HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE

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How to Study the Bible
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Psalm 119:105


1. We must believe that the whole Bible is the inspired word of God, and we must be willing to abide by it's teachings, even if they go contrary to our own personal ideas and practices.

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16,17.

"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." Matthew 4:4.

2. We must be humble and teachable. However great and extensive our knowledge and educational achievements, we must come humbly to the word of God, not seeking to study it from a secular standpoint as a scientific or philosophical work, and with a dependence upon human intellect. Trusting in intellectual pride and humanistic opinion will prevent us from being able to understand the deep spiritual truths of the Bible. God requires us to come humbly and with a teachable attitude, sincerely and prayerfully seeking to understand His word.

Jesus said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them unto babes." Matthew 11:25.

3. We must compare scripture with scripture, letting the Bible explain itself. It is common to find individuals and groups of people who build a whole theology upon one single statement of the Bible. This can be very dangerous and misleading, depending upon the method of interpretation employed in their Biblical research. The only correct and safe way of securing an understanding of a particular truth is to study everything that the Bible has to say about that specific topic.

"Whom shall He teach knowledge? And whom shall He make to understand doctrine?… For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line, here a little, and there a little." Isaiah 28:9,10.

We must study broadly, permitting the Bible to define its own terms. This will preserve us from the practice of some, in taking an isolated passage and twisting it to fit or "prove" their own ideas. We should always approach the Bible with an open and honest attitude, willing to lay aside any established beliefs and practices, whenever we find them to be without scriptural foundation.

4. We should ask the Holy Spirit to guide us as we study the Bible. Though written by men, the Bible has been supernaturally inspired. We therefore need the Holy Spirit, the author of all scripture, to guide and instruct us as we study. Prayer for divine instruction and enlightenment should always precede a study of God's word. Without heaven's assistance to render our minds spiritually receptive, it is not possible to properly interpret and appreciate the truths of the Bible, which are often "hidden beneath the surface" and readily missed by the casual, superficial approach.

"(For) no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God…The Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." 1 Corinthians 2:7-14.

5. We must truly want to know the truth before we can know the truth. Our motives for studying the Bible must always be honorable and acceptable to God if we would receive instruction and guidance from the Holy Spirit. If it is our determined purpose to research the Bible in order to find an argument against the truth, God will leave us to our own devices. For example, some people use a few scriptural verses to supposedly prove that God's law was abolished when Jesus Christ died upon the cross. A proper method of research will clearly demonstrate that such is not the case, and the verses used to substantiate this idea are found to be unsupportive when placed in their proper context.

Only those who are willing to love and accept the truth when it is made plain, and do not seek to construct arguments against it, will be preserved from the dangers of self deception. God will not force us to believe anything against our will. However, His word clearly describes what will happen to those who still choose to believe, contrary to what He has plainly said:

"Because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved…God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie." 2 Thessalonians 2: 10,11.

6. Bible study must become a priority in life. Jesus likened the kingdom of heaven to "A merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it." Matthew 13:45,46. We must earnestly search for truth, recognizing that it is worth more than anything else in life. This quest must be made priority, especially when other things seek to crowd out the time that should be allocated to Bible study.

God's promise to us is that, "You will seek me and find me, when you search for me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13. Our desire, our relish and our love for the Bible will strengthen and deepen as we discipline ourselves to study it every day.

7. We must live up to all the light we have before God will teach us more. As truth is opened to our understanding, we should determine by God's grace to walk in its light. God has set before us an upward pathway and it is His will that we should walk in His footsteps. As our Savior therefore leads us further along the pathway of advanced truth, we must determine to follow if we would keep in step with Him and remain His disciple. Also, living according to the truth that we already have qualifies us to receive more light and truth from God.

"If you abide in My Word, you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:31,32.

 

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Ruth

Though no evidence confirms it, Jewish tradition holds that Samuel wrote Ruth, probably in the early days of David’s reign. The exact date of its writing is difficult to determine, but the fact that the story of Ruth originally appeared at the end of the book of Judges as a sort of appendix suggests it comes from the same era. Scholars estimate between 1011 and 931 B.C. Ruth became a separate book in A.D. 450. The meaning of Ruth’s Moabite name is not known, though some think it is related to the verb ra’ah, “to associate with,” and thus means “friend” or “friendship.”

