Knowable Word - Bible study help

My Christmas Gift to You

December 25, 2013 By Peter Krol

Glory to the newborn King! Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!

Alan Cleaver (2007), Creative Commons

In honor of the incarnate King, born to bring the gift of life to the world, I have some special treats for you.

I’ve updated the blog’s Resources page with worksheets for observation, interpretation, and application that you are free to download and distribute for use in Bible study.

In addition, my colleague Dan Miller created a beautiful infographic about OIA Bible study, which summarizes the entire method on a single page.

Check it out! And have a Merry Christmas.

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The Sower of Discord is the third of Solomon’s three fools in Prov 6:1-19. The first poem (Prov 6:12-15) addressed this fool’s characteristics and fate. The second poem (Prov 6:16-19) focuses on God’s attitude toward this fool. This week I’ll tackle the second poem.

There are six things that the Lord hates,
Seven that are an abomination to him:
Haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
And hands that shed innocent blood,
A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that make haste to run to evil,
A false witness who breathes out lies,
And one who sows discord among brothers (Prov 6:16-19, ESV).

In this second poem, Solomon reinforces the characteristics of the Sower of Discord (Prov 6:17-19) so we’ll learn how to recognize them. But his chief concern is to reveal God’s opinion of such fools. God hates the person who sows discord among brothers. “Abomination” is the strongest possible word for God’s loathing; there is no possibility of softening this hatred.

Also, let’s not fall into the trap of thinking God hates the sin but loves the sinner. Not in this case. “There are six things that the Lord hates…[including] one who sows discord among brothers.”

Draco (2008), Creative Commons

The church is Christ’s body (Eph 5:23), his household (Eph 2:19, 1 Tim 3:14-15). That means that both those who sow discord and those who support the sowing of discord are murderers and home wreckers. We listen to sowers of discord because it feels like indulging in our favorite desserts (Prov 18:8), but really it’s like swallowing razor blades. It’s like wearing a “suck it up” t-shirt in a maternity ward. We might as well paint targets on our chests and think happy thoughts, because the Lord is a crack shot. He is a jealous, avenging husband, who will not stand idle while fools screw with his wife.

As you celebrate Jesus’ birth this week, remember that his body was broken once before to pay for the sin of the world (Luke 22:19). He won’t suffer it to be broken again. “Do you not know that you [plural in the Greek; referring to a community, not an individual] are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple” (1 Cor 3:16-17).

But for those who set aside the sowing of discord, hope flows from the body once broken.

Jesus died for sowers of discord so he could reunite them with his father. His disciples had their fair share of disputing and jockeying for position. But Jesus paid their debts, gripped their hearts, and gave them a vision for community based not on position or prestige but on mutual service. He gave them an effective method for resolving conflict and offense (Matt 18:15-20), but their motivation to follow through on it wouldn’t come from inside themselves. They had to remember how Jesus loved them and died for them so he could forgive them and heal them.

This is how we do it as well. We remember Jesus’ sacrificial love for us, and we can’t help but to forgive others and speak well of them:

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you (Eph 4:29-32).

Question: How have you seen Jesus heal his body from discord?

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Get to Know the Word this Year

December 20, 2013 By Peter Krol

Rob Pongsajapan (2006), Creative Commons

In my home office, there’s a fireproof safe where my wife and I keep our most precious possessions. While we partly use the safe for legal papers, we’ve filled most of it with the 45 love letters that document the development of our romance. This bundle of letters is more than a memento; it’s our story.

The story begins with a question mark. A love-struck young man composes a poetic thank-you note to a sweet girl who has done a nice thing for him. He ends the note with a simple question—a question clear enough to give her reason to write back, but vague enough to prevent any guilt should she choose not to. Either way, the presence of the question mark is indisputable, and with it, he takes a chance.

Thana Thaweeskulchai (2008), Creative Commons

She chooses to write back, asking her own vague question in return. Queen’s knight to c3. Game on.

