(Slide 1) John MacArthur tells the following 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 illustrates 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: www.sermoncentral.com © 2009)
Think that is mind-boggling? How about this story.
In 1995, a 21-year-old man was sentenced to two years’ probation in Kelowna, British Columbia, for hitting and choking his girlfriend into unconsciousness. The fight started in a car when the two disagreed over his interpretation of a certain passage from the Bible, and he reached over and smacked her in the face, blackening her eye. (source: www.sermoncentral.com © 2009)
Our main text for this morning is 2 Timothy 2:14-18 which says:
“Remind everyone of these things, and command them in God’s name to stop fighting over words. Such arguments are useless, and they can ruin those who hear them. Work hard so God can approve you. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. Avoid godless, foolish discussions that lead to more and more ungodliness. This kind of talk spreads like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are examples of this. They have left the path of truth, preaching the lie that the resurrection of the dead has already occurred; and they have undermined the faith of some.” (NLT)
I want us to keep in mind the last sentence of verse 15 as go through this sermon (Slide 2):
Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.
Vital to understanding and applying the Bible is a correct reading and study of it. Without it, we can end up as the people just mentioned. It is very important to study the Bible correctly.
Now having just said that, I want to ease our minds and hearts this morning with the fact that we also have the Holy Spirit to help us do this correctly and that good Bible study goes better when it is done in a group. I think and believe there is a place for solo reading and study but done in a group, Bible study becomes a vital part of your spiritual growth.
And this morning, we are going to have some practice at it!
This is going to be a hands-on, or rather, a “minds-on” sermon. You are going to divide into groups and spend 15 minutes studying a passage of scripture together. You will pick one person to be your reporter who will share your group’s answers to the questions that will appear on the screen.
We will all be studying the same passage together and I will share that passage in a moment. But, I want to first share an outline that comes, as I have it, from the pen of Pastor David Durey who breaks Bible study down into a four step process:
(Slide 3)
Bible study starts with Observation: What does it say? Then we move on to step 2 with Interpretation: What does it mean? Then we move on to step 3 with Correlation: How does it fit with the Bible as a whole? Finally, we end with Application: How do I use it in my life? (Source: David Durey, Steps Toward Spiritual Maturity, Foundation of Hope, Portland, Oregon © 1996)
You have this four-step guide on a half-page insert in your bulletin so that you can use it in your group today and then at home as well.
Now I am going to give you advance warning that the passage I have picked to have you study is a challenging one. But, I picked it for a reason that I will share at the conclusion of this message.
Now, I want us to divide into (4 or 5) groups. Go ahead and do so.
Okay, select one person to be your group reporter. This person will share what you have discovered in your study today.
Now, select your group leader. This is someone other than your group reporter. They will lead the discussion.
Finally, select your group writer. This person is to write down your group’s final answers to the questions.
Okay, here are your questions. (Refer to ½ sheet) Read the passage, then start down the list and come up with one answer to each question. You have 15 minutes.
Here is the passage Esther 1:10-22
Go ahead find the passage, read it to yourselves then start answering the questions.
Give 15 minutes…
Okay, let’s go through each question.
(Slide 4) What does the passage say? (Feedback from the congregation.)
(Slide 4a) Here is what I think that it says. A half-drunk king tries to parade his wife and she refuses. The result is that she is no longer queen and that a decree is passed to help the King save face and the men to get and demand respect from their wives.
(Slide 5) What does the passage mean? (Feedback from the congregation.)
(Slide 5a) Here is my take: Our choices have consequences for one self and others.
(Slide 6) How does the passage fit with the Bible as a whole? (Feedback from the congregation.)
(Slide 6a) This is my view: This passage fits with the
Bible as a whole because when it is placed within the message of Esther, we see God’s sovereignty at work so that His plan of salvation is accomplished.
(Slide 7) How do I use this passage in my life? (Feedback from the congregation.)
(Slide 7a) My thought is this: This passage serves as a reminder to me that when I follow the Lord, I avoid unnecessary problems and conflicts.
