We talked last week about the importance of developing your own personal liturgy, a structured time each day set aside for God. And we spoke about the importance of a daily bible reading program of some type to help in the development of this new healthy habit. The point of this newsletter from the beginning was to stay focused on topics that help us walk every day in the Way of Jesus. As a bible teacher I have talked to many people over the years that were either in the process of developing a bible reading plan or discussing why they have failed to do so in the past.
So this week I would like to discuss some practical ideas for how to read the bible in a way that is enjoyable, helpful, and sustainable.
What is the Bible?
I am going to start at the beginning today. The bible is not a book it is a collection of books, it is really a library of ancient books translated into modern languages. This may seem pretty obvious when you think about it for a minute but these facts are tremendously important to remember when you are reading your bible.
This is a collection not one book.
They are truly ancient documents from cultures very different from our own.
They have all been translated in modern language, even the King James English is very modern compared to the original. The originals were in Hebrew and Greek.
Finally these books are not all the same type of literature. There are poems, songs, narratives, law, biography, letters, prophecy, visions, and parables.
The last point is very important for the modern reader, because you do not read law in the same way you read a poem. And you don’t read a poem the way you read a letter. And you don’t read prophecy and visions the way you read a biography. So, to understand and enjoy reading the bible requires an awareness of what you are reading. Some things are to be read in a literal matter of fact way, others like poetry, parables, and prophecy need to be understood in a much more figurative way. This is by necessity, it’s important to remember:
The right interpretation is the authors intended interpretation.
Literal interpretation is only correct if the author intended the reader to take it literally.
This might seem shocking, you might wonder, how can I know what the author intended? Generally speaking it’s not all that hard to know the literature type, and once you know what kind of literature you are reading, the way you read it follows. Of course there are difficult passages in the bible, but generally it’s not that hard to understand what it being said once you understand two things.
Who is speaking and who the intended reader is. (This includes where, when, and what their situation and perspective was)
What type of literature is the author using to communicate.
The good news is that some of this kind of information can usually be gathered easily either from the introduction to the book in any good study bible or from a good bible encyclopedia. The more you read about the background of the biblical books the more you will understand and feel what the author is saying.
Context, Context, Context
Once you get a sense of what you are looking at, the next challenge is context. Context can be understood in two main categories. I could talk all day about either one of these categories (and I have on occasion) but to get started I just want you to think about how important context is. Context is how we understand everything, and the bible is certainly no exception.
Historical Context
This is the kind of context that is most often neglected. None of the books of the bible were written to us. They are written for us to understand but they were not written to us. The newest of the documents is ancient and you have to always remember that the entire frame of reference of both the author and the original readers is very different than ours. The oldest books are speaking from the perspective of the late Bronze or Early Iron age middle eastern culture. This kind of context can be learned from study bibles and bible dictionaries1. You must never forget that although the people in these stories are very relatable they have a very different worldview than we have.
Literary Context
This is the “normal” sense of context and includes the immediate setting of the verse or phrase you are reading. But it also includes the broader context of the entire book you are reading. For example, think about how the phrase or verse fits into the larger topics and themes of the book. Consider where the phrase or verse fits into the larger message of the author of the book. Look for the conclusion of the point the author is making and see if he makes any summary statements or draws any conclusions from what he has just said. And this is just scratching the surface.
Beyond the immediate context and the context of the book, there is the context of either the New or Old Covenant. And finally there is the overall context of the entire Bible.
Dealing with Figures of Speech and Symbolic Language
Many of my students have been put off by poetry, figures of speech, and Symbolic Language or numbers. They are afraid that if it is not to be understood in a literalistic way then it could mean anything. While I understand this concern, figurative or symbolic does not mean “make believe” nor does it give anyone license to make it mean whatever you want.
Figurative language and symbols are understood in the same way that all words are understood.
By Context and Common Usage.
You see every word is a symbol, it is a symbol with an agreed upon meaning. This meaning is determined by context and common usage. Think about this word for a moment: lead. Without context we don’t know how to pronounce the word in English. We don’t even know if it is a noun or a verb. But we don’t just “make up” meanings for it because it could have more than one meaning. We use context and common usage to understand and use the word. With context we know if we are talking about a leash or a soft heavy metal or the process of guiding someone or something else along.
Symbolic language and figures of speech are the same, we use common usage and context to understand their meaning. The bible is our greatest asset in interpreting the bible. Now that may sound circular but when it comes to context and common usage the bible is our first reference for both. We look for other places this phrase or symbol is used and we see how it is used and the meaning it carries. The numbers 12 and 7 are great examples of symbolic numbers. They are used all over the bible so we do not have to guess at their meaning. Again for the more obscure ones you may want to look at commentaries or some other external source, but don’t go there until you have looked carefully at it yourself, then go to eternal sources for help and possibly even confirmation. Finding something yourself can be very satisfying and also much more memorable.
Whatever you do keep reading
I have had the pleasure of working with a few top notch scholars over the years. One of them was Ronald Youngblood who, among many other things, was one of the translators of the NIV bible. After a lecture one day we were talking and I asked him, what keeps you going? You could have retired long ago (he was 80 at the time) and he told me, “every time I read the bible I see something new, the bible is not just a book it is a living thing”. This stuck with me and I have also found it to be absolutely true in my own life.
So whatever you do in your bible reading, read your bible. Read it everyday and let God speak to you, if you do that, you will have no regrets for the time you have spent.
Let me know what you think of this topic, I am thinking about doing a series on how to study the bible effectively. If this is something that interests you let me know, either in the comments below or by replying to the email if you want more privacy.
Have a great week!
Suggested dictionaries: Nelsons’ Bible Dictionary, Zondervan Bible Encyclopedia, Tyndale Bible Dictionary, and a very fun one is the Archaeological Study Bible. There is also a free Bible encyclopedia called the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia online. (ISBE)
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