The remaining details will remain private, but I’m willing to share this much: We pored over those letters. We wrapped our hearts in them, and we squeezed every juicy jot and tittle for another drop of meaning. We didn’t read those letters because we had to, though I admit there was a sense of compulsion. We didn’t read those letters to learn about each other, though it’s true each delivery brought more information. Technically, what we did with those letters wasn’t exactly reading. It was more like fixating or indulging.

And all for what? We sought this one thing: to get to know each other. We wanted a relationship.

Similarly, you and I get to read the Bible to build our relationship with the God who wrote it. He already knows us, and he wants us to get to know him. He became a man to reconcile us to himself and live with us forever, and he left a book documenting the whole affair. “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3).

Sometimes we think we need a special encounter to know God. We seek a mountaintop experience where we can behold his glory and see him face to face. We want to hear his voice speak with clarity and power. We long to be wowed from on high.

The Apostle Peter had such an experience with Jesus, and he concluded that you and I don’t need to share it:

We were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place. (2 Peter 1:16-19)

The text isn’t clear whether the prophetic word is more sure than the mountaintop experience, or more sure than it would have been without the mountaintop experience (does the word trump the mountaintop, or is it confirmed by the mountaintop?). Either way, Peter says this word is sure. We don’t need the mountaintop; we need to pay more attention to the word that has already been spoken.

That’s why, when Paul wanted to introduce people to Jesus, he introduced them to the Bible (Acts 17:1-3). The apostles were clear that Jesus was the main point of the Bible (John 1:45, 5:39-40, Luke 24:44-49, 1 Peter 1:10-12).

We study the Bible to know Jesus and to help others know him.

Maybe you’ve never studied the Bible without a tour guide or commentary, and you want to learn the basics. Perhaps you know the basics but want to make them instinctive, like an athlete perfecting a skill through endless repetition. Or perhaps you already teach the Bible, but you do so intuitively, unsure of how to take what you do and package it up for wholesale distribution among your flock.

Whatever your situation, a simple and sensible Bible study method will help. This year, how can you be more intentional about both learning to study the Bible and teaching others to study it? Do you think it would be worth it to get to know the Word who is the Truth?

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The Knowable Word is Not an Easy Word

December 18, 2013 By Peter Krol

When a few friends and I started this blog, we did so under the assumption that ordinary people can learn to study the Bible. God’s word is knowable, and you don’t have to be a superstar PhD theologian to learn to study it.

I retain that conviction as firmly as ever, though Trevin Wax recently wrote of a helpful qualification to this conviction.

“Stress the simplicity of the Bible,” he writes, “and the people you are hoping will read the Bible next year may begin to wonder if they’re just too dumb to understand it. I wonder if, in our efforts to get people reading Scripture, we might be minimizing the tough parts.”

I trust that in writing of how ordinary people can learn to study the Bible, I don’t unintentionally communicate that the Bible is easy. “There are some things in [Paul’s letters] that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures” (2 Peter 3:16, ESV). To avoid this danger, we must be taught and stabilized.

That doesn’t mean we should rely on the experts to tell us what to think. It simply means the hard work is all worth it.

I highly recommend the rest of Wax’s article.

Check it out!

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How to Recognize Sowers of Discord

December 16, 2013 By Peter Krol

There is no foolproof formula for recognizing sowers of discord, but Solomon wants to train us to be discerning.

A worthless person, a wicked man,
Goes about with crooked speech,
Winks with his eyes, signals with his feet,
Points with his finger,
With perverted heart devises evil,
Continually sowing discord;
Therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly;
In a moment he will be broken beyond healing (Prov 6:12-15, ESV).

1. Take note of crooked speech (Prov 6:12b)

Do they twist words to win sympathy? Do they label their complaints as “concerns,” their anger as “frustration,” or their bitterness as “misunderstanding”? Have they failed to forgive? Do they always have questions but never any answers?

