In theological Bible schools, one basic rule of hermeneutics is taught: you do not take a text out of its setting to interpret it, but in a correct, honest, and orthodox interpretation, you interpret it in the light of its context.
That would be very beautiful if it were true, but the Old Testament texts quoted in the New Testament were taken out of their context; so the rule of hermeneutics does not apply.
Hermeneutics means the rule of interpretation of the Word: how you interpret it, whether literally or symbolically. There is only one way to do it: by the leading of the Holy Spirit. If we have the author reading the book over our shoulder, he can explain what he meant when he wrote it. There is no other sure way of finding out what the Scripture means except to get the interpretation through the Holy Spirit.
As an illustration of interpretation: in Hosea 11:1 it says, … out of Egypt I called My son. Read in the context of Hosea, it refers to Israel, but in the New Testament it meant that Christ as a babe was taken down into Egypt and when they brought him back to Nazareth, it was said, … out of Egypt I called My son.
Certain Psalms are quoted in the New Testament: “This happened that it might be fulfilled,” go back to the Old Testament references—the sayings of Christ on the cross; various things that happened in the prayers and experiences of David as a prophet of God, prophesying things that were to take place in the life of Jesus Christ, the Lord that he himself served.
From the Old Testament context we would not get the meaning out of them if the Holy Spirit were not opening our heart to understand that way. In the New Testament where we receive our hope of salvation, they will quote a certain thing from the Old Testament that is true. It is difficult to understand Deuteronomy 30:12–14 that is quoted in Romans 10:6–8, which says … Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down:) or, Who shall descend into the abyss? (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead.) Deuteronomy is not talking about Christ, it is talking about the law, the word; but Christ is the living Word and the Holy Spirit brings the interpretation that is correct.
There is no contradiction. We must understand that in the Word of God, there is a great purpose that God fulfills. He reveals truth, but only to people that are ready for it in the time appointed. The Bible is written not to reveal truth as much as to conceal truth.
The parables of Jesus are masterpieces of concealment: something obvious which the people hear and listen to, but what is the hidden meaning? History was foretold in the parables, but who could have understood it, except enlightened by the Holy Spirit?
When we come to all the cryptic sayings in the Bible, symbolic visions and dreams, Ezekiel’s wheels, Daniel’s beast coming out of the sea, and more beasts in the book of Revelation, how are we going to interpret? We don’t know what to do with them; we don’t know what they mean; why was it all written that way? So it would be concealed.
We should carefully read the thirteenth chapter of Matthew: the seven great parables concerning the kingdom of heaven that have been revealed. The disciples asked Jesus, “Why did you preach to the people in parables?” “That they would see and not really see it; hearing, they would hear it and not understand.”
The purpose was to conceal it. God does not give his truth to those who are not walking in the truth they have received.
We will never find an unbeliever who can reject the whole scope of the doctrine intelligently. He can’t even grasp it because the whole thing begins with a certain truth that if he understands it, he’ll accept it or reject it. If he rejects it, his light and capacity for truth turns to darkness; he doesn’t get any more. “To him that hath shall more be given,” all the truth comes from the Holy Spirit. “He leads us into all the truth,” Jesus said. You will never know all the truth unless you accept what truth he has given you. Then you go on, one step at a time, and if you accept that, you’re open for more.
Our honest endeavor is to walk in what is revealed to us by the Holy Spirit. We may stumble around, there may be quite a gap between what we understand and what we have appropriated, but we’re reaching for it. We are striving for it; and God looks upon that and He blesses us, and He will keep giving us more light. There will always be a time that God will give us more light, more truth, more revelation; and we’ll always come up with something that we haven’t understood before, because we have a capacity for it. A capacity is created by a willingness to do the will of the Lord. John 7:17 says, If any man willeth to do his will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God .… it all turns to darkness when we’re not willing to do the will of God, but when we’re willing to walk in the truth, we constantly find it unfolding, more of it coming to us.
Psalm 105 has a brief and effective illustration of which I Corinthians 10:11 speaks of Old Testament Israel: Now these things happened unto them by way of example; and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come.
We are the ones upon whom the ends of the ages are come; so all of these things were written for our example. They were types: types and shadows, symbolic pictures; like the Old Testament Passover lamb was a type, a symbolic picture of Christ, and so John the Baptist looked upon him as he came to be baptized and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29.) One thing foreshadows, typifying something that was to come: Israel in the Old Testament typifies those of us who walk in the spiritual Israel in the end time.
We need to look at the way God met Joseph and what He said about Israel in those days. “Do my prophets no harm. Touch not my anointed ones.” The potential of increase in a walk with God is fantastic. The harvest of it will fill the whole earth, and so Satan is trying to cut off, like Egypt did of old, every male that is born. He is trying to stop every ministry that comes forth, but God is saying again, Touch not my anointed ones, And do my prophets no harm.
God is not allowing us to be harmed and this is just the beginning of the immunity. If we do not have this immunity, we will come into the days of tribulation with Satan raging against us, because he is cast out of heaven. I believe the heavens this is talking about is the place we are to be occupying. When he is cast out He is raging against the inhabitants of the earth because he knows his time is short, and he would destroy every living thing—us and our family, and all pertaining to us—if he could.
God is establishing the immunities and spiritual walls that we need for our protection. He will suffer no man to do us wrong. He will reprove kings for our sakes, saying, “Touch not mine anointed and do my prophets no harm.”
How much like Joseph is the remnant. It was said of Joseph, “His feet they hurt with fetters.” We feel that there are restricting circumstances we are unable to change in our lives. We wish they were gone, but they are not. We chafe under them; we have some kind of fetter.
Even though this is a day of liberation of spirit, we have a circumstantial bondage that we are unable to rise above and this is of the Lord because the word has come over us like it did over Joseph. We are the ones that God has set before the people to deliver them in the famine and in the tribulation to come. We are like Joseph in that regard. His feet, they hurt with fetters: He was laid in chains of iron, Until the time that his word came to pass, The word of the Lord tried him.
The word that God gave Joseph was one of his preeminence, one of his ruling. We are like a spiritual Joseph coming forth. We receive a word, a dream, a vision, as Joel said it would be, and then things go into reverse. Some of us might say, “I’m worse off today than when I came into a real walk with God.” What we mean is that the circumstances don’t look favorable, but our spiritual walk with God is way ahead.
There is no problem; but until the day that the word that the Lord gives us comes to pass, that word tries us; and over and over again, we will be tempted to be discouraged because we think, “I’m trusting in a word and it hasn’t come to pass. What do I do now?” It will come to pass. “Well, it looks like it’s going in the wrong direction.” Don’t worry about it.
Until the time that his word came to pass, The word of the Lord tried him. The king sent and loosed him; even the ruler of peoples, and let him go free. He made him lord of his house, And ruler of all his substance; to bind his princes at his pleasure, and teach his elders wisdom. Oh, the great place that Joseph had immediately! There was no limitation upon the authority, the riches, and the honor that he received. Overnight it was done.
It is that quick work that the Lord does in the earth, cutting it short in righteousness that is the hope of the remnant in this day, and God is bringing it forth within us now. There is nothing to be discouraged about. If we look at the circumstances we will be discouraged, but if we look to the Lord very carefully, we will be aware of one thing: the word that God gave us is the cross we are dying on. It is a furnace of affliction for us and we have to believe it; and out of it will come His glorious life and fulfillment.