Does God speak out of context?

In colege I learned that when it comes to reading the Bible, “Context is everything”. In my 4 years at the ol' IWU I was trained so well that applying the “who, what, where and why” to Scripture is second nature to me. Linds and I are fortunate to have had a great education in this area. Most of the students in my youth group have not had this kind of training. I have had workshops and taught all the basics I can but stories like this next one always come up. This one got me thinking…

A student in our youth group came up to us and shared a problem she was having and how God spoke to her about it. She showed us in the Bible where she got her answer and it was way off. It wasn’t even a complete sentence let alone a complete though. We didn't want to embarrass her too much but it was ripped way out of context. I think that the first thought in both Linds and our minds was, “Out of Context: Commence Teaching mode…Execute.” Yet when she shared what God was teaching and directing her to do it was spot on with what we believed was the best and most godly course of action. She read the words incorrectly but she got the right message.

This and other circumstances like it have come up numerous times in our ministry. What are we to do? The way she was reading the scripture was way off but the Spirit of God still directed her in the right direction. Could it be that God can and sometimes does speak out of context? She needed a word from Him and He gave it to her without the benefit of context.

In this situation do we….

A: Put it in God’s hands. Keep quiet about it. She is getting the right answer; what does it matter. She is making a scholarly error and not a spiritual one. She is on the right track, context will right itself in time.

B: Save it for later. She got it right this time but what about another time. What happens when she reads something about handling snakes or connects concepts from opposing testaments to make a new heresy? Maybe do it passively but make sure that she knows the danger of reading into the text.

C: Nip it in the bud. Say something right away. Strike while the iron in hot. Commend her for coming to the right conclusion but take this time to teach her the best way to read and study the Bible.

Each of these has its own problems. I could hide behind A because I fear or dislike confrontation. The same could be said of B. If I take C I could be anal at best and most likely spiritually prideful.

What do you think is the best course of action? Is there something I am missing? Could there be something that collective biblical scholarship is missing by binding itself too tightly to context? How do you argue against someone else’s experience?