Understanding

Humility

In Acts 8:30, Philip asked the Ethiopian Eunuch whether he understood the Scripture passage from Isaiah that he was reading. The eunuch responded by acknowledging that he could not understand it without someone to explain the meaning. Notice, the eunuch was willing to admit what he did not know or understand.

Often, we can be so prideful that we miss opportunities to learn and grow. Because we don’t want to sound foolish, we pretend to understand concepts or instructions that we have not truly grasped. Imagine that pride could have kept the eunuch from salvation if he had not been willing to admit he needed instruction to understand the Scripture.

Know It All

God has chosen to reveal truth to us in the pages of the Bible. The Bible is so full and vast that we could never master it! But sometimes we can begin to think that we know everything about a particular subject or passage of Scripture. The truth is that most of us think we know more than we actually know. One of the surest signs of growing in wisdom is a recognition of what we don’t know.

Now, almost everyone will say that they understand that they don’t know everything. But in practice, many people are tempted to act as if they know everything. Sometimes this even results in the sin of lying to try to promote the facade of our overwhelming intellect. However, it is a thin veil that almost everyone will see through rather quickly.

Familiarity

One of the things that keeps us from growing in our understanding of many passages of Scripture is the idea that we already know what it means. We are so  familiar with the passage (or more like a verse) that we assume that we know the meaning. This is especially true of the stories that we have heard but have not really studied.

For example, in 1 Samuel 17, we have the story of David and Goliath. Now if I ask a random group of self identified Christians what the meaning of the account of David’s battle with Goliath is, what are some of the answers I could expect to hear?

First, I think many people would think that it is a classic underdog story. The young and inexperienced boy going up against the battle hardened soldier. Certainly those aspects are clear in the story and are central to understanding the point of this drama but that’s not the main thing that we should learn.

Second, we would probably hear that nothing is impossible with God. Well, this is clearly true. Jesus taught us this truth explicitly (Mark 10:27). The fact that nothing is impossible for God is an application of the intended meaning of 1 Samuel 17, but it isn’t the point that the passage is about.

Third, maybe someone would argue that it is about the need to not disrespect youth. Again, this is something taught by Paul in the new testament (1 Timothy 4:12), but it is not the primary point being made in this text. I think I have made my point that we would hear many interpretations that are not the meaning of the story. 

So what is the meaning of the story? One popular interpretation is that David foreshadows Christ. That just as David went out to do battle with Goliath and deliver the weak and fearful Israelites, Jesus has come and defeated Satan and death freeing us from our weakness and fear. I love this interpretation, and I believe that it is a true and appropriate application of this story but it isn’t the main thing.

The main point is given to us right out of David’s own mouth. In 1 Samuel 17:46-47 David says, “This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hand.”

Notice the parts that I underlined. The point of the story was to make known to everyone who Yahweh was! Who is the true God, the most high God, the God almighty? Yahweh, The LORD!

Study

We could do this with so many passages in the Bible. My point is simply that we don’t understand as much as we think and all of us need more humble study (Psalm 111:2) of even the parts of the Bible that we think we already know.

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