D5: The Hermeneutic (NT use of the OT - an introduction)

D5: The Hermeneutic (NT use of the OT - an introduction)

I. Example 1(a-b): Isaiah 11, 59 and Ephesians 6:14-17

Where did this imagery of armor come from for Paul (Ephesians 6:10-20)?

From being chained to a Roman soldier? Paul has been chained to Roman soldiers on numerous occas and so some suggest that he was in uenced to move from the lesser armor of a Roman soldier to the g

fl armor of a Christian. This is a good observation, one that is certainly a part of the explanation, but one does not supply the full answer. It is an incomplete explanation. Is Paul primarily motivated by looking lesser armor? Is there a better explanation for where this imagery came from for Paul?

Paul’s illustration moves not from the lesser to the greater, but is fixed on the greatest!

A better explanation for where this imagery came from for Paul is Scripture. In particular,

Isaiah 11 and 59. Paul is a biblical thinker. His own thoughts are formed, shaped, shaded and in uenced by the Old Testa

fl That’s just the kind of man that Paul was.

Isaiah 11 and 59 reveal that Messiah and YHWH are wearing armor. So, Paul is not moving from a lesser armor in order to highlight a greater armor. He is already xed on

fi greatest armor which just happens to also be available for the Christian.

Consider the context and influence of Isaiah 11:1-5 on Paul’s thinking in Ephesians 6:14.

(See The MacArthur Bible Commentary)

. Though the Davidic dynasty appeared as decimated as the Assyrian army, there is yet life in “the stump” of it,

11:1. “Branch” is a title for Messiah. The Messianic King will still come e though all looks bleak now. The coming Messiah will reign with the fullness of God’s Spirit,

11:2. And when He comes, He will not have to rely on the natural way that earthly kings normally discover and interpret happenings around them. He will supernaturally know everything and act accordingly,

11:3. Israel has primarily neglected justice, fairness and so the poor and a icted have not found Israel to be their help

ffl God intended. Messiah, in His coming reign will reverse all of that,

11:4a. Messiah’s reign over the nations will be forceful. The wicked will come to their just end under His powerful reign,

11:4b. The belt for a warrior-king helped him gather his loose garments together which prepared him for battle. Messiah will be prepared con ict and justice with righteousness and faithfulness (or truth),

fl 11:5. There is a day coming, according to Isaiah 11:1-5 in which the nations will know Messiah’s judgment and justice in a way they currently do no know. On that day, the victorious and reigning Messiah will be wearing a belt of righteousness and faithfulness (can also be translated “truth”) about His waist. Most likely, this is what is lling Paul’s m

fi he mentions girding “your loins with truth” in

Ephesians 6:14.

Consider the context surrounding Isaiah 59:17 and its influence on Paul’s thinking in Ephesians 6:14, 17.

(See The MacArthur Bible Commentary

). Captive Israel is languishing because of their eagerness to sin. But even still, experiencing such humiliation and discipline from YHWH, they are not beyond the reach of YHWH’s p save and restore them,

59:1-8. Israel, recognizing that his own sins and rebellion have caused his demise, h experiences injustices and stumbling with no one to help,

59:9-15a. But YHWH has seen, and it was displeasing in His sight that there was no justice and no man to intercede,

59:15b-16. So YHWH will take on Himself to change Israel’s condition,

59:16b. YHWH is armed heavily for the task of delivering His people and for taking vengeance on His enemies (“righteousness like a breastplate” and “a helmet of salvation o head”),

59:17a. YHWH is heavily armed for both the deliverance of Israel and for executing decisive judgm against all rebellious nations,

59:17b-18. Worldwide worship of YHWH will be inspired because of this awesome deliverance and judgment executed,

59:19-20. This is going to be a divine payback that YHWH’s enemies had not (and still have not) yet known. At that time, on that day, YHWH will clothe Himself for It is very reasonable to assume that this is what is lling Paul’s mind when he mentions “having put o

fi breastplate of righteousness” (

Ephesians 6:14b) and “take the helmet of salvation” ( Ephesians 6:17a).

The big question with possible answers: How might Paul be using these OT texts? The HS is o ering:

ff As Paul wrote NT truth under the expiration of the HS, certainly OT ideas, concepts and truth (like Mess and YHWH’s armor) in uenced his writings in a number of ways. Sometimes the HS designed the exp

fl words of the NT writer to be:

1. The direct fulfillment of an OT Scripture

. But it is di cult to see how Ephesians 6 ffi

is a ful llment of either passage in Isaiah when the language of Isaiah is taken normally. At other times,

fi expired words of the NT writer are:

2. An explanation (interpretation) of (or commentary on) an OT Scripture. But this would appear to assign a new meaning foreign to the original meaning in both Isaiah passages when ta normally. Direct ful llment and explanation of an OT text are not the only ways that the HS can use His fi words in the OT through a NT writer like Paul. We would propose to you that oftentimes the HS uses O ideas, phrases, concepts and truths that are in the mind of a biblical NT writer to simply inspire (expire!) 3.) NEW revelation and truth that was unknowable up to that point the NT writer wrote.

