to divide the criticizing of the opponent from interspersed truth the criticizer is “shouting.”


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21. Historical Cycles… The book of Judges. Rebellion, oppression, repentance, and deliverance and return to rebellion in which “everyone did what was right in his own eyes”

22. Warning Cycles… Hebrews

23. Proverbial Statements… Short statements of things that are generally true. The book of Proverbs; e.g. Proverbs 24:24 “Whoever says to the guilty, ‘You are innocent’—peoples will curse him and nations will denounce him.”

24. Chiasm…alternating arrangement of words or ideas with emphasis often in the “center” of the segment or section.

Genesis 6–9 employs a literary structure called a chiasm, named after the Greek letter chi (χ). The concepts are carefully arranged in a particular order and then are repeated in reverse order to highlight a central theme. It is easier to illustrate than to describe. Notice the central statement.

A. Transitional Introduction: Noah and His Sons (6:9–10) B. The Corruption of All Flesh (6:11–12)

C. God’s Resolution to Destroy the Earth by Flood (6:13–22) D. God’s Command and Noah’s Response: The Entrance into the Ark (7:1–10)

E. The Beginning of the Flood: The Inundating of the Earth (7:11–16)

F. The Rising of the Waters (7:17–24)

G. God’s Remembrance of Noah (8:1a)—central theme of the account of Noah's Flood

F'. The Recession of the Waters (8:1b–5) E'. The End of the Flood: The Drying of the Earth (8:6–14)

D'. God’s Command and Noah’s Response: The Exodus from the Ark (8:15–19)

C'. God’s Resolution Never Again to Destroy the Earth by Flood (8:20–22)

B'. The Covenant with All Flesh (9:1–17) A'. Transitional Conclusion: Noah and His Sons (9:18–19)

Matthew 23:12 “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

25. Proportion…How much space does and author give to an idea or argument? Why is Genesis 1 and 2 (CREATION!) given less space than the story of Joseph and his brothers and not much more space than the sordid story of Judah and Tamar?

26. ETC. ETC.


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Assignments

1. Please read as assigned in the text, chapters 18-23, if the page numbers don’t match in a digital book format. The Hendricks do simplify these observations of idea connections and even offer a memory device to help you NOT feel overwhelmed in case you do.

2. You certainly, by now, have already picked a book for you to work with, right? If not, pick a shorter book of the NT (e.g. Galatians, Philippians) or OT (e.g., Jonah, Esther) to use for your “OIAC Graduate Thesis” for this course. You are studying it personally using this process apart from what we are doing here—not Ephesians unless you are actually teaching it to someone right now (and then you are a lucky duck!)

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