The Study of the Scriptures
Session 2:
Wednesday 11 FEB 2015
Faith
Baptist Fellowship Church
Lake Ariel,
PA
Note: There was no audio recording of this session.
I. Review Session 1
Hebrew 1:1-3
“How
firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
You, who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?”[1]
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
You, who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?”[1]
2 Timothy 3:13-17
We do not live in a time or a place where the Scriptures
are chained within cathedrals in a language that we cannot understand. We do
not face martyrdom for possessing translations of the Bible into our
vernacular, our native language. We have ready access to multiple translations
into the language that we speak, along with virtual libraries of helpful tools
assisting us to study the Word. And yet modern Christians seem to have less
understanding of the Scriptures than many in the past, and decreased confidence
in their ability to remedy the situation. We need to get at the root of why
that is.
I assume that you are here because you desire to
understand God’s Word, or to understand it better than you have in the past. In
order to help you to do so I would like to first address what I believe are the
major barriers to our understanding of God’s revelation.
1. The character of God and our need:
The acknowledgement of God’s ability and our inability is
fundamental to understand what is required to know His Word.
2. The nature of God’s revelation and His prerogative as
the Revealer:
The acknowledgement of the nature of God’s revelation and
confidence in Him as the communicator of His revelation is essential for the
humble student of God’s Word.
3. The nature of our cultural context and the skeptical
mindset of modern man:
Christians today face discouragement that they can know
God’s Word both from the skepticism of our cultural mindset, and from the
elitism of ivory tower academics.
There are two alternatives:
1) Growth in Grace and in the Knowledge of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 3:18)
2) Is. 28:8-13 - “But
the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept;
line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that
they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.” (28:13)
Calvin - Know God, know yourself
See yourself in relation to the Word and the world in
history
Know your place, your role, your capabilities and
limitations
The ability of God
John 1:1-5
Genesis 1-3
Gen. 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26, 29 - “And God said…”
Gen. 2:16 - “And the Lord God commanded the man…”
The responses of
the creature to the revelation of God
Gen. 3:1, 5-6 - What did Satan do?
Gen. 3:8-10 - Once man sins against the command of God,
how does he respond to the voice of God? Why does man do this?
See yourself in the mirror of the Word! What do we do?
This is not about Adam. This is just as much about you and I, and every sinner
born of Adam. We are no different, and we do not respond any differently to the
voice of God today than Adam and Eve did in the Garden. Do people hide from the
voice of God today? Are people afraid of the voice of God today? Why don’t
people understand the Bible?
What was the tactic of Satan when it came to the Word of
God in the second temptation of Christ in Mt. 4:6 (“…for it is written…”)?
How is this different from the temptation of Eve in the
Garden (“…hath God said…Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know…”)?
We must be aware of and alert for both aspects of error
when it comes to God’s revelation!
1) Skeptical questioning of what God has revealed in His
Word
2) Subtle uses of God’s Word in attempts to subvert His
purposes
Now what?
The inability of
fallen or natural man
It is naturally impossible for man in his fallen state to
understand and properly respond to the revelation of God - Romans 1:18-32
What is the unregenerate unbeliever to do?
1 Corinthians 2
Holding God’s Word at arm length:
Eden - Hide!
Sinai - Shut Him up!
Prophets? Kill them! Get rid of them!
God? Keep your distance!
We are not the interpreters of the Scriptures. We are not
the determiners of the meaning of God’s Word. We are incapable of doing this,
and in error when we set ourselves over the Word in such a fashion. If we think that if we do
A+B+C, etc., and that will result is us understanding the Bible, then we have
done the same thing with God’s revelation that Charles Grandison Finney did
with revival via his “New Measures.” If we focus on ourselves and our ability
we are disrespecting God, His ability, and His Word. We demonstrate in so doing
our ignorance of what God’s Word says about not only its Author, but about our
dependence upon Him, especially in our sinful state. It is not about you and
your perceived ability or presumed skill.
There is the pathway of the blind, unbelieving skeptic,
and then there is the pathway of the humble, faithful, trusting student.
Hebrews 5:11-6:9
2 Peter 3
“Blind unbelief is sure to
err
And scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.”[2]
And scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.”[2]
Five times Jesus repeated the refrain, “Ye have
heard..But I say unto you…” (Mt. 5:21-48)
Is it worse to question the Word of God, to twist it by a
subversive use, or to deny that it has anything to do with us all these
centuries later? Are we guilty of doing something with the Word of God that
produces the same result as what Satan intended in the Garden and the
temptation of Christ? Do we look in it as a mirror, and see ourselves in it? Do
we hear and remember and do what we find there, or do we hide from it and
forget it? Do we hold it at arm’s length? Do we distance ourselves from it, or
treat it as if were dead and irrelevant, instead of honoring it as the living
Word of the one true and living God who speaks to us in it by His Spirit? If
you can pile up excuses for why you cannot understand God’s revelation what
need does Satan have to question it to you or to use it to subvert God’s
purposes for you? If you are already hiding from God by hiding from His word,
and have given up in despair, the battle is over. But if you will be honest
with yourself and with God, and will trust in His ability and the sufficiency
and perspicuity of His Word, the He will strengthen you, feed you, nourish you
and equip you!
