I continue this week with the act of piety referred to as studying the scriptures and offer the following advice as found at www.biblestudytools.com in an article entitled: “3 Simple Steps for Studying the Bible” (edited to fit format). This is a continuation of last week’s lesson.

Step 2: Interpretation

“Interpretation is discovering the meaning of a passage, the author’s main thought or idea. Answering the questions that arise during observation will help you in the process of interpretation. Five clues (called “the five C’s”) can help you determine the author’s main point(s):

● Context. You can answer 75 percent of your questions about a passage when you read the text. Reading the text involves looking at the near context (the verse immediately before and after) as well as the far context (the paragraph or the chapter that precedes and/or follows the passage you’re studying).

● Cross-references. Let Scripture interpret Scripture. That is, let other passages in the Bible shed light on the passage you are looking at. At the same time, be careful not to assume that the same word or phrase in two different passages means the same thing.

● Culture. The Bible was written long ago, so when we interpret it, we need to understand it from the writers’ cultural context.

● Conclusion. Having answered your questions for understanding by means of context, cross-reference, and culture, you can make a preliminary statement of the passage’s meaning. Remember that if your passage consists of more than one paragraph, the author may be presenting more than one thought or idea.

● Consultation. Reading books known as commentaries, which are written by Bible scholars, can help you interpret Scripture.

Step 3: Application

Application is why we study the Bible. We want our lives to change; we want to be obedient to God and to grow more like Jesus Christ. After we have observed a passage and interpreted or understood it to the best of our ability, we must then apply its truth to our own life.
You’ll want to ask the following questions of every passage of Scripture you study:

● How does the truth revealed here affect my relationship with God?

● How does this truth affect my relationship with others?

● How does this truth affect me?

● How does this truth affect my response to the enemy, Satan?

The application step is not completed by simply answering these questions; the key is putting into practice what God has taught you in your study. Although at any given moment you cannot be consciously applying everything you’re learning in Bible study, you can be consciously applying something. And when you work on applying a truth to your life, God will bless your efforts by, as noted earlier, conforming you to the image of Jesus Christ.
 

   ​I continue this week with the act of piety referred to as studying the scriptures and offer the following advice as found at www.biblestudytools.com in an article entitled: “3 Simple Steps for Studying the Bible” (edited to fit format).

   “One of the noblest pursuits a child of God can embark upon is to get to know and understand God better. The best way we can accomplish this is to look carefully at the book He has written, the Bible, which communicates who He is and His plan for mankind. There are a number of ways we can study the Bible, but one of the most effective and simple approaches to reading and understanding God’s Word involves three simple steps:

    Step 1: Observation—What does the passage say?
    Step 2: Interpretation—What does the passage mean?
    Step 3: Application—What am I going to do about what the passage says and means? “

   This week, let’s look at just the OBSERVATION portion of these steps:

   “Observation is the first and most important step in how to study the Bible. As you read the Bible text, you need to look carefully at what is said, and how it is said. Look for:

● Terms, not words. Words can have many meanings, but terms are words used in a specific way in a specific context. (For instance, the word trunk could apply to a tree, a car, or a storage box. However, when you read, “That tree has a very large trunk,” you know exactly what the word means, which makes it a term.)

● Structure. If you look at your Bible, you will see that the text has units called paragraphs. A paragraph is a complete unit of thought. You can discover the content of the author’s message by noting and understanding each paragraph unit.

● Emphasis. The amount of space or the number of chapters or verses devoted to a specific topic will reveal the importance of that topic. ● Repetition. This is another way an author demonstrates that something is important. One reading of 1 Corinthians 13, where the author uses the word “love” nine times in only 13 verses, communicates to us that love is the focal point of these 13 verses.

● Relationships between ideas. Pay close attention, for example, to certain relationships that appear in the text:
     —Cause-and-effect: (Matthew 25:21).
     —Ifs and thens: (2 Chronicles 7:14).
     —Questions and answers:  (Psalms 24:8).

● Comparisons and contrasts. (Matthew 5:21).

● Literary form. The Bible is literature, and the three main types of literature in the Bible are discourse (the epistles), prose (Old Testament history), and poetry (the Psalms). Considering the type of literature makes a great deal of difference when you read and interpret the Scriptures.