I commend your for your work and I believe that you will be enriched through this activity this morning as you take this process into your future Bible study.
Now, I picked this passage for a reason to illustrate two areas of concern in Bible study.
Years ago, I remember reading in a book written by a former seminary professor about healthy and Biblical marital relationships, a story he shared about this passage.
He was attending a men’s Bible study at a large and respected church and this was the passage up for discussion that day. The teacher, who was (and I reconfirmed this with another look in the book that I still have) an oil executive, said, “This is God’s plan for families” and he read the final four verses of this passage. “So if it please the king, we suggest that you issue a written decree, a law of the Persians and Medes that cannot be revoked. It should order that Queen Vashti be forever banished from your presence and that you choose another queen more worthy than she. When this decree is published throughout your vast empire, husbands everywhere, whatever their rank, will receive proper respect from their wives!”
The king and his princes thought this made good sense, so he followed Memucan’s counsel. He sent letters to all parts of the empire, to each province in its own script and language, proclaiming that every man should be the ruler of his home.”
How can this be God’s plan for families? It’s in the Bible, Jim! And so because it is it is God’s word, it is God’s plan for families.
Hang on for a moment. (Or, two)
Here is where the first area of concern comes. (Slide 8) Context. Let’s review the context of these final four verses by starting with verse 1 of this chapter and read through verse 9: “This happened in the days of King Xerxes, who reigned over 127 provinces stretching from India to Ethiopia. At that time he ruled his empire from his throne at the fortress of Susa. In the third year of his reign, he gave a banquet for all his princes and officials. He invited all the military officers of Media and Persia, as well as the noblemen and provincial officials. The celebration lasted six months—a tremendous display of the opulent wealth and glory of his empire.
When it was all over, the king gave a special banquet for all the palace servants and officials—from the greatest to the least. It lasted for seven days and was held at Susa in the courtyard of the palace garden. The courtyard was decorated with beautifully woven white and blue linen hangings, fastened by purple ribbons to silver rings embedded in marble pillars. Gold and silver couches stood on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and other costly stones. Drinks were served in gold goblets of many designs, and there was an abundance of royal wine, just as the king had commanded. The only restriction on the drinking was that no one should be compelled to take more than he wanted. But those who wished could have as much as they pleased, for the king had instructed his staff to let everyone decide this matter for himself.
Queen Vashti gave a banquet for the women of the palace at the same time.”
Then we come to the beginning of our passage. “On the seventh day of the feast, when King Xerxes was half drunk with wine, he told Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven eunuchs who attended him, to bring Queen Vashti to him with the royal crown on her head. He wanted all the men to gaze on her beauty, for she was a very beautiful woman.”
What, therefore, do these first ten verses out of Esther 1 say? The King threw one whale of a party that lasted several months and included a great deal of wine, as much as one wanted to drink.
What then does this mean? In a half-drunken state, the King asks the Queen to do something that culturally put her in a bind. Her refusal embarrasses and angers the King. So, to help him save face and not appear powerless and weak, they draft a decree (a law) that banishes the queen from his presence forever. This will keep order and the wives under control.
How can this be God’s plan for families? A half-drunk and pagan King, whose nation had invaded and conquered the remnant of Israel, asks his wife to parade in front of men and when she refuses, he gets mad and finds a way to put her, and then all of the women under his rule, in their places so that there are no problems. (Yes, the Bible says some very important things about husband and wives and we read that in the New Testament but the context is very different than this one.)
As we study the Bible, we need to understand the context of what we are reading and studying before we start to interpret what we are reading. If we don’t, then we can come out at a spot where were not supposed to come out.
Please take the time to read what is before and after the verse and passage, you are studying. It is vital to good Bible study.
I am ending at this point and will begin next week with my second concern (Slide Eight a) Cultural Background. Actually, it is not a concern but rather an important part of good Bible study and application. We will return to these first chapters of Esther, and at least one other passage, and study the cultural, historic, and even geographic background of the Bible.
May God increase our desire to study and understand His work. Amen.