James 4:5-8
Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you!
II. Introduce Session 2
Historical and Personal Parameters in the
Spectrum of Abilities
for the Understanding of the Scriptures:
Created Unfallen Man
|
Fallen Unregenerate (Natural)
Man
|
Fallen
Regenerate
(Spiritual) Man
|
Maturing Regenerate
(Spiritual) Man
|
Maturing Regenerate Man: Maximizing
Resources
|
Glorified
Man
|
1. Eyes to see
2. Ears to hear
3. Mind to know
4. Heart to believe
5. Unhindered communion
with God
*********
What could be better?
|
1. Eyes Blind
2. Ears Deaf
3. Mind Dark
4. Heart hard
5. Neck stiff
6. Rebellion towards God
7. Suppression of the truth
of God
*************
The problem is obvious!
|
1. Eyes to see
2. Ears to hear
3. Mind to know
4. Heart to believe
5. Spirit to teach
*************
So, what is the problem?
|
1. Read
2. Memorize
3. Meditate
4. Obey
5. Testify
|
1. Knowledge of Ancient
History and Culture
2. Knowledge of Ancient
Languages (vocabulary, semantics, grammar, syntax)
3. Awareness of
Spiritual Warfare including Satanic Subversion of the Word of God through
False Teachers throughout history
|
Know as we are known
|
From Total Depravity to Eternal Glory
From Great Darkness to Glorious Light
From Ignorance of God to the Knowledge of Christ
We are no longer in the Garden, and we are not yet in
glory.
"There
is an old adage: ‘Half the bad theology in the world is due to suppressed
perspiration.’ It is the result of not really making the effort, taking the
time, and exercising the necessary disciplines to try to grapple with what God
is really saying in the pages of Scripture....The value of our Bible study
depends on this. Are we willing to work at it?....We do not grow as
Christians merely by taking our spiritual temperature. Scripture teaches us
that maturity comes from the life transforming renewal of our minds. That, in
turn, comes from actually understanding and learning to apply God's word to our
lives."
- Sinclair
Ferguson, From the Mouth of God
(Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 2014), pg. 63 (on 2 Tim. 2:15); posted by Fred Zaspel on Facebook 8 OCT 2014.
A Question from Jesus Christ: “Are you a teacher in
Israel?”
Robert Dick Wilson (1856-1930; as an extreme example of
the 5th column in the table above):
“I made my plan as to my life, that I would give—you
know, like life
insurance. I was good on that line, my family was noted
for its longevity, and I felt I
might reasonably live till I was 70,[3]
so I divided my life into periods of fifteen years. I
gave myself the first 15 years to study languages, these
languages divided this way. I
would learn all the Semitic languages, every language
which threw light on the vocabulary
or the syntax of the Old Testament. Of course, I did
already know Syriac, and Aramaic,
and Hebrew, but there was Ethiopic and Phoenician and
Babylonian, and Assyrian, and
a number of others—about twelve different Aramaic
dialects. Secondly, I would learn all
languages that threw light on the history of the Old
Testament, taking in Egyptian, Coptic,
and others. Then, thirdly, I would learn all languages
that threw light on the text of the
Old Testament, down to the year 600 after Christ. The
texts after that would be too late.
So that took me into Armenian and several other
languages, Gothic, and Anglo-Saxon,
etc. . . .[4]
The second part of my life I would devote to lower Criticism, studying the text
of
the Old Testament, the comparison of the Hebrew text with
the Versions, Greek, Latin,
Syriac, especially, and all the versions down to 600. . .
. The last 15 years, after which I
had acquainted myself with all the machinery, I would
tackle the subject which is called
the Higher Criticism of the Old Testament, including all
that the critics have said, and so
be able by that time to defend the history, the veracity
of the Old Testament. . . . Well, I
admit, and you will admit too, that that was a pretty big
proposition that I laid out for
myself, and I think you will admit that the Lord must
have been in it.”[5]
III. The Means God Uses
If we believe that God’s Word is sufficient and clear
(perspicuous), that He has communicated effectively, then what should be our
concerns as we come to His Word? What can we learn from His Word about our
responsibility towards the Scriptures? (deception, self-deception, false
teaching, wrongly dividing versus rightly dividing, twisting and wresting the
Scriptures, curiosity, vain imaginings, idle questions, etc.)
When we look into the mirror of God’s Word we are
confronted with teachings which should cause us to proceed with great caution.
