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A Complete Handbook of Literary Forms in the Bible

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As a young missionary and student of the Bible, I once received counsel to check out certain commentaries written by scholars who didn’t believe the Bible to be true. This counselor wasn’t trying to lead me away from the true faith but toward it, because he suggested, “Many liberal scholars are more willing than conservatives to take the Bible at face value. Since they don’t care what the Bible says, they have nothing to lose by being honest about its message.” Having grown tired of endless word studies and thin defenses of dogmatic opinions on every page of some conservative commentaries, I gave it a try.

And I began learning to read the Bible as a work of literature.

(Please note: Not all commenters are created equal. Some unbelieving scholars take offense at the Bible’s message and seek to undermine it at every turn. I’m not writing about them, but about their colleagues who approach the Bible with more indifference than aggression.)

This approach helped me for a time, leading me to learn from brilliant (though spiritually foolish) writers how beautiful and well-written the Scriptures are. I learned how important structure was to ancient authors. I gained a keener eye for devices like characterization, comparison and contrast, inclusio (bookends), and repetition. I realized how important the original audience is to our interpretation. I learned to set aside my preconceptions, since I often had to suspend my disgust for the commentator’s assumptions in order to sharpen my ability to observe the text and delight in the ancient artistry.

Enter Leland Ryken.

Dr. Ryken showed me that I didn’t have to simmer in unbelieving scholarship in order to read the Bible for what it is: literature.

One of my earliest “wow” experiences was being required to read selections from Ryken’s Words of Delight: A Literary Introduction to the Bible for a seminary course. The book was so good, I finished it on my own as soon as the course ended. And I’ve returned to it regularly ever since.

Ryken teaches college-level English and trusts God’s word. I praise God for his service to the kingdom of God in our generation, through his teaching career and long list of published works. And I was delighted when this man I deeply respect was willing to endorse Knowable Word.

Crossway caught my eye when they offered me a copy of Ryken’s recent work, A Complete Handbook of Literary Forms in the Bible, in exchange for an honest review. This handbook appeared to be a useful tool for any student’s library.

And Ryken’s Handbook delivers on a grand scale. Ryken gets literature, and he gets the Bible.

The Handbook lists about 270 different forms Bible passages follow and gives definitions, explanations, and examples for each form. The handbook’s introduction explains why literary form matters: Writers communicate meaning through form. If we ignore form, we often miss the meaning. There is no content in the Bible communicated without a form. And a biblical understanding of inspiration requires us to recognize the inspiration of not only words and content but also the shape those words take.

Ryken explains:

The most obvious lesson that this handbook reveals is that the Bible is much more infused with literary forms and techniques than we realize. In fact, I predict that anyone who browses in this book for ten minutes will be shocked by the extent to which literary forms and techniques are present in the Bible. (Kindle loc. 381)

Dr. Ryken is a prophet indeed. The Handbook will help you understand forms like soliloquy, three-plus-one motifs, parody, insult, irony, hero stories, fantasy, foreshadowing, envelope structure, apostrophe, coming-of-age stories, stories of villainy, and lament psalms, to name but a small percentage of forms.

I would imagine using this reference often, except for one significant flaw that undermines its usefulness to average Bible readers like me. It has no Scripture index. This handbook is useful only to those already familiar with the extensive literary terms. If I’m reading Job 3, and I want to learn more about how soliloquies work, this handbook offers a marvelous explanation. But if I’ve never heard the term soliloquy, the handbook will be of no use to me.

I would give this book 5 stars if it had a Scripture index tying Bible references to the names of literary forms found in them. Without such an index, unfortunately, I can’t see most readers benefitting from this handbook—unless they’re either steeped in the terminology of literature or reading other reference works making use of that terminology.

You can find the Handbook at Amazon.

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Amazon links in this post are affiliate links. If some people care about this blog by reading it, how much more do those care who click the links and thus support the blog at no cost to themselves. That’s an example of an a fortiori literary form, which I learned about from Ryken’s Handbook.

(Almost) How the Bible was Meant to be Read

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I’m a reader, and I love the Bible. So I was thrilled when I saw Crossway’s announcement for the new ESV Reader’s Bible last summer. I knew I had to get one in time for my annual Bible read-through to begin on January 1. I’m glad I did, because the Reader’s Bible lived up to my expectations.

