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What to Observe: Structure

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Rock singer Geddy Lee of Rush once said, “That is what intrigues me; songwriting and song structure and expression.”  As the holder of a Bachelor’s Degree in Music, I agree. 

Much music is based on an ABA structure.  You start with a musical idea, develop that idea (or go to a second idea), and then return to the main idea.  “Three Blind Mice” is a good example, where the line “three blind mice” represents the A section, and the stuff in the middle is the B section.

Similarly, when we learn how to study the Bible, a good skill to develop is how to observe structure.  It is another thing to observe, after words and grammar.

Let’s observe Luke 2:1-24 as an example.  Look at the flow of the story:

A The pomp of the Roman government and census

B Joseph and Mary give birth to a son

C Shepherds were living out in the field

D An angel appeared with a message about the Lord

E An army of angels appeared, praising God, saying:

F “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace”

E The angels left and went back to heaven

D The shepherds believe the message from the Lord, and they go, sharing it

C The shepherds return to their field, glorifying and praising God

B The son is named Jesus

A The humility of Jesus’ family (who couldn’t afford sheep for sacrifice)

Such an outline, where the second half is sort of a mirror image of the first half, was really common in ancient literature.  One reason why they did it was to make it easier to hear the passage read aloud.  You could hear the story move in towards a climax and then unravel back out.

It helps to observe such things, because the climax of such a structure usually comes at the center.  In this case, we see that God is concerned with his own glory (in contrast to the glory of Rome), and he will use Jesus to bring about peace between himself and those with whom he is pleased.

Other parts of the Bible use more logical structures.  For example, look at Hebrews 2:17-7:28.

I.  Jesus is a merciful and faithful high priest – 2:17-18

A.  Jesus is a faithful high priest – 3:1-6

B.  Application – 3:7-4:14

C.  Jesus is a merciful high priest – 4:15-5:10

D.  Application – 5:11-6:20

II.  Jesus is a high priest like Melchizedek – 6:20

A.  Explanation: how Jesus is like Melchizedek – 7:1-28

This outline covers just a portion of the book of Hebrews.  The entire book is structured similarly: a point is stated, then explained and applied.  The application leads into the next point, which is stated, explained, and applied.

Observing the structure is one step in our study.  Once we see it, we’re better equipped to identify the sections so we can interpret and apply them.

We’ve now had three posts on specific observation skills: observing words, grammar, and structure.  Have you noticed how each post had a common structure?  Check ’em out again, and use your new-found skills when you study the Bible.

How Many People Study the Bible?

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LifeWay Research just posted statistics about how many Christians claim to study the Bible on their own outside of church meetings.  Here’s what they found:

  • 19% read the Bible every day
  • 26% read it a few times per week
  • 14% read it once per week
  • 22% read it at least once per month
  • 18% read it rarely or never

Which category are you in?

Interestingly, they found that the following six things were found to be connected to one’s likelihood to read the Bible more often:

  1. Confessing wrongdoings to God and asking forgiveness.
  2. Believing in Jesus Christ as the only way to heaven, and persevering in this belief over time.
  3. Making a decision to obey or follow God with an awareness that choosing to do so might be costly.
  4. Praying for the spiritual status of people they know are not professing Christians.
  5. Reading a book about increasing their spiritual growth.
  6. Having been discipled or mentored one-on-one by a more spiritually mature Christian.

You can check out the full article here.

Also, for your viewing pleasure, here’s a new Spoken Word video from Zondervan about the Rock Solid Bible.  The artist speaks about the power and sufficiency of God’s Knowable Word.  As I haven’t read the study Bible being advertised, I’m not necessarily recommending it.  But the video is very well done.

Why Does Paul Mention Muzzling Oxen?

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Justin Taylor at The Gospel Coalition recently posted a great article on the New Testament use of the Old Testament.  He examines how Paul quotes Deut 25:4 in both 1 Cor 9:9 and 1 Tim 5:18.  Moses commanded Israel not to muzzle their oxen while threshing.  Paul wants people to pay their pastor.  How does the first support the second?

From Paul’s use of Deut 25:4, Taylor argues two key principles to keep in mind when a New Testament author quotes an Old Testament passage:

  1. Never ignore the original Old Testament context
  2. Be slow to assume that the New Testament writers are quoting things out of context

These are great principles for Bible study, and Taylor ably demonstrates them from this example.  Check it out.

What to Observe: Grammar

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The philosopher Wittgenstein wrote, “Like everything metaphysical the harmony between thought and reality is to be found in the grammar of the language.”  My high school English teacher would say he was on to something.

