By Peter Krol
On the Ligonier blog, W. Robert Godfrey does an outstanding job analyzing Psalm 69. He shows how to break the psalm into sections, outline the structure, follow the train of thought, and draw practical implications. Along the way, he addresses the New Testament’s use of the psalm, Jesus’ experience of the psalm on the cross, and the question of whether Christians should pray down curses on their enemies.
I highly recommend this clear and careful example of how to read a psalm. Check it out!
By Peter Krol
I love challenging people to read the Bible like they’d read any other book. And when folks have been trained their whole Christian lives to read just a few verses at a time, such rapid reading can be thrilling. Here’s what some of you have said about your Bible reading in the last few months:
I was pleasantly surprised to find how much more enjoyable I found reading larger chunks of Scripture as opposed to the choppiness of reading smaller sections. It was also nice not to get bogged down in the typical sections but to sprint through them as part of their larger story.
Though I have been a believer for years, I have never successfully finished a cover to cover reading plan. I learned in this challenge that a short term goal is easier for me to attain. I found that consuming large portions of Scripture increased my understanding and led to wonderful discussions with my husband. This Bible reading challenge was life changing.
Previous to this I struggled with actually wanting to read the Bible, since to me it was kind of boring in places. When I heard about your challenge, I was originally just doing it for the prize. However reading through the Bible in such a short period of time was very enjoyable for me. Never staying in the same book for more than a couple days kept me interested through the whole Bible.
I felt spiritually so much more alive diving into Scripture evert single day for three months, and getting a broad overview of Scripture. I would not trade this time in God’s word, as He really used it to strengthen my faith and give me a fuller picture of who He is.
I have read through the Bible using a one-year plan many times, but reading it in 90 days was life-changing. God knew I needed this challenge, as He has used this concentrated time His Word to humble me and increase my awe of Him. Glory to God!
When you read 16 chapters in a row (many times whole books all at once) you can truly grasp and remember the context of the situation a whole lot more.
After spending weeks in the prophets with their largely unheeded calls to repentance, getting to Matthew was like a breath of fresh air! This helped me appreciate various parts of scripture for explaining different things clearer and more vividly.
I had been very far from God for the past several years and hadn’t read the Bible in a while, and now that I have repented and am following Jesus again, I thought it would be good to read the whole thing through. 30 days wasn’t really that hard for me because I read really fast. What was hard for me was not stopping to analyze everything or ask a million questions. As I read I kept a list of my overall impression of what each book revealed about God’s heart and character. Overall it was an amazing experience and I’m super glad I did it.
It was difficult at times, yet it was such a blessing to develop the discipline of consistently reading long portions of the word. I developed a feel for the flow of the Bible.
I have to say that it was a life changing experience. I never considered such a thing as helpful. I had read the Bible many times in the past, but never in such big portions and never in such a short time. It amazed me the impact and insight this practice had on my life. The discipline was invaluable. This practice of reading through the Bible will be part of my daily life from now on.
I feel more like I have “the whole bible” in my mind now than I ever have before. It was also great to get to see all the interconnections, like for example I read Joel and the first chapters of acts on the same day. It has made me think that I want to get the benefits of breadth even while doing deep study.
Reading the Bible at this pace was so much fun. I hadn’t read the Bible in chunks like this since freshman year in college, when I wasn’t a Christian, but figured I should read the whole Scriptures to get a better idea what it was all about. Returning to this approach after 5 years of following Christ was thus pretty neat. Like the first time, I was struck by the unity of the Scriptures from front to back. Jesus Christ truly is the same yesterday, today and forever.
I’ve always loved reading any book like this, and the Bible is unique in the diversity and unity within it. Getting lost in history, or a running argument between Job and his friends, or multiple Psalms all has value it’s hard to get in the morning bursts of drilling into a particular passage. And meditating on the trajectory of God’s work in history is really cool. This is going to be an annual tradition for sure, external incentives or not.
This has actually inspired me to try to read whole books of the Bible in as close to one sitting as possible.
Now I’ll be the first to admit that reading the whole Bible in exactly 90 days or less is not for everyone:
Reading the NT is not so bad, but reading the OT tends to hit a wall somewhere around Psalms/Proverbs/prophets, where there’s less of a narrative to follow.
I do believe that listening to the Bible on a regular basis will be doable, I just can’t stand sit and read through it quickly.
Honestly, it bothered me to read through/listen to the Bible so quickly. I am the type of person that likes to focus on one book for an extended period, about a month for Ephesians, for example.