ESV Reader's BibleSome folks don’t realize how much stuff on the pages of their Bibles isn’t part of the inspired text. Of course, there are obvious mechanisms like page numbers and reference headings that aid navigation. But there are also section headings, footnotes, cross-references, chapter numbers, and verse numbers. Sometimes, there’s also commentary at the bottom of the page.

In addition, we don’t realize how typography (the page layout of the text) impacts the way we read the text. Does each page have one column of text or two? Is the text broken into paragraphs, or does each verse start a new line? How large is the font? Is poetry divided into stanzas, or does it run on and on without a break? Is the poetry set apart with indented lines, or is it printed in a block of text just like prose?

The ESV Reader’s Bible cuts out most of the extraneous conventions and gets most of the typography just right. The result is a Bible that—though it looks just like any other book we read in this generation—doesn’t look very Bible-like to most Bible readers, and thus represents a significant risk on the publisher’s part. Will people buy a Bible that doesn’t look like the Bible they grew up with? Will sales be enough to cover the investment? We should celebrate Crossway’s courage for pushing this venture as far as they did.

After reading the entire book in about 5 weeks’ time, here are my impressions.

  • Reading the Bible was more fun than usual. I usually enjoy the Scripture. I always enjoy my annual saturation in it. But honestly, some of the sheer fun wears off by the end, and I push forward more because I believe in the vision for a quick read than because I’m having fun in the process. But this time, I simply couldn’t put it down because it didn’t feel like reading “the Bible”; it felt like reading a good book. And I love reading good books.
  • I read the entire Bible more quickly than usual—partly because I combined actual reading with listening to an audio version, but also partly because the page layout gave me permission to keep going. In fact the page teased me. It taunted me, suggesting that more plot tension, climax, and resolution lay just around the corner. Without all those huge chapter numbers, verse numbers, and section headings interrupting me and giving me a feeling of arrival, I felt like I could keep reading another section; no—another section; no—another section.
  • The context stood out much more than some of the content. I would pass over some of my favorite verses like an angel of death at midnight, almost forgetting they were there, because I had gotten swept into the bigger picture of the author’s rhetoric. For example, 1 Corinthians 13 came and went before I realized what had happened. I wasn’t so focused on hitting “the love chapter”; I was far more conscious of the clarion call to unity within the church, which is more the point, I think.
  • Using this Bible in discussion groups is a little funky. When I want to observe something, the best help I can give others is, “Look at the sentence in the third paragraph, somewhere around verse 16.” Honestly, though, I’m not sure that’s a bad thing. How great would it be if we all stopped thinking of the Bible as a collection of 31,102 separate sayings (verses), and instead thought of it as a collection of 66 short books?

This edition, of course, is not perfect.

  • The paper is way too thin, so the back-side ink shows through and the pages are difficult to turn. However, I’m not sure how else they could have fit 1825 pages into a single volume. This page formatting holds fewer words per page than typical Bible typesetting, and something has to give to manage the physical thickness.
  • For some reason, Crossway decided to keep chapter numbers in the margins. It’s nice that they moved them away from the text block, and that they altered the color. But, as Mark Ward said in his review, “It feels like Crossway made it about five minutes from the summit of Mt. Everest and then decided that was good enough.” I imagine they thought it would be not just difficult but impossible to navigate through the tome without them, but the reference headings at the top of the page would have been just fine.
  • For another strange reason, they decided to keep the suggestive “He,” “She,” and “Others” headings in the Song of Solomon. I wish they had trusted us with the plain text and allowed us to wrestle through exactly who was speaking when.

I commend this Bible to you. I’m a proud owner of the imitation leather, TrueTone edition. But as soon as I finish composing this review, I plan to order a copy of the cloth over board (hardback) edition to serve as my new markup Bible. I’m eager to begin a new season of study with a fresh text, independent of the usual conventions that clog assist study.

Cloth over board: Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books.

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Disclaimer: The Amazon and Westminster links are affiliate links, so if you click them and buy stuff you’ll help to pay for my new markup copy of the ESV Reader’s Bible.

Women of the Word

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I once had the privilege to meet with a reasonably well-known man who edits Bible study curriculum. My chief questions for him were: What is your vision for publishing Bible curriculum? Why do you think we need more curriculum, instead of simply greater Bible literacy? How do you avoid creating a dependence with your subscribers, such that they turn to you and your materials instead of going directly to God’s Word?

