Biblical Hermeneutics

PRINCIPLES OF BIBLICAL HERMENETICS ; M. M. NINAN
Old: "These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: Do not go among the
Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you
go, preach this message: "The kingdom of heaven is near"" (Matthew 10:5-7).
"Jesus answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel"" (Matthew 15:25).
New: "And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to me in
heaven and on earth. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I
commanded you. I am with you always, even to the end of the age"" (Matthew 28:18-20).
If one does not recognize the progressive nature of God's revelation to humankind then they
will be forced to admit contradictions in Scripture. There are a number of passages that are
at odds with each other if not understood in their historical setting. This is essentially the
reason for the development of Covenant Theology and Dispensation Theology.
It may at first seem almost impossible to believe, but God Himself admitted that He gave
Israel evil laws:
Eze 20:24-26 "because they had not done My judgments, but had despised My sabbaths
and had profaned My sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers' idols. Also I gave
them statutes not good, and judgments by which they should not live. And I defiled them in
their own gifts, in that they caused all that open the womb to pass through the fire, that I
might waste them, to the end that they might know that I am Jehovah."
God gave them up to their own human ways as though the people themselves were
responsible for devising those statutes and judgments. Unless we realize that these
revelations were not absolute revelation of God just blurred, but accomodated revelation.
What is accomodated revelation?
When God wants to reveal, He has to talk in the langugage of the people. It is through this
communication alone God can bring in the redemption. I have used the example of
language, but it is not just the language but the whole nature, individuality, culture, tribal
and historical situation. In a world which was deeply based on tribal war fare, retaliation,
connivance and subotage God has to accomodate the context to lead them. The point is that
the jews paid for their foolishness and tribal wars, but through it all God brought mankind
out of this hellish life to a more sober one. Not that it is perfect but the only force that
brought Man to this far had been the incarnation and the message of Jesus who lived among
us and took the consequence of that even to the cross. Can anyone else claim this
achievement?
137