Bible Gateway has a list of most read Bible verses on their site. Some of these call out for context. To that point, last night a friend talked about the second most popular verse from this list because it’s often quoted without its context.
Jeremiah 29:10-14: This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”
Yes, the Lord has plans for us. That’s great, but what’s this about staying in Babylon for seventy years? What’s this about exile? Do American Christians have to fool with that part too?
And Galatians 5:2 isn’t on the favorites list. How could that be?
Great post, Phil.
Stand to Reason (STR.org) has a great little booklet called “Never Read a Verse” and it is outstanding.
I also love the approach to “what does this verse mean to you?” nonsense.
A great rhetorical tool my father used was a follow up question:
“What would this verse mean if you were dead?”
Ha! That’s a good question. Personal application is important, though. It’s too bad many take the question on applying a verse’s meaning to be a question on personal interpretation. R.C. Sproul called some Bible studies a sharing of ignorance.
Some people use the Bible the way a drunkard uses a lamp-post – for support rather than illumination.
Then again, since I don’t usually see any way to apply the Bible(1) to my own life, I shouldn’t be one to talk.
(1) My version, which is of course shorter than yours.
Whenever I see “Ezekiel 4:9 Bread” in the store (which is very good & healthy bread), I think to myself, “I’ll bet it isn’t Ezekiel 4:12 Bread, or even Ezekiel 4:15 Bread.” Look it up.
Nasty.
Speaking of that kind of thing, my wife was upset in college at the sight of little chocolate bars with bibles printed on them and a verse about the Word being sweet to the taste. I know there’s worse Xian junk out there, but I have been spared from it.