Accurate interpretation is all-important. If you don’t understand the German language, you’ll want a good interpreter when a relative visits from Germany. You’ll look for someone who’s trustworthy and an expert because you want to be certain you receive the communication your relative intends.
A friend gives you a funny look one day, and you labor over all the options that look could mean. You consider the context of the look and try to recall all you know about that friend because you want to interpret the “look” accurately.
Consider the following analogy. For many decades, the secret location of a possible treasure eluded searchers. It has recently, supposedly, been found. The story is that someone buried millions of dollars’ worth of gold and diamonds somewhere in Bavaria, and clues to its location are hidden in notations made on a score of music. If you desired to find that pile of valuables, you wouldn’t interpret the notations on that page based on gut feeling. You wouldn’t search based on whatever emotion hit you or whatever image came to your mind as you looked at that musical score. You wouldn’t waste time analyzing your dreams for important clues. You wouldn’t even allow your common sense or worldview to be the final measure for your interpretation. Instead, you would try to find out as much as you could about the man who wrote that page of music and notations, the time period and customs of his era, the meanings of all the individual markings on that page at the time they were written, the locations with which the writer was familiar, and the specifics of the treasure that was hidden. You would carefully research and study so that you would be able to determine exactly what that man intended to communicate about the location of the treasure.
Yet sometimes, when we have in our hands the greatest treasure of all, God’s Word, we allow emotions or gut feelings or mental images or our “common sense” to dictate our interpretation. When the Apostle Paul wrote to the Colossians, one of his concerns was the danger of false teaching which he knew was already in Laodicea, a city near them. He wrote, “For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face, that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive argument”(Colossians 2:1-4).
The Word of God is more important than the communication of a German relative and more concrete than any look your friend gives you. Ask God to help you understand its truth. Apply yourself to searching for the treasures it holds. Listen to the pastor who is faithful to preaching the Word of God. Review the Basics for Bible Study on this website. Consider taking an online Bible course from a college that promotes accurate interpretation. The value of the Word of God is immeasurable; but if we don’t carefully study and accurately interpret it, we’ll fall prey to false arguments and never appreciate the thrilling treasure within our reach every day of our lives.