Peter Krol | Knowable Word

4 Ways to Revolutionize Your Bible Reading

January 29, 2020 By Peter Krol

I really appreciate this provocative piece from Peter Leithart with “4 Ways to Revolutionize Your Bible Reading.”

Here is a taste of Leithart’s 4 suggestions.

1. Trust the text

“What I really mean is: trust the Author. At bottom, that means believing this book is God’s speech in human language. These words are God’s words. If you don’t believe that, nothing else I say will make much sense.”

2. There are no shortcuts

“Whether reading a poem or a biblical book or the whole Bible, there are no shortcuts. Read, then re-read, then re-re-read, until the whole book goes with you through every verse. Only then will the text come to seem natural.”

3. Find and mimic readers who are better than you are

“Find someone whose reading of the Bible electrifies and delights you, someone who makes your heart burn. Listen. Mimic. As you read, imagine he’s standing at your shoulder pointing to all the things you missed.”

4. Worship at a church with a Bible-saturated liturgy

“Many churches with “Bible” in the name rarely have much Bible in worship. The hymns contain small snatches of Scripture. The pastor reads a few verses for his sermon text, but otherwise little of the Bible is read and heard. By a weird irony, many traditionally liturgical churches are more immersed in Scripture than Bible-believing evangelical ones are.”

There is much to consider here. I encourage you to check it out!

How Matthew’s Opening Verses Frame the Book

January 22, 2020 By Peter Krol

I appreciate Charles Quarles’s reflection on Matthew’s gospel, and how the opening verses establish the theological themes that ought to shape our reading of the book. Quarles describes how even his PhD students often need to learn how to read the Bible the way the author intended. His observations and reflections are well worth considering.

For the last ten years I have concentrated my studies on learning to read theologically the Gospels, particularly the Gospel of Matthew. By reading “theologically” I do not mean reading Matthew through the lens of a particular creed or confession (though I am strongly confessional). Nor do I mean asking how each narrative or paragraph might relate to the various categories of systematic theology like ecclesiology, pneumatology, demonology, etc. (though I highly value systematic theology and often employ this reading strategy). I mean rather reading Matthew like the apostle himself intended it to be read. Matthew has packed his Gospel with all the cues and prompts necessary to read his Gospel properly.

Check it out!

Can You Identify This Quote from the Bible?

January 17, 2020 By Peter Krol

In my current readthrough of the Bible, I recently came upon this gem of a poem. In my experience, it’s not quoted very often by Christians. But it’s rather encouraging and beautiful, isn’t it?

I’ll write more about this poem next week. For now, let’s test your Bible literacy.

To the first person who comments below with the name of the biblical figure associated with these words (the person who wrote or spoke them), I will give an extra entry into the drawing for a reader’s Bible. In addition, I will give another entry to the first person who can identify the reference for the poem (book and chapter). If one person guesses both correctly, he or she will be given two entries.

Here’s an extra two chances for you to win this.

Just one caveat: You may not look it up. I want to know if you can guess this from memory. Of course, you could look it up and comment anyway to get the reward. And I’ll never know, but God will.

I’ll confirm if someone gets one of the answers right. That will make it easier for others to guess the second answer correctly.

Here is the poem.

“Agree with God, and be at peace;
thereby good will come to you.
Receive instruction from his mouth,
and lay up his words in your heart.
If you return to the Almighty you will be built up;
if you remove injustice far from your tents,
if you lay gold in the dust,
and gold of Ophir among the stones of the torrent-bed,
then the Almighty will be your gold
and your precious silver.
For then you will delight yourself in the Almighty
and lift up your face to God.
You will make your prayer to him, and he will hear you,
and you will pay your vows.
You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you,
and light will shine on your ways.
For when they are humbled you say, ‘It is because of pride’;
but he saves the lowly.
He delivers even the one who is not innocent,
who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”

We’re Not the Only Ones

January 15, 2020 By Peter Krol

At least once a week, we like to direct your attention to another corner of the interwebs where good Bible study is being done. We do this to show that we’re not the only ones talking about it. And we don’t think we’re the only ones who can do it well.

Case in point: Matt Smethurst writes at the Gospel Coalition about “How to Study Your Bible in 2020.” He proposes a straightforward three-step process that ought to sound familiar to readers of this blog. His summary of the method is worthy of your consideration.

I particularly appreciate his lists of concrete questions you can ask at each stage of the process. And he recommends getting help from commentaries—but only after you’ve attempted interpretation on your own. His application suggestions are especially thoughtful.

As you continue establishing habits for the coming year, I commend Smethurst’s article for your consideration.

Check it out!

Getting the Whole Story of the Bible

January 10, 2020 By Peter Krol

So I’ve begun my 10th annual whole-Bible read through. I began on January 1, and I’m going at a brisk pace. Last year, I completed the Bible in 27 days, so I’m aiming for 26 days this time.

