Hello Fine People,

Last week after church one of you came up and asked me, “I read my Bible every day. But, it feels as though I don’t know ‘how’ to read it. What’s the point?”

That is such a good question.

The Bible is a book of 66 books, and there are different types of writing (History; Letters; Songs; Law; Wisdom; Gospel; Prophesy…). It was written over several thousand years, by different people, in two languages – ancient Hebrew and ancient Greek (or three with Aramaic added in there). Today, just in English, there are between 700 – 900 various translations. It’s enough to make one’s head spin.

I did a class a few years back that focused on how to study the Bible: We called it the “How to Study the Bible, Bible Study”. Perhaps I’ll teach it this coming summer. But, we can dig a little deeper right now, with my favorite Bible study questions that can be applied to any Bible passage you may be reading. Remember that “context” is vitally important to be able to understand the surroundings in which the passage takes place.

Here are the questions:

• WHO? Who is listening, who is talking, who is fighting, who is healing, etc. (Judge, King, Prophet, Psalmist, disciple, male, female, Pharisees, Scribes, Sadducees, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, wise men, shepherds, etc…)
• WHAT? What is happening, what is being taught, what is confusing, what is the point, what is the type of writing… is it story, history, sermon, song, parable, prophetic, etc…
• WHERE? Where does it take place: Old Testament or New Testament, in the synagogue, around a table, in prison, on a hill, in a house, in a field, on a mountain, in Egypt or Greece or Jerusalem etc…
• WHEN? What time of day: Sabbath or regular day, morning or evening, in exile or free, after the destruction of Jerusalem or before, etc…
• WHY? Why is it happening? Is this a wedding or religious event, is there a war going on, is there oppression, is someone telling a story, is there a crisis, who are the bad guys, who are the good guys, etc.

And, most importantly…

• SO WHAT? What difference does the passage/reading/verse make in your life; what is God trying to tell us; what is God speaking into your life…?

What is the point of going Deeper into God’s Word?

At the top of my list is “relationship” with God, as we observe God’s faithfulness to us, even when we ourselves are not. The Bible is a living document that teaches how God works among us through the eons, all the way to the present day. In reading the Bible I have often come across something that I swear wasn’t there the last time I read it in the past. Maybe I wasn’t ready to see it…

That’s all for now. Don’t forget that we continue our Lenten Study using Luke’s Gospel……

Peace, peace and more peace – Rebekah