Now, I may have caught this fellow on a bad day. And our appointment was cut a little short due to factors outside of his control. So I don’t want to blast him for a single conversation. But I must admit I was terribly disappointed that he had nothing for me better than, “The curriculum helps people.”

I pestered him with follow-up questions. Helps them with what? Helps them how? Why must we produce more and more curriculum that only decreases people’s confidence in their ability to read the unmediated text of Scripture? But he confessed to having no answers for me.

A Very Different Answer

Some time later, I came across a guest post by Jen Wilkin about this very problem: training Christians (especially Christian women) to rely on commentary and Christian books more than the Book of books. I couldn’t be any more delighted by her thesis.

I explored Ms. Wilkin’s website and discovered that she, too, wrote her own Bible study curriculum. I couldn’t see how that practice fit with the point of her article, so I contacted her directly to ask her the same questions I had asked the first gentleman. Her answer was far less pragmatic than his and came pregnant with a compelling vision:

I write curricula with the intent of training women how to use the tools…At the beginning of each of my studies I tell the women that, while I hope they will learn the book of the Bible we are studying, my greater hope is that they will better know how to handle their Bibles on their own once we are finished.

Eventually, I hope my women will rely on a curriculum less and less, having learned by repeated use how to ask good questions and honor the learning process on their own.

Here was something I could get excited about. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Wilkin’s new book Women of the Word: How to Study the Bible with Both our Hearts and our Minds, and Crossway was willing to provide me with a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. I could not fault her intentions; would she be able to deliver on them?

Women of the WordMoney Moments

I’m happy to say Wilkin does, in fact, deliver. Her little book is a powerhouse of training, inspiring and equipping ordinary people to study God’s Word. I benefitted greatly from this book, even though Wilkin’s target audience is Christian women. The only time I felt like she wasn’t speaking to me was in the last chapter where she gives counsel for women who teach women’s Bible studies.

Here are some of the many highlights that stuck with me:

  • Right thinking will lead to right feeling, not vice versa. Too many of us get this backwards.
  • “If Bible literacy is our goal, we need an honest evaluation of what we are currently doing to achieve it.” I’m addicted to what Wilkin calls the “Xanax approach” to the Bible: I feel guilty if my time in Scripture doesn’t make me feel better in some way.
  • The Bible tells one Big Story of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. We’ll understand each passage best when we see how it connects to this larger story arc.
  • Finding historical background is not merely an intellectual exercise. Good Bible study depends upon it. And it can be fun!
  • The desire for instant gratification is mortally dangerous to our Bible study. Sometimes we get nothing at all from a single reading session. We need to have more patience over time to see the benefits.
  • “It is good for us to earnestly attempt interpretation on our own before we read the interpretations of others. And this means we must wait to consult commentaries, study Bibles, podcasts, blogs, and paraphrases for interpretive help until we have taken our best shot at interpreting on our own.”

Some Caution

I have two minor differences with the book worthy of comment.

  1. Oversimplification. Wilkin covers a lot of ground with a very low word count. This fact occasionally leads her to oversimplify unhelpfully. For example, her discussion of literary genres contains little nuance and, without caution, may set some on false trails: “Historical narrative uses language to give a factual retelling of events. It intends to be taken at face value…Wisdom literature uses language to communicate principles that are generally true, though not universally true. Reading a proverb as a promise can lead to heartache and doubt.”
  2. Cross-references. Wilkin puts more stock in cross-references than I’m comfortable with. She includes the looking up of cross-references as a critical step in interpretation, but again I think this approach can at times generate more smoke than light. The original readers of James didn’t have access to Paul’s letters to help interpret James’s letter (Paul’s letters weren’t even written yet!). I believe it’s more important for us to understand James in his own right first before we begin the work of connecting his ideas to the rest of Scripture. Accessing cross-references too soon can actually take us down the wrong track and cause us to miss the point at hand.

Conclusion

My minor differences shouldn’t dampen enthusiasm for the book. I’m happy to recommend it to you. I learned from Wilkin’s ability to communicate complex ideas in simple language. And she made a compelling case for the need of more women teaching women in the church. Women teachers have something to offer Christ’s body that no men can provide.

In my email correspondence with Ms. Wilkin, we joked that we must be twins separated at birth and that we wish we had crossed paths sooner. If you have been helped by this blog, you will find much of benefit in Women of the Word.

Prepare Him Room: Advent Devotional and Curriculum

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If my wife didn’t forbid it, I would play Christmas music all year. I would give (and gladly receive) presents every day. I would sing “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing!” every Sunday. I love Christmastime.

