WHO: One Method Of Magnification

 

There are a number of ways to magnify a point, a concept, the use of a word within a passage.

Pastor Paul Tripp illustrates that in a message on David & Solomon from I Kings 2:1-9 — “the words of a dying man to his son.”

There are a number of other useful rhetorical techniques that Tripp illustrates in this transcribed portion of the message.*  Nevertheless, the highlighted portion is where Tripp magnifies one of his points by pointing to “who.”

 

[Pt#1 – Solomon, Live by Faith]

[Pt. #2 – Solomon, Determine to Obey]

(Link to the Paul Tripp’s message beginning at 12:09)

 

Second  —  second part to that obedience is – is to live inside of the boundaries of God’s revelation.  You have these overlapping words —

His commandments

His rules

His testimonies

His statues . . . .

 

Basically, the advice of this father to his son — is take Scripture seriously – live inside of its boundaries — the law of Moses was the Scripture of the day . . . .

 

Do you take God’s word seriously?

 

Is God’s word a . . . .

• practical,
• functional,
• rubber meets the road,
• street level  – guide

 

for. . . *

• everything you do
• everything you say
• everything you chose
• everything you desire
• everything you think

is your life dominated – dyed with the Word of God?  Is your life a picture of joyful –  faithful obedience to His command?

 

“Everybody keeps the law, — the issue is — who writes the law you keep.”

 

The law that guides your life – are they God’s law.*

• His principles
• His perspectives
• His wisdom
• His promises
• His commands

 

And do you work to have that down to where you live every day — where . . . .*

• it shapes your marriage
• it shapes your friendships
• it shapes your study
• it shapes relationships to neighbors
• it shapes your finances
• it shapes the things you do with your mind
• it shapes the directions of your desires

or is there a gap between your confessional allegiance to the Word of God and the functional way that you live every day.

 

Listen, this is a father talking out of his own sad experience — who knew what it was like to pay the price of stepping outside of God’s boundaries.

 

There’s no way that David could say these words to Solomon, without reflecting on his own life.

 

There’s no way he could have said these words without there being a twinge of grief and a twinge of regret – although God had forgiven him.

 

And he longed for his son a different pathway than his own life.

— Paul Tripp on David & Solomon

 

Tripp magnifies the words of David which are being spoken to his son Solomon by calling up / adding in something about who is giving this admonition to Solomon.

David is saying to Solomon, but this is David who . . . .

is a father who is talking out of his own sad experience — who knew what it was like

 

A speaker can bring in facts or details about who is speaking or acting, which can magnify the nature of the words being spoken or the actions taking place.

In this case “the who” is David and  “the who” is introduced as it relates to the words he speaks to Solomon at the end of his life.

A preacher/teacher can interject “who” is speaking as it regards “out of the immediate context details” and thereby magnify . . . .

• the importance, or
• the gravity, or
• the urgency, or
• the passion, or
• the inconsistency, or
• the irony

. . . . of that person’s words or actions ( found in II Samuel 11) in light of the what is specifically addressed in the immediate passage which is being examined (in Tripp’s message on I Kings 2:1ff).

 

In this case, when you add this (II Samuel 11) to the event of David on his death-bed(I Kings 2:1ff) , a David who . . . .

√  stepped outside of the boundaries when he committed adultery with Bathsheba and had Uriah killed.

√  paid a dear price for his disobedience

. . . . you magnify the importance and gravity of what David is saying to his son!

“The who” magnifies both the nature of what is taking place, along with the weight of the actual admonition given by David to Solomon concerning obedience.

It adds “weight” to the nature of David’s words.

The speaker is rhetorically . . . .

• highlighting
• underlining
• laying out in bold print
• capitalizing
• accenting
• intensifying

a point that he  (the speaker) — is making  —- about what is happening in the passage.

 

A teacher/preacher could “run a little further with it” than Paul Tripp did.

“This is David who . . . .

 

because of his disobedience would not be allowed to build the house of God, the temple, but would have to pass that task onto his son, with whom he is talking.

 

because of the repeated softness of his heart towards the things of God, was easily confronted and confessed his disobedience.

 

because of his disobedience and his openness was said to be a man after God’s own heart.”

 

One can “Magnify” by taking a biblical concept, event, action, or a person’s words found in a previous context, and bring that into another context, the context of the passage one is presently examining.  That other “detail” magnifies or adds weight to what is happening in this account.

 

Let’s try that . . .  Here we go — off the cuff mentally generating content — because that is what understanding and using rhetorical techniques is all about.

Who: Moses

What an act of faith when you think of, when you include, when you add in to this situation that this was a Moses who didn’t even want to return to Egypt, who gave repeated excuses of why he could not accomplish what God had called him to do.  Now Moses is raising his staff over the Red Sea before the people of God!

 

Who: Samson

This is the Samson who said — get me her to his parents — who gave up the secret of his strength to a Philistine woman named Deliah — who is now wanting to accomplish something for God’s people, even if it means his own death and by his own death.

 

Who: Paul

Notice the word that Paul uses — “boldness” — What a word or all words Paul could have spoken.  Pray for me for physical strength – no — Pray for me for wisdom – no.  Paul says Pray for me that I might have boldness!  This is the Great Apostle Paul who in II Corinthians 11 has gone through ___ and ___ and ____ . . . .”

 

 

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*Note: Tripp also illustrates Piling On and/or Repeating-Restatement