It’s my typical practice whenever we have a trip down to Guatemala, to brush up a little on my Spanish. About a week before the trip, I open up Duolingo (a language learning app) and start cramming. Want to guess how effective that is? I’ll give you a hint – nada. I can’t expect to fluently communicate in a language that I barely learned over 30 years ago and never speak or rarely even think
In understanding God’s word fully and accurately, it is important to understand it in the correct context. Today we’ll discuss different forms of literary context. Just as in any literature, there are different genres and devices used to convey the message of the author. And they should be understood in light of them. We don’t read prose the same way we would read poetry and when metaphors are used, the reader is expected to look beyond
Knowing the context to any conversation or message can help us avoid misunderstandings and potentially huge mistakes. How many times have you heard half of a conversation and your assumptions to fill in the gaps led you down the wrong path? Knowing who said what to whom and for what reason can help us appreciate the true intent and meaning of what is said. It’s the same when we read scripture. Knowing who wrote the text, to
“Some people are troubled by the things in the Bible they can’t understand. The things that trouble me are the things I can understand.” – Mark Twain The Bible is a huge collection of 66 books – written by 40 authors over 1500 years, written in 3 different languages, using half a dozen literary genres, and dealing with the biggest issues in life. So have at it! Honestly, anyone who isn’t a little intimidated to crack open the
