Knowable Word

Helping ordinary people learn to study the Bible

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

The Limits of John Piper’s Ideas

By

John Piper answers a question from a listener about why he’s churned out two recent books focused on the Bible. He tells of a third book on its way, and he gives three reasons for this focus in his remaining years:

[First,] I don’t expect any of John Piper’s ideas to survive me or be useful when I’m gone if they are not faithful extensions of the meaning of God’s word into life. My authority is zero; God’s authority is everything. Whatever I have said that accords with his truth shares in his authority.

[Second,] I desperately don’t want people to substitute my books or my insights for their own inquiry into the Scriptures.

[Third,] generations to come, until Jesus returns, are going to face new crises, new challenges, new issues that I have not faced and others have not faced. Therefore, if people depend on what I’ve written or what others have written, they’re going to be swept away when the challenges come that we never addressed. But I have total confidence in the Bible for meeting those future challenges.

I have not yet read his latest books, but I can heartily recommend his motivations. Check it out!

Share or follow:
fb-share-icon
Tweet

Exodus 19: Close, But Not Too Close

By

Act II of Exodus exposed the people’s great need for God’s law. We now begin Act III, where God rebuilds his house—first by setting up a covenant (treaty) with his people.

Observation of Exodus 19

Most repeated words: people (21 times), Lord (18x), Moses (14), mountain (12), all (8), up (8), come (7), said (7), out (6), Sinai (6).

  • The relationship between the people and the Lord takes center stage.

The setting remains at the mountain through the whole chapter, but Moses keeps going up and down. Almost every time God speaks, it is from the mountain top.

  • Moses goes up, and God speaks to him (Ex 19:3).
    • Moses goes down and speaks to the people (Ex 19:7).
  • Presumably, Moses goes up to relay the people’s words (Ex 19:8), and God speaks again (Ex 19:9).
    • Moses goes back down (Ex 19:14).
  • God comes down to the mountain and calls Moses up (Ex 19:20).
    • Moses goes back down with a final warning (Ex 19:25).

The only exception is in Ex 19:19, where Moses speaks from the foot of the mountain (Ex 19:17), and God answers with thunder.

Notice what God has to say each time Moses ascends the mountain. The mood of the first speech is warm and intimate; the second and third get increasingly severe:

  1. First trip: Tell the people that, if they keep my covenant, they will be my treasured possession.
  2. Second trip: The people will hear me speak to you (Moses) from the cloud, so they may believe you forever. Prepare, and stay away!
  3. Third trip: Warn everyone to stay away, so Yahweh won’t break out against them. 

Erik Gustafson (2008), Creative Commons

The logic of God’s promise is worth noting (Ex 19:4-6):

  • You’ve seen how I delivered you from Egypt.
  • Therefore, obey my voice.
  • And you will be my treasured possession.
    • That is, you will be a kingdom of priests to me, and a holy (i.e. special) nation among all peoples.

Obedience does not earn their deliverance; it follows from it.

Interpretation of Exodus 19

Some possible questions:

  1. Why does Moses go up and down the mountain so many times?
  2. Why does the tone of God’s speeches shift so drastically?
  3. What does it mean to be a kingdom of priests?

My answers (numbers correspond to the questions):

  1. The only thing clear in the text is that the top of the mountain is where God is (Ex 19:16-18). God, who led them in a pillar of cloud and fire (Ex 13:21-22), now resides on this mountain. In other words, heaven has come to earth, but only at this one spot, Mt. Sinai.
  2. The three sets of speeches communicate a tension between two poles: God wants his people to be close, but not too close. If they stay far away, they can’t be his treasured possession. And if they come too close, he must break out against them so that they die. The covenant being established here takes great pains to expose this tension.
  3. The only priest we’ve seen in Exodus so far is Jethro, priest of Midian (Ex 3:1, 18:1). Ex 19:22, 24 mention a group of Israelite priests, distinct from the rest of the people, but they’ve never come up before now. But, judging from how God has used Moses so far, we can guess that a “kingdom of priests” is a group of people who, in service to Yahweh, mediate between God and the nations of the earth. 

Train of thought: Now that I’ve rescued you, I want you to be special mediators between me and the nations. But don’t assume this means you can come too close or take my place!

Main point: The purpose of God’s deliverance is to make something special out of an utterly undeserving people.

