Knowable Word

Helping ordinary people learn to study the Bible

Copyright © 2012–2025 DiscipleMakers, except guest articles (copyright author). Used by permission.

Last Chance to Enter Drawing

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So far, I have received 22 entries for our 2018 Bible-reading giveaway. If you’re still finishing up your readthrough, you have until tomorrow night to complete it. I will then give you until Monday to contact me before we select the winners of the new reader’s Bibles (CSB Reader’s Bible and NIV Sola Scriptura Bible Project). You may either email me at peter.krol@knowableword.com or submit a contact form. Just let me know that you finished, along with what you thought of the experience.

Next week, I’ll announce our two winners!

I love hearing what people think of this experience. Perhaps some of these thoughts may encourage you as well:

I love it. I’m thinking about doing it every quarter. I’m more in love with the Word than before. Thank you for the challenge.

It’s certainly not as daunting as I thought it might be.

I didn’t see before this what a big deal all the circumcision debates were in the New Testament church. Acts, and many of Paul’s letters address this controversy, but I didn’t notice that until I was rolling through a couple epistles a day in short succession.

The pace was truly exhilarating. I can’t help wondering where I go from here, this journey through the bible was truly amazing.

I heard a few patterns throughout the scripture that spanned over multiple books, that I would not have picked up normally at a slow reading pace. For example, the pattern of mountains (Eden – Ezekiel, Sinai – Genesis, and Zion – multiple references), no wonder people kept trying to make Asherah’s on the “High Places” (Judges).

I loved loved loved it!!! One of the most enjoyable things I have ever done. I really was surprised that I really enjoyed the Histories in the OT, not that I thought they should be removed at any point, but I remembered them from seminary as dry and repetitive, but this time I really enjoyed them. Also found myself seeing things I had not caught on one of my many first reads. I am now doing a slower daily reading to compliment my daily study time, I intend to do this challenge at the start of every year!!!

Happy Easter!

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Objection: Bible Study and Preliteracy

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When I discuss the importance of Bible study skills, an objection that occasionally arises has to do with illiterate or preliterate people groups. It appears that literacy was not widespread in the ancient world, and, for centuries, most Christians did not own copies of the Bible.

And yet they could follow Jesus and mature as disciples just fine. So why do we put so much emphasis on personal Bible study?

John Piper fields a question along these lines, and I appreciate his insights in responding. His argument seems to go like this:

  1. It is not necessary for people to be able to read in order for them to believe in Christ and have eternal life.
  2. Therefore, we can and should preach the gospel to preliterate or illiterate people, and do all we can to instruct them in the faith.
  3. Yet, for the good of the world, we cannot stop there. We cannot be content with this (preliterate discipleship) as a perpetual state of affairs.
  4. The Bible speaks of itself as a treasure more valuable than any other earthly treasure because it reveals Jesus to us (e.g. Ps 19:10, 119:72).
  5. The Bible itself commends the act of reading the Bible to know Christ (e.g. Eph 3:4).
  6. If Christian teachers and missionaries (who are able to read and study the Bible, and who therefore know the true Christ revealed therein) are the only people who can read the Bible for themselves, this creates a paternalism or imperialism that leaves the masses dependent on the élite few.
  7. Therefore, Christianity has always sought to build schools, to educate, and to teach people to read so they can mine these treasures for themselves. Then they can know Christ without requiring a human priestly mediator besides him.
  8. Therefore, the long-term, widespread good of the world and joy of all people demand that we labor to teach all people good Bible study skills (which may begin with taking time, whenever possible, to teach people to read, and eventually to get the Bible translated into their languages).

Now I’m adding a bit to what Piper said, in order to flesh out the argument I believe he’s making. I have tried not to misrepresent him. And I encourage you to consider his brief and valuable response in full.

Check it out!

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Consider the Resurrection Anew this Easter

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Next week, we once again give our focused attention to the suffering, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. This sequence of events marks the center of history and the cornerstone of our faith.

And why is this so? What is so critical about these events?