Without grammar, it would be difficult to communicate.  For example, we wouldn’t have verbs.  Just subjects.  All the time.  No action.  Maybe objects.  Short sentences, though.  Loads of confusion.  Mass hysteria.  Need for clarity.  Little talking.  Aw, shoot; I couldn’t do it.

So once you’ve observed the words of a Bible text, you can move on to observing how the author put those words together into sentences.  This means observing the grammar.

“Grammar” can be a scary word, invoking memories of pimples, bullies, and parental pressure as we look back (sometimes unfondly) on what used to be known as “The Wonder Years.”  I’m here to tell you, however, that grammar can be fun.  Grammar can be exciting.  Grammar can, in fact, be the gateway into fruitful observation of the Bible.

Let’s take Luke 2:1-21, NET as our text again.  Let’s observe just the subject and main verb of each sentence (in other words, let’s do some simple grammar).  Look at what you get:

  • A decree went out
  • This was the first
  • Everyone went
  • Joseph also went
  • He went
  • The time came
  • She gave birth…and wrapped…and laid
  • There were shepherds
  • An angel appeared…and the glory shone…and they were
  • The angel said
    • Don’t be afraid
    • Listen
    • Your Savior is born
    • He is Christ
    • This will be a sign: you will find
  • An army appeared
  • The shepherds said
    • Let us go and see
  • They hurried off and located…and found
  • They related
  • All were astonished
  • Mary treasured up
  • The shepherds returned
  • Everything was just
  • He was named

What is the point of this exercise?  Simply that, by stripping away the detail and observing the basic sentence structure (subject and verb), we end up with a pretty good outline of the story in Luke 2.  Before we can move to interpretation (figuring out what the text means), we must observe what it says.  One way to identify what the author says is to observe the grammar.  This skill is important as we learn how to study the Bible.

Observing the grammar isn’t just for narrative, like that in Luke.  It helps in other genres as well.

For example, look at Philippians 2:5-11.  Boiling it down to the basic grammar gives us:

  • You should have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had
    • Who did not regard equality with God as somethingto be grasped
      • but emptied himself…
      • [and] humbled himself…
    • As a result, God exalted him

What does Paul want us to do here?  Be like Jesus.  When we give up what we deserve (empty ourselves) and take on what we don’t deserve (humble ourselves), there’s no telling what God might do in our community.

What to Observe: Words

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Douglas Wilson wrote, “Words are the bricks with which you build.  Buy the bricks before starting on the wall” (Wordsmithy, Moscow, ID: Canon, 2011, p.104).  He was advising aspiring writers to study etymology and ancient languages.  I’ll commandeer his point to encourage those who study the Bible to begin with the beginning.

Books of the Bible were constructed from stories.  These stories were built from episodes.  Episodes arose by gatherings of paragraphs.  Paragraphs disemboweled produce sentences.  Sentences dissect into words.  Words are our bricks.  Let’s observe them to start.

I’ll use Luke 2:1-21, NET for a sample text.  It’s a pretty familiar text for many Christians, so we’ll work hard to observe it well.

First, notice a theme to key words in the first few verses

  • decree
  • Caesar
  • Augustus
  • empire
  • registration
  • Quirinius
  • governor
  • Syria
  • city of David – 2 times
  • house and family line of David
  • firstborn son
  • Lord – 2 times
  • glory
  • Savior
  • Christ
  • vast, heavenly army – a phrase that explains what angels are

What stands out?  Major attention is drawn to power, glory, and governing authority.  There’s some tension between Imperial authority (represented in Caesar and his underlings) and God’s authority (represented in his son).

Let’s keep looking at another class of words

  • Joseph
  • Nazareth
  • Bethlehem
  • Mary, who was promised to be married to him
  • expecting a child
  • the time came to deliver
  • child wrapped in strips of cloth – 2 times
  • laid in manger – 3 times
  • no place for them in the inn

This group lends itself to another theme: that of unpredictable lowliness.

I’ll mention one final set of observations regarding word choice in Lk 2:11:

  • Today your Savior is born in the city of David
  • He is Christ
  • He is the Lord

The narrator, through the angel, communicates loads of information simply by his word choice.

  • What is a “Savior”?  One who saves.  A hero.  A rescuer.  He’s not the guy who runs out of the burning building to save his own life; he’s the guy who runs into the burning building to save others’ lives.
  • What is a “Christ”?  We need some background help on this one, but “Christ” is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word “Messiah,” which means “Anointed One.”  What on earth is an “anointed one”?  We don’t have those anymore!  Think of it as someone inaugurated and sworn into office.  The narrator wants us to know that Jesus has a job, and he’s authorized by God to execute that job.
  • What is “the Lord”?  It’s what the Jews of old would call God himself.  Flip through your Old Testament, and see how often the word LORD shows up in all caps.  That represents instances where God’s personal name (something like Yahweh, but we can’t know for sure how it was pronounced) was used in the Hebrew text, but translation traditions hand it down to us as simply “LORD.”  The narrator wants us to know, through the angel’s proclamation, that Jesus is, in fact, God.

