“WHAT IS HERMENEUTICS” (part seven)

INTRO:

Hermeneutics is the “Science” of Biblical interpretation. Many Cults, False Teachers and False Religions began by not taking the time to study the Bible. We have studied many principles and among those are the Contextual Principle, the Ethnic Principle, The Dispensations, The Covenants, The Interpretative Principle, The Evidential Principle and tonight, The Divisional Principle.

2Ti 2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, [rightly dividing the word of truth].

2Co 4:2  But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, [nor handling the word of God deceitfully]; (but) [by manifestation of the truth] commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

I.) THE REASON: (Note: God told us to)

A.) There are many places and people with the same name.

*****1.) There are two men named Saul:

King Saul:

1Sa 9:1  Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.
1Sa 9:2  And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: [from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people].

1Sa 10:24  And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom the LORD hath chosen, [that there is none like him among all the people]? And all the people shouted, and said, God save the king.

1Sa 9:15  Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying,
1Sa 9:16  To morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me.
1Sa 9:17  And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall reign over my people.

1Sa 11:15  And all the people went to Gilgal; and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal; and there they sacrificed sacrifices of peace offerings before the LORD; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

Saul of Tarsus:

Act 9:1  And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
Act 9:2  And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
Act 9:3  And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
Act 9:4  And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
Act 9:5  And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
Act 9:6  And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

Php 3:4  Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:
Php 3:5  Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;
Php 3:6  Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
Php 3:7  But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
Php 3:8  Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
Php 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Php 3:10  That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
Php 3:11  If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
Php 3:12  Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Php 3:13  Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
Php 3:14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

*****2.) There are three men named James in the Bible:

James: the Son of Zebedee:) The son of Zebedee and Salome; an elder brother of John the apostle. He was one of the twelve. He was by trade a fisherman, in partnership with Peter.

James: The son of Alphaeus:

Act 1:13  And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, [James the son of Alphaeus], and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James.

James the Half Brother of the Lord Jesus:

Jas 1:1  James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.

The Words of the Apostle Paul:

Gal 1:18  Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.
Gal 1:19  But other of the apostles saw I none, [save James the Lord’s brother].

*****3.) There are at least four men named John.

John the Baptist:

Mal 3:1  Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

Joh 1:6  There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
Joh 1:7  The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
Joh 1:8  He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
Joh 1:9  That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

Joh 1:22  Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?
Joh 1:23  He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.

Joh 1:26  John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not;
Joh 1:27  He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose.

Joh 1:29  The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
Joh 1:30  This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.
Joh 1:31  And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.
Joh 1:32  And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.
Joh 1:33  And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.

The Apostle John:

Joh 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2  The same was in the beginning with God.

Mat 4:21  And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.

Mar 10:35  And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire.

A man who traveled with Paul and Barnabas and later wrote one of the Gospels:

Act 12:12  And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother [of John, whose surname was Mark]; where many were gathered together praying.

Mar 1:1  The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;
Mar 1:2  As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

A man of the kin of Anna and Caiaphas:

Act 4:5  And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes,
Act 4:6  And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem.

*****4.) There are at least ten different Simons:

Simon Zelotes:

Act 1:13  And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and [Simon Zelotes], and Judas the brother of James.

Simon the father of Judas Iscariot:

Joh 6:71  He spake of Judas Iscariot [the son of Simon]: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.

Simon the Half Brother of the Lord Jesus:

Mat 13:55  Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and [his brethren, James, and Joses, and (Simon), and Judas]?

Simon the Pharisee:

Luk 7:36  And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat.
Luk 7:37  And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,
Luk 7:38  And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.
Luk 7:39  Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.
Luk 7:40  And Jesus answering said unto him, [Simon], I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.

Simon the Leper:

Mar 14:3  And being in Bethany in the house of [Simon the leper], as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.
Mar 14:4  And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made?
Mar 14:5  For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her.
Mar 14:6  And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me.
Mar 14:7  For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.
Mar 14:8  She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.
Mar 14:9  Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.

Simon of Cyrene:

Mat 27:32  And as they came out, they found [a man of Cyrene, Simon by name]: him they compelled to bear his cross.