Connection to Christ: Even Jesus at times had to hold himself back from breaking out against his utterly undeserving people (Matt 16:23, 17:17, 26:40-41). Yet his incarnation, death, and resurrection brought heaven to earth, and he created a space (the church) where we could draw near to God without fear of judgment.

My Application of Exodus 19

I am not in my church, in leadership, or in ministry (or whatever) because I’ve done great things. Nor because I’m a great person. I’m here only because the Lord decided to do great things and to invite me in.

As I teach others, I must not shy away from the majestic glory of God. The threat of “close, but not too close,” would stand—were it not for Jesus Christ, who invites us to draw near to God’s throne with confidence to find mercy and grace (Heb 4:16).

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

Share or follow:
fb-share-icon
Tweet

Top-Notch Overview of Mark’s Gospel

By

Kevin Halloran recently posted a few resources to give you “Everything You Need to Read the Gospel of Mark With a Friend (Or On Your Own).” These resources include an infographic outlining the book’s structure and main themes, study guides, and a few short videos explaining the book.

The resources Kevin shares are of the highest quality. They don’t waste time on irrelevant trivia or lengthy academic debates that skim off the text. They will give you a profound understanding of the structure, themes, and main point of Mark. This understanding will enable you to study the book or teach it to someone else in a way that connects each episode back to the main idea.

Mark’s is a beautiful, clear, and focused gospel. May these resources equip us to meet Christ there and reveal him to others.

Check it out!

Share or follow:
fb-share-icon
Tweet

The Summer of the Bible

By

Paolo Rosa (2015), public domain

Today marks the unofficial start of summer in the U.S. The next three months promise sunshine and thunderstorms, lightning bugs and mosquitoes, picnics and sunburn. Summer is here, whether you’ve gathered your frisbees and watermelon or not.

Summer has a rhythm of its own. The children are out of school, we’re anxious to travel, and the longer hours of daylight call us outside for yard work and play.

Though it seems we should have more time in the summer for spiritual pursuits, for many the opposite is true. We float into the fall like a dry leaf, wondering why we feel so distant from the Lord.

Let’s make this summer different. Let’s fill this summer with the Bible.

Seven Reasons to Read the Bible

As I urge you to pick up your Bible this summer, I realize some will consider this a stuffy burden. But if you think the Bible is boring, you’ve got the wrong book.

The Bible is the word of God! It is our light in the dark, it is our way back to our Father, it is the food we need for life. There are millions of reasons to read and study the Bible. Consider these seven.

  1. We read the Bible to know Christ.
  2. We study the Bible because knowing Jesus is eternal life.
  3. The Bible gives us wisdom (Proverbs 1:1–7).
  4. The Bible makes us fruitful (Psalm 1:1–3).
  5. The Bible warns us about sin and folly (Psalm 19:11).
  6. The Bible gives us hope (Romans 15:4).
  7. The Bible gives us the truth, and there is freedom in knowing the truth (John 8:31–32).

Five Suggestions for a Bible-filled Summer

There’s no need to wait until January 1 to make a life change. If you’ve been neglecting God’s word or if you’d just like to make the most of the summer, here are five ways to get started.

Read and study the Bible yourself. You’ll never regret focusing on the Bible. If you’ve never studied the Bible before, don’t be intimidated! We’ve got you covered. If you need the refreshment of simply reading the Bible, three months is plenty of time to read the whole thing. Really!

Join a Bible study group. A small group study can be just the thing to get you out of the house and into God’s word. Ask around at church to see what’s available this summer, and if you don’t find anything that works, start your own group!

Read the Bible with a friend or spouse. Groups can be great, but the simple practice of reading the Bible with one other person is powerful too. This really is as easy as it sounds: find a friend, find a time, and dive into the Bible together.

Read the Bible with your family. Pick a book in the Bible and start reading out loud. Once you finish, start again with a different book. Keep going. A family reading time will be fruitful for everyone (especially if the children ask questions).

Point your children to the Bible. School-age children invariably have more free time in the summer, and they can’t spend the whole time blowing bubbles. Whether your children can read or not, the summer is a great time to help them develop a daily devotional habit. Follow up and show them how the whole Bible fits together.

Three months of summer stretch out before us; let’s use them to immerse ourselves in the Bible!

Share or follow:
fb-share-icon
Tweet

How a Veteran Preacher Finally Learns to Read a New Testament Epistle

By

This is a guest post by Talbot Davis, pastor of Good Shepherd Church in Charlotte, NC, and author of five books with Abingdon Press. You can follow his blog or find him on Facebook.

