What Does That Mean?

Have you ever read a passage in the Bible and wondered what it meant? Sure, all of us have. There are things that are said in Scripture that require a little digging to understand. “Exegesis” is a word used to describe a careful study of Scripture to discover the original and intended meaning of what was written. You’ve probably heard someone say, “Back in those days...” when referring to something Paul said to a congregation. Exegesis tries to overcome the gaps between an ancient text and modern understandings. There’s a reason we don’t feel compelled to “greet one another with a holy kiss” (1 Peter 5:14, Romans 16:16), or bring out the foot-washing basin when we have someone over to the house (John 13:14). Exegesis can help us understand why we don’t literally pluck out our right eye or cut off our right hand if they cause us to sin (Matthew 5:29-30). 

2 Timothy 2:15, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” In Acts 18:26, Aquila and Priscilla used some kind of exegetical model to help Apollos understand “the way of God more accurately.”

Occasionally, we’ll come across passages that really leave us scratching our heads: “For this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own head, because of the angels.” (1 Corinthians 11:10). Although there may be many speculations, good exegesis takes into account the overall theme and purpose of God’s inspired word for us. We should feel confident that God wants us to know His will, which includes repentance, following Him, being clothed with Christ, and loving our neighbor, just to name a few things. 

So, does God intend for us to understand passages like 1 Corinthians 11:10? Yes, but with maturity. Perhaps we need to also consider there are things in the Bible we don’t really need to know at this time. Eve sought knowledge that wasn’t helpful to her walk with God (literally), David sought after knowledge that was harmful to his kingdom in 1 Chronicles 21 when he took the census. In both of these examples (Genesis 3 and 1 Chronicles 21) the reader can understand by looking deeper into the text that God wanted them to be grateful and content with what they had. 

It takes a lot of wisdom to slow down and try to grasp the bigger picture before we start detailing it out. Studying God’s Word can seem overwhelming, but when you remember this is His message to help reveal what He’s looking for in us, that can make a big difference. Remember these words from Paul in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”