Helping ordinary people learn to study the Bible
As a follow-up to my “check it out” post a few weeks ago, here’s a brief interview with John Piper addressing how to apply Old Testament promises today. Piper starts with 2 Cor 1:20 to show that all the promises belong to us through Christ. Then he explains how the meaning of some promises changes in light of Christ’s work on the cross.
You can listen to the 9-minute recording or read the transcript. Check it out!
Exodus 5:22-7:7 is like the pre-bout buildup to a championship prize-fight. Moses has his doubts, but his trainer, God, is right at his side. This trainer massages Moses’ shoulders, squirts water into his mouth, and gets in his face with one pep talk after another. By passage’s end, Moses has his gloves tied, his robe draped, and his shoes tightened. He’s hopping from foot to foot, pumped and ready to rumble. He trots down the aisle up to the ring, he enters between the ropes, and the announcer proclaims his presence to the watching world.
The fight of the century is about to take place: Moses v. Pharaoh. Really, it’s Yahweh v. the Egyptian pantheon. Beginning with Ex 7:8, we’re made privy to every round of this legendary collision, and we don’t even have to rent it on pay-per-view.
Peter Gordon (2011), Creative Commons
Even the most casual reader of the plague narratives in Exodus can’t avoid a basic interpretive question: Why are these narratives so long? And if we treat Passover as a separate section, we’ve got almost 4 chapters of text to ‘rassle. In the ESV, the 9 plagues on Egypt go on for more than 3,200 words. How should we understand and study such an epic narrative?
Some readers take the children’s story Bible approach: Abridge the thing down to a manageable size and land on only the fundamental truths. God is powerful. Egypt got hit hard. Pharaoh would not relent. There is value in this approach, as long as we don’t fall into the trap of ignoring the details. Every detail is inspired by God and there for a reason!
Other readers take the statistician’s approach: Map out the plagues in a large table or spreadsheet, showing all the fine comparisons and contrasts among the 9 plagues. When is Aaron’s staff used vs. Moses’ staff? When does Pharaoh harden his heart vs. God hardening it? How much is Pharaoh willing to grant the Israelites after each plague? Which plagues can the Egyptian magicians duplicate? There is value in this approach, as long as we don’t fall into the trap of ignoring the big picture. Not every detail has deeply symbolic or spiritual meaning; the story as a whole was intended to have a certain emotional impact. Let’s not lose that impact to a statistical analysis.
Without demeaning either of the two approaches mentioned above—both have value and provide complementary insights—I’ve found a third approach to better highlight the author’s main ideas and do justice to why the story is given this much space. That approach is to follow the 3 cycles.
The narrator masterfully employs setting to help his readers receive his message. Observe:
What is the point of these observations? The narrative organizes the plagues into three 3 cycles of 3 plagues each. Plagues 1-3 have 3 different settings. Plagues 4-6 repeat the 3 settings in the same order. Plagues 7-9 repeat the settings once more.
This structure is reinforced by the fact that each cycle has a unique and climactic ending:
This structure has a simple beauty about it, while also serving an interpretive purpose. With each new “Rise up early in the morning,” we hear a fresh start, a new round in the boxing match. And each cycle/round serves as a discrete unit with a particular point to make.
So over the next 3 Exodus posts, I will address the plague narratives in their three cycles. For each cycle, I will ask, what is the author’s main point in this cycle? This approach enables us to hear all the details and consider how they contribute to the unique main point of each cycle. And this approach also helps us not to drown in the details without collating them into a bigger picture.
But what should we make of the scene with the staffs and serpents in Ex 7:8-13? This episode stands outside the three cycles by introducing them.
This scene introduces the key players: Moses, Aaron, and Yahweh on one side; Pharaoh, his magicians, and their secret arts on the other.
This scene introduces the key conflict: “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourselves by working a miracle…'” Pharaoh will get his wish, and in a big way. If he won’t release these slaves without proof of the requesting party’s power, he’ll sure get it.
This scene foreshadows the inevitable outcome: “But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs” (Ex 7:12). Pharaoh and his champions will not win this fight.
This scene also introduces the theme of the vindication of God’s word: “Still Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said” (Ex 7:13). Let God be proved true, and every man a liar. God’s glory is at stake in the economic status of his people Israel. His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob must be fulfilled. Therefore God’s glory and faithfulness must be vindicated. Game on, Pharaoh. Ding. Ding.
Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.
To help you teach the Bible more effectively, Mark Ward writes of the basic but crucial matter of loving the people you teach. Loving them will strengthen your teaching in at least 5 ways:
Check it out!
anonymous (2012), public domain
God has given us amazing access to his word. In the west, we have thousands of options to buy a printed Bible for a reasonable sum. If you prefer to read the Bible electronically, there are dozens of free avenues on your phone, tablet, or computer.
And we have not exhausted God’s generosity! We have many audio versions of the Bible available. Today I’ll point out three of the best ways I’ve found to listen to the Bible.
Having a personal, physical copy of the Bible is a recent phenomenon. The printing press (15th century) brought books to the masses, and before this Christians had to listen to the Scriptures as they were read aloud. For the original audience of the Bible, listening was their only access to God’s word.
Listening to the Bible is a wonderful convenience. It’s a great way to use your time while exercising, commuting, doing the dishes, or folding the laundry. You might even consider an audio Bible to help your preschoolers have devotions.
If you have a smartphone, tablet, or computer, free audio Bible options abound. I will highlight the best two services I have used; feel free to suggest others in the comments! (I use Android devices, and the web-based versions of these services are great as well. I suggest looking into the Apple versions too, though I cannot vouch for them personally.)
Both of these applications are free. Both suggest you make an account, but all the functionality I’ve described is available without signing up.
Free audio Bibles are great. The price is right, and you can change translations with the flick of a finger. But when I listen to the Bible, I’m usually looking elsewhere.
Does it sound crazy to pay for something which I could get for free? Hear me out. The Bible apps mentioned above rely on streaming technology, which requires a continuous internet connection. I’m not always connected to the internet, so having the digital files themselves means I’m never without my audio Bible. Also, I’m not dependent on the audio streaming technology when I want to listen. (I had a problem with The Bible App’s audio last year.)
Finally, if you own the files, you can adjust the playback speed. This is a common trick for fans of audiobooks, but most music players on phones and tablets allow you to speed up any track. On the other hand, if you’re enterprising and good with technology, you can remove silence and speed up the audio yourself using free audio editing software like Audacity. Without much trouble, I’ve been able to cut the run time of my audio Bible from 75 hours down to around 54 hours.
I use the ESV Hear the Word audio Bible, read by David Cochran Heath. You can find it for $28.98 at christianaudio.com (non-member price) and for $29.99 at christianbook.com.
I’m sure there are many other worthy audio Bibles you could purchase. If you’re shopping, be sure to check two details. You probably want to avoid dramatized audio Bibles, and you definitely want to avoid any Bible that is abridged.
Happy listening!
Context matters! Many Bible readers read promises such as Jeremiah 29:11 or Exodus 14:14 and memorize them as personal promises to us today. But this is not a helpful way to read the Bible.
Stand to Reason recently published a great post about how to know whether a certain Bible promise applies to us. In this post, Amy Hall explains how to consider the context of the original text and audience, and she suggests we figure out what that promise in that context revealed about God’s character. Then we can consider how we can rest in that aspect of God’s character today. This doesn’t mean the exact promise still applies, but that God’s character is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
The post demonstrates how to consider the context to discover the main point so we may apply the main point and not all the details. Here is a taste:
Always look for what you can learn about God through His dealings with human beings throughout the Bible. When God makes promises about who He is, that always applies. When God promises to give something specific, look more closely at the context to see if He’s promising it in a unique situation (or under the terms of the Mosaic Covenant).
Here’s how I would apply that approach in the case of Jeremiah 29:11. In Jeremiah 29:11, we learn that God cares for His people and doesn’t abandon them, and that He hasn’t abandoned them even if it seems everything has gone wrong in their lives. We see that His good purposes are still moving forward, even when everything looks grim. This, we can cling to, because it’s an understanding of God’s character, which doesn’t change. What we can’t cling to is the specific outworking of God’s character in that unique biblical situation. That is, in that particular situation, God’s goodness and wisdom decreed that He would bring back those who were exiled to Babylon, saying, “I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations.” But in a different situation, God’s goodness and wisdom may decree something different. John the Baptist was beheaded, not released from jail (Matthew 14:1–12). Stephen was stoned, not saved (Acts 7:54–60).
For the rest of the article, check it out!
