STRANGER THAN FICTION: A TRUE STORY
A young couple from another church came to one of our assistant pastors for counseling about marital problems they started having soon after their wedding. After just a few minutes of interviewing the two, he could see they were miles apart in tastes, ideas, and opinions. "What made the two of you get married?" he asked.
"A sermon our pastor preached on Joshua conquering Jericho."
"What did that have to do with getting married?"
"Well," explained the husband, "Joshua and his army claimed Jericho, marched around it seven times, and the walls fell down. Our pastor told us that if we trusted God, claimed a certain young girl and marched around her seven times, the walls of her heart would collapse, and she would be willing to marry. So I did it, and we got married."
Our assistant pastor stared in disbelief. Was this man putting him on? No, indeed. In fact, several couples in that particular church had gotten married on the same basis after hearing the same sermon. This amazing story illustratates that, first of all, people can become extremely confused on what the Bible means and what to do about it. And second, the interpretation and application of Scripture is crucial to life decisions.
(Source: John MacArthur, How to Get the Most from God's Word. From Chris Jordan's Sermon "Bible Research #4--Step #2 (Interpretation) & Step #3 (Application)")