2 Tim: 2:14-26
- Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord
that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the
hearers. Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to
be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain
babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. And their word will eat
as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; Who concerning the truth
have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the
faith of some. Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this
seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the
name of Christ depart from iniquity. But in a great house there are not only
vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to
honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he
shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and
prepared unto every good work. Flee also youthful lusts: but follow
righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a
pure heart. But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do
gender strifes. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto
all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose
themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging
of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the
devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
The other serious
concerns enumerated by Paul here - in addition to his description of the nature
of Hymenaeus' and Philetus' error - are:
1) unprofitable and
subversive strivings about words,
2) profane and vain
babblings that precipitate ungodliness, and
3) foolish, ignorant,
strife-breeding questions.
Included in the many
warnings in the Scriptures are some regarding self-deception. See the following examples from the 73 verses
where the “deception” word-group is found (all of which were written to
believers in Jesus Christ!):
1 Corinthians 3:18 - Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be
wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.
Galatians 6:3 - For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he
deceiveth himself.
1 John 1:8 - If we
say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
James 1:16-27 (22,
26) - 16 Do not err, my beloved brethren. 17 Every
good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father
of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. 18 Of his own will begat he us with the
word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. 19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let
every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness
of God. 21 Wherefore lay apart all
filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the
engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be ye doers of the word, and not
hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23 For if
any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding
his natural face in a glass: 24 For he
beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of
man he was. 25 But whoso looketh into the
perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein,
he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be
blessed in his deed. 26 If any
man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth
his own heart, this man's religion is
vain. 27 Pure religion and undefiled
before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their
affliction, and to keep himself
unspotted from the world.
When we come to Christ we come as lost sinners, dead,
helpless, and in desperate need of God’s mercy and grace, forgiveness and
cleansing, healing and power. When we come to God’s Word we need to come as
humble students, not as proud scholars. We must come confessing our ignorance,
and recognizing our need of instruction. We come with darkness, and in need of
illumination. We do not shine light on God’s Word, it is quite the other way
around. We come with our confusion seeking the clarity that can only be found
in the Scriptures of Truth. If we come with such humility God will lift us up. “…be
clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the
humble. Humble yourselves therefore
under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5:5-6) If we come any other way
we must expect nothing less than failure. “But
without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh
to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that
diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)
We need to observe what the Bible does with the Bible, or
more properly, how the inspired authors handle the Scriptures. This is
especially instructive in the New Testament as we observe how the Old Testament
is understood, interpreted and applied.
"The
principal rule of interpreting Scripture is that Scripture interprets
Scripture." - R. C. Sproul
"Reading
God’s Word answers the question: What does the Bible say? But
interpreting it answers the question:What does the Bible mean by what it
says? Proper Bible interpretation is a critical element of successful
Bible study. The reader does not have license to decide what
it means. He has to learn what it means...."
- John MacArthur,
"Common Interpretive Pitfalls" (30 OCT 2014), on Grace to You at http://www.gty.org/blog/B141030 [accessed 30 OCT 2014]; adapted from
MacArthur's book, How to Study
the Bible (Chicago: Moody
Press, 1982, 2009).
1. The Scriptures
The best textbook for studying the Bible is the Bible
itself. You already have all that you
need (2 Pet. 1:3) if you are a born-again believer in Jesus Christ, indwelt by
His Spirit, with His Word before your eyes, and in fellowship with His children
in the Church.
2 Peter 1:3-4 - According as his divine power hath
given unto us all things that pertain unto
life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory
and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that
by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the
corruption that is in the world through lust.
What do the Scriptures say about the Scriptures?
Let us begin with a reminder
from Hebrew 1:1-2 - God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time
past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath
in these last days spoken unto us by his
Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the
worlds;
Lord willing, we plan to address the “sundry times” and
“divers manners” by which God’s revelation came in the past by the prophets.
“It is
written…” [Strong’s #1125]
“…by the prophet (Mt. 2:5)
“…in the prophets (Mk. 1:2; Jn. 6:45)
“…in the law of the Lord” (Lk. 2:23)
“…in the book of the words of Esaias” (Lk. 3:4)
“…by the prophets” (Lk. 18:31)
“…in the law of Moses” (Lk. 24:44; 1 Cor. 9:9)
“…in your law” (Jn. 8:17; 10:34)
“…in their law” (Jn. 15:25)
“…in the book of Psalms” (Ac. 1:20)
“…in the book of the prophets” (Ac. 7:42)
“…in the second psalm” (Ac. 13:33)
“…the words of the prophets…” (Ac. 15:15)
“…in the law” (Ac. 24:14; 1 Cor. 14:21)
“…in the book of the law” (Gal. 3:10)
“…in the volume of the book…” (Heb. 10:7)
For now, let us focus for a moment on the significance of
His speaking to us by His Son.
Matthew 5:17-48 - There are 8 parts to consider in this
passage from the “Sermon on the Mount”: 17-20, 21-26, 27-30, 31-32, 33-37,
38-42, 43-47, and 48. Attention must be drawn to the following:
1) “Ye have heard…” (vv. 21, and 27), and “It hath been
said…” (vv. 31, 33, 38, and 43); and,
2) “But I say unto you…” (vv. 22, 28, 32, 34, 39, and
44).
