Literal means what you read is exactly what it is, such as “The man was at the precipice.”, and within context it meant a man was standing on the edge of a cliff.
Figurative is not an exact meaning, but rather uses words to express a thought, such as “The man was at the precipice.”, but within context it meant the man was about to make a life-changing decision.
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The Bible is full of both literal and figurative statements, so (as is necessary any time you want to interpret the Bible) you need to always consider the passage within the complete context.
For example, in 1 Kings 3:28, we are told that all Israel heard the judgement of the king (Solomon), referring to the famous decision to cut the child in half in order to reveal the true mother. Now, let’s get real- obviously, all of Israel couldn’t have heard that judgement because they weren’t all there when he made it. Of course, after time, the event could have been spread throughout the land, but even so, it is almost impossible that every, single Israeli throughout the entire land heard of it. The statement meant that people learned of his judgement.
And there are other times when we are told all of Israel was there, such as when Moses came down from the mountain. Do you really believe that over one million people were able to gather at the foot of the mountain?
Or when, in 2 Kings, we read of how King Josiah read the Torah to all the people. C’mon, are we to believe that millions of people were there in Jerusalem, and that they all heard the Torah being read from that platform?
I don’t think so!
And when Yeshua (Jesus) talks about how he and the Father are one in John 10:30; many believe that Yeshua is claiming to be God, but in the context of his statements (before and after saying that), it is clear he is talking figuratively. He tells us he does and says only what the Father tells him to do and say, so when he says if we see him (Yeshua), we see the Father, he is speaking figuratively.
We often say that we are all one in the body of the Messiah, but does that mean we are all the Messiah? If we do as Yeshua said to do and act as Yeshua acted, does that mean we are him?
Of course not, he was speaking figuratively.
Now, when he calls the money-changers a “den of robbers”, he meant exactly that- they were, in fact, robbing the people. But, when he called the Pharisees “white-washed sepulchers”, I think everyone can agree he meant that figuratively.
So, here’s the point: when you read the Bible, you need to make sure you are taking things in the proper context, and using a little seykhl (Yiddish for common sense) to determine if what you are reading is to be taken literally or figuratively.
And try to ignore what you have been told things mean; instead, ask God to guide you to the understanding he wants you to have. Too often, we have been conditioned by our parents, our religious leaders, and friends to already know what the Bible says, and we don’t even bother to question it. I believe the real reason for not questioning the Bible is not because we are faithful, but because we are lazy and frightened to find out what we think we know is not the truth.
Hosea said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6), and that can mean total ignorance of what the Bible says, or knowing the Bible, but refusing to accept that something may be different from what you have already been told.
Look, we need to know what we read in the Bible truly means, and the more people you ask, the more “truths” you will be told. I give you what I believe to be true, and why I believe it, but you have to be sure, for yourself, because no matter what you are told, or by whom, God will hold you accountable for whatever you do, so PLEASE!!!… make sure that what you do is because of what YOU believe something means, and don’t just go along with what someone told you it means.
Always question, always be open to a new interpretation or meaning, and always read the Bible so that you know what the Bible says, to allow you to make an informed decision about what you will believe. The truth can stand up to anything, but lies will be found out, eventually.
The problem is finding out you were lied to when it is too late to do anything about it.
The purpose of this ministry is to tell you what you need to know so that you can make an informed decision about where you will spend eternity, but it is up to you to choose what you will believe.
And what you choose to believe will determine what you do throughout your life.
So, let me leave you with this one thought: When you come before God, as we all will, and say “I just did what they told me to do.”, I can’t speak for the Almighty, but I believe he might say something to this effect…
“I know you just did what they told you to do, but it’s what I say that counts.”
Thank you for being here, and please remember to share these messages with everyone you know, including non-believers. After all, you never know how fertile the soil is until you plant a seed in it.
That’s it for this week, so l’hitraot and (an early) Shabbat Shalom!