Biblical men (like Paul), thought biblical thoughts that the HS utilized in writing NT revelation.

Our hermeneutic constrains us to an explanation that doesn’t override the original meaning. Conside explanation: Paul knows that both Messiah and YHWH have a day for deliverance of Israel and Persona victory on this earth that will be unparalleled. And Paul, as a NT writer who is under the expiration of th is now revealing in Ephesians new truth for the church – that God’s very armor that He will wear in vict that great day yet to come, is NOW in THIS day, given to NT believers to put on in their daily ght again

fi God’s enemy. The OT meanings from

Isaiah 11 and 59 still stand: God will, on that day which is still yet to come, be victorious over all His enemies in that same armor. Paul’s meaning in Ephesians 6 is, in this believer in Messiah will stand rm against God’s enemies in that same armor. This NT meaning does n

fi undo the OT’s meaning. The 2 stand equally side-by-side. And this NT meaning is not a reinterpretat even an explanation of what

Isaiah 11 and 59 meant for the original audience.

What are the implications of #3?

Again, the OT meaning is by no means undone by the NT writer, but it continues to stand on its own, pointing to its unique meaning; still awaiting its unique ful llment if it is prophetic. The NT passage, whi

fi borrows ideas and words and quotations from the OT passage, equally stands, and the NT writer’s new expired concept which borrowed some of that OT language equally stands next to it in the canon. But NOT the direct ful llment of that OT passage and it may not even be an explanation of that OT passage

fi still await the ful llment of that OT passage.

fi

What di erence does this make on the context of Ephesians 6:10-20?

ff

Paul’s use of Messiah’s and YHWH’s armor in connection to the believer in the church should gene enormous amount of con dence in daily living and in pursuit of holiness of life in the face of the devil a

fi henchmen. If Messiah and YHWH will be victorious someday in that armor, how much more so can the believer in the church be con dent of victory today! Also, this should make the NT believer in the churc

fi long for that day yet to come when Messiah and YHWH will reign on earth victoriously with their mighty armor on. Our ght for holiness of life against the schemes of the devil serve to remind us that a much

fi greater ght is yet to come in which holiness will supremely reign on earth through Messiah and YHWH

fi grateful as we are to wear Messiah’s armor now, we’d much rather see it on Him then, as He stands on earth.

II. Example 2(a-b): Psalm 68 and Ephesians 4:8

What is the focal point of the context in Ephesians 4:7 ?

ff

Gifts and giving are mentioned in

Ephesians 4:7. Then in 4:8-10 all the focus is on the One who gave the gifts! What does that reveal? In

Ephesians 4 :7ff Paul makes clear that the gifts given to the uni ed members of His fi

body are more about the greatness of the victorious and ascended Christ (Messiah) than they are abou members of His body. They are given to make a statement about the ascended Messiah. Something is Paul’s mind that generates such thinking; that illustrates such a point. What? Messiah’s loftiness. M exaltedness has solidly been on Paul’s mind throughout this letter (

Eph 1:10, 20-23; 2:6; etc.). Paul has made it very clear that Christ is supremely victorious in God’s plan of salvation and His ascending into heaven of that supreme victory. So, Paul thinks on the connection between Christ’s great victory evidenced b ascension on high and our gifts in the body.

What has influenced Paul to focus on this theme (Messiah’s victory)?

This whole concept or theme of Messiah’s victory in Ephesians is actually within a line of trajectory of o victories that God has achieved in the past for His people. Something similar to this great victory has occurred at other times in the past in God’s redemptive plan. And Paul, being a biblical man, is aware Being overwhelmed by Christ’s great victory that is evidenced by His ascension on high, Paul leans on reference to punctuate Christ’s supreme victory which is in the long line of victories God has had prior

Consider the context of Psalm 68:18.
Psalm 68:18 and its context (see
The MacArthur Bible Commentary
). This psalm may have come out of David’s

celebratory restoration of the ark to Jerusalem (

2 Sm 6:12-15). The psalm expresses boasting in YHWH because of His care for Israel and for His majesty over all. The mountain of Bashan with its many peaks was thou be a rival to the special mountain of God that was chosen for the special presence of God (Zion),