2. Consider body language (Prov 6:13a)

When around people who offend them, do they roll their eyes, grimace, or shake their heads? Do they make eye contact with you when the other person turns away? Does their posture communicate disrespect or defensiveness?

3. Refuse to join the gang (Prov 6:13b).

a2gemma (2007), Creative Commons

The Sower of Discord “points with his finger” in an effort to persuade others to join his team. He’s a sneaky communicator, and his destructive power lies in his ability to recruit. Whenever someone has a complaint against another person, your best response is, “did you talk to that person about it?”

Sowing discord is one of the most prevalent and most disregarded sins in the church today. We think of gossip as something that happens on daytime talk shows, and we ignore it in the fellowship hall. We think slander deserves discipline only if it’s intentionally and overtly deceitful. Perhaps we’ll confront those who purposefully spread bad reports about others, but Proverbs is just as concerned to confront those who endorse those reports by giving them a hearing (Prov 26:20-28).

This passage convicts me thoroughly. I am as guilty as anyone of speaking ill, sowing discord, and fighting unity. I have shared details I didn’t need to share. I have discussed the failings of my supervisors with my subordinates. I have asked for the low down on specific people, and I have entertained conversations that went in the wrong direction. I have asked Jesus to change me, and I wrestle my self-importance daily.

If you are broken by this text, there is much hope for your repentance and healing. You can act as glue to reunite the shards of your once-vibrant community. You can unleash Christ’s redemptive glory in your church, and he can restore his body to full and proper functioning. Learn to recognize the characteristics of the Sower of Discord, and exterminate them from your heart and your church.

But if you find yourself still making excuses for sowing discord (or for aiding and abetting others to sow discord), you’ll be ruined before you know what hits you (Prov 6:15). God doesn’t like it when people mess with his wife.

Question: What else helps you to recognize sowers of discord?

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What the Hobbit Taught Me about Bible Study

December 12, 2013 By Peter Krol

Warner Bros.

Note: In honor of the second installment of Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy opening at midnight tonight, I’m reposting this article from last year.

At midnight tonight, Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey hits theaters. Although I won’t lose any sleep over it tonight, I am yet among those who eagerly anticipate it.

I’ve read the book to my children over the last few months (coincidentally, we finished it just this week), with much delight all around. I’m particularly struck by the smallness of the heroes.

There’s one hobbit and 13 dwarves. One wizard travels with them for a time, but he’s glaringly absent from the most dangerous episodes (at least in the book’s version of the story). In the main company, you’ll find no humans or elves, although both races come into play later in the story.

Tolkien highlights the surprisingly noble smallness of the main hero when Bilbo confronts the evil dragon Smaug with a bit of riddled autobiography:

I come from under the hill, and under the hills and over the hills my paths led. And through the air. I am he that walks unseen…I am the clue-finder, the web-cutter, the stinging fly. I was chosen for the lucky number…I am he that buries his friends alive and drowns them and draws them alive again from the water. I came from the end of a bag, but no bag went over me…I am the friend of bears and the guest of eagles. I am Ringwinner and Luckwearer; and I am Barrel-rider.

Tolkien was on to something. He knew that God designed the world such that the weak would overcome the strong and the least would outshine the greatest. This is, in fact, the message of the cross which we preach (1 Cor 1:18-2:5).

This message permeates the Bible and ought to influence our study. Such paradoxes exhibit the glory of God.

younger brothers inherit over older brothers
old, frail people out-class youthful, strong people
shrimps out-fight giants
uneducated people outperform intellectuals
sinful people end up closer to God than religious experts
humble people gain more favor than proud people

Jesus calls the sick, not the healthy. He makes the seeing blind. He seeks and saves the lost. He shames the strong.