Prepare Him RoomSo I was delighted to hear of Marty Machowski’s new Advent devotional and classroom curriculum: Prepare Him Room. By using these resources in the 4 weeks leading up to Christmas, families and churches will lead their children through a study of Old Testament promises, Jesus’ birth narratives, and New Testament explanations of Christ’s person and work. This material ties the entire Bible together in a sound and simple-to-use package. I highly recommend it.

How It Works

If you’re not familiar with Machowski’s other works for children (The Gospel Story for Kids series), an explanation is in order. If you are familiar, and you’d like to get to the meat of my recommendation, you may want to scroll to the next section.

With The Gospel Story for Kids (TGSFK), Machowski developed material for use in both churches and homes. The idea is that church children’s ministries ought to support what parents do at home (duh!), and so the curriculum all fits together. The pieces are:

Long Story ShortYou can use any part of the package independently of the others. (For example, if your church doesn’t want the curriculum, you could still use the family devotionals at home). But if you use them all together, they take your children through the entire Bible in 3 years (a year and a half for each testament), and your children will experience the walk through three times (once at each age level: preschool, lower elementary, and upper elementary). All children and families are studying the same Bible passage each week, in an age-appropriate fashion.

Prepare Him Room works just like the rest of TGSFK series, except that it’s designed just for Advent season. There is a family devotional book, and a CD with lesson plans for classrooms. For those using TGSFK materials, Prepare Him Room will give you a 4-week break to focus on the birth of Christ.

Why I Like It

My church has used TGSFK for over a year now, and we love it. We use the curriculum for ages 3-11, and a church member donated money to give each family copies of the Bible storybook and family devotionals. We had a special meeting with everyone to kick it off, and I’m scheduled to lead a seminar this Sunday to refresh those who need encouragement to press on in family devotions.

It has not proven to be a magical ambrosia guaranteeing eternal life to all who partake; we still have to train teachers, equip parents, and shepherd children’s messy hearts. Christian discipleship is a heavy business that resists oversimplification and systematization. But these tools have made our job simple and delightful, and here’s why:

  • Machowski focuses on reading the Bible. His materials supplement the Scriptures but do not replace them. Even in the children’s Bible storybook, much space is spent quoting the text of Scripture. The upper elementary curriculum trains students to read and study the Scripture for themselves. Hurrah!
  • Every class lesson explicitly connects the Bible passage to the gospel. No child can escape the weekly mantra: “The gospel is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for our salvation.” The most eye-catching part of each lesson plan is the little box explaining how that week’s text preaches the gospel.
  • When every child and family reads the same passages each week, it grows our identity as a community. We now have shared material to discuss informally. And every time a teacher reads from the story Bible or devotional, at least one child is guaranteed to shout, “We have that book at home, too!”
  • Gospel Story CurriculumThe family devotions are short. When the subtitle says Ten Minute Devotions to Draw Your Family to God, it speaks truth. We’ve been able to work ours in at dinner time, and it rarely feels like a burden. There are devotions for 5 days per week, but when we’re feeling overwhelmed with our family schedule we can drop the 5th one without losing too much continuity. It hardly takes any time, but without sacrificing depth.
  • The lesson plans are easily adaptable. They give suggestions in 5-10 minute chunks to cover a class up to 80 minutes long. Our church schedule allows for only 40 minutes of class time, but it’s not hard for teachers to figure out which chunks to drop to fit within our constraints.
  • The lessons require little preparation. Of course, the best teachers (not me) spend oodles of time and have terrific lessons. I teach, not because I live to teach children, but because I want to serve. And this curriculum doesn’t cost me too much. I can gather my props in 5 minutes and spend the bulk of my preparation in study and prayer. I’m not chasing down construction paper, wiping off bottles of glue, or picking glitter out of my hair. Perhaps I’m showing too much of my hand, though, and other teachers may prefer supply scavenger hunts.

A Few Qualifications

Though this review is about Prepare Him Room, the Advent devotional and curriculum, I couldn’t review it without reference to the rest of The Gospel Story For Kids series. If you like TGSFK, you’ll love Prepare Him Room. If you’re unfamiliar with TGSFK, Prepare Him Room may be a painless introduction to the model.