Editor’s Note: We are delighted to publish guest writers who come from different sectors of Christianity—and who reach different conclusions—than we do, as long as they share our assumptions and wrestle directly with the biblical text. Talbot’s arguments are worth considering, even though we differ with some of his conclusions.

I have been reading the New Testament for a long time, but I realize that I am only now learning how to read its epistles correctly. And to read the New Testament well, you need to read the epistles (Romans, I & II Corinthians, Galatians, et al) accurately.

Here’s what I’ve recently discovered: For years, I have read those documents as if they are examples of modern American letter writing. But that’s not what they are. They are instead examples of ancient Greek speech-making. And there is a world of difference between those two genres.

One of the best texts to observe what I’m talking about is the beginning of letter to the Ephesians. Check out the opening twelve verses, keeping in mind that Paul is himself Jewish, while Ephesus, in modern-day Turkey, is populated primarily by Gentiles.

And keep in mind that Ephesians was dictated before it was written, and that, when delivered to Ephesus, it was read out loud before ever being studied in silence.

Notice in particular all the references to “us” and “we” in this section.

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:

2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 Praise be to the God and Father of OUR Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed US in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose US in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined US for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given US in the One he loves. 7 In him WE have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on US. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to US the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

11 In him WE were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that WE, who were the first to put OUR hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. (Eph 1:3-12, NIV)

If you read this according to the rules of modern American letter writing, all the “us” and “we” references are a way of including you, the reader, into what the author is saying. So those who are modern American Christians assume from the beginning that Paul is including the original Ephesians as well as the current readers into these opening words.

Except that’s not what he is doing. Remember: Ephesians is not an example of modern American letter writing. Instead, it is ancient Greek speech-making.

And in the argument Paul builds for Ephesians, WE and US refers to Paul and his kin: the Jews. You get the gist of what he is doing if you imagine that he is standing on a platform with two fellow Jews addressing a room full of Gentiles. And with each “we” and “us” he points to his Hebrew colleagues on the stage.

Verse 12 is especially critical to this understanding: “We, who were the first to put our hope in Christ . . . ” Who were the first to hope in Christ? Not the Ephesians! Meaning this section can’t be inclusive. Instead, Romans 1:16 tells us who were the first to hope in Christ: “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.”

A-ha!

(By the way, understanding that “we” are the Jews and not the broader, fledgling Christian community goes a long way to explaining all the references to predestination and to being “chosen.” Well, yes. That’s how we understand God’s relationship with Israel.)

Back to Ephesians. After that lengthy opening section with all its focus on “we” and “us,” everything changes at 1:13:

13 And YOU also were included in Christ when YOU heard the message of truth, the gospel of YOUR salvation. When YOU believed, YOU were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing OUR inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. (Eph 1:13-14, NIV)

The transition from “we” to “you” is instantaneous, dramatic, and purposeful. Imagine that Paul suddenly points to his audience: AND YOU (Gentiles!) WERE INCLUDED IN CHRIST JUST LIKE WE WERE!

It’s a compelling example of ancient Greek speech-making, not modern American letter writing.

From the beginning, then, Ephesians is about this divine fusion of “we” and “you”; the creation of something brand new out of “us” and “them.”

If you naively assume that “you” are included in the “we” of the first twelve verses, you miss the entire point of the book.

Share or follow:
fb-share-icon
Tweet

The Hottest Thing at Church Today

By

Tim Challies refers to a new trend:

According to a new study by Gallup, the hottest thing at church today is not the worship and not the pastor. It’s not the smoke and lights and it’s not the hip and relevant youth programs. It’s not even the organic, fair trade coffee at the cafe. The hottest thing at church today is the preaching. Not only is it the preaching, but a very specific form of it—preaching based on the Bible. And just like that, decades of church growth bunkum is thrown under the bus. As Christianity Today says, “Despite a new wave of contemporary church buzzwords like relational, relevant, and intentional, people who show up on Sundays are looking for the same thing that has long anchored most services: preaching centered on the Bible.” Praise God.

Challies goes on to commend this trend, delighting in the reality that God’s children do, in fact, desire the pure milk of the word. However, he also wisely cautions:

I’m glad to read these results. I’m glad that God’s people are choosing God’s Word. But I don’t want pastors and their churches to jump on the biblical exposition bandwagon. Instead, I want them to search the Scriptures, to see what God says about the relationship of his people to his Word, to understand the purpose of the weekly gatherings of the local church, and then to commit from this day forward to preach God’s Word to God’s people.

