How does a New Testament believer handle an Old Testament passage? There are, of course, several things to consider. The primary principle, however, is that one must sift an OT passage through the NT. The teachings of Jesus and the Apostles must always be considered before meaning is determined.
Take for example Psalm 109, one of the most interesting in the Psalter in my opinion. It is one of the many Psalms of David in which the king prays for God to bless him and to curse his enemies:
Set a wicked man over him, and let an accuser stand at his right hand. When he is judged, let him be found guilty, and let his prayer become sin. Let his days be few, and let another take his office. Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow. Let his children continually be vagabonds, and beg; let them seek their bread also from their desolate place. Let the creditor seize all that he has, and let strangers plunder his labor…let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out [vv.6-11,14].
The above verses are just an example of the judgments David hopes the Lord will rain down upon his enemies. At the same time, David asks Yahweh to deal with me for Your name's sake; because Your mercy is good, deliver me [v. 21].
Taken in isolation a Christian would be able to defend praying the same way for his enemies. But as mentioned above, an OT passage can never be interpreted without taking the NT into consideration. After all, Christians are not OT believers.
When placing Psalm 109 beside the NT what does the interpreter learn? What does the NT teach? Obviously it is very fine for a believer to pray for God to bless him and to protect him. But should a Christian pray for God to curse his enemies in the vein of Psalm 109? The answer to that question is no.
You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven…
[Matthew 5:43-45].
Jesus taught His follower not to pray against
his enemies but for them. The Lord lived what He taught as He prayed for his own enemies as He was nailed to the cross [Luke 23:34].
Thus what Jesus does is what we often see when one takes an OT passage and sifts it through the NT—the NT principle is more stringent. Which is tougher—praying against one's enemies or for them? The answer is obvious. Thankfully God did not leave us to ourselves to fulfill this command. The Holy Spirit within us enables us for one slice of His fruit is love [Gal 5:22]. The Spirit enables the Christian to do what is impossible otherwise.
In sum, do not interpret an OT passage in isolation. Only after taking the NT into consideration has one done Christian hermeneutics. Always place an OT passage beside the NT to discern the meaning of a text for the believer. Remember, Jesus is the fulfillment of the law [Matthew 5:17].
No comments:
Post a Comment