At the conclusion of
this sermon the response of the hearers is recorded: “28
And
it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished
at his doctrine: 29 For he taught them as one
having authority, and not as the scribes.” (Matthew 7:28-29)
Is it too much to conclude that regardless of what other
voices outside of the Scriptures tell us that Christ claims ultimate authority?
Shouldn’t we be asking at every juncture, “Who says so?” There are a lot of
voices out there. There is a lot of confusion as a result. There are many who
pretend to have some authority for what they would have us accept from them as
truth. Christ’s “But I say unto you…” should be ringing in our ears, and
driving us away from the despair and confusion of uninspired voices to His Word,
and His Word alone.
In Zondervan Publishing House’s “Counterpoints” series
(currently 33 volumes[6]),
InterVarsity Press’s “Spectrum Multiview Books” series (currently includes 19
volumes[7]),
and B&H Publishing Group’s
“Perspectives” series (currently 14 volumes[8])
- all of which I really appreciate by the way - I notice one remarkable factor
common to all of them: the Lord Jesus Christ does not get a chapter in any of
them! At the end of the day in such books we are left with “this one said this,
and that one said that.” If we open any commentaries on Revelation we will be
confronted with four approaches to the interpretation of the book and three
millennial conclusions, etc. What has God said? Where is there any
authoritative Word from God in all of this “noise”? Can you spell “cafeteria
theology”? What did Jesus Christ do with such “scholarly” debates during the
time of His humiliation?
“Ye have heard…It hath been said…But I say unto you…”!
“…he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.”
Matthew 22:15-46 - Christ confronted by the “scholars” of
His day!
1) The Pharisees and Herodians:
15 Then went the Pharisees, and
took counsel how they might entangle him in his
talk. 16 And
they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we
know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest
thou for any man: for thou regardest
not the person of men. 17 Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou?
Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?
[Christ responds in vv. 18-21.]
22 When they had heard these
words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.
2) The Sadducees:
23 The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there
is no resurrection, and asked him, 24 Saying, Master, Moses said, If a
man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up
seed unto his brother. 25 Now there were with us seven brethren:
and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left
his wife unto his brother:
26 Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. 27 And
last of all the woman died also. 28 Therefore
in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.
33 And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.
3) A Pharisee:
34 But
when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they
were gathered together.
46 And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more
questions.
Be astonished!
What
did Christ do with the Scriptures? [Strong’s #1124, 32X singular, 20X plural[9]]
1) He fulfilled them - Luke 4:21 (and many other passages) -
And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
2) He quoted them - Matthew 4:4-10 (Luke 4:4-12); Matthew
21:42 (Mark 12:10); 22:32; John 7:38.
2) He explained them: Luke 24:27 - And beginning at Moses
and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning
himself.
What do the
Scriptures confront us with about the Scriptures?
1) The Questions:
Matthew 21:42 (Mark 12:10) - Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the
scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become
the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our
eyes?
John 7:42 - Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed
of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?
Romans 4:3 - For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was
counted unto him for righteousness.
Galatians 4:30 - Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast
out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir
with the son of the freewoman.
James 4:5 - Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The
spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
2) The Command: John 5:39 (Acts 17:11!) - Search the scriptures; for
in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
3) The Charge: Matthew 22:29 (Mark 12:24) - Jesus
answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor
the power of God.
4) The Warning: 2 Peter 3:16 - As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these
things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned
and unstable wrest, as they do also the other
scriptures, unto their own destruction.
5) The Blessings:
John 7:38 - He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out
of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
Romans 10:11 - For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him
shall not be ashamed.
6) The Goal: Acts 18:24 - to be mighty in the Scriptures!
Let us take up the obligation of searching the
Scriptures, often mentioned as the first task of the Bible student as that of
“observation.”
“Peering
into the mists of gray
That shroud the surface of the bay,
Nothing I see except a veil
Of fog surrounding every sail.
Then suddenly against a cape
A vast and silent form takes shape,
A great ship lies against the shore
Where nothing has appeared before.
He who sees a truth must often gaze
Into a fog for many days;
It may seem very sure to him
Nothing is there but mist-clouds dim.
Then, suddenly, his eyes will see
A shape where nothing used to be.
Discoveries are missed each day
By men who turn too soon away.”[10]
Myles
(or, Miles) Coverdale (c. 1488-1569)
produced the first complete printed translation of the Bible into English. In his “Prologue” he wrote:
“Now will I exhort
thee (whosoever thou be that readest scripture) if thou find ought therein that
thou understandest not, or that appeareth to be repugnant, give no temeritous
nor hasty judgment thereof: but ascribe it to thine own ignorance, not to the
scripture, think that thou understandest it not, or that it hath some other meaning,
or that it is happly overseen of the interpreters, or wrongly printed. Again, it shall greatly help thee to
understand scripture, if thou mark not only what is spoken or written, but of
whom, and unto whom, with what words, at what time, where, to what intent, with
what circumstance, considering what goeth before, and what followeth after.