As with the rest of TGSFK, you can buy Prepare Him Room as either a set of family devotionals or a classroom curriculum. There are just a few differences with Prepare Him Room, when compared to TGSFK:

  • The family book includes devotionals for just 3 days per week.
  • The family book also includes a 4-chapter story, one chapter per week, to serve as a fourth family time. The story is okay but not great, and I wish there was a fourth devotion in the Scripture each week instead.
  • Sovereign Grace produced a CD of carols old and new to go with Prepare Him Room.
  • For some reason, the fourth week of the Sunday School curriculum doesn’t match up with the fourth week’s family devotional topic.

Though New Growth Press gave me a complimentary copy of Prepare Him Room in exchange for an honest review, I would absolutely buy it if they hadn’t. I’m delighted to recommend it to you.

What Board Games Taught Me about Bible Study

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Because my wife and I just returned from our 10th wedding anniversary extravaganza, I don’t have as much time to write as I’d like. I’m just getting caught up after a 3-day celebratory getaway. But a few reflections are in order.

First, the facts. We enjoy board games, and we decided to celebrate our 10th anniversary by playing at least 10 different games (we ended up having time for 12). We took a few pleasant strolls through the woods, we squeezed in some low maintenance meals, and we had a few hours for reading. But we spent most of the time head-to-head, man vs. woman, each exercising their God-given instincts to bring order and dominion to the cosmos. The age-long battle of the sexes was at stake, and neither of us dropped our guard for even a minute.

CavernaSecond, the results. Though I found some small consolation in my closing 3-game win streak, Erin won the series 7-5. Ain’t no flies on her! May the world never accuse me of taking advantage of this extraordinarily precocious woman. I, in fact, could barely keep up.

Third, my conclusions. I must improve my observation skills—paying attention to what will get me points and not just what feels like a good move. My presumption too often hinders my interpretation—I spend too many turns trying to block my wife’s presumed strategy and not enough turns developing my own. And courageous application is sweet—games lose their luster when I spend more time thinking than acting. My chronic analysis paralysis sucks out the fun if I’m not careful.

Observe, interpret, apply: This is the essence of communication. Even board games can offer opportunities to stretch these muscles.

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For those interested in such things, here’s what we played (complete with Amazon affiliate links to help support this blog at no extra cost). If you’re in the market for buckets of fun, every one of these games is fantastic.

 

What the Little League World Series Taught Me About Bible Study

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This past weekend, I again took my family to Williamsport to watch a few Little League tournament games. In honor of our trip, I republish this post from last year.

Little League Baseball claims to be the largest youth sports organization in the world. This year, almost 2.5 million children participated on 200,000 teams in every US state and more than 80 other countries. Little league is a pretty big league.

Map of Little League Regions

Map of Little League Regions

Earlier this week I took a few days off from work, and my family attended some tournament games of the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA (less than a 90-minute drive from our home). We also can’t wait to watch the championship game this weekend on TV. We invited our whole teeball team over for the big game.

My favorite part of the Little League World Series is its international flavor. Williamsport is a small town, but it morphs into an extravagant melting pot for these 10 days each year. You can’t chuck a happy meal into a garbage can without hitting a foreigner of some stripe.

For example, we saw one game pitting the Czech Republic against Grosse Pointe, Michigan. Before the game, they played national anthems from both countries. Children and parents read the “Little League Pledge” and the “Parents Pledge” in both Czech and English. Czech coaches even required a translator to argue an umpire’s call.

Chinese Little Leaguers

Chinese Little Leaguers

Upon exiting the stadium, we bumped into the team from China. We exchanged greetings with a young couple from Chinese Taipei. We drove right past a squad of seriously focused Panamanian coaches. I loved it.

Regardless of what words came from their mouths, every person there spoke the same language: baseball.

Most of the spectators sported jerseys for one team or another. Crowds applauded impressive plays executed by either team on the field. Pitchers would shake hands with batters after accidentally hitting them with wild pitches. Non-verbal communication reigned through strikes and balls and fouls and outs and hits and runs. Such things were universally understood.

What did the experience teach me about Bible study? That the OIA method (observe, interpret, apply) works. It matters.

An Australian adolescent with bat in hand doesn’t have to think too hard about communicating with a Puerto Rican pitcher. He observes the ball coming his way, he interprets whether it will go over the plate, and he applies the interchange by swinging for the fence. A Californian shortstop can observe the ump’s clenched fist and understand that he threw the ball to first base in time. The crowd can apply the ump’s gesture by applauding wildly.