Ruth came from Moab; her people had descended from Lot. Located on a high, fertile tableland between the river Arnon and the brook Zered, bordered by the Dead Sea on the west and the Arabian Desert on the east, Moab sat about 3000 feet above the Mediterranean and 4300 feet above the Dead Sea. Naomi, Ruth’s mother-in-law, was a Jew from Bethlehem. Ancient Palestine boasted two Bethlehems; Naomi lived in the Bethlehem in Judah, a town of about 15,000, just south of Jerusalem.

 

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The Jews designated five books to be read at the five annual festivals; the book of Ruth was one of these, read at the Feast of Weeks. Set in the time of the judges, amid Israel’s unfaithfulness, Ruth tells a love story about a faithful non-Jew. Not a romantic love story, but the love of a young Moabite widow for her widowed Hebrew mother-in-law. The devotion Ruth showed to Naomi speaks as highly of Naomi as it does of Ruth. Because of this devotion, Ruth remarried a Hebrew nobleman and thus joined the ancestral line of David and eventually Christ. A foreigner’s inclusion in the Messiah’s lineage should tell us something about God’s plan of salvation for more than just the Jews.

A theme of Ruth is that though we may experience loss in this life, we will receive back in greater measure than we had before. Ruth lost her husband and gave up her homeland, but she gained a new husband, a new family, and standing in the lineage of Christ. Naomi lost her husband and sons, but gained a daughter, another son in Boaz, and the meeting of her material needs for the rest of her life.

Today, we can follow the examples of Naomi and Ruth and trust God to provide for our needs. As He did for them He will do for us. Not only our material needs, but God will meet our spiritual needs as well: As Boaz fulfilled his duty to care for an impoverished relative, Christ will redeem us from our spiritual poverty.

 

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Judges

Jewish tradition holds that Samuel wrote Judges, or Shophetim, but this theory cannot be proven. Whoever authored the book wrote sometime near the beginning of David’s reign, likely between 1045 and 1000 B.C. The book’s name comes from the title of those who ruled Israel after Joshua, though these men served more as deliverers than judges. Some became national heroes; ...

The narrative spans approximately 1400 to 1050 B.C. The Canaanites had lived in the region for centuries. Heavily influenced by Mesopotamia and Egypt, Canaanite civilization had developed highly. From their fortified cities in the hills to their iron chariots in the plains, the Canaanites intimidated the Israelites. The people had often united in their fight against Egypt’s control and had much experience in war. Known throughout the Near East as merchants and traders, the Canaanites also maintained extensive olive groves and vineyards. Consequently, their religion incorporated ceremonies they thought would ensure the soil’s fertility, and celebrations of gratitude to the deities for bountiful harvests.

 

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When the Israelites finally stopped fighting, the Canaanites still possessed a number of fortified cities, strategically placed so that they separated the Israelite tribes and made communication between them nearly impossible. Occasionally, two or three tribes banded together to fight a common enemy, but the Israelites ultimately failed to eliminate the Canaanites so they settled among them instead.

As they learned agriculture from the Canaanites, the Israelites also gradually absorbed the local heathen religion. Meanwhile, foreign invaders persisted on all sides. The geographical separation, the repeated foreign invasions, and the nation’s apostasy diminished the unity Israel had experienced in worshiping the true God.

If Joshua depicts God’s faithfulness in fulfilling His covenant with Abraham’s descendants, in stark contrast Judges tells of the Israelites’ failure to uphold their side of the covenant by not eliminating the Canaanites. Consequently, they experienced no end of strife. Like an overly-dramatic, manipulative child, Israel called out to God when they had nowhere else to turn, promising faithfulness without giving any thought to the long-term implications of their promise. But time and again, in His characteristic long-suffering way, God raised up a deliverer, only to watch the Israelites turn away from Him again once they felt safe.

 

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Results of Sin

Sin results in God’s displeasure. Judges reveals how suffering and disaster are sometimes intended to draw people back to God. Viewed from this angle, the book becomes not so much a historical narrative as a theological reflection upon history. The author shows that the Israelites’ lack of trust in God ended up costing them their success. Judges provides a context for the Israelites’ ensuing centuries of political hardships, related in the rest of the OT. Because they failed to drive out the Canaanites, the Israelites were led to be unfaithful.

Today, Judges reminds us that discipline always follows disobedience, especially for the unrepentant. God intends that discipline be educational; He “disciplines those He loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.” (Heb 12:6) Though this principle may no longer apply on a national level, certainly it applies on an individual level.