Here’s the thing: Eventually Gallup or Barna or someone else will come up with a new poll that will display new results and mere bandwagoners will veer to this new course. Their deep-rooted pragmatism will drive them to the next big thing. But people who are convinced from the Bible that there is nothing better than to preach the Bible will stay the course. Even when Bible-based preaching is the very last thing people want, these pastors will know it is the very first thing they need.

His reflections are well worth considering. Check it out!

Share or follow:
fb-share-icon
Tweet

The Obvious Diagnosis (A Parable)

By

Shanice Garcia (2015), public domain

The light went on for Tyler one day in his mid-twenties. He stepped on the scale and was shocked.

Tyler had always been active, playing sports as a kid and intramurals in college. But now he had a desk job. He tried to run or work out a few times a week, but he often didn’t have the energy.

He never considered himself a glutton, but he ate whatever he wanted in college. He thought nothing of cereal for dinner or a second burger at lunch. Days could pass before he ate a green vegetable.

But the slower pace of life and the gradual accumulation of the years had the effect so many have felt. Tyler was 15 pounds heavier than when he graduated college, and he finally had enough.

Tyler plunged into the world of health and nutrition. He read dozens of books from his library. He investigated the latest fad diets and held them up to the closest scrutiny. Early on, he saw the change he had to make: he needed to eat better.

More vegetables. Fewer sweets. Better choices at the grocery store.

Tyler noticed a difference right away. He slept better. He had tremendous energy. He felt sharper and more focused at work. His weight was down, but that was almost irrelevant—every aspect of his physical and mental well-being was soaring to heights he’d never known.

He soon met others in his city who shared his new passion. As a result of this new friend network, Tyler’s social life exploded. There was the softball team, the weekend triathlon training, and the shared cooking nights. Tyler and one of the women in his group started dating. His calendar was bursting.

Looking back, Tyler would see this social uptick as the turning point.

Eating healthy food takes time. Imperceptibly, Tyler’s food preparation time got squeezed. It started with walking to pick up a sandwich at lunch instead of packing his own. As he stayed out later at night he found less time for breakfast in his apartment, so he’d hit the bagel shop. Pretty soon he was eating carry-out food as often as he was making dinner from scratch.

The transformation continued for several months until Tyler caught a cold. When he couldn’t shake it after two weeks, he went to his doctor.

This doctor had been impressed with Tyler’s health in recent years, so he was surprised to see the vital signs when he walked into the room. Tyler’s weight, pulse rate, and blood pressure were all up, much higher than at his most recent annual physical.

The doctor asked questions about Tyler’s sickness and current lifestyle. He gently probed at Tyler’s exercise and diet, and Tyler confessed to feeling lethargic even before catching this cold.

The doctor finished writing in the chart and leaned back in his chair with a smile. “Tyler, I’ve seen dozens of people with this cold in recent weeks. I’m not worried about it for you. You’ll bounce back within the next two or three days.”

“That’s great,” Tyler said.

“But a healthy young man shouldn’t get knocked so low by a simple cold,” the doctor said. “There’s something else going on.”

Tyler looked worried. “What is it?”

The doctor couldn’t suppress a small laugh. “After the health journey I’ve seen you take over the last several years, I didn’t think I’d say this. But Tyler, you’re not eating well.”

“What?”

“Well, you have healthy friends. You read a lot about nutrition and even hang out in healthy places. Your influences haven’t changed.”

“OK…”

“But you haven’t noticed the slide. You might not talk or think any differently, but your diet right now is miles away from what it was a year ago. In order to be healthy, you actually have to put the healthy food in your body.”

And that’s when the light went on for Tyler a second time.

Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Share or follow:
fb-share-icon
Tweet

Exodus 15:22-18:27: You Need God’s Law

By

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 hit the end of Exodus’s short second act with the appearance and blessing of Jethro, priest of Midian, it’s a good time to catch our breath. From this point in Exodus, we’ll see God building his own house to dwell with his people in paradise. But where have we been so far?

Review

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

  • Exodus 15:22-17:7: Yahweh must give his law to expose how completely distrustful, disobedient—and thereby undeserving—his people are of his fatherly care.
  • Exodus 17:8-16: Your highest and most public loyalty must be to Yahweh your God.
  • Exodus 18:1-27: Being God’s people means we constantly remember our deliverance and look to his instruction for our new life.

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).

And 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).