I’m beginning to move into interpretation, so I’ll hold off until we get to that step in the OIA process.  Your take-home point for now is: the first part in how to study the Bible is to observe (not just see, mind you, but truly to observe) the words on the page.

Five Things to Observe

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You sit down with your Bible, and you’re ready to study it. You pray and open the page to the right spot. Then…what? You see lots of ink and paper. You’ve heard these verses before.

You’d like to go deeper, and you don’t want to let familiarity get in the way. But what exactly can you do? What should you begin to observe?

Derek Bridges (2006), Creative Commons

Derek Bridges (2006), Creative Commons

Here are some ideas to get you started:

  1. WORDS: Pay attention to the words. Count up how many times different words are repeated. Notice how different things are described or labeled.
  2. GRAMMAR: Identify the subject, verb, and object of a sentence. What are the main verbs? Who is doing what, and where and how are they doing it?
  3. STRUCTURE: How does the passage fit together? Break it into paragraphs. Pay attention to transitions.
  4. GENRE: Is this poetry or prose? A letter or a narrative? Who is the author? Who is the original audience?
  5. MOOD: What tone of “voice” is the author writing with? Does the passage inspire action, invoke emotion, or challenge assumptions?

Here’s an exercise for you to consider. Let’s just take one verse: John 3:16.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (ESV).

Use the five categories above to help you get started, and try to write 50 observations on that one verse.

Mention one of your observations in the comments below, and let’s see how many we can come up with!

The Greatest Enemy of Observation is Familiarity

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The first step of our Bible study method is Observation.  Before we’ve even crossed the line of scrimmage, however, familiarity is right there to knock us down.  When we think we know something, we stop paying attention to it.

For example, how many stairs are there in your house?  What color are your father’s eyes?  What is your license plate number?  Name three left-handed people in your acquaintance.

As Sherlock Holmes says to Dr. Watson in “A Scandal in Bohemia,” “You see, but you do not observe.”

Let me give an example.  I recently taught on Genesis 31, the story where Jacob runs away from Laban without telling him.  My initial thought was, “I know what happens.  Why does the story have to take up 55 verses, and how am I going to teach on it?”

So I dug deeper.  I stared at the text and kept reading it over and over.  Things started popping out.

For example, I observed that every other verse in Gen 31:4-16 makes reference to God.  Up until now, Jacob hasn’t really mentioned God a whole lot.

Then I observed that the narrator calls Laban “the Aramean” (Gen 31:20, 24).  That’s funny, because he used to call him Jacob’s “mother’s brother” (for example, see Gen 29:10 where he’s called that 3 times).  So the narrator doesn’t consider Laban family anymore….

Then I observed that Laban calls God to witness their agreement (Gen 31:53), but do you see which god it is?  “The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.”  The true God called Abraham to leave the household (and gods) of his fathers (Gen 12:1).  Jacob knows this, but Laban doesn’t get it.  Jacob swears by the true God, the Fear of his father Isaac (Gen 31:53).

I could go on.  My point is not that any single observation is the silver bullet that unlocks a Bible passage.  Instead, I’m suggesting that the way forward is always to keep observing.  We must be willing to stare at a text until we don’t just see, but we observe.

I’ll give one more big example.  One of the most famous passages in the whole Bible is 1 Corinthians 13:1-13.  It’s the great Love Chapter.  We’re so familiar with it, though, that we generally miss the point.

Read it again, one verse at a time, and ask yourself, “what is he saying here?”  Observe carefully, and I think you’ll see that it’s neither romantic nor encouraging.  It’s actually a stinging rebuke directed toward those who don’t know how to love their neighbor.

Let’s not just see.  Let’s observe.

Six Reasons Why We Don’t Study the Bible

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In his excellent (and free!) ebook on Bible study, Denis Haack lists six reasons why many people never learn how to study the Bible:

  1. I don’t know how.
  2. Bible study is boring.
  3. I prefer to use Bible study guides.
  4. I’m not smart enough; never was much of a student.
  5. I can become discerning by reading books.
  6. I don’t have time.

Please don’t let these reasons become excuses for you to miss out on receiving God’s Knowable Word!

Why OIA is the Best Bible Study Method

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A few days ago, I outlined the OIA method of Bible study that we follow.  In short, it stands for Observation, Interpreation, and Application.

