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By Wayne
Clapp
For the Word of God to be rightly divided,
it must be interpreted both literally and figuratively.
The Word of God is to be believed literally whenever and
wherever possible. However, there are places where a word
or words cannot be taken literally. For example, Matthew
5:29 and 30 says, "And if thy right eye offend thee,
pluck it out .... And if thy right hand offend thee, cut
it off .... " Is that to be taken literally? Of course
not. It contradicts so many other scriptures in the Word
indicating that God wants us healed, not dismembered.
But what gives one the right to decide what is to be believed
literally and what is to be understood figuratively? Certainly
God would not, and did not, leave these decisions to man's
judgment or fancy. He used figures of speech to clearly
mark those places where His Word is to be understood figuratively.
God uses figures
of speech in His Word for emphasis. When He wants special
attention given to something, He marks it with a figure
of speech to make it stand out. God uses these figures
to attract our attention so that we place the force of
expression, thought, feeling, or action where He wants
it. Figures of speech bring strength, additional life,
or intensified feeling to an expression. They arrest our
attention and cause us to stop and consider what God is
saying.
Such is the case
with the "cutting off the hand" and "plucking
out the eye" above. This figure of speech, called
a hyperbole, is not to be understood literally.
These statements figuratively emphasize the importance
of avoiding and removing everything and anything that
would cause one to err from the truth. One should no more
continue in the offensive behavior than cut his hand off
or pluck his eye out. The intent is not to direct one
to cut off his hand or pluck out his eye, but to eliminate
any motive, thought, attitude, behavior, action, or habit
that is contrary to God's Word and will.
The field of figures
of speech can be approached with mathematical exactness
and scientific precision. Figures of speech are departures
from the ordinary or natural form of the laws of grammar
and syntax. They are not mistakes due to ignorance or
accident. Rather they are legitimate deviations for a
special purpose. Their forms are fixed and established,
and they can be accurately cataloged and analyzed. There
is absolutely no guesswork when figures of speech are
handled properly . If a particular form of expression
is a figure of speech, it can be precisely identified,
and its purpose can be clearly delineated.
God is the Author
of His Word. Holy men of God wrote as they were moved
by the Holy Spirit. Figures of speech in the Bible are
used at God's discretion. He initiated the departures
from the ordinary forms to add force to the truth conveyed
and depth to the meaning of it. No one else has the right
to add to it, to subtract from it, or to change it in
any way. God commands that no one do so.
Deuteronomy 4:2:
Ye shall not add unto the word which I command
you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that
ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God
which I command you.
Deuteronomy 12:32:
What thing soever I command you, observe
to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish
from it.
Proverbs 30:5 and 6:
Every word of God is pure: he is a shield
unto them that put their trust in him.
Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee,
and thou be found a liar.
Revelation 22:18 and
19:
For I testify unto every man that heareth
the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man
shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him
the plagues that are written in this book:
And if any man shall take away from the words of the
book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part
out of the book of life, and out of the holy city,
and from the things which are written in this book.
In the encounter
with Eve in the garden of Eden, the serpent questioned
the integrity of God's Word. This attack stunned her,
and she took the bait. She considered the possibility
that God did not accurately communicate His will. Instead
of going to Adam and getting help, she made the mistake
of responding to the serpent and omitted the word
"freely." Then she continued and added "neither
shall ye touch it." Finally she changed the
absolute truth of God's Word, introducing doubt with the
word "lest." She no longer held the Word in
her mind. Her omitting, adding, and changing God's Word
left her with "private interpretation" (II Peter
1:20 and 21), which had no power in resisting her adversary.
The serpent's counterfeit brilliance distracted her from
God's Word. Instead of the truth of "thou shalt surely
die," the lie of "ye shall not surely die"
was substituted and accepted.
The serpent's seduction
was accomplished by altering God's Word. Neither the Devil
nor Eve had a right to do this. God alone has the option
to add to His Word, diminish from it, or change it. When
the Devil or anyone else does, it is private interpretation,
and it changes the truth of God into a lie. In Matthew
4 and Luke 4, when the tempter came to Jesus, he responded
with "It is written!" He did not omit, add,
or change anything. He quoted the precise Word of God
that fit the temptation of the situation, and the power
of the Word allowed him to prevail. Eve succumbed, abandoning
God's Word. Jesus resisted, cleaving to God's Word.
To rightly divide
the Word of Truth we must interpret literally what God
intended to be literal and figuratively what God intended
to be figurative. Learning to recognize figures of speech
in God's Word allows the Word to interpret itself, keeping
private interpretation from creeping into the Scriptures.
E. W. Bullinger,
in his outstanding work Figures of Speech Used in the
Bible, divides figures of speech into figures involving
omission, figures involving addition, and figures involving
change. How interesting to note that the adversary, as
a parasite, tricked Eve into omitting, adding, and changing
words, since that is how God's Word adds emphasis and
impact and precision in its use of figures of speech.
How brilliantly, then, must the light of the Word shine
forth when those forms are accurately traced and understood.
When God does alter
the form of His Word, it is to call our attention to it.
This is usually accomplished by adding to the usual form
of the language, diminishing from the ordinary form of
it, or changing it in some legitimate, prescribed fashion--all
of which are designed to accentuate it. These figurative
forms of expression communicate the truth of God's Word
with more force and depth than literal statements of truth.
They are precise, and their intent is specific.
In future teachings
we will be investigating many of these figures of speech
to see the divine design of God's matchless Word and to
build our appreciation and love for that which God has
magnified above all His name. In our next teaching in
this series, we will see how God uses additions, changes,
and omissions in three basic figures of comparison.
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