Pull It Together

Now what do these things show us about the flow of thought in chapters 16-18? We are in between the mighty deliverance and the making of the covenant. How does God prepare to rebuild his people into his house?

  • Act I describes God’s deliverance of his people. Act II shows how God prepares them for a covenant relationship with him.
  • Exodus 15:22-17:7 exposes their rebellious hearts with clear instruction.
  • Exodus 17:8-16 highlights and memorializes in writing their greatest need: to trust Yahweh above all gods.
  • Exodus 18:1-27 draws together the twin themes of deliverance and instruction. We never stop looking back to the former, even while we heed, hope for, and honor the latter.

These chapters all center on how much these fallen, rebellious people need God’s instruction to survive, and yet they can’t obey it. But that won’t hinder them as long as they maintain their highest allegiance to Yahweh. These chapters foreshadow the tension and confusion God’s people have felt toward God’s law through the ages. If he gave us laws, he must expect us to obey them. But if we can’t obey them, and they expose our failure and condemn us to death, are they bad for us? Yet if they truly reveal God’s will, we have reason to love them, and strive to obey them, and forever guard their place in our community.

If we take each episode out of context, on its own, we’ll miss the clear thread of God’s law. And we’ll forever feel the tension and confusion, not seeing how God prepares his people for it even before he hands them the stone tablets. But reading these chapters as a unit, we get a foundation for God’s law:

  • You need God’s law/instruction to have life.
  • You can’t and won’t obey it.
  • So your only remaining hope of life is to fall upon the mercy of your God and maintain to him your highest allegiance.

When we get these three points, we can’t help but love God’s law. It shows us our need, it reveals God’s mercy, and it drives us to hope not in ourselves but him.

Paige (2008), Creative Commons

We can flesh out our outline of the book a little further:

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 (Ex 16-18)—by exposing how deeply his people need his law to know him.

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

Gaze Upon Jesus

Jesus is “the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Rom 10:4). Those who rely on the law are under a curse, for, without perfect obedience, it cannot give life (Gal 3:10). So all it does to sinners is hold them captive to their sin (Gal 3:23). Yet such captivity leads us like a guardian to Christ so we might be justified by faith (Gal 3:24). By showing us our need for God’s law, Exodus 16-18 ends up showing us our need for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Apply

Head: Do you love God’s law (Ps 119:97) or resent it (Prov 13:13)?

Heart: The new covenant in Christ is by no means a lawless religion (Rom 8:12-14). While the law cannot empower your obedience to God, the Spirit of Christ within you can.

Hands: Walk by the Spirit, and don’t gratify the desires of your flesh. Let the law show you how to keep in step with the Spirit, not being conceited, neither envying nor provoking (Gal 5:16-26). And keeping in step with the Spirit means most of all that your allegiance is to none but Christ (1 John 5:11-12).

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

Share or follow:
fb-share-icon
Tweet

I’ve Consumed Commentaries But Can’t Study My Bible

By

David Murray recently posted a sobering question from a reader of his blog:

I have an M.Div and have read hundreds of books and still feel that I don’t know my Bible. My knowledge has been all second hand as I have consumed commentaries during my devotional times. And yet my faith feels hollow and lifeless. I don’t know how to read the Bible and study it for myself. I’m on the verge of a nervous breakdown…I try and start and I get so frustrated that I turn back to commentaries and the lifelessness continues…I can’t do this anymore.

Please help me…I know you don’t know me…but please help me…..

Murray begins his response addressing the immediate mental health needs for rest and recovery to this burnt out soul. And then he moves on to address “what got you into this situation”:

What’s really important is that you do not rely on yourself or on your commentaries but that you rely on God to give you light. Ask God for his Holy Spirit to enlighten your eyes and to shine light on His Word. He has promised to give wisdom and his Holy Spirit to those who ask for it (James 1:5-8; Luke 11:13). And remember, that knowing the Bible is not the end either. The ultimate end is knowing Christ personally, and the Bible is a means to that end. So is going to church; so make sure you are doing that also.

If you do these things and there is still no life in your soul or love for the Scriptures, then you will have to consider the possibility that you still need to be converted. If that is the case, there is still hope for you to repent and put your faith in Christ. There are many M.Div. students who have been converted after graduation and even in the ministry!

Please avoid allowing commentaries to do your Bible study for you. And by all means, don’t miss Christ. The end of that road is not a pleasant one.

Check it out!

Share or follow:
fb-share-icon
Tweet