| Words are the basic building blocks of sentences. Just as atoms are the basic building blocks of elements and cells are the basic building blocks of organic tissue. I have said before that we communicate through sentences in paragraphs. But those paragraphs and sentences are broken up into words. Words have meaning. You cannot make a word mean anything you want it to mean; otherwise communication would be impossible.
So, it is important for us to consider the study of words and its importance in Bible study. Topical sermons – like on parenting or the church or the Holy Spirit – are largely word studies. You grab a concordance, find all the verses that mention “father” or “mother” or “son, daughter, child” and then you see what the Bible says about them. You can take a concordance and look up the word “Spirit” to see what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit. Of course, in this event, you would have to weed through all 611 verses in the Bible and see if the passage is talking about the Holy Spirit or man’s spirit. PAY ATTENTION TO WORDS THAT ARE REPEATED: If you were explaining to someone how to grill a hamburger, you would mention the meat several times. If you were explaining to someone how to build a playground set, you would use the word “wood” many times. If you were standing at an assembly line in a factory and explaining to your substitute how to perform your job, you would repeat certain actions or steps several times so that even someone who was blind would know what you were talking about. In the same way, when a biblical writer repeats himself, pay attention. The words themselves might not be hard to understand or theologically significant. But if the word is repeated, it has a bearing on your understanding of what is important in the context! I offer Joshua 1 & 2 as “Exhibit A.” The word “give” is found in verses 1:2, 3, 6, 11, 13, 14, 15, 2:9, 14, 24. Do you think the fact that God has given the land to Israel is important to know as you begin the study of Joshua? Turn over to Judges 1 (“Exhibit B”). Take a look at this phrase (again, the phrase is not hard to understand, no theologically significant words here): “could not drive out.” It is found in verses 19, 21, 27 (a synonymous phrase but different), 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33. “Could not drive out” – do you think that phrase has any bearing on our interpretation and view of the entire book of Judges? Exhibit “C” – Take a look at Matthew 13. Please observe Jesus’ use of the verb “to hear:” Verses 9, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 22, 23, 43 (almost as a conclusion). The parable of the sower is in the middle of all that emphasis on “hearing.” Isn’t that the point of the parable? The message of the parable is not specifically on the seed (although that is important), nor on the sower (although he is important too). The emphasis is on the response of the soil. Rather than calling it the “Parable of the Sower,” it would be more accurate to call it the “Parable of the Soils.” One more example (“Exhibit D”) from the New Testament. Look over at Romans 8. We could really take a step back and consider Romans 7. Take a look at Romans 7. Here are verses that use the word “death” or “die:” 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11 (killed), 13 and now into Romans 8:1 (condemnation), 2, 4, 6, 7 (hostile), 10, 11, 13, 21 (corruption). But, at the same time, we’ve got some other key words that are running through this text as well: “Law:” 7:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 14, 16, 22, 23, 25, 8:2, 3, 4, 7. Law and death run rampant in chapter 7. Consider chapter 8: “flesh:” 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 (body), 11, 12, 13, 23 (the conclusion!). Those are key words in chapters 7 & 8 and learning about those words will help us understand what Paul is talking about. –Paul Holland |
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