Have you ever come across a Bible passage that was difficult for you to understand? Maybe it was a verse that seemed to contradict everything else you have read in the Bible before. It confused you, made you wonder. Just the other day I was approached a few times about Bible passages that made no sense to those who had been reading them.
Unfortunately these confusing passages always seem to reappear in our mind when we are going through a difficult personal time anyway. Need a little bit doubt about trusting God? What about that passage you read that one time…
Even though there will still be unclear passages and you will not understand everything about God after going deeper, there are some Bible passages that don’t need to be as difficult if we took some time to look at the historical or literary background.
What do we do when we encounter difficult passages?
1. Relax! Don’t change everything you have believed so far because of ONE verse in the Bible. SCRIPTURE ALWAYS INTERPRETS SCRIPTURE! If there is a verse that seems to contradict everything else in the Bible, be careful of what kind of conclusions you draw!
2. Study books that give you background information for other books. Acts gives you some background for some of the churches Paul wrote letters to (e.g. Ephesians, Phillipians, Corinthians). Study Deuteronomy before 1&2 Kings and 1&2 Kings before the prophets.
3. Get a GOOD Bible dictionary to get more understanding of the background of the different books!
If you are keen to see an example, read on….
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Matthew 27:46
Ever wondered why Jesus was forsaken at the cross? Just the other day I read in a book what I had focused on all my life: How badly Jesus who’d been at His Father’s side throughout eternity must have felt at the crucifixion when His Father abandoned Him. Jesus, having taken the sin of the whole world upon Himself, experiencing the anguish that sin brings, because sin separates us from the Father.
And then one day I learned something that changed the entire passage. Instead of sadness, it brought hope and joy!
This is what I learned: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me” was the title of a song and Jesus was quoting it.
Do you know the song “Mary had a little lamb”? Can you quote the rest of the song? Or what kind of song do you and most people around you know by heart? This is how it was for the Jews when they heard the first line of the Hebrew Psalms.
You see, back in the days (so before the 1300s) when no one had put chapters and verses in the Bible yet, the way a Psalm was recognized was by quoting the first line.
Granted, some people did not quite understand what Jesus was saying when he did that, thinking he was calling for Elijah. But those that did would have immediately thought of the Psalm the line was referring to.
For our chapter adapted mindset, this would have been the equivalent of Jesus crying out “Psalm 22” . If Jesus had done so, we probably would make the effort to have a look what’s in there, right? So let’s do it because I want you to be able to share my excitement!
So, this psalm was by David and had elements that were prophesying what Jesus was experiencing right then on the cross. They were Messianic prophecies. Let me highlight only a couple of verses…
22:6-8 But I am a worm, and not human; scorned by others, and despised by the people. All who see me mock at me; they make mouths at me, they shake their heads; Commit your cause to The Lord; let him deliver – let him rescue the one in whom he delights! (Compare Matthew 27:41-43)
22:17-18 I can count all my bones. They stare and gloat over me; they divide my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots.” (compare Matthew 27:35)
But all of the sudden, this Psalm changes to a proclamation. Notice how this Psalm changes to a proclamation of what God is doing!
22:22-23 I will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters; in the midst of the congregation I WILL PRAISE YOU! You who fear The Lord, praise Him! All you offspring of Jacob GLORIFY HIM; stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! For he did not despise or abhor the affliction of the afflicted; HE DID NOT HIDE HIS FACE from me, but heard when I cried to him…
22:27-31 All the ends of the earth shall remember and TURN TO THE LORD; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him. For DOMINION BELONGS TO THE LORD, and he rules over the nations. To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down; before him shall now all who go down to the dust, and I shall live for him.
Posterity will serve him, future generations will be told about The Lord, and PROCLAIM HIS DELIVERANCE to a PEOPLE YET UNBORN, saying that
HE HAS DONE IT!
Jesus’ cry was not a cry of hopelessness and despair. Quite the opposite! It was a proclamation! Scripture was being fulfilled!
Despite the pain, and hard reality of the crucifixion and bearing our sin, Jesus was enduring the cross for the sake of the joy that was set before him (Heb 12:2): VICTORY, DELIVERANCE for the people of Israel, for the nations, for YOU and ME, those of us that weren’t born yet.
Does that change a little bit how you see that passage? What have you learned about it? How many more passages do you think there are that would change if we went a little deeper?
Going Deeper 