The Zone Gathering

We continue the How series this weekend with How to Study the Bible. I thought I would post some notes that I wrote up about a year ago on how to do devotional reading, inductive study, passage meditation, and Scripture memorization. I’ll be talking this weekend about principles for reading the Bible that are more general and relevant to any sort of Bible study, but I thought I’d post these notes as reminders.

READING
Devotional Reading allows us to grasp the big picture of the Biblical story by reading large chunks of Scripture in one sitting.

• Schedule a time and place to read.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you and help you understand.
• Choose an appropriate paraphrase or translation.
• Develop a Bible reading plan
  • Read through the Bible in a year
  • Survey Bible Reading
    • Beginnings (Genesis-Exodus)
    • History of Israel (Judges, I-2 Samuel and 1-2 Kings)
    • Story of Christ (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)
    • Story of the Church (Acts)
  • Biographical Bible Reading
    • Adam and Eve (Genesis 1:26- 3:24)
    • Noah (Genesis 6:1- 9:17)
    • Abraham (Genesis 15, 17, 22; Romans 4:1-5, 9- 25)
    • Jacob (Genesis 31-32)
    • Joseph (Genesis 39, 41, 43, 45)
    • Moses (Exodus 5:1- 6:13, 14:5-31)
    • Joshua (Joshua 23-24)
    • Deborah (Judges 4-5)
    • David (Psalms 3-8, Romans 4:6-8)
    • Ezra (Ezra 7-9)
    • Isaiah (Isaiah 6, 40, 53)
    • Daniel (Daniel 1-2, 6)
    • Peter (Matthew 26:20-75, I Peter 1-2)
    • Timothy (I Timothy 3-4)
  • Psalms in a Month- read 5 Psalms a day
  • Proverbs in a Month- read a chapter of Proverbs a day

STUDY

Study is the systematic dissection of Scripture through a process of observation, interpretation, and application.

Definitions:
Deductive: searching for passages to support one’s own conclusions. This form of study is prone to error because it is based on preconceptions as opposed to what the text actually says.

Inductive: allowing the Scriptures to speak for themselves by following the 3-step process of observation, interpretation, and application.

Exegesis: the careful, systematic study of Scripture to determine the original, intended meaning.

Hermeneutics: properly interpreting the text so that we understand what it means for us today.

Step 1: Observation- What does the text say?
Read a book through several times in one sitting.

• Who is the author?
• To whom are they writing?
• Why are they writing it?
• When was it written?
• What is the book’s big idea?
• Study the words as they are, without the aid of a commentary.
• Begin with the book as a whole, and then break it down into sections, paragraphs, and individual verses. Outline it.
• In all of these sections and subsections, answer the questions Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.
• Pick out key phrases and words. Dig out the Hebrew or Greek meanings. Use a concordance to cross reference with other related verses.
• Record what you observe.

Step 2: Interpretation- What does the text mean?

• Who is the author?
• What is the literary structure? (poetry, law, history, epistle, etc)
• What is the historical setting? (time period, war, peace, exile, etc)
• What is the cultural context?
• Always allow Scripture to interpret Scripture. If the passage is difficult to understand, cross-reference it with other places in Scripture that speak to the same topic.

Step 3: Application- How does the text practically apply to my life today?
D. L. Moody said, “The Bible was not given to increase our knowledge but to change our lives.” The intentional application of the Scripture to our lives is the ultimate goal of study.

During the application step, consider what SPECK of truth you can take away from the passage:

• Sin to confess?
• Promise to claim?
• Example to follow?
• Command to obey?
• Knowledge of God to believe?

MEDITATION

Meditation is the process by which we allow Scripture to dissect us as we let God’s word soak into our imaginations. It is not a process of emptying the mind but filling it with the God’s truth.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola taught his followers a spiritual exercise known as “imaginative meditation.” He encouraged them to enter the gospel stories. In his book The Celtic Way, Ian Bradley says, “Too many Christians today have half-formed imaginations.” We need to use our imaginations enter into the stories as we meditate on Scripture.

Here are some suggestions:

• Imagine the sights and sounds and smells.
• Move from the role of spectator to participant. Instead of reading about the crucifixion, play a role. For instance:
  • Imagine what Mary must have felt as her son was dying.
  • Take the place of the one of the thieves on the cross next to Jesus.
  • Imagine yourself as Simon helping to carry the cross.
• Consider these questions: How does the experience impact you? What does it reveal about God?

Here are some suggestions for creating an environment that is conducive to meditating on Scriptures.

• Set aside several minutes
• Find a quiet place. Remove all noises and distractions. It might be helpful to play some quiet worship music.
• Select a small passage of Scripture and read it through several times.
• Emphasize different words each time you read it to grasp every possible nuance.
• Circle the words that jump out to you.
• Close your eyes and ask God to speak to you personally. Write down an action step or application.

MEMORIZATION

Memorization enables the Word to become a living and active part of our lives, and we grow closer to God as we internalize his truth.

Here are some steps to make memorization a part of your learning experience:

• Choose a topic (like grace, forgiveness, praise, etc).
• Use a concordance or Scripture book to make a list of Scriptures to memorize.
• Choose several Scriptures that you would like to memorize.
• Read the verses in context so you understand their true meaning.
• Write the verses on 3 x 5 cards.
• Read the verse out loud for several days. Concentrate on certain words and phrases.

Suggested Books for Study

• Ruth
• Nehemiah
• Joel
• Ephesians
• Colossians
• 1 John

Suggested Verses for Meditation

• Exodus 33:7-11
• Psalm 15
• Psalm 23
• Luke 12:22-26
• Romans 12
• 1 John 4

Suggested Verses for Memorization

• 1 Kings 8:56
• Psalm 23
• Psalm 119:105
• Proverbs 16:3
• Isaiah 9:6
• Zephaniah 3:17
• Matthew 6:33
• John 15:7
• Romans 8:28
• 2 Corinthians 12:9
• Colossians 3:17
• Revelation 4:11

BIBLE STUDY TOOLS

Introductory Helps
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance
The Bible: God’s Word for the Biblically Inept
The Bible for Dummies
The Idiot’s Guide to the Bible

Advanced Helps
Old Testament Survey (Lasor, Hubbard, and Bush)
Halley’s Bible Handbook
Moody Atlas of Bible Lands
Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary

Word Study Series by Spiros Zhodiates:
The Complete Word Study New Testament
The Complete Word Study Dictionary New Testament
The Complete Word Study Old Testament
The Complete Word Study Dictionary Old Testament

Personal and Group Study
Step-By-Step Through the Old Testament (Bailey and Hudson)
Step-By-Step Through the New Testament (Lea and Hudson)
Willow Creek Foundations Series- Bible 101
My Place in HIStory (Michael Felder and Woody Parker)
Get Acquainted With the Bible (Gary L. Ball-Kilbourne)

Digging Deeper- Studying the Bible for Yourself
How to Read the Bible For All Its Worth (Gordon Fee)
How to Study Your Bible (Kay Arthur)
Discover the Book God Wrote (Bill Bright)
Read Your Bible (David and Renee Sanford)
Bible Study Methods (Rick Warren)

Online and Computer Software
PC Study Bible
www.biblegateway.com
www.ebible.com

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 10th, 2008 at 4:48 pm and is filed under News and Updates. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.