I’ve already made one audacious claim: that everyone has a Bible study method.  Today I’d like to make another: that OIA is the best method one can use to study the Bible.  Let me support this claim with three reasons.

1.  It works for any person anywhere of any age

It can be taught to PhDs and other “professionals” and get quite complex and profound.  It can be taught to 3 year olds just learning to talk.  Anyone in between can use this method to great profit, understanding the main ideas of what God has communicated and becoming more like Christ as a result.

2.  It’s the way God designed all communication to work

OIA is nothing new or innovative.  It is simply an attempt to outline the steps by which any human being communicates with another human being (observing what was communicated, interpreting the meaning, and responding appropriately).  God made communication to work this way, so of course the Bible works the same way.

Let me illustrate.  If I met you on the street, you might observe me walk up to you, smile, and stick out my hand.  You would interpret that I mean you no harm and simply want to greet you.  You would apply the gesture by reaching out your own hand, taking my hand with yours, and saying “hello” or some similar sentiment.  Communication has now taken place.

Let’s say I ask you a question.  You might observe the raised inflection at the end of my sentence (the question mark), a resultant silence, and raised eyebrows on my face.  You would interpret these signs to mean that I want you to answer the question.  You would apply the interaction by answering the question, frowning in thought, holding up a finger to request more time, or running away in terror.

We simply cannot escape OIA.  We do it all the time.  We should employ it when we study God’s Knowable Word.

3.  It’s how Jesus interpreted the Bible

Jesus is the Lord (Phil 2:11) and the author of Scripture (1 Peter 1:11).  We should learn from him how to read Scripture.

Look at Matthew 21:42-44 as an example.  Notice how Jesus observes the Old Testament text in verse 42, interprets it in verse 44, and applies it in verse 43 (implying that his listeners should believe the truth and make some changes in their lives).

Jesus often references Scripture, giving us a window into his understanding of it, but he rarely is as clear as in Matt 21:42-44.  Usually, he assumes or implies the Interpretation, and states the Observation and Application explicitly (for example, see Matt 13:10-17 or Mark 12:35-37).  One place where he Observes and Interprets but doesn’t explicitly Apply is Luke 4:17-21.

In suggesting that OIA is the best method to use, I’m not saying that there’s an easy one-size-fits-all way of plugging every text through an equation.  I’m merely saying that we have a valuable and clear way by which we can understand what God is communicating in his Word.  Our study of the Bible is not arbitrary.

Summary of the OIA Method

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"Open Bible" by Ryk Neethling (2011), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution License

Ryk Neethling (2011), Creative Commons

I’ve argued that everyone has a Bible study method, whether conscious or unconscious.  So here’s mine.

The acronym OIA summarizes the method:

  1. Observation – what does it say?
  2. Interpretation – what does it mean?
  3. Application – how do I need to change?

You can restate these three steps as what? why? and so what?  Or again, as what did the original author say?  What did that mean to the original audience?  And what does it mean in our context?

Knowable Word did not invent this method.  It’s an old, old method.  Seminaries call it the “historical-grammatical method of Bible interpretation,” but that title can be big and scary to most people.  Some more popular treatments call it the “inductive Bible study method,” but I think that’s an unfortunate misuse of the wonderful term “inductive” from the realm of logic.  So I prefer to call it simply “OIA.”

The wonder of the OIA method is that it allows the text to speak to us, rather than reading our own meaning into the text.  The beauty of the OIA method is that it can be taught at seminary and get very, very deep, or it can be taught to the youngest children, enabling them as well to know the Lord in his Word.

I’ve explained the method in more detail in other posts, but for this summary, note what happens if we miss any part of it.

If we neglect good observation of what the text says, we have no true foundation upon which to know Christ.  We have great intentions, but in all the wrong directions.  We’re the people who failed to observe which weekend was the daylight savings time switch, and we show up to church an hour off from everyone else.  An example of poor observation of Scripture is found in Luke 24:25-27.

If we neglect good interpretation of what the text means, we might not know whether what we believe or do is biblical or not.  We might be honoring the Lord, or we might not be.  We won’t be certain until we meet him face to face.  A good example of poor interpretation of Scripture is found in Mark 12:24.

If we neglect good application of how we ought to change, we are like foolish builders founding a home upon sand.  We are to be pitied.  We give lip service to Christ, but our hearts are far from him (Matthew 15:8-9).  God wants to make us more like Jesus (Rom 8:29), and he won’t rest until his Word accomplishes that purpose (Isaiah 55:10-11).

For much more detail on the OIA method see my How to Study the Bible series of posts.

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