For there be some things which are done and written, to the intent that we
should do likewise: as when Abraham believeth God, is obedient unto his word,
and defendeth Lot his kinsman from violent wrong. There be some things also
which are written, to the intent that we should eschew such like. As when David
lieth with Urias' wife, and causeth him to be slain. Therefore (I say) when
thou readest scripture, be wise and circumspect: and when thou commest to such
strange manners of speaking and dark sentences, to such parables and
similitudes, to such dreams or visions as are hid from thy understanding,
commit them unto God or to the gift of his holy spirit in them that are better
learned than thou.”[11]
Golden Rule
of
Interpretation
When the plain sense of Scripture
makes common sense, seek no
other sense; therefore, take every
word at its primary, ordinary, usual,
literal meaning unless the facts of
the immediate context, studied in
the light of related passages and
axiomatic and fundamental truths,
"Dr. David L. Cooper,
the founder of The Biblical Research Society, was proficient
in the Biblical languages. He studied Greek under Dr. A. T. Robertson.”
“This rule was
published regularly in Dr. Cooper's monthly magazine, Biblical Research
Monthly.”
“A shortened form of the
above rule goes like this:
If the plain sense makes good sense seek no
other sense lest it result in nonsense."”[13]
Agassiz and the Fish,
or The Student the Fish and Agassiz
I wonder if you have ever
heard the story of "The Student, the Fish, and Agassiz", often
referred to simply as "Agassiz and the Fish". I first learned of this
story while studying Robert A. Traina's book, Methodical Bible Study (self-published, 1952), pg. 80, note 6.
He cited C. R. Eberhardt, The Bible
in the Making of Ministers, pp. 134-138, as a source for the story. In
Traina's "Bibliography" he lists Lane Cooper, Louis Agassiz as a Teacher. This
may have been another source.
Anyway, the fullest and
perhaps most well-known version of this story is Samuel H. Scudder's,
which is available online at Dr. David Howard, Jr.'s Bethel
Seminary site at http://people.bethel.edu/~dhoward/resources/Agassizfish/Agassizfish.htm
[accessed 11 JUL 2012]. Howard
documents this as from American
Poems, 3rd ed. (Boston: Houghton, Osgood & Co., 1879), pp. 450-454. Other
versions of the story may be found at "The Story behind the Story of
"The Student, the Fish, and Agassiz"" on Dr. David Howard,
Jr.'s Bethel Seminary site at http://people.bethel.edu/~dhoward/resources/Agassizfish/storybehind.htm [accessed 11 JUL
2012].
When folks take this
approach to the study of a verse, a paragraph, a chapter or a book of the Bible
they will see things and learn things that most others will miss.
See also Justin Taylor's blog post, "Agassiz and the Fish"
(16 NOV 2009) on The
Gospel Coalition at http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2009/11/16/agassiz-and-the-fish/ [accessed
11 JUL 2012].
"Do you know the story of “Agassiz and the Fish”? It’s a
powerful lesson on the necessity of painstaking observation–staring at and
studying the reality before our eyes–especially if you apply it to the idea of
studying the word of God.
I first heard it in the late 90s at Bethlehem Baptist Church
under Tom Steller, who first learned it in the mid-70s at Bethel College under
John Piper, who first learned it in the last 60s at Fuller Theological Seminary
under Dan Fuller, who first learned it in the mid 40s at Princeton Theological
Seminary under Howard Kuist.
Agassiz was the founder of the Harvard Museum of Comparative
Zoology and a Harvard professor. The following account was written by one of
his students, Samuel H. Scudder, under the title “Agassiz and the Fish, by a
Student” (American Poems, 3rd ed. [Boston: Houghton, Osgood & Co.,
1879], pp. 450-54). Thanks to David Howard’s site for the reproduction of the original
story.”
Agassiz and the Fish
by a Student
by a Student
It was more than fifteen years ago that I entered the
laboratory of Professor Agassiz, and told him I had enrolled my name in the
scientific school as a student of natural history. He asked me a few questions
about my object in coming, my antecedents generally, the mode in which I
afterwards proposed to use the knowledge I might acquire, and finally, whether
I wished to study any special branch. To the latter I replied that while I
wished to be well grounded in all departments of zoology, I purposed to devote
myself specially to insects.
“When do you wish to begin?” he asked.
“Now,” I replied.
This seemed to please him, and with an energetic “Very
well,” he reached from a shelf a huge jar of specimens in yellow alcohol.
“Take this fish,” he said, “and look at it; we call it a
Haemulon; by and by I will ask what you have seen.”
With that he left me. . . . I was conscious of a passing
feeling of disappointment, for gazing at a fish did not commend itself to an
ardent entomologist. . . . .