I started with Genesis, and thoroughly enjoyed the process. But next I went for Job, and really struggled to not let my mind wander. I thought that listening to Matthew next would be ‘easier’. But I still struggled to pay proper attention. So I decided to stop last week, as there didn’t seem much point doing it just to say that I’ve done it. I was listening while walking, so the distractions should have been limited. But I was doing so at the end of a working day. So perhaps I was too tired.
But despite the fact that not everyone was in a position to complete the reading, I’m encouraged by how many came to see the value of reading larger portions of Scripture. Whether it’s a 90-day full read-through of the Bible, or simply an occasional one-sitting read-through of a single book, may the Lord help us to encourage others to read the Bible like a masterpiece of literature. May the Lord use this process to deepen our understanding of him, as we receive his revelation, in context, with deeper understanding and greater benefit for the world.
By Peter Krol
Writing for the Logos Talk blog, Michael Heiser makes an important point about the Bible’s context. When we study the Bible “in context,” we tend to focus on the literary context (surrounding passages) and historical context (what was going on in Israel’s culture at the time).
But another context is just as important, yet often overlooked: The socio-religious context. In other words, what was going on in the surrounding nations at the time? What did those nations believe about their gods and how to serve them, and how does the true God’s revelation to Israel relate or stand out?
The profound contextual overlaps between Israel and her pagan neighbors was a wise theological tactic on God’s part. When divergences in Israel’s theology appear in the text—and there are some dramatic, stark points of contrast—they scream for attention on the part of the ancient reader. Unlike the pagan deities, Israel’s God could not be cajoled like an idol; Yahweh could not be brought down to earth and tamed. Laws about sacrifices were set in specific covenant contexts, giving them a unique theological dimension. Yahweh would rather have faith and loyalty than sacrifice.
We can miss the punch of what the Bible says when we don’t grapple with how it would have sounded to the ancients in their social context. Heiser gives a number of examples of the similarities and differences that help our interpretation.
Check it out!
By Peter Krol
As we study the Bible, we must not forget to correlate similar passages into an overall framework of biblical teaching. Such correlation is necessary for good Bible study, yet it comes fraught with many dangers, such as flipping around too soon, harmonizing without first interpreting, and connecting words instead of ideas.
For example, many “Bible word studies” do more harm than help by creating an illusion of authenticity without reaching the true meaning of a text.
George Guthrie gives a great example about Euodia and Syntyche in Phil 4:2-3, where attempting a word study before understanding the passage at hand could lead to some crazy ideas: Arrest those women! Capture those women! Impregnate those women!
I beg you: If you feel stuck in your Bible study, and you’re not sure what to do, please don’t rush into a word study. You will feel busy, and you’ll feel like you’ve made progress in your study. But the progress is almost always in a wrong (or at least irrelevant) direction. If you feel stuck, just observe the text more deeply. Ask better questions. Take a stab at the main point.
After you have guessed at the main point, then it might be helpful to reference other passages to see where these ideas also come up. But if you’re stuck on a specific word, the immediate context (and not a word study) is typically your best help.
Guthrie’s article is a short and clear attempt to show how easily our word studies can go wrong. Check it out!
By Peter Krol
When we read Jesus’ condemnation of the Pharisees in Mark 7:9, we tend to nod our heads vigorously, wondering how the Jewish leaders of Jesus day could have been such doofuses. We would never do that, of course! We’re the people who love Jesus and who love the Bible. We are more careful than most…
And yet, I must propose we are just as guilty. We have many traditions that have been handed down to us that have no basis in the Scripture.
And the answer to this problem is to open ourselves to careful observation. If we don’t see what it says, we’ll always struggle to understand what it means.
For this reason, a few years ago, I began keeping a list of things that most Protestants assume are in the Bible, but really are not. If you thought God regularly walked and talked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, or that the resurrected Jesus walked through walls, or even that Jesus’ ministry lasted for 3 years, you need to read it again and observe more carefully!
And I must confess I’m as guilty as anyone. This past week, I came across an article blowing up an idea that I always took for granted: that God changed Saul’s name to Paul at his conversion. In “No…’Saul the Persecutor’ Did Not Become ‘Paul the Apostle,'” Greg Lanier does a terrific job observing the biblical data to show that this idea is merely a false tradition not based in the text of Scripture. If you’re willing to reconsider your assumptions and truly let God’s word shape your thinking, I encourage you to check out Lanier’s article. It delights me when I see people taking the word so seriously and helping us learn to read it well.
