How do we read the Word of God? I wonder if we put our own spin on His words or do we ask the Holy Spirit to teach and guide us. What is the best way to read the Bible?
CONTEXT MATTERS
When we read a book, say a mystery, we make sure we get all the facts before we decide who killed who. We make sure that we evaluate based on the order of sentences, paragraphs, etc as well as where they fall in the book. It is the same (and even more important) as we read God’s Word. For example Luke 6:37 says, “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged:” Everyone loves to use this verse out of context as an example of how not to tell someone how to live. What Jesus is really saying is not to NOT address sin but to make sure your life is right first. Context matters!!
OVERALL MESSAGE
When we read a portion of the Bible we need to ask questions about the passage. What is the overall meaning? What does this passage say about our God? How does this apply to my life? Look at the overall passage and evaluate the truths therein. Don’t forget the Bible is a VERY cohesive Book. Sixty-six books written over thousands of years by a number of different authors and yet they all point to Christ as our Redeemer. God makes no mistakes!
RELATED PHRASES OR WORDS
Words matter, right? Watch for words or phrases that repeat themselves. They just might be important! Let’s look at an example in I John 5:7, “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
The word light here is mentioned 3 times and the word darkness 2 times. I think John wants us to think about the huge difference between light and darkness!
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
If you know me, you know I love history! When you read a passage you can ask to WHOM is it being written about or to WHOM is it written to. You can find out the dates and how they correspond to other books of the Bible and events happening. One interesting way to read the Bible is to get a hold of one that is arranged chronologically as you will then see that Job is the first book and some of the history books were during the times of the prophets! Knowing and loving history helps make the Bible come alive for me.
ORIGINAL LANGUAGES
Sometimes it is advantageous to look at the original languages for clarification. Let me give you an example. In Genesis 2:18, God gives Adam a “help meet”. Now, recently, I saw someone describe that word as meaning a warrior thus signifying the woman is just as tough as the man. I was thinking that didn’t sound right so I looked up the original Hebrew word for “help meet” to make sure I was reading it right. You can usually get this information on a Bible app like Bible Gateway. Here is what I found.
The KJV has “I will make him an help meet for him.” The KJV “help” is better rendered “helper,” and “meet” has the meaning of “suitable,” “adapted to,” “fit for.” Implied in the word “meet” is not only the idea of “suitability,” but also “likeness,” “correspondence in nature.” That is, God says that it is not good for man to live alone. He needs a counterpart, someone like himself in moral and intellectual nature, someone who can adequately sympathize with him in thought and interests, and be the complement of him. (Encyclopedia of the Bible) This to me seems much more in keeping with what God had in mind, right?
BIBLE COMMENTARIES
There are mornings when I’m reading my Bible and I’m curious what it all means. I like to turn to my favorite commentator, Matthew Henry. I love that Bible Gateway includes him (free) in their app. He is very good when he is talking about each verse or passage in God’s Word. His explanations are timeless and still relevant to us today. I know that another good one is Butler. Whichever one you choose, just make sure they are a solid Christian and using a good translation (KJV is the best).
RELATED BIBLE PASSAGES
This is something I love to do and I like to call it, “walking my fingers through the Scriptures”. For years now, I have been cross-referencing verses in the Bible that work together. If Pastor is preaching in ONE passage and mentions another one that goes with it, then I will write that reference beside the first passage. I’ll turn to the second one and write the first passage reference beside it. This ties them together always. Sometimes we walk through several verses so the links are 3, 4, 5, or 6 even. See what I mean?
COPYING THE WORD OF GOD
Lastly, I have to share a personal favorite of mine – copywork. I love to write and by write I mean cursive. It has always been a favorite of mine. I started at first writing in journals passages of Scriptures. Then I expanded to write whole books of the Bible. I write a few verses each morning and then ponder on them. I have written over 30 books of the Bible now. It is such a great way to really see what is going on in each verse and not miss things.
Hopefully this has been a help to you and you’ve learned a few things. Daily devotions and delving into God’s Word is so important but it shouldn’t be a chore. It shouldn’t be a duty but a blessing. We read His Word because He loves us and we want to draw closer to God. What passage are you reading today?
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”
II Timothy 3:16