We’re always tempted to hope in ourselves and our performance. As you read the Bible, remember that God doesn’t need your strength; he wants to give you his. He doesn’t want your best; he wants to make you his. He doesn’t need you, but he wants you to need him. Look for this theme as you read.

And delight in it as you watch Jackson’s movie.

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How Not to Receive Your King

December 11, 2013 By Peter Krol

Earlier this week, I attended a wonderful performance of Handel’s Messiah. The choir and orchestra were impressive, and the soloists performed impeccably. It was a marvelous night out with my wife and a few friends.

epSos (2009), Creative Commons

The quality of musicianship had packed the house. Every seat was filled, and parking had overflowed onto the grass. The lengthy standing ovation confirmed my suspicion that I was not the only one who enjoyed the show.

However, in my perception, the greatest marvel was not the performers but the audience.

Right in front of me sat an older couple. From a brief conversation before the concert began, I discovered that they attended a Unitarian church that had “no prescribed beliefs” (their own description). When I asked why they attended (what they liked about it), they said, “it’s very welcoming, and doesn’t require us to believe anything in particular.” They described how the church had conducted Christian, Jewish, and Hindu services, and how they were hoping to organize an Islamic service as well.

One row in front of this couple sat a woman who obviously loved both Jesus the Messiah and excellent music. She really got into the show.

During the “Hallelujah” Chorus, the audience stood reverently, according to tradition. Believers and unbelievers both listened attentively, appreciating the text and music being presented.

And while the choir belted “for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth,” the Unitarian couple snickered as they watched the evangelical woman dance and lift her hands in worship.

I saw similar scenarios playing out around the concert hall, and they led me to consider two dangerous responses I tend to have toward the advent season. These responses are the same common responses people have always had to the coming of the King of Israel.

1. Get swept up in hip (or respectable) Jesus culture

The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” (John 12:12-13, ESV)

Jesus, the great King of Israel, had arrived, and the crowds were ready. They brought their acclaim, and they whipped up a fervor of Jesus-talk and advent-happiness.

Why did the crowd have such fervor for Jesus?

The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. (John 12:17-18)

They went because it was cool. Jesus had done an amazing thing in raising Lazarus, and they wanted to check him out. Perhaps they thought they could fight Rome and be unstoppable (if Jesus could perpetually raise their fallen). Perhaps they wanted to be entertained. Perhaps they thought it was too good to be true.

Similarly, Jesus still experiences a certain popularity during the holidays each year. Sappy movies play on syndicated television stations, with their messages of sacrifice and good will toward humanity. People bake cookies shaped like angels and stars. Christmas carols play in department stores.

People attend candlelight services, Messiah performances, and Christmas pageants, all because it’s the cool thing to do this time of year.

I’m tempted to join them; dripping with sentimentality and culturally acceptable platitudes, I can be accepted and respected along with everyone else.

2. Get caught in jealous, manipulative self-protection

So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.” (John 12:19)

Some, seeing the hollow fervor of the crowds, kept themselves apart and refused to get swept into the celebration. They focused instead on their own situation, whining about the loss of their own place and nation (see also the Pharisees response to the raising of Lazarus in John 11:48).

These Pharisees were the ones who responded to the world’s fallenness by making more rules and getting more serious about their spirituality.

Similarly, many today see the materialism and emptiness of the advent season, and they withdraw and make more rules. No Christmas trees. No presents (give the money to charity instead). No parties. No spiking the egg nog.

I’m tempted to go this route myself. For years, I emotionally boycotted the holiday celebrations of my extended family. They didn’t focus on Jesus the way I thought they should, so I tried to win them by being a sourpuss. “Please don’t get me any presents.” “Let’s remember the reason for the season.”

Both responses are irresponsible to the humble King who rode in, bringing salvation and peace with him.

The first response says, “make me happy, but don’t expect me to change.”

The second response says, “make others unhappy, but don’t expect me to change.”