In a short series of posts last year, Ryan and I narrowed this question even further to only the resurrection. Why did Jesus rise from the dead? While there are many theological answers we could give to this question, our concern was with the gospel accounts themselves. What reasons did Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John have for recording Jesus’ resurrection?

Observe carefully, and let the text speak for itself! Don’t assume you know the answer, or you may grow too familiar with these beloved passages to see the true point. If you’d like a fun study during Holy Week, consider revisiting the four resurrection accounts once more, and try to discern what each author had to say about the risen Christ. Was he the proven king, renewing his world? Or was he the vindicated sacrifice for all the world? Was he truly the divine Son who gives life? Or was he God’s gracious authority for the Jewish people?

Don’t assume they’re all saying the same thing. Don’t rush into an unhelpful form of harmonization. And perhaps our posts can assist you as you examine each account once more:

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What to Do When You Don’t Feel Like Reading Your Bible

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John Piper addresses the question of desire: What do we do when we don’t feel like reading the Bible? After reflecting on the prayer of Psalm 119:36 (“Incline my heart to your testimonies”), he writes:

Over the years in my pastoral ministry, many people have complained to me that they do not have motivation to read the Bible. They have a sense of duty that they should, but the desire is not there. It is remarkable how many of those people feel that the absence of the desire is the last nail in the coffin of joyful meditation on God’s word.

When I ask them to describe to me what they are doing about it, they look at me as if I had misunderstood the problem. What can you do about the absence of desire, they wonder. “It’s not a matter of doing. It’s a matter of feeling,” they protest. The problem with this response is that these folks have not just lost desire for God’s word, but they have lost sight of the sovereign power of God, who gives that desire. They are acting like practical atheists. They have adopted a kind of fatalism that ignores the way the psalmist prays.

Evidently, the psalmist too felt this terrible tendency to drift away from the word of God. Evidently, he too knew the cooling of desire and the tendency of his heart to incline more to other things — especially money. Otherwise why would he have cried out, “Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain”? He is pleading with God to give him desire for the word. He knows that ultimately God is sovereign over the desires of the heart. So, he calls on God to cause what he cannot make happen on his own. This is the answer to fatalism. This is the answer to acting like an atheist — as if there were no God who rules the heart, and can restore what we have lost.

Repent. Pray. Trust God to give what we cannot drum up ourselves. Then act as though we expect him to answer. This is great advice.

Check it out!

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Is All of God’s Word for All of God’s People All of the Time?

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family

Jill Wellington (2008), public domain

While recently listening to Ezekiel 16, I was amazed at the language in the Bible. It’s scandalous! The words “whore,” “whoring,” and “prostitute” appear a combined 21 times in this one chapter.

I thought immediately of my inquisitive children. What would they ask if they were listening? Should I allow them to read or listen to Ezekiel?

Reading the Bible With Children

God has given parents the privilege of teaching their children the Bible. At times this will look like formal instruction, but much more often it will look like conversation. Around the table, in the car, while washing the dishes—God intends for us to talk about him with our children during the normal routines of life (see Deut 6:1–9).

In the Old Testament, the words of God were part of family and cultural life. Scripture was proclaimed at the three annual Jewish feasts (see Deuteronomy 16 and Leviticus 23) and it was expected that children would ask their parents about their religious practices and history (Exodus 12:24–27).

Yes, there are some topics in the Bible that may seem heady or unseemly. But parents can create a loving atmosphere in which families can discuss any matter. When children can ask their parents questions without shame or embarrassment, they are less likely to seek out immature, inaccurate, or ungodly answers from their peers.

All the Bible

Some portions of the Bible are more relevant for us at certain times. Whether we need encouragement, rebuke, instruction, or hope, we can always find what we need in God’s word.

But we are to give our attention to all of God’s word without censorship. Paul calls this the “whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). We can have confidence that God knows what he’s doing, and he’s set the same Scriptures before us whether we’re four or ninety-four.

So when you read the Bible with your family, don’t skip over any chapters. Read through books consecutively. Encourage your children to listen and ask questions. Plant those trees, give them water and sunlight, and prepare to see them grow.

