How To Interpret Prophecy (5)

By: Pak Hendrik Wieland

We see more as we go on: "Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lightning.

The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.

He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies, great bolts of lightning and routed them." (Ps.18:12-14).

So far, we have mostly thunderstorm imagery.

But then David adds something that was surely not involved in his escapes from Saul: "The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of breath from your nostrils.

He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.

He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.

They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me" (Ps.18:15-18).

In this psalm, we can see how poetic language can be applied to a historical event.

It would be a mistake for us to take this literally – and we must be equally cautious about taking the language of prophecy literally.

Some dramatic figures of speech may be involved.

Poetic language about the valleys of the sea should not be taken literally, mountains may not be meant literally, heavenly signs may not be meant literally.

Hosea 12:10 says some of the prophecies were given as parables, that is, in figurative language: "I spoke to the prophets, gave them many visions and told parables through them."

Literally?
There is one school of interpretation that stresses the literal interpretation of prophecies.

Prophecies are sometimes meant literally, but to begin with an advance assumption about prophecy runs contrary to the biblical evidence.

We can’t assume in advance that it is literal; nor can we assume in advance that it isn’t.