Applying the Bible Rightly
- Strength For Life
- Jul 1
- 5 min read
The first rule of Bible interpretation is universally accepted. It was told me in this memorable way: context is king. If you want to know what a Scripture passage means, consider the content both before and after. A good example is the Table of Nations of Genesis 11. That list is the record of the dispersal from Babel, and it ends with the most important person in Israel’s history, Abraham. The genealogies are a bridge between the Lord dealing with the nations and the Lord choosing from among them a specific people for Himself.
In situations where examining the context doesn’t help, a second tool is to use the way God is speaking in the section or the book as a guide to interpret His words in the local passage. For example, conservative Christians conclude that leviathan and behemoth were real creatures, since all of God’s examples to that point have been about aspects of the created world that Job could observe. These two rules prevent us from drawing bizarre conclusions from Scripture. It’s safe to say that when Ezekiel divided up the hair he shaved from his head into three piles in Ezekiel 5, God did not intend for us to use it as a rule of thumb for barbering. Similarly along the topic of hair, Absalom’s death is not primarily intended to warn young men to keep it off the collar.
This first rule of Bible interpretation—"context determines interpretation”—is also the first principle of Bible application. In the realm of application, though, there is an additional principle to follow. The second rule of Bible application is to understand the situation accurately before applying any Scripture. In other words, we cannot apply the Bible until we know what’s really going on. To put it yet another way, you can’t know you have the right Biblical answer until you have asked the correct question.
Consider David’s mistake in 2 Samuel 16. He was in the process of fleeing Jerusalem and escaping the coup that was developing around his scheming son, Absalom. As the king went for his life, he was intercepted by a man bearing transportation and food for he and his men. This man, Ziba, was servant to Jonathan’s son and Saul’s grandson, Mephibosheth, to whom David had previously extended mercy. “Where is thy master’s son?” he asked Ziba. Anxious, weary, and relieved by refreshment of Ziba’s gifts, David took the man’s answer at face value. Mephibosheth had not sent him. “Behold, he abideth at Jerusalem: for he said, ‘Today shall the house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father’.” According to Ziba, Mephibosheth had opportunistically abandoned David. In response, David transferred the rights of Mephibosheth’s property to Ziba. Later, David would find out that Ziba had lied about his master’s disloyalty, and that David had been deceived in a moment when he didn’t expect it.
David’s verdict was just and right by the standards of God’s law. However, he applied the right judgment to the wrong situation. What David ought to have done in that moment is to wait until he could verify the facts before rendering a judgment.
Christians today are tempted in the same way as David. Because of social media, we all have the opportunity to express opinions. And because the news cycle moves so quickly, we are encouraged to rush to comment on events as they happen. This makes us susceptible to speaking before we have all the facts. Even for national events that remain in the news longer, time and effort are required to accurately comprehend the situation. Simple answers are usually insufficient.
It is possible to have the right Bible answer to the wrong question. Christians who interpret America’s immigration problem simply through the lens of “the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself” (Leviticus 19:34) are not qualified to comment simply because they know that verse. Similarly, knowing God’s promises to Israel does not automatically make a believer capable of critiquing the strategy of the recent American strike on Iran. Christians should understand both the meaning of the Scriptures and the situations to which they may potentially apply.
Consider from Proverbs how difficult it is to think wisely about the situations that directly involve us. Proverbs 18:17 says it this way: “He that is first in his own cause seemeth just; but his neighbor cometh and searcheth him.” We are dependent on heavenly wisdom to know how to govern ourselves and our affairs. How much more difficult is it to exercise wisdom about matters well outside of our own personal circle?
The caution to speak within the limits of our knowledge does not prevent us from making categorical statements where the Bible is clear. For example, is it possible for us to say that abortion ought to be entirely abolished in our home state? Yes and amen. Can we put righteous pressure on our elected officials toward that end? Certainly. However, most of us are not qualified to insist on a specific legislative strategy or to organize a grass roots campaign. Wisdom tells us that we can speak generally from our general Bible knowledge, but we should restrict our specific opinions to our expertise and our time spent in the Word and prayer. The more specific our opinion, the more facts we should gather first.
According to Proverbs 18:13, broadcasting an uninformed opinion makes a person look more foolish than he actually is. “He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.” A man who habitually speaks hastily and out of his depth is a foolish man who brings shame to himself whether he realizes it or not.
A final qualification is necessary. God places men into positions of leadership: pastors, statesmen, educators, businessmen, and others. Such men are equipped by experience, study, wisdom and, in the specific case of pastors, knowledge of the Word, to give advice, speak with informed opinions, and rightly divide Scripture. They are qualified by virtue of their gifts, character, and calling to speak within their God-given areas of leadership. However, all who seek to understand the truth follow the same principles, even if to a lesser degree: what does God say? And what is the reality of the situation?
Knowing these principles should not prevent us from giving biblically informed opinions. Nor
should it prevent us from speaking where we are genuinely knowledgeable. Nor, finally, should it prevent us from casually debating important cultural, political, and geopolitical matters with others. It should prevent us, though, from valuing our own opinions too highly. And it should teach us to value highest the perfect, unerring words of God.
The above article was written by Jonathan Kyser. He is a pastoral assistant at NorthStone Baptist Church in Pensacola, FL. To offer him your feedback, comment below or email us at strengthforlife461@gmail.com.
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