OIA is communication. Every person on the planet does it all the time.

As I sat there with my kids, instructing them on the game’s nuances, I gained more confidence in our Bible study method. OIA is the best method you can use; it will work for anyone of any age in any culture. Master it, and you won’t be disappointed.

Growth Groups: Colin Marshall

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Growth GroupsColin Marshall has been training people in small groups ministry for over 25 years, and he’s given the rest of us a superb manual in his Growth Groups: A Training Course in How to Lead Small Groups. Over the last year, I worked through this material with the co-leader of my small group. Few books have influenced me as deeply as this book has.

Marshall covers everything from small group strategy to Bible study preparation to leadership development. He explains how to ask good questions. He demonstrates how to respond to difficult people. His manual is short and to the point. His writing is clear. His use of Scripture is remarkably careful and inspiring.

Here are some of my favorite nuggets:

Christian groups are not primarily about helping people with their problems…The focus of Christian groups is growth, not problems.

As well as communicating the meaning of the Bible, the studies we prepare should teach good habits for interpreting the Bible.

We tend to give commentaries more authority than they deserve.

To apply the Bible to our group we need to be studying and understanding our group members and the context in which they are living as Christians.

These are sure-fire conversation stoppers: saying an answer is wrong, refusing to discuss an issue, or saying ‘It’s different in the Hebrew text.’

Even though he is teaching through discussion, the leader must be able to guide the group to right conclusions.

We don’t want to become spiritual guides for people and make them dependent on us rather than God.

If you’d like a decent resource to help you learn to lead a small group (or train others to lead them), I couldn’t recommend this book any more highly.

A few warnings:

  • Forget about buying this one from Amazon. I’m not sure why Amazon has weird editions (perhaps it has something to do with the book’s being published in Australia). Just go with Westminster Bookstore.
  • Be careful not to end up with the Trainers Notes (basically, the leader’s manual) unless you get it in addition to the regular/student manual.
  • Watch out! Marshall will challenge your assumptions about the purpose of small groups, how to handle needy people, and what to do if your group loses steam.

Check it out!

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Disclaimer: The WTS Books links are affiliate links, which means that this blog receives a small portion of the proceeds from any purchases you make after clicking. Thanks for your support.

What Kevin DeYoung’s Book Launch Taught Me About Bible Study

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Taking God at His WordIs the Bible enough for whatever we face in our churches today, be it bulimia, self-mutilation, conscientious doubts, or cultural differences? Is it true that God is still speaking through the pages of this ancient book?

Last weekend, I joined more than 500 others at a book launch event hosted by Westminster Bookstore. Kevin DeYoung’s new book, Taking God at His Word: Why the Bible is Knowable, Necessary, and Enough, and What That Means for You and Me, addresses what we should believe about the Bible by examining what the Bible says about itself. Westminster Bookstore partnered with DeYoung to hold this one-day event to promote both the book and the critical truths within.

I could multiply praises for this event, but let me get right to it.

DeYoung inspired us to have confidence in the text of Scripture. He inspired us to inspire others to have confidence in the text of Scripture.

It sounds so simple, but we so easily drift.

  • Though you believe the Bible, do you long for a mystical experience with God? Perhaps to hear from someone who’s been to heaven and back? Perhaps to hear his voice calling you through private letters written just for you?
  • Do you trust that God has spoken now in his Son and that we need no further prophet, priest, or sacrifice (Heb 1:1-4), or do you feel safest when someone else tells you what to think?
  • Does this book speak life to you, or do you feel the need to supplement it with study guides, commentaries, or other expert guidance?
  • As you lead or teach, do you communicate that people must come to you with their questions? Are you in danger of leading primarily with your personality and not with the truth?
  • Are you seeing other people learn to study and teach others, or do you prefer to be seen as the guru with the best answers?

Now I’m not saying that DeYoung encouraged us to separate ourselves from the church or from the historical insights of others. Nor would I urge such a thing.

But, are you able to compare everything you hear with the Scripture? Do you have confidence that these precious words have been spoken by God the Holy Spirit for your growth in grace? Do you understand that Scripture’s authority lies in the text, and not in your experience of the text nor in the teaching you sit under? Do you see that when you pay closer attention to these Spirit-spoken words, the Lord Jesus Christ (the Morning Star) will rise in your heart (2 Peter 1:19)?