● Atmosphere. The author had a particular reason or burden for writing each passage, chapter, and book. Be sure you notice the mood or tone or urgency of the writing.

    After you have considered these things, you then are ready to ask the “Wh” questions Who? What? Where? When?

Who are the people in this passage? What is happening in this passage? Where is this story taking place? When in time (of day, of the year, in history) is it?

​    Asking those additional questions for understanding will help to build a bridge between observation (the first step) and interpretation (the second step) of the Bible study process.”

  Let’s continue this week  with what are referred to as individual acts of piety. These are things that we are able to do without the presence or assistance of anyone else. We don’t have to be in a certain place. We don’t have to be with a group of people. We can practice them any where and any time of the day or night.

   This week I want us to consider a specific way that we can read the Bible to help us better understand its implications for our lives. I am not talking about a simple cursory reading as I suggested last week. This week I want us to consider a form of Bible Reading called lectio divina.

  Linda Douty, writing  a daily reflection for the Upper Room (Aug 24, 2013), says the following about Lectio Divina:

“THE ANCIENT BENEDICTINE PRACTICE OF lectio divina (literally, “spiritual reading”) can breath new life into our reading of scripture. In the context of this practice the Bible is not fixed set of words and images but the living Word of God, which enters our prayer as something dynamic and alive. In her class book on the spiritual disciplines, Marjorie Thompson’s simple translation of thee Latin words is helpful.

There are four basic phrases in the classic practice of spiritual reading, termed in Latin lectio, meditatio,  oratio, and contemplatio. For a basic English equivalent, add the letter n to each. The ordering of these four phrases represents a general and often neural sequence of progression, not to be understood rigidly. In practice we can experience great fluidity between them, weaving back and forth as the Sprit moves us.

Several years ago, The Upper Room produced reminder cards that simplified the method:
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1. READ a biblical passage, savoring key words.

2. REFLECT on what God may be saying to you as you read the passage again.

3. RESPOND by offering your reflection to God in prayer.

4. REST in God’s presence, being open to God’s word for you.

This time tested way of reading the Bible encourages us to move toward transformation, rather than just information, in our encounter with holy scripture. Rather than trying to capture scripture, this method allows scripture to capture us.”
 

Let me begin with what are referred to as individual acts of piety. These are things that we are able to do without the presence or assistance of anyone else. We don’t have to be in a certain place. We don’t have to be with a group of people. We can practice them any where and any time of the day or night.

   Specifically, I want us to look at the role that the Scriptures have in making us a more holy people. We assert that the Bible is God’s inspired Word that is given to us. We assert that it is the manual by which we will live our lives. We assert that it contains everything that we need to know about God and God’s actions in this universe and in our lives.

   We assert these things. To assert means to “state a fact or belief confidently and forcefully .” (Google dictionary) Just how confident and forceful are we when it comes to our interaction with the Scriptures. It is one thing to stand up and say, “The Bible is the Word of God.” It is quite another thing to actually internalize it by interacting with it.

    In the next couple of weeks, I will talk about ways for us to interact with the Bible. This week. I simply want us to consider whether or not we read it.

   Have you read a good book lately? Perhaps some of your friends might ask you that question. Could you truthfully respond by saying “I have not read a good book, but I am reading the Good Book.” In this age where we can get our books in printed formats or electronically, there is really no excuse for us to say that we do not have access to the Bible. Any lack of access comes not from availability of the text, but rather from non-interest on our part.

    Last year, I completed a read through the entire Bible. It took me about 18 months. It wasn’t a daily read, but I tried to read at least 5-6 days per week. I was amazed at all the little stories, especially in the Old Testament, that I had forgotten over the years. Of course we all know the big stories...wait a minute...researchers are telling us that we don’t. It is now suggested that preacher no longer simply reference the story of Jonah, but rather explain it whenever it is referenced. More and more people don’t read the Bible and are clueless as to the plots of the various stories contained within it. They don’t know what we preachers often refer to in a passing manner when we try to make our point. Thus, we often fail to communicate.
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   So. At the very least we need to just read the Bible. Don’t worry about studying it or trying to figure it all out. First, learn to read it and let it simply speak to you and more importantly, pray that God would speak through the words of Scripture to enlighten your spirit.