Seek God's heart
What if the key to understanding Scripture wasn’t debate, but seeking the heart of God?
The Greek Mind vs. The Hebrew Spirit
In the Greek-influenced world, truth is often determined by argumentation—who presents the strongest case, who gains the most followers, and who wins the debate. But God never intended for us to be tossed about by the intellectual battles of men. Instead, He gave us His Spirit, the true interpreter of Scripture.
The Hebrew approach to learning is not about proving a point but about seeking God’s heart. To understand the Word rightly, we must begin with the Spirit, who reveals the heart of the Father through the Son.
The Letters Speak: The Core of Teaching is the Cross
Even the Hebrew letters themselves point us to this truth. Consider the letter qof (ק), which signifies the death and resurrection of the Son of God. Within it, we find the stroke of lamed (ל), the letter representing the shared heart of teaching. What is at the core of God’s teaching? The cross. The very foundation of Scripture is Christ crucified and risen, revealing the heart of the Father.
Proverbs 25:22—A Blessing, Not a Curse
Many interpret ▸ ± Proverbs 25:22 —"for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you"—as a call to passive aggression, suggesting that kindness will increase an enemy’s torment. But is this truly God’s heart? Would He tell us to love our enemies only to turn around and say, “Be kind so they suffer more”?
A friend of mine rightly exegeted this passage as a blessing rather than a curse. In the ancient world, carrying burning coals was an act of providing warmth and light, a gesture of kindness that restored a person in need. This interpretation aligns with Romans 12:20, where Paul applies the proverb to the command to love our enemies.
Leviticus 19:18 "You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD."
Those who teach otherwise—who claim God endorses a spirit of vengeance hidden behind false kindness—lack discernment of His heart. A student of Scripture, guided by the Spirit, would reject such an interpretation outright.
The Key to Interpretation: The Spirit and the Old Testament
Notice how my friend used the Old Testament to clarify the New Testament. This is essential: every New Testament teaching has an Old Testament source. Christ Himself, on the road to Emmaus, taught His disciples by opening the Scriptures and revealing how all things spoke of Him (Luke 24:27).
If we want to understand God’s Word, we do not begin with debate. We do not start by weighing arguments or seeing which teacher is more persuasive. We start by seeking the heart of God—a heart that is revealed through His Spirit and His Son.
Seeking First His Heart
Scripture is not a battlefield of competing ideas. It is an unveiling of the love and wisdom of God, fulfilled in Christ. We do not measure truth by popularity or argumentation, but by alignment with the Spirit of God, who reveals the Son in the Old Testament and fulfills all things in the New.
As students, our first task is not to win debates, but to seek God’s heart—because only in His heart do we find the true meaning of His Word.
Several of these ideas challenge traditional Evangelical interpretations. Here’s how they might be controversial and how we would respond from our hermeneutic.
1. The Greek Mind vs. the Hebrew Spirit
Controversy: Many Evangelicals embrace systematic theology, apologetics, and debate as key to understanding truth. They often see doctrine as something to be defended rather than something that unfolds through a spiritual journey.
Our Response: Jesus did not teach systematic theology—He revealed the Father. His method was storytelling, parables, and inviting people into deeper reflection. The Hebrew approach to learning prioritizes seeking God’s heart over winning arguments (Jeremiah 9:23-24). Instead of endless theological disputes, we are called to be led by the Spirit, who guides us into all truth (John 16:13).
2. The Letters Speak: The Core of Teaching is the Cross
Controversy: Many Evangelicals do not consider Hebrew word formations or letter meanings in their interpretation of Scripture. Instead, they focus on Greek-based exegesis and systematic theology.
Our Response: The New Testament authors frequently referenced hidden meanings in the Hebrew Scriptures, following the same pattern. Paul calls Christ the "last Adam" (1 Corinthians 15:45), a connection not explicitly stated in Genesis but drawn from understanding Adam as a type of Christ. Jesus Himself said that the whole Old Testament speaks of Him (Luke 24:27). The structure of the Hebrew language, designed by God, testifies to Christ in a way deeper than mere definitions—it reveals the cross at the center of God’s message.
3. Proverbs 25:22—A Blessing, Not a Curse
Controversy: Many Evangelicals interpret the "burning coals" as increasing an enemy’s shame and judgment rather than a blessing. Some even argue that kindness is a tool for passive aggression.
Our Response: This interpretation contradicts God’s command to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44). If "burning coals" meant vengeance, it would be in direct conflict with Christ’s teachings. Instead, the historical and cultural understanding of carrying hot coals was an act of provision, ensuring a person’s survival. Our interpretation aligns with God’s consistent character of love and restoration.
4. Using the Old Testament as the Foundation for the New
Controversy: Many Evangelicals read the New Testament independently of the Old, interpreting Jesus and Paul’s teachings in isolation rather than as fulfillments of Old Testament patterns.
Our Response: Jesus did not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfill them (Matthew 5:17). Every doctrine of the New Testament has its foundation in the Old Testament. When we read the Bible backward—starting with the New and imposing its meaning onto the Old—we lose the richness of prophecy and fulfillment. Instead, we read forward, as Christ did, seeing how every Old Testament passage points to Him.
5. Seeking First God’s Heart Over Doctrinal Precision
Controversy: Many Evangelicals emphasize doctrinal precision as the primary means of discerning truth. Faithful belief is often equated with intellectual agreement on key theological points.
Our Response: Right doctrine is important, but it is not a substitute for knowing God personally. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for studying the Scriptures yet failing to come to Him (John 5:39-40). True interpretation comes from seeking the heart of God, not just defending theological positions. The Spirit is our teacher (1 John 2:27), and knowledge without love is nothing (1 Corinthians 13:2).
Final Thought: The Key is Christ
The common thread in these controversies is where we begin our interpretation. Many Evangelicals approach Scripture with a Western, Greek-influenced mindset, prioritizing debate, systematic theology, and doctrinal precision. Our approach, rooted in Hebrew thought, sees Scripture as a revelation of Christ in every passage, drawing us into deeper communion with the heart of God.
This is not about rejecting doctrine—it is about putting it in its rightful place. The goal is not just to be right, but to know God. And knowing Him begins with seeking His heart, not just winning arguments.
