Context and meaning
“When we read the Pentateuch, we see the text in the form it was given to the ancient Hebrews, as a legal and religious treatise to define their new nation, giving them a tradition they could rally around to unify the disparate and frequently quarreling tribes. But in application to the modern times and modern culture, it must be viewed through the transformative power of the NT, because the Pentateuch is not the last word of the bible, it’s actually the first word. But just like a word is changed by its context, so is the meaning of the Pentateuch changed as it is placed in the larger story of the bible as a whole.” — Daniel Summerhays.
I love the way this is phrased. Let’s look at that again.
…the Pentateuch is not the last word of the bible, it’s actually the first word.
And while I’m not saying it’s not authoritative in our lives, there is the sense of progressive revelation which changes the way we should read the Old Testament in the light of the new… and in light of the changes in culture from when Israel was founded to the society we live in now.
It’s not an accept-verbatim all-or-nothing scenario.
Because the critics are right. Why do you insist on some verses being followed verbatim but not others? Why do you insist on the authority of the bible that should be followed closely (some from the OT), but ignore all the other rules in the OT?
Just like a word is changed by its context, so is the meaning of the Pentateuch changed as it is placed in the larger story of the bible as a whole.
So the questions, in their correct order, are:
- What did it mean to them in their culture?
- How does this relate to the Cross and the New Covenant?
- What then does it mean to me in my culture?
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