If I had a drachma for every new Christian children’s resource that disappointed me, I’d be about as wealthy as that second guy in the parable of the talents.1 I don’t want to be overly negative, but let’s please face the brutal facts of this present evil age. Some resources are all hip and no guts. Others are so theologically self-conscious they can’t avoid sounding pretentious. Yet others are simply ugly or shoddy. As our Master rightly lamented, “The sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light” (Luke 16:8).
And with what shall we compare the delight that erupts when a new resource defies all expectations of mediocrity, planting itself firmly in the soil of young readers, unto the bearing of much good fruit? I’ll tell you. It shall be like the olive harvest on the 15th of Tishri.2 I’m pleased to recommend one such resource to you.
The Radical Book for Kids: Exploring the Roots and Shoots of Faith is something of a handbook of the Christian faith for 8-14 year-old kids. With its large size and stunning production quality, it looks and feels like a coffee table book. But it’s the type of coffee table book that’s more fun than a homemade catapult.3 Kids and their parents won’t be able to keep their hands off it, nor would they want to. This book’s 67 short chapters cover a wide, and somewhat random, spectrum of topics ranging from character development to church history to science and theology to practical Christian living to Bible reading skills.
And it’s that last category that interested me the most. How does this book do at helping young people learn to study the Bible for themselves?
Chapter 1 demonstrates the value of being able to summarize the Bible’s teaching, and then it offers such a summary in one sentence: “Through Jesus, God is restoring everything that sin ruined.” Chapter 2 then describes “How to Understand the Bible” by concisely explaining all the main genres of Bible books. Later chapters return to each genre, offering suggestions on how to get the most out of studying them:
Along the way, there are chapters on how to read the Bible every day, how we know the Bible is true, famous trips in the Bible, jewelry in the Bible, money, the calendar, animals, and many more. One chapter offers single-sentence summaries of all 66 books of the Bible, and another recounts the full plot line of the whole Bible. Each of these chapters delivers accurate truth winsomely, motivating readers to dive into the Scripture themselves.
Now these chapters won’t satisfy someone looking for a graduate-level education, but they are just great for 8-14 year-olds and their parents. And because parents aren’t perfect,4 I must make two confessions:
This book is deep, meaty, biblical, beautiful, delightful, and very sturdy. This thing is ready to take a beating and continue delighting more young disciples.
Champ Thornton has done a great work in writing this book, and New Growth Press has done a great work in producing it. I can’t wait for my kids to grow into it, and I’m happy to recommend it to you.
1You’ll have to read chapter 49 of The Radical Book for Kids to see exactly how wealthy this would make me in modern American currency.
2You need to read chapter 18 to get this one.
3Chapter 65 this time.
4A marvelous chapter 38.
Disclaimer #1: Should a Canaanite with a sickle sword (see chapter 65) visit these here parts, he’ll want to know I notified you all that “New Growth Press generously provided a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.”
Disclaimer #2: Because God is my boss (see chapter 44), integrity demands I disclose the fact that clicks of Amazon links and resulting purchases will provide a small commission at no extra cost to yourself. That way, I can continue learning my Hebrew (chapter 16) and Greek (chapter 52) alphabets.
At the DiscipleMakers Fall Conference a few weeks ago, our theme was “Firm Foundation: Timeless Truths. For Now. Forever.” I spoke on the topic of “The Glory of God Alone: The Vision that Propels Us.” As I’ve spent oodles of time in Exodus, and God’s glory is a major theme in Exodus, I couldn’t resist rooting my talk in Exodus. What better picture of God’s glory than that of a bush that burns yet is not consumed (Ex 3:2).
Some folks said I took this talk in a direction they didn’t expect. Instead of focusing on how to put God first in our lives—a critical thing to do, of course—I focused on what God considers most unusual about himself. And, of course, these traits will lead us to put him first. But starting with God’s view of himself, and not with our need of him, yields interesting results.
Here’s a short clip:
Here’s a link to the full talk.
On our main conference page, you can find more videos on the following topics:
I like oatmeal. It’s a quick, healthy breakfast that’s reliably tasty. On a cool, fall morning, there aren’t many better ways to start the day.
anonymous (2014), public domain
But I can only eat so much oatmeal. After four or five days of the stuff, I long for variety. Eggs, toast, cereal—anything but the oatmeal.
You have probably experienced something similar outside the kitchen. You take an alternate route to work, embrace “casual Friday,” or ask your hair stylist for a change. Routines and patterns are helpful, but we occasionally long for a break.
