Ever watch a foreign-made movie? I don’t really have the patience for it. I don’t know any language enough to follow dialogue unless it’s in English. I think I watched Das Boot all the way through, but I know a smattering of German.
One of the issues I have is trying to keep up with the subtitles. A lot of movies have rapid dialog, and reading takes away from watching. I lose track of what’s going on. After all, those movies weren’t made for English-only audiences.
The bible wasn’t written specifically for us either. That’s something to keep in mind when reading or interpreting the scriptures. That’s one of the reasons it’s hard to understand. There’s so much “behind the scenes” that the words, even translated to English, can seem confusing.
A few weeks ago I mentioned to someone, “Hey, nice threads.” She was confused. After all, that idiom isn’t used much anymore. She looked down to see if she had loose threads hanging somewhere. I had to explain to her the phrase meant I liked her clothing. Back in the 1970s and 80s nobody would have to translate.
When reading the bible there’s a tendency to apply the words directly. One example is something I’ve mentioned before: an eye for an eye.
Back when that section of the bible was written it was common for someone to “step up” retribution. If I accidentally put out someone’s eye, the family or clan would come after me and take out both of my eyes. So the “eye for an eye” was a limit on what could be done. Jesus was asked once about how many times someone should be forgiven. “Seven times?”
In that era, you could forgive someone once. If they wronged you after that you could let ‘em have it with both barrels.
SIDEBAR:
I bet a lot of younger folks don’t even know what “let ‘em have it with both barrels” means. Just to clear that up it’s a reference to a double-barreled shotgun.
So the disciple who asked “Seven times” was being extreme. “We have to forgive? Really? Even seven times?” And Jesus’ response was even more extreme: “Seventy times seven.”
The reason I’m mentioning all this is to caution people about what they’re reading. Those writings were meant to be read by the people they were written for. Don’t go out and blind someone because the bible said you could. That’s not what it means.
That doesn’t imply the bible doesn’t mean anything to us. We have to figure out what it meant back then so we can apply it in today’s culture. “Let the punishment fit the crime.”
That’s why it’s important to study the bible, not just read the words. Sometimes the words can be inspiring, but other times they can be confusing - or dangerous.
After all, why would we be commanded to put a “parapet” (short wall) around your roof? You have to figure out why someone needed to be instructed to do that, and see if it means anything today.
BTW, it’s because homes in that culture had flat roofs where people would socialize or sleep. If there was no parapet there was a danger of falling off, causing injury or even death. Then someone else might try to exact vengeance for allowing the death.
Be careful with the Word of God. Study it. Live it.
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