Might Ahab’s attitude towards God’s prophet be our problem in understanding Scripture?
(1 Cor. 13:9-12; 1 Tim. 4:13-16; 2 Tim. 2:15 2 Peter 3:15-17) Blog Jun. 14-20, 2020
Prepared by Richard A. Marin: Present Truth PO Box 700, Fallbrook CA 92088-0700 USA
REVIEW: The Bible tells the story of the mighty acts of God in dealing with humanity. Its prophecies tell how God will act in the future and how we should prepare and respond. For us the Bible is necessary, has absolute authority, is entirely sufficient, and is essentially clear, showing us how to live in this life and how to enter into the next. If we read the Bible in context, regarding its grammar, and comparing Scripture with Scripture, the Holy Spirit will teach us its meaning. The Bible is the oldest and most complete story of how this earth was formed, how a worldwide flood occurred, and how earth’s various nations came into existence. The Holy Spirit inspired holy men to portray God’s thoughts in human language. And while it may contain minor errors all its history, prophecies, and counsel are accurate portrayals of God’s message and are confirmed by internal consistency, by Jesus, and the apostles.
Difficulties (Deut. 29:29; 1 Kings 22:8; Eccl. 5:2; Isa. 40:12-22; 55:8-9; Dan. 4:7; 5:8; 2 Peter 3:15-17; James 1:5-7; 4:5-7)
1. In the third chapter of his second Epistle what does the Apostle Peter tell us to expect to find in the Bible? Difficult passages that novices & unstable readers twist into falsehoods.
2. In his fourth chapter what does the apostle James tell us is our basic problem in understanding Scripture and how are we to deal with this problem? Our basic problem is that since Adam’s fall we are all born proud & envious by nature so that in order to receive God’s grace we must come with an attitude of submission to accept what the passage says & a willingness to obey its commands while resisting the devil’s efforts to make us twist its meaning = approach the passage with humility.
3. What else should coming to a difficult passage with humility include? It should include setting aside our preconceived ideas, our prejudices, & to be willing to admit that we don’t understand the passage.
4. What characteristics of God (who inspired all Holy Scripture) should help us approach his Word humbly and with reverance? His, omnipotence, his omniscience, his eternal nature, & the fact that he dwells in heaven while we dwell on earth like grasshoppers in his sight.
5. What other reason does James give (in his first chapter) that may prevent us from understanding a Bible passage? Not asking God for wisdom that comes through the Holy Spirit that he is more willing to give us than parents are to give good gifts to their children.
6. Why were the wise men of Babylon unable to interpret the king’s dream about a tree, nor even read with understanding the handwriting on Belshazzar’ palace wall? Because they had not accepted the light God had previously given through Daniel (so we must approach Scripture with faith not looking for contradictions or coming doubting God’s Word).
7. What was Ahab’s attitude towards God’s prophet, Micaiah, that may be our problem in understanding Scripture? He hated that prophet for he never told him what he wanted to hear.
Time (Daniel 12:4; Acts 1:6-8; Eph. 3:1-9; 1 Cor. 13:9-12; )
8. What should we learn from First Corinthians 13:9-12? That due to our limited abilities & knowledge there will be Bible passages we will never understand until eternity.
9. What did Jesus tell his disciples just before his ascension? That some things they wanted to understand only God knew & they would need to wait until they had a deeper knowledge of his will.
10. According to Daniel’s being told to seal up the vision until the time of the end what other factor delays our understanding of a Bible passage? The fact that God hides its meaning until a certain time in history.
11. What mystery does Paul say he now understood and preached which previously had been hidden? The Gospel of Jesus.
12. What should we conclude from the fact that we don’t readily understand a Bible passage? That we should patiently wait for providential events in our lives, or the presentations of others (in sermons, books, or radio programs), or certain prophetic fulfillments, or further study on our before comprehending the passage.
Effort (Luke 24:13-35; Acts 17:11; 2 Thes. 3:10; 1 Tim. 4:13-16; 2 Tim. 2:15; 1 Pet. 1:10-12)
13. According to First Peter what did the very prophets who prophesied of the coming Messiah have to do in order to understand even what they wrote? They needed to desire to understand, to ask themselves questions about the passage, & to search diligently (to concentrate in the things of God & not let their minds wander to temporal matters) in what God had revealed.
14. What did Paul tell Timothy in his first letter that he needed to do when studying Scripture? That he needed to continue reading the Scripture & teaching it to others, to exercise the gift God had given him, to meditate upon the Scripture, to continue being obedient to Scripture, & to guard himself & the doctrine from any pollution.
15. What method of study did Paul tell Timothy to practice in his second letter to the young pastor? To rightly divide (compare context, grammar, & wording while grasping the theme of each portion) that his study (not just quickly reading) would result in God’s approval.
16. Which did the Bereans do that helped them understand Scripture? The searched multiple passages, daily to make sure they understood the meaning of a subject.
17. What had Cleopas and his companion failed to do that resulted in them not understanding the death of their Messiah? They had failed to believe ALL that the prophets had said.
18. If Paul in Second Thessalonians commanded “that if any would not work, neither should he eat” and our spiritual food is the Word of God then what must we expect in order to digest the Word? That it will take WORK! Gold doesn’t always lie on the surface of the earth.