Psalm 68:15-16. YHWH was a mighty warrior with a stunning army of chariots (uncountable!). And like He was another lofty mountain in the past in victory (Sinai), so here at this special mountain of His presence He mighty, victorious warrior,

68:17. A climactic description of the victorious ascension of God at Mount Zion is Jerusalem is given in

68:18. Victory themes associated with Mount Zion in Jerusalem are used (“ascending high” = victory; “leading captives” = victory; “receiving gifts” or the spoil of war = victory). This is might dwell there on high in victory on that lofty mountain. The primary theme in view here is God’s v Remember, this passage already has a trajectory of victory built into it (from victory at Sinai to victory at

How might Paul be using Psalm 68:18 in Ephesians 4:8?

So what does Paul do in

Ephesians 4:8? Being lled with biblical themes just such as these, he makes use of fi

the theme in Psalm 68:18 by using SOME words and ideas associated with the theme of

Psalm 68:18, but NOT by quoting Psalm 68:18 exactly (directly?). Clearly,

Ephesians 4:8 is not a direct and exact quote of Psalm 68:18.

There are signi cant di erences. So, it doesn’t appear as if Paul is trying to interpret

fi ff Psalm 68:18 either.

As Paul thinks on the victorious ascension of Christ into the heavenly places, “far above all rule and aut and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but in the one to come” (

Ephesians 2:21), it dwarfs the victory of God achieved at Mount Zion in Jerusalem in David’s day (possibly Solomon’s). This victory of Messiah that Paul is writing about towers over that prior victory. quoting it directly and speci cally and exactly for THIS more glorious ascension of Christ will simply NOT

fi

So Paul takes the theme of

Psalm 68 – the theme of God’s victory evidenced in ascending a physical mount – and He traces that line of trajectory out to show that Christ’s victory in His more glorious ascension i line, but yet even greater. There are certainly similarities between God’s prior victories: an ascension captives have been taken captive (probably a reference to evil authorities and powers now under Christ boot, Eph 2:22a), and gifts.

How are members of the body of Christ to view the foundational gifts of the church in relation to Psalm 68:18?

As directly connected to and coming from the One who accomplished this greater victory that Paul has describing in Ephesians. God’s victories on behalf of His people in the past, which included victoriousl ascending physical mountains, point to this greater victory of God in Jesus Christ. He ascended NOT up mountain, but INTO the heavenly places! The words describing those prior victories, like in

Psalm 68:18, can’t fully express everything Paul has in mind. But the THEME reference in

Psalm 68:18 can be accessed. Since the words of Psalm 68:18 fall short to describe Christ’s present, victorious ascension, Paul, under the expiratio the HS supplies new wording which appropriately ts Christ’s victorious ascension into the heavenly pl

fi

What di erence does this make in Ephesians 4?

ff

The foundational gifts for the church did not come from a neighbor who tinkers around in his cluttered garage. These gifts did not come from the quirky lady at the Y hosting a craft class. These gifts didn’t out of a garage, from a work bench, nor from the YMCA. These gifts came from the most exalted being has ascended to the highest throne above all thrones – Messiah. These gifts say more about Him than say about us!

Under the inspiration of the HS, Paul now wishes to show something di erent here with the gifts in Christ’s victorious a

ff Christ GAVE gifts, NOT RECEIVED gifts from the spoils of His victory.

Paul’s whole point is that Christ’s victorious ascent is to be understood in close connection with His g gifts to believers in the church. At the outset of Paul’s discussion about gifts, He can’t take His eyes exalted greatness of the ascended King and Giver of the gifts – Messiah.

How then are Psalm 68:18 and Ephesians 4:8 related to each other in Scripture?

The OT meaning in Psalm 68:18 still stands as it was originally delivered. But now, alongside it in the Ca Scripture stands another text in the NT (Ephesians 4:8). In some ways the NT text is similar to the OT te in other ways it is signi cantly di erent. But the two texts equally stand side by side. The NT meaning i

fi ff Ephesians 4:8 does not reinterpret Psalm 68:18, nor is it an explanation of Psalm 68:18, nor is it a ful llm

fi Psalm 68:18. Under what circumstances could an OT text be actually changed in the NT? ONLY when t inspired a writer to borrow part of the language or access a theme in that OT text with a change for an entirely new inspired text. Under what circumstances would a change to an OT text ever be considered reinterpretation? An assigning of a new meaning? Would you ever view a later change to prior words spoke to be a reinterpretation? An assigning of a new meaning to your words? No. Why do we do tha God’s words?

Quali er: Handle each NT use of the OT case by case.

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See diagram. . .