Prepare Yourself

When talking to children about difficult parts of the Bible, we need to pay attention to the Bible’s tone. The authors of Scripture show great care and restraint when discussing delicate and private matters.

We should show this same restraint. Providing too many details or focusing too much on these topics can end up being provocative. We must handle sensitive material with wisdom and maturity.

In addition to communicating what is true, our goal is to shape our children’s hearts. We must make beautiful what the Bible says is beautiful, and we must show as ugly those things the Bible says are ugly.

An Example: Prostitution

To return to the beginning, how should we talk about prostitution with our children?

To discuss prostitution, we must discuss marriage. In particular, we must discuss the sexual relationship within marriage. The Bible describes this relationship within marriage as beautiful and glorious. Yet pursuing this relationship outside of marriage is dangerous and sinful.

So, how do we answer a child’s question about a prostitute? A prostitute is a person who will pretend to be married to you if you pay them money. Married people hug each other and kiss and touch each other in private places. This is wonderful and glorious when people do this with their wife or husband. But it is terrible and sinful when people do this outside of a marriage.

Many thanks to Peter Krol for his correspondence and help in putting this article together.

 

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Access to the Full Series of Bible Studies on Exodus

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I’ve created a page to serve as a table of contents for the complete series of Bible studies through the book of Exodus. You can reach it through the menu (OIA Method > Examples > Who is Yahweh: Exodus). Or you can just click this link. If you’d like to see an interpretive outline of the book at a glance, or if you’d like to revisit any of the studies, you can easily have at it!

And now that I’ve finished the study of Exodus, I’m open to suggestions about what to blog about next. I have a few one-off posts I’d like to write on various topics. And then I’m thinking about doing an occasional series on Bible verses we’re so familiar with that we fail to understand their true meaning in context. I’m compiling a list of verses to tackle, including:

  • A bruised reed he will not break
  • The widow’s mite
  • Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
  • And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
  • Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.
  • We know that for those who love God all things work together for good.
  • The parable of the talents
  • The faith hall of fame
  • Cast all your cares on him because he cares for you
  • God will not give you more than you can handle

Do you have other ideas of familiar verses you suspect may be commonly misused or divorced from their contexts? I do not plan to cover Philippians 4:13, Matthew 18:20, or Jeremiah 29:11, as I’ve seen them each covered adequately many times over in other places.

And are there any other topics you’d appreciate seeing on this blog to help you in your Bible study?

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Reminder: 90-Day Bible Reading Giveaway Ending Soon

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For those of you working to finish reading the Bible by March 31, remember to contact me to enter the giveaway for a reader’s Bible. Here are the guidelines for entry.

Also, I’ve realized that requiring people to wait until January 1 to begin is unnecessarily limiting. For next year’s event, I’ll probably adjust the guidelines so that you have only to complete the reading between Jan 1 and March 31, as long as the full readthrough took place within a 90-day period. That will give much more flexibility to those who prefer different schedules, or who like to get started over the December holidays.

We’ve got 7 entries so far. If you sent me a message and didn’t hear back, you may want to try again.

I’ll look forward to hearing from you soon!

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Exodus: The Book in Review

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Step Back

When our Bible study focuses intently on each passage, one after another, we may find it difficult to step back and see how they fit together. But we must remember the Bible is a work of literature. It was not written to be scrutinized in bites; it was written to be devoured in gobbles. We should remember to read the Bible as we’d read any other book: moving through it at a reasonable pace and recognizing ongoing themes, climax, resolution, and character development. When we hit milestones in the text, we should take the opportunity to survey where we’ve been and how it fits together.

So, now that we’ve completed our study of each chapter, we ought to look back and put it all together.

Review

Let me list the main points I’ve proposed for each passage in the last section:

  • Exodus 35:1-39:43: When God empowers his people with the glory of his grace and truth, his redeemed, new covenant people are able to do everything just as he commands.
  • Exodus 40:1-38: While the tabernacle reveals the magnificent glory of God with us, there is something even more glorious yet.