In ten minutes I had seen all that could be seen in that
fish, and started in search of the professor, who had, however, left the
museum; and when I returned, after lingering over some of the odd animals
stored in the upper apartment, my specimen was dry all over. I dashed the fluid
over the fish as if to resuscitate it from a fainting-fit, and looked with
anxiety for a return of a normal, sloppy appearance. This little excitement
over, nothing was to be done but return to a steadfast gaze at my mute
companion. Half an hour passed, an hour, another hour; the fish began to look
loathsome. I turned it over and around; looked it in the face—ghastly; from
behind, beneath, above, sideways, at a three-quarters view—just as ghastly. I
was in despair; at an early hour, I concluded that lunch was necessary; so with
infinite relief, the fish was carefully replaced in the jar, and for an hour I
was free.
On my return, I learned that Professor Agassiz had been
at the museum, but had gone and would not return for several hours. My fellow
students were too busy to be disturbed by continued conversation. Slowly I drew
forth that hideous fish, and with a feeling of desperation again looked at it.
I might not use a magnifying glass; instruments of all kinds were interdicted.
My two hands, my two eyes, and the fish; it seemed a most limited field. I
pushed my fingers down its throat to see how sharp its teeth were. I began to
count the scales in the different rows until I was convinced that that was
nonsense. At last a happy thought struck me—I would draw the fish; and now with
surprise I began to discover new features in the creature. Just then the
professor returned.
“That is right,” said he, “a pencil is one of the best
eyes. I am glad to notice, too, that you keep your specimen wet and your bottle
corked.”
With these encouraging words he added—
“Well, what is it like?”
He listened attentively to my brief rehearsal of the
structure of parts whose names were still unknown to me; the fringed
gill-arches and movable operculum; the pores of the head, fleshly lips, and
lidless eyes; the lateral line, the spinous fin, and forked tail; the
compressed and arched body. When I had finished, he waited as if expecting
more, and then, with an air of disappointment:
“You have not looked very carefully; why,” he continued,
more earnestly, “you haven’t seen one of the most conspicuous features of the
animal, which is as plainly before your eyes as the fish itself. Look again;
look again!” And he left me to my misery.
I was piqued; I was mortified. Still more of that
wretched fish? But now I set myself to the task with a will, and discovered one
new thing after another, until I saw how just the professor’s criticism had
been. The afternoon passed quickly, and when, towards its close, the professor
inquired,
“Do you see it yet?”
“No,” I replied. “I am certain I do not, but I see how
little I saw before.”
“That is next best,” said he earnestly, “but I won’t hear
you now; put away your fish and go home; perhaps you will be ready with a
better answer in the morning. I will examine you before you look at the fish.”
This was disconcerting; not only must I think of my fish all
night, studying, without the object before me, what this unknown but most
visible feature might be, but also, without reviewing my new discoveries, I
must give an exact account of them the next day. I had a bad memory; so I
walked home by Charles River in a distracted state, with my two perplexities.
The cordial greeting from the professor the next morning was
reassuring; here was a man who seemed to be quite as anxious as I that I should
see for myself what he saw.
“Do you perhaps mean,” I asked, “that the fish has
symmetrical sides with paired organs?”
His thoroughly pleased, “Of course, of course!” repaid
the wakeful hours of the previous night. After he had discoursed most happily
and enthusiastically—as he always did—upon the importance of this point, I
ventured to ask what I should do next.
“Oh, look at your fish!” he said, and left me again to my
own devices. In a little more than an hour he returned and heard my new
catalogue.
“That is good, that is good!” he repeated, “but that is
not all; go on.” And so for three long days, he placed that fish before my
eyes, forbidding me to look at anything else, or to use any artificial aid.
“Look, look, look,” was his repeated injunction.
This was the best entomological lesson I ever had—a
lesson whose influence was extended to the details of every subsequent study; a
legacy the professor has left to me, as he left it to many others, of
inestimable value, which we could not buy, with which we cannot part. . . .
The fourth day a second fish of the same group was placed
beside the first, and I was bidden to point out the resemblances and
differences between the two; another and another followed, until the entire
family lay before me, and a whole legion of jars covered the table and
surrounding shelves; the odor had become a pleasant perfume; and even now, the
sight of an old six-inch worm-eaten cork brings fragrant memories!
The whole group of Haemulons was thus brought into
review; and whether engaged upon the dissection of the internal organs,
preparation and examination of the bony framework, or the description of the
various parts, Agassiz’s training in the method of observing facts in their
orderly arrangement, was ever accompanied by the urgent exhortation not to be
content with them.
“Facts are stupid things,” he would say, “until brought into
connection with some general law.”
At the end of eight months, it was almost with reluctance
that I left these friends and turned to insects; but what I gained by this
outside experience has been of greater value than years of later investigation
in my favorite groups."