Reading through certain books of the Bible can produce a similar effect. We see the same themes, the same lessons, the same exhortations. We wonder why God keeps hammering this one nail. Aren’t there other parts of the house that need work?
We’ve been studying Isaiah in my small group, and near the middle of the book I felt we were in a rut. Through Isaiah, God rebuked his people for their misplaced trust again and again. (Judah sought alliances with other nations instead of relying on God.) Just when I thought we’d move on, the same themes returned.
Isaiah isn’t the only Biblical book with repetition. How should we handle it? Should we skip ahead, or does God really want us discussing the same ideas and applications over and over?
God doesn’t make mistakes, so if you’re interpreting the Bible correctly and finding recurring themes, they are there on purpose. Here are some principles to consider when you find yourself in a repetitive section of Scripture.
Resist the pull toward novelty. Though we crave variety and newness, we shouldn’t avoid what is familiar and reliable. Consider the folly in adjusting our interpretation of the Bible simply because we’re tired of what it says! As we submit to God, we must submit to what he says in his word, even if we think we’ve heard it before.
Revisit the lesson. God may have you in this section of the Bible because there are lessons you still haven’t learned. You may think you’ve graduated, but you don’t have your diploma. As you walk this familiar territory, remember that God is your loving father. Your growth as a Christian is good for you, and he’s working to bring it about.
Explore all possible applications. If you find your applications of the Bible to be similar, they may need to be more specific. There are scores of ways to apply the main point of a passage. Consider the inward and outward directions along with the spheres of head, heart, and hands. Pray and ask God to connect this familiar lesson to areas of your life and influence that need correction.
Press on. If you find yourself facing recurring main points and applications, don’t give up. The fact that God is bringing the same issues to you again is evidence of his love (Rom 2:4). Persevere in the walk and fight of faith. (See Gal 6:9 and 2 Thess 3:13.)
Unlike oatmeal, studying the Bible is glorious. It’s one of the ways we “behold the glory of the Lord” and are transformed from one degree of glory to another (2 Cor 3:18). God shows us our need for a savior and his provision, in Jesus, of exactly what we need. He teaches us to rely on him and on nothing else.
We may be slow to learn, but God is patient. He doesn’t mind repeating himself, and we should thank him for it.
Many who study the Bible get so focused on each passage, one after another, that they 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 and 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.
Mark Stevens (2013), Creative Commons
So, now that we’ve reached the beginning of the end for Pharaoh, it’s a good time to catch our breath. Last week, I mentioned that from Exodus 7:8 to the end, Moses has no further relapses into doubt. And we should notice that Exodus 7:8 begins the long series of brutal confrontations that result in Pharaoh and his army meeting their end in the Red Sea (chapter 14), to the great delight and celebration of the Hebrews (chapter 15). But where have we been so far?
Let me list the main points I’ve proposed for each section:
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).
Now what does this show us about the flow of thought in chapters 1-7?
In a sense, these early chapters of Exodus serve as Moses’ boot camp. These chapters show us how much it matters to God to make sure his mediator is fully qualified and trained for the task of deliverance. And this boot camp serves as Part 1 of the book’s first act, the demolition of the house of slavery.
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: ??? [We’ll begin studying this part in a few weeks.]
Act II: Yahweh prepares to rebuild (Ex 16-18).
Act III: Yahweh builds his house in the midst of his people (Ex 19-40).
I hope you can already see the many connections to the work of Christ:
Did you ever realize how much Jesus went through to win you? He couldn’t just snap his fingers to forgive your sins. He had some serious work to do—all to ensure he would be fully qualified and trained to serve as your mediator and high priest.
Marvel at this God who would become a man to do this for you!
Now you represent him to your world. Don’t expect it to be easy. As God sends you out to rescue sinners by preaching the gospel to all nations, he’s not yet finished with you. In fact, he’s probably just getting started on you. Some of your most significant growth in Christ will come only after you accept the call to go out and bring Christ to others. But God sent his Spirit to qualify and train you to this task.
Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.
As I’m well into my series of sample Bible studies through the book of Exodus, it’s a good time to step back and consider how to read stories such as we find in Exodus. This week’s “check it out” comes courtesy of Dr. George Guthrie, who gives 4 practical guidelines for reading Old Testament Stories:
For more explanation with some very clear examples from other parts of the Old Testament, see Guthrie’s full post.
