15. The Direct Statement Principle

CHAPTER FIFTEEN The Direct Statement Principle a. Definition. That principle under which God says what He means, and means what He says.

1. This is an important principle, and we enunciate this became of the attempts of many people to spiritualize the Word of God and to make it a mystical hook. To many people, God’s Word is not to be taken literally at all. A tooth, an eye, or an ear, must mean something else, to a person of this type.

2. There are certain things to be considered, however.

(a) A word that meant one thing 300 years ago (when the Bible was translated into English) may have a changed meaning today.

Luke 1:63 – A writing table does not mean a rolltop desk, but rather a writing tablet.

Luke 3:23 – "Began to be about thirty years of age." This means, He began His ministry at the age of about thirty years.

Acts 21:15; 1 Samuel 17:22 – Took up their carriage. This means that which was carried, or baggage. "Wist," "wit," "I do you to wit," are not used today.

Romans 1:13; 2 Thessalonians 2:7 – "Let" did not mean to permit, but rather to hinder, hold back, or restrain.

1 Thessalonians 4:15 – "Prevent" meant come before, precede (See R.V.).

Php 3:20 – Conversation refers to life and action. In the revised version it has been changed to citizenship.

(b) Mistakes are also made by the translators and printers.

(1) A publishing company had the public aid them in proof-reading the Bible they were putting out, and which they wanted to be perfect. After all their efforts, the Bible came out with. "Holy Bible" on the inside front page.

(2) The "Place makers" Bible instead of "peacemakers" – Matthew 5:9.

(3) The "Adulterous’ Bible. The word NOT was left out in the commandment, "Thou shalt not commit adultery" – Exodus 20.

(4) The idle Bible – in Zechariah 11:17 "idle" is printed instead of "idol."

(5) The "murderers" Bible – the murmurers in Jude 1:16 were called murderers.

(6) The "Printers" Bible – Psalms 119:161, the word "princes," changed to "printers."

(7) The "Wife-haters" Bible – Luke 14:26 – word "life," changed to "wife."

(8) The "Vinegar Bible" – Luke 20, the word "vinegar" instead of "vineyard." These mistakes are made by man, not by God; and we must recognize that only the first parchments were inspired by God.

3. How people spiritualize the Scriptures.

(a) God made man in His own image. A white man declared that God, then, must be white. Others say that the first man was red. Adam means red man of the earth. Therefore He must have been red.

(b) The four rivers in Eden are supposed to mean prudence, self-control, courage, and justice.

(c) The parable of the sowing of the wheat. Jerome says that the thirty-fold pertains to marriage, sixtyfold to widows, and one hundred-fold to virginity.

(d) When you study the Bible don’t try to make it a kind of wonder book, or spiritual museum.

(1) Shakespeare. In 1611 when the Bible was translated. Shakespeare was forty-six years old. Some wise person turned to the forty-sixth Psalm, and found that the forty-sixth word from the beginning was shake, and the forty-sixth word from the end was spear. This was supposed to mean something or other.

(2) Armistice. Signed on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. A wise person turned to the eleventh book, the eleventh chapter, the eleventh verse, which was 1 Kings 11:11. The kingdom was rent from Solomon, so it must be rent from Wilhelm. But the next verse says it will be rent from Solomon’s son. Supposed to be a prophecy to that effect.

(e) Zion is not heaven, and Jerusalem is not heaven. And the New Jerusalem is not to be in heaven, but a literal city. All these are mixed up. Zion is a hill on which Jerusalem is built.

(f) People say that the throne of David is in your heart. How man y thrones did David have? The throne of David is the literal throne to be set up in a literal city, Jerusalem.

(g) Augustine says that the disciples were fishing and caught 153 fish. The sum of all the numbers to 17 is 153, so 153 means 17. 10 is the number of the commandments and 7 is the spiritual number. Together they make 17. Therefore the 153 fish stand for the commandments and the Holy Spirit. b. Figures of Speech. .

You will find figurative speech in any book, and it is found in the Bible as well. Since the Bible is oriental in origin, the figures will show the highest of oriental hyperbole. A figure of speech is speech out of form. It is sometimes thrown into a peculiar form and expressed in an unusual manner, in a way that is not just natural, or fashioned according to grammar. This is not from accident or ignorance but from design and for the purpose of emphasis.

1. Common figures of speech. The thermometer is going up. Crank the car. The furnace has gone out. Take a street car. A hard heart. There are over two hundred figures of speech in the Bible.

2. Rule for studying figures of speech in the Bible.

Words should be understood in their literal meaning, unless such literal interpretation involves a manifest contradiction or absurdity.

3. Examples from Scripture.

(a) Isaiah 1:18 – Sins as scarlet.

(b) Jeremiah 1:18 – "1 have made thee an iron pillar, a walled city."

(c) Matthew 8:22 – "Let the dead bury their dead."

(d) John 2:19 – "Destroy this temple." The context explains this figure.

4. Some of the better known figures of speech.

(a) Metaphor – represents.

Words are taken from their literal meaning and given a new and striking use. The figure is a distinct affirmation that one thing is another which it resembles. The two nouns must always be mentioned. The figure lies in the verb. "IS" is equivalent to "REPRESENTS."

Examples: Isaiah 40:6; Psalms 18:2; Matthew 26:26-28; John 6:32-65.

(b) Simile – resembles, Likening one thing to another in terms of comparison.

