读经三步骤（Vern Poythress）Interpreting the Bible in 3Simple Steps
作者：溥卓思（Vern Poythress） 译者：骆鸿铭
问三类问题
我们坐下来，以最简单的方式来阅读圣经，并且把焦点放在这个事实上：上帝与我们同在，并透过我们所读的对我们说话。我们来考量一种三个步骤的读经方法：观察、解释、应用。
观察是回答「经文说了什麽？」解释是回答「这是什麽意思？」应用则是回答「对我有什麽意义？」
以下是以撒母耳记上廿二章1-2节为例。
观察
1. 大卫要去哪里？
2. 谁会与他同去？
3. 他们都是哪一类人？
4. 大卫与跟随他的人是什麽关係？
解释
1. 大卫打哪儿来，他为什麽要来？
2. 大卫为何身陷危难之中？（提示：见先前的经文，撒上十八6-9）
3. 人们为何会受激励而到大卫那儿，加入大卫？
4. 这段经文如何说明人们如何看待大卫？
5. 它如何说明大卫负起了责任？
6. 它如何说明大卫的领导才能？
7. 上帝对大卫的未来有什麽计划？（提示：见撒上十六2、13）
8. 有关大卫身边的群体生活，我们看到了什麽？
9. 这段经文如何说明上帝如何眷顾大卫、眷顾这个群体？
10. 这段经文如何预示大卫未来的一位伟大子孙？（提示：见徒二30-31）
应用
1. 从大卫身上如何看到基督对你的看顾？
2. 这段经文如何预示你和基督的关係？如何预示其他人和基督的关係？这段经文如何暗示你应该如何发展你和基督的关係？
3. 大卫如何成为你的榜样？
4. 在大卫身旁的人如何成为你的榜样？
5. 这段经文对你和那些在苦难中的人的关係，作了什麽提示？
6. 这段经文如何预示了教会？
7. 这段经文如何预示了教会和教会外的人的关係，对你对教会外的人的态度有何暗示？
善用问题
我们可以为了个人的益处自己研读圣经，或是为带领小组或作简报作准备，或为了讲道而读经。无论是何种目标，一个人都可以问自己这三类关于观察、解释、应用的问题。
为了更完整地研读一段经文，我们可以预备一张活页纸，在这张纸上画上一个四栏的表格，或是画在文书处理器上。把最左边一栏填上经文，在这栏里把经文铺展开来，填满整栏（对于比较长的经文，我们可以用好几页纸）。其他三栏放在这最左边一栏的右边。这几栏分别是给观察、解释、应用留下的空间。
学生可以在这三栏里加上一些评注。
三步骤的好处
把研读圣经分成三个步骤，而不是将它视为只是一个单一的互动过程，这会有一个优点。在如何阅读圣经上，我们都有弱点和偏见。这三个步骤会帮助我们不会忽略释经的一个或多个层面，不会太快就跳到我们喜欢的部分。
有些人喜欢应用，很容易就跳到这部分，却没有花功夫完整思考这段经文究竟在说什麽。其他人会避免作应用，却倾向于思考、思考、再思考，而不对经文信息採取行动。对比之下，雅各告诉我们，应该确认我们会对所听到的採取行动：「只是你们要行道，不要单单听道，自己欺哄自己。」（雅一22；另参23-27节）。另一些人则是不断地阅读，却没有问自己这是什麽意思，以及如何应用。他基本上是留在观察的层次。
分成三个步骤会鼓励人用几种方式来查考经文，而不是忽略他们倾向于低估的层面。
作者溥卓思（Vern S. Poythress）是威斯敏斯特神学院新约释经学教授，他在那里任教已经将近四十年。除了获得六个学位之外，包括哈佛大学的哲学博士，和南非斯坦陵布什大学（University of
Stellenbosch）的神学博士。他是众多书籍、涵盖各种主题的文章的作者，包括圣经诠释、语言、科学等主题。他最新的着作是《在上帝的同在中读上帝的话：圣经诠释手册》（暂译）。
Interpreting
the Bible in 3 Simple Steps
This
post is adapted from Reading the Word of God in the Presence of God: A Handbook
for Biblical Interpretation by Vern Poythress.
3
Kinds of Questions
In
the simplest form, we sit down and read the Bible with a focus on the fact that
God is present and speaks to us through what we read. We consider a three-step
approach to studying the Bible. The three steps are observation, elucidation,
and application.
Observation
answers the question, “What does the text say?” Elucidation answers the
question, “What does it mean?” Application answers the question, “What does it
mean to me?”
Below
is an example, based on 1 Samuel 22:1–2.
Observation
1.
Where did David go?
2.
Who joined him?
3.
What kind of people were they?
4.
What was David’s relation to the people with him?
Elucidation
1.
Where did David come from and why?
2.
What caused David to be in danger? (hint: see preceding context; see 1 Sam.
18:6–9)
3.
Why might people be motivated to come and join David?
4.
What does the passage show about people’s view of David?
5.
What does it show about David taking responsibility?
6.
What does it show about David’s leadership?
7.
What was God’s plan for David’s future? (hint: see 1 Sam. 16:1–2, 13)
8.
What do we see about community life around David?
9.
How does the passage show God’s care for David and for the community?
10.
What does the passage foreshadow about a future greater son of David? (hint:
see Acts 2:30–31)
Application
1.
How is Christ’s care for you reflected in David?
2. In
what ways does the passage foreshadow your relation to Christ? Other people’s
relation to Christ? What does the passage imply about how your relation to
Christ should develop?
3. In
what ways does David serve as an example for you?
4. In
what ways do the people around David serve as an example for you?
5.
What does the passage suggest about your relation to those in distress?
6. In
what ways does the passage prefigure the church?
7. In
what ways might the passage prefigure the relation of the church to outsiders,
and what does it imply for your attitude toward outsiders?
Using
the Questions
A
person may study the Bible by himself for his personal benefit, or he may study
in order to prepare for leading a group or giving a presentation or a sermon.
For any of these goals, a person may ask himself the three types of questions,
concerning observation, elucidation, and application.
To
study a passage more fully, a person may prepare a worksheet, with four columns
on a single sheet of paper or on a word processor. He then fills the far
left-hand column with the text of the passage, spreading the passage out within
the column so that it fills the whole column (or, for longer passages, a person
can use the left-hand column of multiple pages). To the right of the far
left-hand column are three other columns. These columns have space that will
contain observations, elucidations, and applications, respectively. Then the
student adds comments on the passage in the other three columns.
The
Value of 3 Steps
Breaking
the study of the Bible into three steps, rather than seeing it as all one
process of interaction, has an advantage. We all have weaknesses and biases in
how we look at Scripture. The three steps help people not to overlook one or
more aspects of interpretation as they hurry to get to their favorite part.
One
person loves application, and tends to leap into it without taking time to
think through what the passage is really saying. Another person avoids
application, and tends to think and think and think without ever acting on the
message. By contrast, James tells us that we should make sure that we act on
what we hear: “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves”
(James 1:22; see also vv. 23–27). Still another person reads and reads, without
asking himself about what it means or how it applies. He remains largely on the
level of observation.
The
division into three steps encourages people to look at the passage in several
ways, and not to neglect aspects that they tend to minimize.
Vern
S. Poythress is professor of New Testament interpretation at Westminster
Theological Seminary, where he has taught for nearly four decades. In addition
to earning six academic degrees, including a PhD from Harvard University and a
ThD from the University of Stellenbosch. He is the author of numerous books and
articles on a variety of topics, including biblical interpretation, language,
and science. His most recent book is Reading the Word of God in the Presence of
God: A Handbook for Biblical Interpretation.