Though I appreciated DeYoung’s messages at last week’s conference, I’m sure I’ll forget most of what he said soon enough. But he explained the books of Hebrews and 2 Peter in such a way that I don’t think I’ll ever read them the same way again. He explained these books so clearly that I don’t need to hear DeYoung’s messages again. I have the text itself, and that’s enough.

That said, I highly commend his book to you. Not simply because it has the words “knowable” and “word” in the title, but because it will unravel for you the riches of how God views his own word. It will inspire you to love God’s word the way God himself does.

I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word. (Ps 119:16, ESV)

It is impossible to revere the Scriptures more deeply or affirm them more completely than Jesus did. Jesus submitted his will to the Scriptures, committed his brain to studying the Scriptures, and humbled his heart to obey the Scriptures. The Lord Jesus, God’s Son and our Savior, believed his Bible was the word of God down to the sentences, to the phrases, to the words, to the smallest letter, to the tiniest specks—and that nothing in all those specks and in all those books in his Holy Bible could ever be broken. (DeYoung, Kindle location 1330)

Though I received a free copy of DeYoung’s book at last week’s conference, I purchased the Kindle edition so I’d be able to give the hard copy away. It’s that good.

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The Amazon link above is an affiliate link, so if you click it and buy stuff you’ll help ordinary people learn to study the Bible at no extra cost to yourself.

The Best and Worst Part of T4G

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T4GI’m on my way home from Together for the Gospel (T4G), a biennial conference for pastors and church leaders. This was my first time attending, and I find myself refreshed and re-energized for the next season of ministry.

T4G is big. It’s held in a big arena (KFC Yum! Center, home of the University of Louisville basketball team). It draws a big crowd (over 7,000 this year). It sends every attendee home with a big stack of books (I have 44). There’s a big screen, big singing, and big lines for the restrooms.

The biggest thing about it, however, is the lineup of speakers. Perhaps you’ve heard of some of these men:

  • Mark Dever
  • Thabiti Anyabwile
  • Al Mohler
  • Kevin DeYoung
  • David Platt
  • Matt Chandler
  • Ligon Duncan
  • John MacArthur
  • John Piper

These men have big ministries and big personalities. I imagine most attendees are drawn to T4G for the opportunity to sit under such colossal preachers of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Therein lies what I found to be both the best and worst thing about T4G: our time in the word of God.

Some of the speakers delivered the word with such clarity and power that I’ll feel the effects for years to come.

  • David Platt spoke of Moses’ intercession for the people of God in Exodus 32 and 33.  Moses knows the perfections, purposes, and promises of God are unchanging, but the plans of God are unfolding. Therefore, he pleads for God’s mercy on sinners. He pleads for God’s presence and power among his people. He pleads for God’s glory in the earth. Now, every time I read Exodus 32-33, these points will stick with me.
  • Ligon Duncan spoke of Numbers 5:1-4 and God’s purpose for expelling from the camp people with skin diseases, discharges, and contact with dead bodies. But Luke shows Jesus touching lepers, bleeders, and the dead. He does what the Old Testament code could not do: He makes them clean. How does he make the unclean clean? By going outside the camp himself to suffer their reproach (Heb 13:10-13). Thanks to Dr. Duncan, I’ll never read Leviticus and Numbers the same way again.
  • John MacArthur spoke of the mass defection of Jesus’ disciples in John 6, and he drew out piercing implications for our ministries in our churches. He showed me how to read and understand this long and difficult chapter.
  • John Piper explained why Romans 9 comes after Romans 8, and how the incredible promises of Romans 8 would mean nothing without the truths of Romans 9. So many Jews in Paul’s day didn’t believe Christ. Did this mean God was being unfaithful to his promises to them? And if so, how could we ever be certain of his promises to us (no condemnation, no separation from his love)? Piper gave me a broad context in which to read Romans 8-11, and that context will help me to study these chapters in greater detail on my own.

These were the highlights for me.

What was the common thread? These best parts of T4G all came when speakers gave me confidence that I could do what they were doing. They showed me how to see what they were seeing in the Scripture. I learned how to read and study and apply and teach these texts. I won’t need to listen to the recordings of these talks over and over to be filled with the truth. These men launched me into deeper study of God’s word, increased hope in Christ, and more fervent desire for the salvation of unbelievers.

What was the worst part of T4G?