******************************************************************************
Don’t make it harder than it has to be, but at the same
time, don’t think that there is any easy way out or shortcuts! If zoology
students find that a fish is worthy of that much attention, then isn’t God’s
Word worthy of much, much more? How much attention are you willing to give
God’s Word? How much time are you willing to invest in exposing yourself to the
inspired Scriptures?
“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have
eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” (John 5:39)
Sola Scriptura, Soli Deo Gloria,
John T. “Jack” Jeffery
Pastor, Wayside Gospel Chapel
Greentown, PA
11 FEB 2015
Basic Bible Study and Bible Study Leadership Materials
A Suggested
Bibliography (with links to Amazon)
J. Scott Duvall, and J.
Daniel Hays, Journey
into God's Word: Your Guide to Understanding and Applying the Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008); on Amazon
at http://www.amazon.com/Journey-into-Gods-Word-Understanding-ebook/dp/B000SEJRJI [accessed 14 JAN 2015].
Gordon
D. Fee and Douglas Stuart, How To Read The Bible For All Its Worth: A
Guide to Understanding the Bible, 4th ed. (Grand Rapids: Academie
Books, 1982, 1993, 2003, 2014); on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Bible-All-Worth-ebook/dp/B00GS084YA/ [accessed 18 JAN
2015].
Sinclair Ferguson, From
the Mouth of God (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 2014); on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Mouth-God-Sinclair-B-Ferguson/dp/1848712421/ref=sr_1_3
[accessed 10 NOV 2014].
James M. Gray, How
to Master the English Bible: An Experience, a Method, a Result, an Illustration
(London: Oliphant Anderson & Ferrier, 1907); on Google Books at http://books.google.com/books?id=AOUOAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
[accessed 18 FEB 2012].
John Green, "How to Avoid Bible Study
Pitfalls", adapted from Discipleship
Journal, March/April 1999; on NavPress at http://www.navpress.com/landing/biblestudies.aspx [accessed
2 OCT 2012].
J. Edwin Hartill, Principles of Biblical Hermeneutics (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing
House, 1947); available online or as a free PDF file download (60 mb) on Seminario LAMB at http://seminariolamb.com/biblioteca/lib/lib-biblical%20analysis/Principles%20of%20Biblical%20Hermeneutics%20-%20J%20Edwin%20Hartill.pdf [accessed
9 MAR 2014]; print editions available on Amazon at
[accessed 18 JAN 2015].
Peter Krol, Knowable
Word: Helping Ordinary People Learn to Study the Bible (Minneapolis:
Cruciform Press, 2014); on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Knowable-Word-Helping-Ordinary-People/dp/1936760894/ [accessed 10 NOV 2014].
Peter
Krol, "My Love-Hate Relationship With Bible Study Tools" (10 NOV
2014); on The Gospel Coalition at http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/my-love-hate-relationship-with-bible-study-tools [accessed 10 NOV 2014].
Navigator's
materials at http://www.navpress.com/ [accessed
2 OCT 2012]; also, notes from a Bible Study Leadership Seminar the Navigators
conducted in 1994 in New Jersey on Navigators at http://www.navigators.org/us/staff/whitney/resources/Bible%20Study%20Leadership%20Seminar%20BW1.pdf [accessed 2 OCT 2012].
Grant Osborne, The Hermeneutical Spiral: A Comprehensive
Introduction to Biblical Interpretation, 2nd ed. (Downers Grove, IL:
InterVarsity Press, 1991, 2006); on Amazon
at http://www.amazon.com/Hermeneutical-Spiral-Comprehensive-Introduction-Interpretation/dp/0830828265/ref=sr_1_sc_1 [accessed 10 NOV 2014].
Arthur T. Pierson, The Bible and Spiritual Criticism: Being the
Second Series of Exeter Hall Lectures on the Bible Delivered in London,
England in the Months of February, March
and April, 1904 (Minneapolis:
Bethany Fellowship, Inc., n.d.; 1970 reprint of 1905 original by The Baker and
Taylor Co., New York).
Print editions are available on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Bible-Spiritual-Criticism-Arthur-Pierson/dp/B0045PPI6W/
[accessed 18 JAN 2015].
Fred Sanders, "James Gray on Mastering the Bible" (21 APR 2014) on The Scriptorium Daily at http://scriptoriumdaily.com/james-gray-on-mastering-the-bible/
[accessed 18 FEB 2012].
R. C. Sproul, Knowing
Scripture, 2nd ed. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1977, 2009); on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Knowing-Scripture-R-C-Sproul/dp/083083723X
[accessed 10 NOV 2014].
Robert A.
Traina, Methodical Bible Study: A
New Approach to Hermeneutics (Wilmore, KY: self-published, 1952; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1980); on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Methodical-Bible-Study-Robert-Traina/dp/0310246024 [accessed 9 MAY 2014].
Oletta Wald, Joy of Discovery in Bible Study, rev. ed. (Minneapolis: Augsburg
Publishing House, 1975) on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Joy-Discovery-Bible-Study/dp/0806615133 [accessed 9 MAY 2014].
