Page 31 - Bible Study Methods-Textbook_Neat

10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now
herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a
blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

The author of the lesson said this verse applied to all church members and attenders who were not
tithing or giving 10% of their gross income to the church – they were robbing God. And then he said
that the tithe belongs to the church because this verse commands people to bring their tithe into the
storehouse of God (which he said was the church).

It was obvious that the lesson writer had not studied this passage in context, ripped it out of its context,
and made the verses say things they did not really say, but what he wanted them to say.

Principle #2

Be careful to distinguish between literal [factual] and figurative [pictorial] language. When possible,
every verse should be understood literally, unless something in the verse expresses an obvious non-
literal application. Understand Scripture in its literal, normal, natural sense. Now
there will be figures of speech, but that’s normal language. There will be symbols,
but that’s normal language too. When you study apocalyptic passages like Zechariah,
Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah, and Revelation, you will read about beasts and images. Now
those are figures of speech and symbols, but they convey literal truth. Interpret the
Bible in its normal, natural sense. Otherwise, you’re taking an unnatural, abnormal,
nonsensical interpretation. For example, the rabbis said that if you take the
consonants of Abraham’s name, b-r-h-m, and add them up, you get 318. Therefore,
when you see the word Abraham, it means that he had 318 servants. That’s not what
it means. It means Abraham, the father of a multitude and the fulfillment of God’s
covenant of promise.

The language of the Bible reflects a culture and society quite different from modern English. "...medieval
scholastic theologians for almost a thousand years obscured the literal, historical meaning of Bible
passages with mystical interpretations". "Plowing a field" is literal language, while "plowing through a
huge workload" is figurative. An example: Jesus did not mean we should literally cut off our hands when
they err! Read Matthew 5:29-30.

Principle #3

When examining God’s Word, do not build doctrine based on historical events. Just
because someone did something in the Old or New Testament does not make it a
requirement for the church today. For example, quite often a historical event in the
Bible is used to create and support a church “doctrine.” We know that many
believers in the early church sold all their property and brought the proceeds to the
apostles (Acts 3: 32-35). Should local churches today require the selling of all
personal property as a requirement for church membership? To build a doctrine
based what a person did in Scripture is fallacious reasoning.

This argument is used when considering the Old Testament Law of the Tithe. Pastors
will tell you that the tithe preceded the law because both Abraham and Jacob tithed to the Lord.
Abraham offered up his son, Isaac, as a sacrifice on Mt. Moriah. Abraham lied twice about Sarah being

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