Sept 1, 2026
When I read a book, I am doing more than looking at a string of letters and words. I interpret. What I mean is that the author has an image or concept in mind. They then choose the right words to express that concept or convey the image. The words are then strung together into meaningful sentences and combined with others to extend their meaning. I must then take those sentences, consider their structure and order, and dissect them into words, phrases, and other components. In the end, if everything works well, I end up with the image or concept the author meant to relay.
The same is true for Bible Study. We must know the context, the meanings of words, and the purposes of grammatical structures. Hopefully, most of these come naturally from simply reading a good English translation. Such a translation seeks to do most of the heavy lifting in the interpretation process. However, even with the most accurate and well-executed translation, the reader must still do work to properly interpret and then move from understanding to applying.
I was reminded of this during my devotional reading this morning. My reading included the first chapter of Daniel. I recalled discussions based on misinterpretations, and I found myself reflecting on the answers to many of them. I have personally dealt with these and far more.
Daniel as a vegetarian:
Daniel and his friends requested to be excused from the King’s provision of meat and wine and ended up healthier than others. From this, it is claimed that we should be vegetarians or vegans. But Daniel’s choice had nothing to do with physical health. They made this request because the meat and wine provided would have been unclean (not Kosher). Eating it would violate the laws about food purity, making them unclean and disobedient. You have to understand that food purity also guided the winemaking process—wine was often clarified with substances considered unclean. This story signified that despite what the rest of the people had brought upon themselves, these youths were determined to please God. We know this was not their permanent practice because Daniel later says that in the third year of Cyrus he mourned for three weeks in response to a vision. He says that he “ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth” (Daniel 10:3 ESV). If he had been a vegetarian permanently, this would have been meaningless. Daniel apparently abstained from meat and wine until he was successful enough to provide himself with properly prepared food.
Another form of this is not a problem. Some will follow the three weeks fast in Daniel 10 as a sort of cleansing diet. That is not a problem biblically. It is those who try to justify mandated vegetarianism or veganism who misuse the text.
Nazarite Vow:
There are those who would take the Nazarite vow to abstain from wine and declare from it that wine consumption is somehow evil or sinful. It’s funny though that they take that single part of the vow. There was much more to it. For example, a Nazarite could not cut or trim their hair or beard; could not touch a dead body even to mourn their own parents; could not have any part of the grape plant—wine, juice, seeds, leaves, or raisins. Are these evil? Is mourning for your parents evil? Am I allowed to trim my hair? This cherry-picking is an example of taking something out of context and using it to justify a claim—whether or not it supports the claim.
Tattoos:
Of course, I’ve shared before that some will quote the passage about tattoos out of context while forgetting the rest of the passage, which includes a ban on trimming the edges of the beard. So one is just as guilty if they cut the sides of the beard (goatee?). It also prohibits wearing clothing made of multiple materials (blended fabrics). We need to understand the laws intended to distinguish them from surrounding societies, as well as the differences between the Old and New Covenants.
Why do I bring these up? I do it because of the spirit behind most of these efforts. They are efforts to twist the Word of God to influence and coerce people. Notice I said, “twist the Word.” Those who accurately tell you what the Word says are a blessing—especially if it is a rebuke. But when one takes the Word out of context and tries to force you to live within their twisted interpretation, it is sinful. They are wolves among the sheep. They are to be disciplined or ignored.
While there has been a major effort to do this throughout our history, I have been seeing increasing political rhetoric based on misinterpretation. Jesus is being remade into a Marx-quoting revolutionary, a social justice warrior, or a vitriol-spewing pundit of the speaker’s own side. And before you think I am only addressing one side, I see it on both. Left-wing and right-wing both want to remake Jesus in their own image. I understand that. But we are called to be remade in his image. Let’s remember that, and be good scholars of the Word so that we can see through the haze.
In Christ,
Ken