Simon the Sorcerer:

Act 8:9  But there was a certain man, called [Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery], and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:
Act 8:10  To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God.
Act 8:11  [And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries].

Note this happen again in the later days(NOW).

Simon the tanner:

Act 9:40  But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.
Act 9:41  And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive.
Act 9:42  And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord.
Act 9:43  And it came to pass, that he tarried many days in Joppa with one Simon a tanner.

Simon the Canaanite:(Probably same as Simon Zelotes)

Mat 10:4  Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

Simon Peter (The Apostle Peter):

Mat 4:18  And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

1Pe 1:1  Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
1Pe 1:2  Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

B.) There are several persons with two different names:

*****1.) Jacob/Israel:

Gen 32:28  And he said, [Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel]: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

*****2.) Levi/Matthew:

Mar 2:14  And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus [sitting at the receipt of custom], and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.

Mat 10:3  Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and [Matthew the publican]; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;

Or Matthew/Levi “THE TAX COLLECTOR”.

*****3,) Simon Peter/Cephas:

Joh 21:17  He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

Joh 1:42  And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, [Thou art Simon the son of Jona]: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.

*****4.) Saul/Paul:

Act 13:9  [Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,)] filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him,
Act 13:10  And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?

C.) Some places have two or more names:

*****1.) The Sea of Galilee:

Mat 4:18  And Jesus, walking by [the sea of Galilee], saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

Joh 6:1  After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, [which is the sea of Tiberias].

Luk 5:1  And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, [he stood by the lake of Gennesaret],
Luk 5:2  And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.
Luk 5:3  And [he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s], and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.

In the Old Testament:

Jos 13:27  And in the valley, Betharam, and Bethnimrah, and Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, Jordan and his border, even unto the edge of [the sea of Chinnereth] on the other side Jordan eastward.
Jos 13:28  This is the inheritance of the children of Gad after their families, the cities, and their villages.

II.) THE RESOURCES:

A.) The “Analytical” approach: (To analyze)

By way of separating a body into its constituent parts, or a subject, into its principles.

*****1.) We need to determine the “Historical” setting.

(New Testament/Old Testament)(Before Resurrection/AfterResurrection)Etc.

*****2.) We need to determine the “To Whom” it was written.

1Co 10:32  Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:

God gave some different rules to the different people. You cannot take what was given to the Jews and use it in the Church.

*****3.) We must determine the meaning in the “CONTEXT” (Contextual Principle) that it was written.

We cannot just pull a verse out and use it in another place but only in the “context” of the verses before and after it.

B.) The “Synthetic” Approach:

*****1.) We need to find the “THEME” of each book.

*****2.) We need to find the “THEME” of each chapter.

*****3.) We then must “Break Down” the verse to the words used.

C.) The “Doctrinal” Approach:

*****1.) WE should “search” for the occurrence of the same word.

If a word is used over and over again then it is probably the theme of that passage.

*****2.) Some Examples:

Grace:

Used in the Book of Romans 24 times.

Love:

Used in the Book of 1John 32 times.

Judge and shall Judge:

Used in the Book of Psalms and the Book of Ezekiel than in any of the other books of the Bible.

*****3.) We should watch for “Typology” matching.

The “theme” of scripture to match the “theme” of Doctrine.

An Example:

“Typology”(a good example)

2Sa 9:1  And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?
2Sa 9:2  And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba. And when they had called him unto David, the king said unto him, Art thou Ziba? And he said, Thy servant is he.
2Sa 9:3  And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet.
2Sa 9:4  And the king said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lodebar.
2Sa 9:5  Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lodebar.
2Sa 9:6  Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold thy servant!
2Sa 9:7  And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.
2Sa 9:8  And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?

If you substitute God for King David.

And, Jesus for Jonathan.

And, The Holy Spirit for Ziba.

And Grace for the Chariot that was sent for:

And Myself (a dirty old sinner) for Mephibosheth.

You have a perfect picture of God’s Mercy and Grace and Salvation.

(thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.)

Rev 22:17  And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

Rev 22:21  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

GOD’S AMAZING GRACE!

Amen!