By Michael B. Shepherd, Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at Louisiana College
Bible teachers and preachers feel an incredible amount of pressure to make the Bible relevant and practical. For many, a Bible lesson or sermon is a failure unless it comes complete with a set of instructions or list of things to do.
Every verse or paragraph of the Bible must have three or four such applications whether or not the biblical author himself makes them explicit.
The danger, of course, is that those who hear this kind of Bible teaching leave with the impression that the application produced by the teacher/preacher is the word of God when in fact it is the biblical text that constitutes the word of God.
The problem begins with an overly simplistic hermeneutical approach that pastors usually learn in their seminary training. They are told that the first step in interpretation is to determine what the biblical text meant to the original readers.
The second step is to determine what the text means today, which is application. In other words, their task is to contextualize the Bible to the readers.
But this approach overlooks the clues within the biblical text that suggest the books were intentionally put together in such a way that they would remain relevant beyond the lifetime of the original readers to future generations of faith. The primary means of accomplishing this was to give the books an eschatological framework so that anyone could read the Bible and learn how to live in light of the future work of God in Christ.
Thus, the task today is to determine what the text has always meant. It is not to contextualize the Bible to the readers but to contextualize the readers to the Bible.
In Moses’ final speech to the people he gives specific instructions about reading his book on a regular basis (Deuteronomy 31:9–13; see also Nehemiah 8–9).
The stated purpose of these instructions is to teach every subsequent generation of faith how to fear the Lord.
Within the book of Moses the events of the past have already been recast into images of the future (e.g., Numbers 23:22; 24:8) so that the text maintains its relevance beyond the time of those who first read the book. The same is true of the books of the prophets.
Isaiah says to bind up the testimony and seal the torah among his disciples. He then resolves to wait on the future work of God in Christ (Isaiah 8:16–9:7). The text of Scripture serves as a reminder of the light at the end of the tunnel in the midst of dark times.
This is no less the case with the book of Psalms, where individual psalms often appear without their historical moorings precisely because they are to become the prayers, praises, and thanksgivings of every reader.
The Gospels likewise are lasting portraits of Christ, explanations of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ in light of the Hebrew Scriptures.
Even the Pauline epistles, which were written to particular churches on particular occasions, were collected very early and widely circulated (2 Peter 3:16) because the early church recognized that they were written in such a way that their value extended well beyond their original audience.
Paul’s theology of the Hebrew Scriptures benefits every believer. In fact, Paul’s model of addressing theology (e.g., Ephesians 1–3) before practice (e.g., Ephesians 4–6) is a helpful one.
Biblical application is not just about doing something or performing an activity. It is also about understanding and believing correctly. Right practice follows right faith, which is why it is important not to jump to the list of things to do too quickly.
It is thus imperative for the reader to wait on the author to provide the application.
The book of Daniel is a good exercise for readers to learn patience. The stories in the first six chapters of the book are very tempting for teachers/preachers who like to make up all sorts of things for people to apply to their lives.
But the patient reader will be rewarded with an all-encompassing application at the end of the book, bolstered by a robust theology of things to come.
On the other hand, the hasty reader who rushes to application is likely to run roughshod over the author’s intention and miss the point entirely.
The Hebrew portions of the book (Daniel 1:1–2:4a; 8–12) form an interpretive framework around the Aramaic section (Daniel 2:4b–7:28).
Chapter 1 introduces the main characters and themes of the book. The visions in chapters 8 and 10–12 explain the sequence of kingdoms in chapters 2 and 7. Chapter 9 explains chapters 2 and 7 from the perspective of Jeremiah’s prophecy of seventy years.
The final chapter of the book reveals that the unwavering faith of the three friends in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3) and Daniel in the lions’ den (Daniel 6) is anchored in a hope in the resurrection. The center of the Aramaic section (Daniel 4–5) focuses on the reality that the kingdom belongs to God who gives it to whomever he pleases (Daniel 4:17).
Ultimately the Son of Man (Daniel 7:13–14) and the saints (Daniel 7:18, 27) receive the kingdom.
The final verse of the book presents Daniel as a model for what the reader is to do with the message of the book: “And as for you, go to the end. And you will rest, and you will stand to your allotment at the end of the days” (Daniel 12:13).
In other words, the future work of God in Christ should shape the way the reader believes, thinks, and acts today (cf., 2 Peter 3), enabling him or her to live and die in a way that is pleasing to God.
Michael B. Shepherd is a professor of Old Testament and Hebrew in Louisiana College’s Division of Christian Studies.