By Peter Krol
Writing for Christianity Today, Jen Wilkin encourages us to “Stop Calling Everything a Bible Study.”
On the typical church website, it’s not uncommon to find classes on marriage, finances, parenting, prayer, and books of the Bible all listed as “Bible studies.”
In these gatherings, good things happen. People connect to one another in community. They share needs, confess sins, and explore topics through the lens of Scripture. But not all of these classes are Bible studies…
As we have expanded our use of the term, we have decreased the number of actual Bible studies we offer. Churches have gradually shifted away from offering basic Bible study in favor of studies that are topical or devotional, adopting formats that more closely resemble a book club discussion than a class that teaches Scripture.
I’ve also written before about how book discussion groups are not Bible studies. Getting this right is not merely a matter of terminology. Getting this right can mean the difference between training our people to read the Bible on their own, and training them to believe they can’t do it without expert guidance.
Wilkin’s short article is worth considering. Check it out!
By Peter Krol
If you haven’t heard of the Bible Project, you really should check them out. They offer some of the best Bible teaching I’ve ever seen, and they package it in 5-10 minute chunks with the highest quality visuals, all available for free online. If you browse their site, you’ll find all sorts of videos, including the following:
On Sunday evenings, I’ve been reading straight through the Bible to my children. Whenever we hit a new book, we begin by watching the Bible Project’s overview for that book. My children (ages 2-10) and I all love the videos.
My church small group watched the videos overviewing Matthew before we began our study of that gospel this year.
The main reason I’m writing about the Bible Project today, however, is because they just kicked off a new series on how to read the Bible. The first video is called, simply, “What is the Bible?” It briefly and clearly explains “the origins, content, and purpose of the Bible.” It is a terrific start to what promises to be a great series.
By Peter Krol
In his article entitled “Why Are So Many Christians Bored With the Bible?”, Marshall Segal tackles the problem head-on:
Unfortunately, many Christians love the idea of the Bible, but not really the Bible itself. We love having a Bible close by, even within reach, but don’t make time to open it on an average day. We talk about Bible reading like we talk about cutting calories or cleaning our house. We’re grateful for the results, but we don’t wake up dying to do it again. It sounds like a fine thing to do, until we have to choose what we won’t do in order to make time for it.
He paints a picture of what could be. Imagine being able to pray this biblical prayer (paraphrased from Psalm 119:14-20:
I enjoy reading the Bible more than the wealthy enjoy all their houses, cars, technology, and vacations. God, your word will be my first priority and focus each day. I will read and read the Bible, until I cannot forget it. Give me more grace, O God, and enable me to obey what I’ve read. Help me see more today than I’ve already seen before, even in these same pages. I only wish I had more time to read more of my Bible.
And he identifies the source of our boredom: We treat the Bible as an old book, and not as the words of a living, knowable person.
Do you want a better relationship with your Creator and Redeemer? It is right there for the taking. And Segal has some great ideas to help you move in the right direction.
By Peter Krol
There is still plenty of time to enter the drawing for one of two sets of the ESV Reader’s Bible, 6-Volume Set. So far, three people have completed the reading to enter the drawing. There is more time remaining than has yet gone by, so it’s not too late to begin reading the whole Bible! Reminder: You have until March 31 to read the whole Bible. Then email me to let me know how it went for you. You can email peter.krol@knowableword.com or use the contact form on the website. Click to see the official contest rules.
I will return the emails of everyone who enters the drawing. So if you’ve emailed me and haven’t gotten a reply, please try again with the contact form.
And to inspire you, here are some insightful reflections from a guy who read the whole Bible in one week.
By Peter Krol
I just listened to a stimulating interview with Jen Wilkin about how to orchestrate and organize a women’s ministry.
Now I bet most men reading this have already tuned out and moved on, but if you’re still with me I urge you: Listen to this! Especially if you’re a church leader or spouse of someone involved in “women’s ministry.” It’s so tempting to think women’s ministry has nothing to do with us men, and that, as long as things aren’t exploding, the women should just do whatever they want. But that’s not support; it’s indifference and neglect. They often need and want our support. That means taking an interest in what they’re doing, hearing them out, and offering constructive feedback and effective training when appropriate.
And Wilkin has proven advice on how to do this with excellence. We all would do well to consider her counsel and figure out how to apply it to our circumstances.