Oletta Wald, The New Joy of Discovery in Bible Study, rev. ed. (Minneapolis:
Augsburg Fortress, 2002) on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/New-Joy-Discovery-Bible-Study/dp/080664429X/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1 [accessed 9 MAY 2014]. This newly
revised edition is also available in Kindle.
Oletta Wald, New Joy of
Teaching Discovery Bible Study (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2002)
on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/New-Joy-Teaching-Discovery/dp/0806644303/ref=la_B001KHLO4S_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1349207808&sr=1-2 [accessed 2
OCT 2012].
End Notes:
[1] In John Rippon, A Selection of Hymns from the Best Authors
(1787); “attributed variously to John Keene, Kirkham, and John Keith;”
on Cyber Hymnal at http://nethymnal.org/htm/h/f/hfirmafo.htm [accessed
26 JAN 2015]. The four possibilities for the “K-” ascription in Rippon (Robert
Keen(e), George Keith, Thomas Kirkham, and Kennedy or Kennady) are discussed on
Hymnary.org at http://www.hymnary.org/person/K [accessed
26 JAN 2015].
[2] William Cowper,
“God Moves in a Mysterious Way,” in Twenty-six Letters on Religious Subjects, by John Newton (1774); on Cyber
Hymnal at http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/g/m/gmovesmw.htm [accessed 26
JAN 2015].
[3] Wilson died at age 74.
[4] “During
that time he mastered forty-five languages!” Wayne Jackson, “The
Remarkable Robert Dick Wilson,” on Christian
Courier at https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/187-the-remarkable-robert-dick-wilson [accessed 26 JAN 2015].
[5] Robert Dick Wilson, Old Testament Introduction, Lecture 1;
cited by Brian Nicks, “Life And Work Of Robert Dick Wilson,” The Master’s Seminary Journal 19:1
(Spring 2008), pg. 94; available as a free downloadable PDF file on The Master’s Seminary at http://www.tms.edu/tmsj/tmsj19e.pdf
[accessed 17 JAN 2015].
[6] Zondervan at http://www.zondervan.com/catalogsearch/result/index/?limit=64&q=Counterpoints
[accessed 11 FEB 2015].
[7] InterVarsity Press at http://www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/book.pl/code=3308
[accessed 11 FEB 2015].
[8] B&H Publishing Group’s “Academic Catalog 2014-2015” at http://www.bhpublishinggroup.com/downloads/2014-BHAcademicCatalog.pdf
[accessed 11 FEB 2015].
[9] The exception is the plural of Strong’s #1121 in 2
Tim. 3:15. The sole Old Testament rendering is in Daniel 10:21 (But I will shew
thee that which is noted in the
scripture of truth: and there is
none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.) which is elsewhere rendered “writing” (14X), and
“register” (2X, Ezra 2:62, and Nehemiah 7:64).
[10] Clarence Edward Flynn, cited by Robert A. Traina, Methodical Bible Study (self-published,
1952), pg. 33.
[11] “A Prologue. Miles Coverdale unto the Christian reader.”
on Bible Research at http://www.bible-researcher.com/coverdale1.html [accessed 11 FEB 2015]. See also: The Holy Scriptures, Faithfully and truly
translated, By Myles Coverdale, Bishop of Exeter, 1535 (London, Samuel
Bagster, n.d., reprinted 1838), pg. xiv (Note: most page numbering is not
visible); on Internet Archive at https://archive.org/details/holyscriptures00cove [accessed 11 FEB 2015]. The words I have highlighted
in bold font are frequently quoted. See, for example, F. E. Marsh, The Structural Principles of the Bible, or
How To Study the Word of God (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1969), pg.
xiii, s.v. “Preface.”
[12] David L. Cooper, The
God of Israel, rev. ed. (Los Angeles: Biblical Research Society, Inc.,
1945), pg. iii. At the time this book was written Cooper was the President of
the Biblical Research Society, and the Editor of the Biblical Research Monthly. David L.
Cooper's articles on "Rules of Interpretation" from Biblical
Research Monthly (1947 and 1949) are available online on
the Biblical Research Studies Group at http://www.biblicalresearch.info/page7.html [accessed
4 FEB 2014]. "Part Three, 3rd
Rule" of the "Rules of Interpretation" is "The Golden Rule
of Interpretation" at http://www.biblicalresearch.info/page47.html [accessed 4 FEB
2014]. These articles by Cooper are cited in "Hermeneutics: The Science of
Interpreting the Scriptures", on Messianic Association at http://www.messianicassociation.org/ezine19-dc.hermeneutics.htm [accessed
4 FEB 2014].
[13] "Do I Interpret the Bible Literally? Seven
Tests to See If I Truly Do", on the Middletown Bible Church (Middletown,
CT) at http://www.middletownbiblechurch.org/dispen/literal.htm [accessed 4 FEB 2014].
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