I’m reading the Old Testament in the Hebrew order of books, alternating between a physical Bible and an audio Bible. When using a physical book, I’m reading Robert Alter’s translation. When doing audio, I’m using NIV Live. When I reach the New Testament, I’ll use the NIV Sola Scriptura reading order (reading Luke with Paul’s letters, then Matthew with Hebrews and James, then Mark with 1-2 Peter and Jude, then John with 1-3 John and Revelation).

One benefit of reading this much Bible is getting the big picture of the whole story in a brief period of time. So in the first eight days, I covered Genesis through 2 Kings (minus Ruth, which is part of the “Writings,” the third part of the Hebrew canon). In just about a week, I went from creation to covenant, and through kingship to exile. What a ride! While the post-exilic narratives will come later in the “Writings,” I’ve been able to make my way through almost the complete story of Israel.

The promises and curses of Deuteronomy were still fresh by the time I saw the people kicked out of the land for their idolatry. The blessing on Abraham still rings in my mind, even as the nation has now forfeited it. The time of the judges was a blur and blemish; David’s rise and fall were incredibly engaging; the Law was tough going, but the main ideas—love for God and for neighbor—remained clear.

I’m having a great time. I love setting everything else aside for these few weeks, and dedicating most of my spare moments to this immersion in God’s glorious word.

Now I’ve entered the “latter prophets” (the books we typically consider as “prophets”), and I’ll have about a week of dark polemic. But what I appreciate about the Hebrew order of books is that the prophets won’t be the last section of the Old Testament. After this, I’ll hit the “Writings,” which will be more hopeful and encouraging: the wisdom of Psalms, Proverbs, Job Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs; along with the character studies of Ruth, Lamentations, Daniel, Esther, Ezra-Nehemiah, and Chronicles.

Finally, I’ll move into the last week or so basking in the sunrise of the New Testament, in the four tracks I mentioned above.

In a typically gloomy time of year in my part of the world, I’m having quite a trip in the story of God’s kingdom grace. It’s not too late for you. Would you like to give it a try?

Why is Matthew’s Quotation of Micah Different from Micah?

January 8, 2020 By Peter Krol

In the video below, John Piper offers some fascinating insight into how to think about Old Testament quotations in the New Testament. In Matthew 2, King Herod asks the chief priests and scribes where the Messiah is to be born. They respond by quoting Micah 5:2 … sort of.

Piper takes a close look at the text of Micah 5:2 and the quotation of it in Matthew 2:6. He carefully observes all the differences between the two passages, and he asks interpretive questions, such as “Why is this part different?” and “Why is that part different?”

He then proceeds to answer his interpretive questions from the literary context of the rest of Matthew’s gospel, and he comes up with a surprising answer. Piper himself acknowledges that you won’t find this answer in any commentary. But as you examine the Scripture for yourself, do you find his answer plausible?

Check it out!

Context Matters: Abstain from All Appearance of Evil

January 3, 2020 By Peter Krol

Perhaps you’ve heard the injunction to avoid the appearance of evil. You won’t find the phrase in most modern English Bibles, as it’s a holdover from the King James translation of 1 Thessalonians 5:22. The ESV commands us to “abstain from every form of evil,” and the CSB simplifies it further to “stay away from every kind of evil” (1 Thess 5:22, CSB). This verse could be called upon to support just about any set of personal prohibitions, including interacting with someone of the opposite sex, dining at a tavern, choosing one’s friends, and forming political alliances, to name a few.

But is that what the Apostle Paul had in mind?

Context matters. If we learn to read the Bible for what it is—and not as a collection of independently assembled proverbial sayings—we’ll discover that some of our most familiar passages don’t actually mean what we’ve always assumed.

A Study in Contrasts

When we read the verse in context, we ought to observe that it makes up the second half of a contrast:

“Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil.”
1 Thess 5:21b-22

So the staying away from every kind of evil is a companion to the holding on to what is good. The “evil” in view here is the opposite to the “good” that is likewise in view. We are to “hold on to” the one and “stay away from” the other.

What further clues can we find to help us understand precisely what sort of “good” and “evil” Paul has in mind?

A More Foundational Contrast

Moving back just slightly farther, we find another contrast. This one is more concrete.

“Don’t stifle the Spirit. Don’t despise prophecies, but test all things.”
1 Thess 5:19-21a

This one is a little more complex, but still poses no problem for the astute observer. Here we have two things not to do: Don’t stifle the Spirit or despise prophecies. And one thing to do: Test all things.

We ought to see how “stifling the Spirit” is parallel to “despising prophecies.” So the spiritual stifling Paul has in mind is the despising of prophecies. And because the entire paragraph is about church life (1 Thess 5:12-22), it doesn’t seem likely that Paul is describing enscripturated (written) prophecies, but the verbal prophecies being made in the course of ancient Thessalonian church life.

And how does Paul want people to express their dependence on the Spirit? How can they show their regard for those verbal prophecies? Is it by shutting off their minds and swallowing wholesale whatever is spoken in the name of the Spirit?

