Interpreting wisely

Friday, February 10th, 2023

by Ken Pullen

A CROOKED PATH

If I write or say, “La cena è pronta,” odds are you may not interpret those words correctly. Perhaps taking a guess. Making something up. Remaining silent. Walking away or clicking off the page. Unless you understand Italian and can smell what’s been cooking in the kitchen. Understandable to look blankly and perhaps think, “what’s with this, what’s going on?”. Getting interpretations correct is vital.

Here’s one of the most vital ones of all; all things occurring, all the news one might read or hear must be viewed through the lens of God’s Word. History and culture must be interpreted through Scripture and not as interpretations are now occurring, wherein God’s Word is interpreted through the culture and what’s taking place in our history.

See how important this is?

I read and hear so much, almost universally how there’s such disgust, panic, anxiety, fear, confusion, and every emotion and behavior under the sun — antonyms of calm, peace, ease, assurance…wisdom, discernment, rightly seeing and understanding what’s taking place and why.

Fear and angst appear to be the dominating actions taking place within folks. With many being very accomplished at concealing this.

Well-established Christian believers now turn to certain political ideologies and human government systems, thinking, writing, speaking, and acting as if they’ve never read God’s Word. Humm…could be the crux of many an ill, eh?

Making the words of man a priority over the words of God.

So many permitting the times to dictate and interpret God’s Word and what is taking place making the culture the yardstick by which things are measured and interpreted, defined, and allowing the worldly ways and attitudes, behaviors, practices, beliefs, and history to interpret God’s Word rather than being firmly, solidly, unerringly founded in Scripture and knowing and having Scripture interpret culture and history.

There is no greater, clearer, direct, unbiased, and truthful source of instruction, barometer, and gauge to measure and use, to hold up culture and history, than Scripture.

Yet fewer and fewer do so. Allowing the eroding toxic laden currents of current events and culture to interpret things for them.

To turn to and permit the culture, current events — unfolding history to interpret God’s Word rather than viewing the reverse of that and viewing EVERYTHING through the lens of Scripture, all that is occurring in culture, and history is like asking which way to the train station after having a nice dinner in Italy and a stranger replies;

 “Vai a saltare giù da una scogliera.”

But you interpret it as “It’s just towards that hill over there, just keep walking as you are.”

“Sì.”

Yes, like that.

The starting point of everything, about everything begins with God. With Christ. With the Holy Spirit. Within the Word of God. Then take the path and view everything accordingly.

Otherwise, it’s like a blind person taking a wrong route that only leads to no real place, nothing really accurate or well defined.

Really, it’s not only like that — it is that.