It came at those times when I found myself sitting there thinking:

  • “I could never do what this guy is doing.”
  • “This speaker is way smarter than anyone else in the room, especially me.”
  • “Wow, praise God for raising him up to have such influence for Christ, but no-one else listening to him will ever be able to replicate his teaching when they leave this conference.”

Now there is much sin in my heart, and sometimes my inability to get moving simply results from my own dullness.

But I wonder, too, if there’s a downside to the “bigness” of such a lineup. While some teachers are more skilled at “showing their work”—thus inspiring their hearers to continue what they have begun—others do a better job of wowing and impressing. And what can I say? I usually love to be wowed and impressed.

T4G had its fair share of wowing and impressing. But the wowing and impressing will be forgotten as soon as I get home and have to help with the backlog of dishes and yard work and play time with my kids. I’ll also have to get right to work on a pile of projects at work.

The moments of real training, however, will bear fruit long into the future.

What Frozen Taught Me about Bible Study

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FrozenI’ve seen this movie a million times. Not this exact film, of course, but many like it. O Disney, how you love your clichés; let me count the ways:

  • Cutting edge, beautiful animation? Check.
  • Pleasantly catchy tunes? Check.
  • Adventurous young princess pushing boundaries? Check.
  • Handsome young feller rolling over for his sweet crush? Check.
  • Skin-deep, feelings-driven love at first sight? Check.
  • Confusing this love with “true love”? Check.
  • Promises of gooey sentimentality? Check.
  • Look inside, find yourself, break free, follow your heart, “Let It Go”? Check. Check. Check. Check. Check.

The movie’s action turns on the declaration that “only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart.” Upon hearing such drivel, I begin preparing an agenda for discussion. I think, My daughter—mesmerized by her first theatrical experience—must learn to see through these lies. I’m glad we came, for it will be a good exercise in discernment.

However, something shifted. I need to see the movie again to remember exactly when and how it shifted, but the shift was clear. The seeds of drivel sown throughout the movie never bore fruit. In fact, those seeds were trampled on, dug up, and burned in the fire (or should I say frostbitten and discarded?).

Everything got turned on its head and flipped around, such that infatuation proved unsatisfying, self-indulgence had to cease, and true love required personal sacrifice.

Now here is something to celebrate.

What did this movie teach me about Bible study?

I could write about the Bible’s message of true love—the sacrifice of the only innocent one, who thaws our frozen hearts and restores us into God’s royal family—but I don’t want to give away any detailed plot spoilers from the movie. (I recommend this excellent reflection on Frozen by my friend Sarah Monticue.)

I could write about the bankruptcy of self-actualization, but it’s way too easy a target.

Instead, I’ll write about how Frozen reminded me not to presume an interpretation simply because I’ve observed something familiar.

The clichés were familiar. The message was familiar. The cinematic devices were familiar. The movie’s direction seemed familiar.

This familiarity led me to presume the movie’s main point. I was preparing to rebut the message of inward sovereignty and misdirected authenticity. But if I had stopped watching and hearing, I could have missed the film’s true intention.

So it is with the Bible. The more we read and study, the more likely we are to find ourselves in familiar territory.

And such familiarity comes at great risk. We presume to know what we’re reading. “I know that story,” “I’ll skim the part I’ve been through before,” and “I understand this; it’s time to move on” all put us in danger of missing the point. And since the point is to know Jesus better, I presume we won’t want to miss the point.

“Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it” (Heb 2:1, ESV).

How can we become better observers?

I notice this danger when I read emails or blogs or books that quote Scripture. I often skip the quotation (since I’m familiar with the Bible already) and dedicate my attention to what’s new (what this person wrote about the quote). The more I notice myself doing it, the more I realize the frequency with which I do it.

And I’ve realized that I do it in my Bible reading as well. As soon as I hit the familiar parts, I fly through them to get to something more innovative and exciting.

We must be aware of this tendency so we can resist it. Let’s master observation so we can perpetually build on what we know, but without presuming that there’s nothing more to learn. Let’s learn not only to see but to observe.

One thing that helps me to fight deadening familiarity is to read a different translation each year. Also, I like switching Bibles from time to time, so a familiar text isn’t on the same part of the page. But not everyone is like me. What do you find helpful in resisting familiarity and presumption in Bible study?

Perhaps you find my advice a bit cold, as though I would prefer unfamiliarity over familiarity. Please know that I’m arguing not for ignorance but for careful observation.

And, well, the cold never bothered me anyway.