In addition, my overview of the whole book led me to this overall main point:

Who is Yahweh, and why should you obey him? He is the God who 1) demolishes the house of slavery (Ex 1-15), 2) prepares to rebuild (Ex 16-18), and 3) builds his house in the midst of his people (Ex 19-40).

The main idea of Act I (Ex 1:1-15:21) was that Yahweh demolishes the house of slavery. He does this in two parts:

  1. He trains up a qualified mediator to deliver (Ex 1:1-7:7).
  2. He delivers his people from their enemies into a frightful joy (Ex 7:8-15:21).

The main idea of Act II (Ex 15:22-18:27) was that Yahweh prepares the house of his people by showing them they need his law to know him.

Now in Act III, Yahweh builds his house in the midst of his people. We’ve already covered three parts:

  1. In Part 1 (Ex 19:1-24:18), God prepares the conditions for a perfect paradise with his people, where they can draw near to him through the blood of a substitute.
  2. In Part 2 (Ex 25:1-31:18), God delivers blueprints for a tent, so he can re-create heaven on earth by living among his people.
  3. In Part 3 (Ex 32:1-34:35), God hands them something better than paradise; he hands them more of himself.

Pull It Together

Now what do these things show us about the flow of thought in chapters 35-40? We have reached the end of the book and have every reason to expect something even more climactic than the Passover, the Red Sea crossing, or the Ten Commandments.

  • Act I describes God’s deliverance of his people. Act II shows how God prepares them for a covenant relationship with him. Act III now constructs that covenant relationship.
  • Part 1: Exodus 19-24 opens the gates of paradise by drawing the people close through the blood of a substitute and endowing them with a utopian vision.
  • Part 2: Exodus 25-31 recreates heaven on earth, proposing a place where God will dwell with his people, through a series of building plans.
  • Part 3: Exodus 32-34 shows us what happens when a righteous God tries to live with a sinful people.
  • Part 4: Exodus 35-40 now enacts the covenant as the parties finally move in together.
    • Exodus 35-39 uses every possible narrative convention to explain how astoundingly obedient the people are to Yahweh’s commands.
    • Exodus 40 portrays the final product, where Yahweh finally moves in. Except it ends like a wedding reception where the bride and groom ride off into the sunset…in two different cars.

These chapters show us that the tabernacle was not God’s final plan. Of course, it would later lead to a temple. But not even the temple would be the final plan. These religious structures have no power in themselves to save. Only the final Immanuel, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God come in the flesh, can fully draw us in and unite us to God.

Greg (2012), Creative Commons

We can finally complete our outline of the whole book:

Act I: Yahweh demolishes the house of slavery (Ex 1-15).

Introduction: Nobody can prevent Yahweh from keeping his promises, but we’re not sure how he’ll do it (Ex 1).

Part 1: Yahweh appoints a mediator and ensures he is fully qualified and trained for the task of deliverance (Ex 2:1-7:7).

Part 2: Yahweh delivers a deserved destruction to his enemies and a frightful joy to his people (Ex 7:8-15:21).

Act II: Yahweh prepares to rebuild by exposing how deeply his people need his law to know him (Ex 16-18).

Act III: Yahweh builds his house in the midst of his people (Ex 19-40).

Part 1: Yahweh architects a perfect paradise for the community of his people, so he can bring them near through the blood of a substitute (Ex 19-24).

Part 2: Yahweh explains how his people can re-create this paradise on earth (Ex 25-31).

Part 3: Yahweh hands them something more glorious than paradise; he hands them more of himself (Ex 32-34).

Part 4: The obedient new creators build the house, and Yahweh moves in. But not even Moses can enter the glory. This tent cannot be it; there must be something more to come (Ex 35-40).

Gaze Upon Jesus

When Yahweh finally moves in, Moses unexpectedly can’t even enter the cloud of glory. But Jesus would eventually come to finish all the Father’s work. Now he has taken up his rest at the Father’s right hand. And we who have believed enter that rest (Heb 4:3). So now, it is not the work of our hands, but the community itself that is the dwelling place of God (1 Cor 3:16-17).