No: “Test all things,” he commands. The church will express its dependence on the Spirit of God, and its high regard for prophecies, by testing them all. By examining them in light of the enscripturated Word. By evaluating their consistency with the rest of God’s revelation. By making distinctions between true and false prophets, true and false prophecies, things to be heeded and things to be discarded.

The Punch Line

And upon such evaluation of the prophecies made in the church, the people are commanded to “hold on to what is good” and “stay away from every kind of evil.”

So the contrast between “good” and “evil” follows directly from the “testing” of the prophecy. Not every prophecy is legitimate. Not every claim to speak on behalf of God’s Spirit is to be taken seriously. Each of them must be tested.

And those that prove to be “good” are to be held on to. Those that show themselves to be any “kind of evil” are to be stayed away from.

Conclusion

Paul’s command here is similar to Jesus’ instruction to “be on your guard against false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves. You’ll recognize them by their fruit” (Matt 7:15-16a).

We’ve been given an objective set of criteria by which to distinguish between true and false prophecy. We ought to cling to the first while staying away from the second. Jesus and Paul are in harmony on this matter.

And “abstain from all appearance of evil” has very little to do with how other people perceive your behavior in any given situation. It has more to do with whom we listen to and whose instruction we choose to heed. Stay away from those prophets and prophecies who are not in line with that which is good, right, and true.

Context matters.

Thanks to Daniel Tomlinson for the idea for this post. Click here for more examples showing why context matters.

3 Reasons to Study Bible Genealogies with Kids

January 1, 2020 By Peter Krol

Nana Dolce makes some wonderful points about difficult parts of the Bible. If we skip these “boring” parts of the Bible, we train our children to doubt our instruction regarding inspiration, coherence, and redemption. Genealogies give us great opportunity to reinforce these things, because:

Genealogies are inspired.
Genealogies spotlight the big story.
Genealogies showcase redemption.

Check it out!

10. Context Matters: God Will Give You the Desires of Your Heart

This post was #1 on last week’s list (most viewed posts that were published in 2019), but comes in at #10 overall. Yet it was only the second most-viewed “context matters” post (see slot #7 below).

9. 4 Bible Studies for Advent

Last year, the big hit was Ryan’s 4 Bible studies for Lent. But this year, folks seemed more interested in his Bible studies for advent. Advent is a great time to study the Bible, and here are four 4-week studies you could consider for that season.

8. 10 OT Books Never Quoted in the NT

This post was #7 on last year’s list, and #4 the year before that. It’s only one part of a six-part series analyzing every NT citation of an OT text. It’s interesting that one of the most popular posts in that series is about the OT books that never get a direct quotation.

7. Context Matters: A Bruised Reed

This was the most-viewed “context matters” post on the blog this year. It didn’t see much traffic in 2018 (it did not make the top 10 list) but seemed to pick up more interest this year. This is one of my most controversial posts, as I challenge an interpretation as common as oxygen. Yet it is incredibly difficult to find an argument for the traditional interpretation. Instead it is universally assumed and asserted. Check it out, and study the text for yourself.

6. Top 10 OT Books Quoted in NT

This post moves up from #8 last year, but was #5 in 2017. So it’s still hovering in about the same place. Even though my series analyzes not only books but also chapters and verses, this list of most-quoted books always seems to be the most popular.

5. How to Recognize Sowers of Discord

Moving up from the #9 slot last year, this post outlines from Proverbs 6:12-15 a few signs to help recognize divisive people. This post comes from my 2013 series of studies through the first 9 chapters of Proverbs.

4. Details of the OIA Method

The top 4 slots remain unchanged from last year and are still going strong. We put this one into the top menu so people could find it easily. It pretty much explains why this blog exists, so we’re glad it gets a lot of pageviews.

3. Summary of the OIA Method

See the previous post, unless you want less of a detailed explanation and more of a summary. Then see this post instead.

2. 10 Reasons to Avoid Sexual Immorality

This was the most-viewed post in 2014, but then dropped off the list until resurfacing as #8 in 2017 and #2 last year. I’m delighted to see a continued resurgence in appeal for such an important topic. Find whatever motivates you to avoid sexual immorality, and glum onto God’s grace in providing that motivation!

1. Why Elihu is So Mysterious

The popularity of this 2015 post continues to surprise us. We really cannot explain why it has been so popular, but if you haven’t read it, you must really be missing out! Elihu is that mysterious 4th friend in the book of Job. If you even knew he existed, chances are you’ve skipped his speeches entirely. This post is my attempt to explain Elihu’s role in the drama of the play of Job. This post was #3 in 2017, but it has held the #1 slot for two years running. And the competition is not even close. The #2 post was viewed about 16,000 times, and this one was viewed more than 24,000 times.

Lessons from a Genealogy

December 25, 2019 By Peter Krol

Merry Christmas! As you reflect on the birth of our Lord Jesus, consider what lessons Jesse Johnson would have us take from Jesus’ genealogy in Matthew 1:

This then is the advent hope found in a genealogy: that the savior will be born in an unusual circumstances, that he will be the savior of sinners who respond to him in faith, and that this message will go to the world.

Check it out!

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