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            Sometimes I will say, “I’m going to run down to Walmart.” It’s not unusual for someone standing near to say, “You’re not going to run. You’re going to drive.” Obviously, they don’t know figurative language when they hear it. Anyone who knows me ought to know I’m not running anywhere.

            Muhammad Ali used to say, “I will float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.” Nobody ever thought that he would actually float in the air like a butterfly. He could move fast in the ring. And, as to stinging like a bee, no. I’ve watched enough of his fights to know that he could definitely hit hard! I would prefer to be stung by any bee a hundred times than to be hit once by Ali! Again, figurative language is in play. We all use figures of speech in our conversations.

            For the Wednesday auditorium class we began a study of the sermon on the mount in October 2023. I wanted to go beyond a study of that sermon alone to what happened afterwards. For that reason I titled our study, “Reasons for Astonishment – Seasons of Confrontation” in Matthew 5-10. The sermon on the mount caused astonishment in those who heard it (Matt. 7:28-29). It causes astonishment in those of us who read it. Matthew 8-10 involves the confrontation with the world of Jesus and his disciples. That study is drawing near to completion. We will be a few more weeks in our current study.

            By choice I have, for years, kept my classes in open Bible studies. We typically alternate between Old Testament and New Testament studies in both my Sunday morning and Wednesday night classes. For our next Wednesday night study, however, we will move into a different type of study. We will follow the book, Biblical Figures of Speech, by Wayne Jackson. We used this book in our Wednesday night class in 2007. Perhaps, after the passing of almost 18 years, it would be allowable to use it again. By all intents and purposes this should complement the study that Dale Morris is doing in his Sunday morning class. They are working through the book, A Study Guide to Greater Bible Knowledge, by Wayne Jackson.

            With brother Jackson’s book, Biblical Figures of Speech, we will enter into that area of study known as hermeneutics. That is not a word I will toss around much. The common rejoinder is to ask, “Herman who?” Most people do not know what it means. It never hurts, however, to add a new word to one’s vocabulary. It is the science of Biblical interpretation. This study will not pull us into the debate between “new hermeneutics” vs. “old hermeneutics.” It will be a simple investigation of figurative speech as used in Scripture.

            Jesus used many figures of speech in his teaching and preaching. The parable is the best known of the many figures of speech he employed. We are currently involved in a study of the parables of Jesus in our All Comers class on Tuesday’s. Please join us for that if you don’t already! Other figures of speech include allegory, simile, similitude, metaphor, metonymy, synecdoche, hyperbole, anthropomorphism, anthropopathism, prolepsis, and type/typology. There are elements of figurative language that may not be covered in this study. Brother Jackson’s book is not an exhaustive treatment of the subject, but it is a good one. Please join us!