Apply

Let’s be honest: The book of Exodus contains both some of the most exciting narratives and some of the most boring inventories in all the Scripture. But now that you’ve seen the point of it all, have you found eyes to see the glory? Dwell in this book for any length of time, gaze on the glory of our God’s grace and truth, and you, too, will experience something Moses and the freed slaves could only have dreamed.

Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.

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Yes, the Bible Really Had Editors

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Sometimes conservative evangelicals get nervous when scholars start talking about the Bible’s “editors.” But there can be no doubt that it was so. Michael Heiser explains it briefly at the Logos Talk blog:

Consider the first four verses of the book of Ezekiel:

In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the exiles by the Chebar canal, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. On the fifth day of the month (it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin), the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the Chebar canal, and the hand of the Lord was upon him there. As I looked, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, and a great cloud, with brightness around it, and fire flashing forth continually, and in the midst of the fire, as it were gleaming metal.

The first two verses use the first person (“I”), which leads us to believe that Ezekiel himself is writing. But then there is a switch to the third person in verse three, as though the writer was not the famous prophet (“to Ezekiel”; “him”). Then it’s back to the first person (“I”) again in verse four. What’s going on? Can’t Ezekiel decide if he’s writing or not?

There’s no multiple personality disorder here. The switch between grammatical persons is simply the tell-tale sign of an editor. Someone other than Ezekiel inserted verse three to make it clear that the prophet wasn’t crazy: The prophet saw God and was led by the Spirit to describe what follows in the book.

Check it out!

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Big Bible Words: Covenant

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handshake

Photo by rawpixel.com, public domain

One of the main ways God relates to his people in the Bible is by means of a covenant. But this isn’t a word we use in daily conversation. What does this word mean?

The Heart of Relationship

The word “covenant” appears in many of the most famous passages of the Bible. As we read these passages, and as younger Christians ask us about these passages, we need to have an explanation ready.

“Covenant” is at the center of serious relationships in the Bible. Here are a few examples.

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” (Genesis 9:8–11)

And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. (Genesis 17:7)

Covenants in the Bible are not always between God and an Old Testament figure. We read about covenants between Abraham and Abimelech (Gen 21:27) as well as Jacob and Laban (Gen 31:44). God warns the Israelites about making a covenant with the inhabitants of Canaan (Ex 34:12). Marriage is described using covenant language (Mal 2:14). The word “covenant” even appears in the language many of us hear when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor 11:25).

Old and New

God has made several covenants with his people throughout history. But the Bible speaks distinctly about an “old” covenant and a “new” covenant.

Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 31:31–32)

But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. (Hebrews 8:6–7)

Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. (Hebrews 9:15)

Scores of books have been written about the old and new covenants, and we don’t have the space to explore that in depth here. However, this distinction is vital to our understanding of redemption. The old/new covenant connection is at the heart of the book of Hebrews, and we can assert with its author the central feature of the new covenant:

For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. (Hebrews 9:24–26)

An Agreement

Of our articles in the Big Bible Words series, this one might contain the simplest definition. A covenant is a serious agreement. This agreement may come with promises and threats, this agreement may be conditional or unconditional, but at its heart, a covenant is an agreement. (Don’t let the length of some Bible dictionary entries complicate the matter for you.)

As with all Biblical terminology, we should be able to explain “covenant” to adults and children of any age. Here is an illustration that might help the youngsters in your home or church.

A mother sent her two daughters upstairs with two specific tasks. They were to clean the bathroom and put away their laundry, and if they didn’t finish these jobs there would be no dessert after dinner.

The younger daughter enjoyed sweeping, while the older despised it. The younger girl also had trouble hanging her clean dresses up in the closet. So the girls hatched a plan.

The older daughter would help her sister hang up her clothes, and the younger daughter would take care of sweeping the bathroom. The girls realized they were depending on each other to obey their mother, but they trusted each other.

They both loved dessert, so obeying their mother in this matter was serious business. Instinctively, after they talked through their idea, they shook hands. They made a covenant.

Thanks to commenter bryantjonz on the article Big Bible Words: Righteousness for the question/inspiration for this post!

 

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