Examples: – Metaphor.                 Simile

Isaiah 40:6 – "flesh is grass."         1 Peter 1:24 – "flesh is as grass."

Psalms 100:3 b – "sheep of his pasture."     Isaiah 53:6 – "We like sheep."

Isaiah 55:10-11; Jeremiah 23:29; Matthew 7:24-27; Romans 12:4-5; 1 Corinthians 12:12; Matthew 13 – Parables.

(c) Metonymy. A figure of speech consisting of a change of nouns. The name of an object is substituted for another which it clearly suggests.

(1) Container for what is contained.

"This is the cup of my blood."

Psalms 23 – "preparest a table before me."

1 Corinthians 10:21 – "drink the cup."

(2) Cause for effect – Ephesians 4:20 – "learned Christ," means the teaching of Christ.

(3) Parents for children –

Genesis 9:25-27; Genesis 49:7; Romans 9:13.

Malachi 1:2-3 – three hundred years after, children were born; means the descendants, rather than Esau and Jacob.

(4) Author for works. We speak of reading Shakespeare, Thackery, Hugo, Moses, etc. Luke 24:27 – "Jesus began at Moses," meaning the writings of Moses. Luke 16:29 – "they have Moses and the prophets," meaning their writings – 2 Corinthians 3:15.

(5) Instrument for effect. Deuteronomy 17:6 – "at the mouth of two or three witnesses," meaning their testimony. "The earth was corrupt," means the people – Genesis 6:11. "God so loved the world," means He loved the people – John 3:16. "Why persecutest thou me?" means rather, "Why do you persecute those who are mine?" "I was hungry and ye fed me – those who are mine.

(6) Land "mourns" – means untilled etc.

Romans 14:15 – "destroy not by thy meat" – example leads into idolatry.

Luke 2:27 – "came by the Spirit" – by the direction of the Spirit.

Matthew 10:34 – "came to send a sword" – stands for disturbance.

(d) Synecdoche. Similar to metonymy, with this difference.

(1) A part is used for the whole; and the whole for a part.

Genesis 3:19 – "Sweat of the face" stands for the body; "bread," for food. Matthew 27:4 – "innocent blood," stands for the whole man.

Acts 27:37 – not only souls, but men.

Luke 16:23 – the spiritual part of the man.

John 19:24; Ecclesiastes 12:3; Jeremiah 8:7 – first used as representatives of the whole class to which they belong.

John 20:2 – "then laid they Jesus" – the body of Jesus. "They have taken away my Lord" – the body of my Lord.

(2) Plural sometimes used for singular, and singular for plural.

Judges 12:7 – Did not bury him in pieces, one in each city. Translators have added "one of the" to make it clear.

Genesis 14 – Lot did not dwell in all the cities of the plain, but in one – Genesis 19:29.

Isaiah 1:3 – Ox knows and ass knows – means all oxen and asses.

Joshua 24:12 – sent the hornet – meaning hornets.

1 Corinthians 14:19 – (speak five with and ten thousand without) means few and many.

Ecclesiastes 6:3 – One hundred children means a great many.

Exodus 20:6 – "thousand" means the whole number.

(e) Personification. Figure of speech whereby an inanimate object, an object of nature, an abstract idea are given attributes of life – Numbers 16:32 – "earth opened her mouth."

(f) Psalms 114:3-4; Job 3:10.

Anti-Personification. Living things are sometimes represented as dead. Mephibosheth said to David, "I am a dead dog." (Humility). A dead dog is not good for anything, but a dead horse is good for glue. – 2 Samuel 16:9 – Shimei called a dead dog.

(g) Apostrophe. From the Greek, "To turn" – means to turn away from the readers or hearers, addressing that which is absent as present, or addressing the inanimate or dead thing as living.

Psalms 114:5-8 – the sea is addressed.

Isaiah 51:9 -the arm of the Lord.

Isaiah 54:1-5 – Israel, the ’wife of Jehovah.

1 Corinthians 15:55 – death and the grave.

(h) Hyperbole. A rhetorical figure that might be set forth under the word "Exaggeration," or magnifying an object beyond reality. An overstatement used for the purpose of deep emphasis. No thought of deception.

Psalms 8:6 II Sam. 1:23 Judges 7:12 Jeremiah 9:1 Amos 9:14-15 Deuteronomy 1:28 John 21:25 Genesis 41:49 Psalms 22:6

(i) Other figures. Sarcasm and irony. (See Job) God said, "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?" Irony – Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Call louder, maybe your god is asleep."

(j) Parable. Means to throw alongside. Taking a story and using it to throw light on a subject. Two-fold reason for using the parable. ·

(a) To make truth known to the one who wants to know.

(b) To hide the truth from those who do not want to know. It is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. An extended simile. Do not make a parable out of something that is not a parable.

(k) The Fable. A brief story or tale introducing individuals or brute creation and endowing them with reason and speech. The oldest fable is the fable of Jotham, in Judges 9:7-20. It had to do with Jotham’s own day, but there may also be a lesson for the present. Israel is often called a tree – fig, olive, or a vine. The bramble, no doubt, represents the false Messiah – 2 Kings 14:8-10.

(l) The Riddle. Designed to puzzle and perplex the hearer. The most celebrated riddle is that of Samson in Judges 14:14.

(m) Contrast – Provo 11:1.

(n) Comparison – Psalms 84:10.