It may be difficult to believe, but I was once a young teenager in middle school. Those were some brutal years for many different reasons; and if there is one overarching takeaway I have from my time in middle school, it is that middle school girls are ruthless. It seemed that every day the tension and drama from their bathroom and locker whisper sessions would eventually ooze into our hallways and classrooms. The school week was nothing more than one episode after another of glares, exaggerated body language, and never-ending alliances. I binge watched all three seasons.
Becky would say something to Anne. Anne would relay what Becky said to Sally. Sally and Anne would spend all night on the phone analyzing not what Becky said, but rather what they thought she really meant by what she said. Once Anne and Sally were confident in their interpretation, they came to school the next morning to tell Kerri and Melissa what Becky said. Of course, they didn’t tell Kerri and Melissa what Becky really said – they shared their interpretation of what Becky really said. The fallout was inevitable, and the rumor mill was in full operation until the bell rang to signal the end of that day’s episode. The next day’s episode would likely have the same story line but with a slightly different cast.
It’s almost comical now to look back at the foolishness of our immaturity. Unfortunately, there are many believers who are caught up in a similar cycle. Instead of focusing on what God has literally said through his word, they choose to focus on what they assume God really meant. And their lives reflect their private interpretation through the immaturity of their relationships and the drama that seems to follow them wherever they go in life.
Let’s be honest, the temptation of private interpretation is real. There is a temptation to read between the lines in an effort to find the hidden and deep meaning of scripture. There is a temptation to read our lives into a passage to justify a decision we have already made. There is a temptation to twist the words of God to make them say what we want them to say. There is a temptation to claim authority by choosing to move forward in life on the assumption of knowing what God meant instead of the certainty of his words. The fallout of immaturity that follows will affect many. This is also a recurring episode I have seen multiple times not just in the lives of the people I know but also within the pages of scripture.
Eve didn’t take God’s word literally when she added to his words. She assumed that she understood what God really meant. The fallout of her decision changed human history (Genesis 3:1-7). Abram assumed it was okay to bring Lot with him and ignored the specific instruction of the Lord to leave his entire family behind. That decision didn’t go well for Lot (Genesis 12:1-5; 13:8-13; 19:1-38). God was very specific with Balaam about when and how he would know it would be okay to go with Balak’s men. Balaam made some assumptions about what God said, and then twisted God’s literal words to be congruent with his fleshly desires (Numbers 22:20-22). God told King Saul to destroy everything that belonged to Amalek. Saul was victorious, and he was bold to declare his obedience to God’s word. However, he was only obedient to his interpretation of God’s word. He kept back the best things and ignored God’s command to utterly destroy it all. As a result, King Saul lost his kingdom (1 Samuel 15:1-26).
It is important for believers to understand that the Bible says what it means, and it means what it says. God is very particular with his words. He has chosen every single word so there can be no doubt as to what he said. Understanding what God means is secondary to what he says, because it is impossible to know what a passage means until we are first certain that we know what it says.
Proverbs 22:20-21
20 Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, 21 That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?
Someone with an immature approach to scripture may be prone towards a hasty and allegorical interpretation by subjectively declaring what a passage probably means without first determining what it specifically and objectively says. When God speaks literally, immaturity tends toward a symbolic interpretation. The bluntness of scripture can cause even the most mature believer to appeal to symbolism or a hidden meaning.
Ezekiel 20:49
Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! They say of me, Doth he not speak parables?
There are times when God does speak symbolically. God uses symbolism to hide truth from those who reject it and to reveal truth to those who believe it (Matthew 13:10-13, 18). For example, Jesus used symbolic language to emphasize an objective truth about what is required to have eternal life (John 6:47-59). Jesus was equating belief in him with eating his flesh and drinking his blood. It was a difficult message to hear for immature believers who assumed they knew what he meant. Immaturity tends to interpret symbolic passages literally (John 6:60-66). It caused them to walk away from following the Lord. However, the mature believers weren’t swayed by their private interpretation and chose to prioritize and follow the literal words of eternal life:
John 6:67-68
67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? 68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
Noah took it literally when God told him a flood was going to destroy the earth: and he obeyed by building the ark. Abraham took it literally when God said that he and Sarai would have a child in their old age; and he obeyed through intimacy. Moses took it literally when God told him to cross through the Red Sea on dry ground; and he obeyed by holding forth his staff. Joshua took it literally when God told him to march around Jericho and shout to make the walls fall down; and he obeyed to see great victory. Peter took it literally when Jesus told to step out of the boat; and he obeyed by walking on the water.
Someone with a mature approach to scripture typically embraces a literal interpretation by determining what a passage specifically says in an effort to objectively state what it means and avoid a subjective private interpretation. But it’s not enough to know with certainty what God has said; it must be mixed with faith and obedience. Believers equipped with a literal interpretation of scripture and a belief in what it says will become men and women of active obedience with unwavering faith.
1 Thessalonians 2:13
For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.
Tony Godfrey is the senior pastor at Harvest Baptist Church in Iola, KS.
