In this post, we will consider the first piece in our Puzzle of Effective Bible Teaching. You can find the full puzzle on the resource page. The first piece is Respect the Author. Here we will consider how we might present as best we can the intended message of a Scripture passage.
There are two great mistakes committed when using the Bible.
1. Eliminating important ideas clearly intended by the text.
2. Reading into the text ideas and principles which are not clearly intended by the text.
This post on respecting the author of the text will focus mainly on mistake #2. If you have a Bible handy, turn in your Bible’s to 2 Chronicles 7:13. If not, I’ll provide the passage here.
2 Chronicles 7:12-15
Then the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 “If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, 14 and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 “Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place.
We are going to use this passage to practice Respecting the Author. But what does that mean? Respect the Author? There are 3 crucial questions we must ask as we study the Bible. These question are…
3 Crucial Questions
1. Who was the author? What was his situation?
2. Who was the audience? What was their situation?
3. What did the author intend to communicate to his audience at the time in which he was writing?
Of course, you probably know that effective Bible teaching requires much
more than just asking 3 questions. However, these three questions are
foundational to respecting the author. These three questions are similar to those that we should ask as teachers who want to instruct our hearers in the Scriptures.
1. What is my situation?
2. What is my audience’s situation?
3. What does the text say to us.
Yet, this is where Bible teaching can get a bit tricky if we are not careful.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 teaches us that all Scripture is given for our instruction. However, if we do not adequately respect the author and instead jump straight into asking questions about our situation, we are likely to come away with ideas and meanings which the original author did not intend.
Let’s begin with some practice of respecting the author as we study the Bible. This will help us see this importance even more. Take the next few minutes to
read 2 Chronicles 7:12-15 and answer the first question: Who was the author? What was his situation? After you have thought about this, pick up reading here again. Of course, under normal circumstances, we would take much more time to look into these things. But for the time that we have here, this will be a good practice.
Ok, now. Let’s consider some general answers to this first question.
1) Who was the author? What was his (Solomon) situation)?
A) The author is not stated, but tradition holds that Ezra wrote 2 Chronicles. Since we are unsure of the author in this case, we need to look at who was taking the lead role in the text. We see the LORD speaking to Solomon. Prior to this in chapter 7, Solomon prayed, offered sacrifices, and witnessed the glory of the LORD in the temple. All the sons of Israel bowed down on their faces and worshiped the LORD. Following this, the king and all the people offered sacrifices and praised God. There was a feast, dedicating the middle court of the house of the LORD. Finally, Solomon completed the house of the LORD. Solomon’s situation was that of a leader among the nation of Israel, God’s chosen people. He had completed an important work as the nation was poised to worship God well.
Now, take the next few minutes to read 2 Chronicles 7:12-15 and answer the
second question: Who was the audience? What was their situation?
Ok, now. Let’s consider some general answers to this second question.
2) Who was the audience? What was their situation?
A) This passage is written to/about the nation of Israel. When God said My people, He was referring to Israel, chosen by God to be a specific people for His own possession. It is not about any other nation of people in history. As we will see in a moment, we must keep these answers in view as we study and make application.
At this point also, keep in mind that if we get ahead of ourselves and begin asking those other good question…
What is my situation?
What is my audience’s situation?
What does the text say to us.
…we will lose site of what the text actually means. In the end, we may wind up misusing the passage as well.
Continuing our answer to question #2, note that the nation of Israel was prepared to gloriously worship God. However, throughout the Scriptures we see how the nation of Israel greatly struggled and failed to worship the LORD. In verse 13, it appears as though God knew what was to happen and graciously provided a warning and a solution to their future failure.
Finally, take the next few minutes to read 2 Chronicles 7:12-15 and answer the
third question: What did the author intend to communicate to his audience at the time in which he was writing?
Ok, now. Let’s consider some general answers to this third and final question.
3) What did the author intend to communicate to his audience at the time in which he was writing?
A.The message communicated to Solomon and the Israelites was basically this.
* You are commanded to worship Me, Yahweh.
* If you turn away from my statutes and commandments and serve other gods and worship them, I will remove you from the land and bring judgment upon you (drought, locusts, pestilence).
* After judgment, if you humble yourselves and pray and seek my face and turn from your wicked ways, I will hear you, forgive you, and heal your land of the judging drought, locusts, and pestilence.
Ok. Now. Let’s imagine that we have committed the necessary time to study through these three questions and are ready to make application. Though Practical Application is another piece in our Puzzle of Effective Bible Teaching, thinking about application for a moment right now will help us see the importance of respecting the author throughout the process of preparing to teach.
2 Chronicles 7:14 is an ideal passage to use in this discussion because it has often fallen prey to our struggles to handle the Bible well. More often than not, this passage is taught and applied in a way similar to this:
*The United States is a Christian nation. We are God’s people.
*We have fallen into moral, political, and cultural trouble.
*God has promised in 2 Chronicles 7:14 that if we, as God’s nation, will humble ourselves, pray, seek God’s face and turn from our wicked ways, God will hear us and answer us and heal our land.
Here’s an important question. Is that what God intended for this passage? Is that what this passage is about? Is this use of 2 Chronicles 7:14 in bounds or out of bounds? Does this approach to the Bible show adequate respect for the author of the text?
This common use of the passage is a good example of jumping the gun by starting
with…
What is my situation?
What is my audience’s situation?
What does the text say to us.
…rather than our 3 crucial question for Respecting the Author.
Beware when you hear or see a verse separated from its context. A passage of Scripture should never be understood apart from its relationship to
chapter, book, and Bible. Think about some of the questions that are raised by this verse being interpreted without context.
What does this verse have to do with the gospel of Jesus Christ and the New Covenant in His blood? If American Christians repent, are they to expect no more drought, locusts, and pestilence? If we fail to repent, will God kick us off our continent? Should we be worshiping God in a special temple?
Some will say, “But in America we have a spiritual drought, political locusts, and moral pestilence.” Again, remember that this passage is not an allegory. It is not like the Chronicles of Narnia. This is a literal passage of Scripture. We certainly can gain from the passage that God values humility, prayer, and repentance. If these are the principles we want to teach, there are many other passages to consider which do not require such acrobats.
All of this to say “It is important to Respect the Author.” As you study the Bible, make good use of these three crucial questions. They will help you arrive at the true meaning of the Bible and lead you to a God-honoring application for your life.
3 Crucial Questions
1. Who was the author? What was his situation?
2. Who was the audience? What was their situation?
3. What did the author intend to communicate to his audience at the time in which he was writing? 
*originally posted November 30, 2010