But the King came to bring change (John 12:14-15). Consider the passage John quotes. The one born in a manger, who came to Jerusalem humble and mounted on a donkey (Zech 9:9), takes his selfish, idolatrous people and fashions them into weapons of war (Zech 9:13). He saves the unlovely and makes them like jewels on his crown (Zech 9:16). He shows his goodness and beauty by making grain and new wine (egg nog?) abound (Zech 9:17). He does all this by laying down his life for his beloved people (John 12:31-33).

You’ll understand Jesus’ birth only if you see through it to his death.

His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. (John 12:16)

May your advent season be full of great joy as you get to know Christ better through his word.

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Fool #3: The Sower of Discord

December 9, 2013 By Peter Krol

Richie Diesterheft (2007), Creative Commons

The Sower of Discord is the third of Solomon’s three fools in Prov 6:1-19. This person knows what’s good for God’s people better than God himself does. This person is a fighter, a crusader. This person suffers tremendous persecution at the hands of those who don’t understand (or won’t receive) the mission. This person believes every point of theology is worth dying for. This person is always right.

I am this fool. If you’re honest, you probably are, too.

But watch out. Solomon addressed the Savior as “my son” (Prov 6:1). He also addressed the Sluggard personally, although not as a “son” (Prov 6:6). The Sower of Discord, however, is almost beneath his dignity. He does not address this person directly; instead, he warns his readers against this person. He does not hold out much hope for this person. The Sower of Discord is an “abomination” (Prov 6:16), one hated by God with utmost hatred. We must not allow this fool to multiply in our churches. We must not allow this folly to multiply in our hearts.

Solomon divides this section into two poems. The first poem (Prov 6:12-15) addresses this fool’s characteristics and fate. The second poem (Prov 6:16-19) focuses on God’s attitude toward this fool. This week I’ll tackle the first one.

A worthless person, a wicked man,
Goes about with crooked speech,
Winks with his eyes, signals with his feet,
Points with his finger,
With perverted heart devises evil,
Continually sowing discord;
Therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly;
In a moment he will be broken beyond healing (Prov 6:12-15, ESV).

Let’s be honest. This person is a great friend to have because he always has inside information about people. He’s good at making you feel like you’re on the inside and others are on the outside. He’ll welcome you in and give you a prominent seat in the clubhouse. He’s not a gossip; he just really cares about what’s best. He wants truth, and not injustice, to reign.

But he is worthless. He is wicked (Prov 6:12a). Nothing good will come of your friendship with him. Perhaps that sounds harsh, but it’s what Proverbs teaches.

This person continually sows discord while devising evil with his perverted heart (Prov 6:14). Of course, he doesn’t think of what he does as “evil.” He just has “concerns.” He has a few questions about the leadership. He wants to understand the church’s direction, and he wants to know if you understand it any better than he does. By discussing his concerns with you, he can gain some valuable advice on how to address his concerns and offer help. He offers you “the real story” behind a certain event in the church’s history. He’s full of insight and compassion, and he’s like a magnet for those who really care about people.

Watch out.

Question: Why do you think Solomon is so hard on the Sower of Discord?

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The Danger of Staying the Same

December 6, 2013 By Peter Krol

I wrote last year that the greatest enemy of application is insight, but I’m having second thoughts. An even greater enemy may be inertia.

George M. Groutas (2010), Creative Commons

Physical science defines inertia as “a property of matter by which it continues in its existing state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line, unless that state is changed by an external force.” Picture a boulder. Inertia keeps a stationary boulder still, and inertia keeps a moving boulder barreling on in the same direction. Moving the still boulder, or redirecting the moving boulder, requires force.

We are the boulders, and application produces change. Since we can’t apply the Bible without overcoming our inertia, application done right will always be a challenge. And we should expect this challenge to take two forms.

First, we face the challenge of movement.

Inertia keeps us in the same place, but the Lord wants to move us. We grow comfortable with how things are, but through the word, the Holy Spirit moves us toward what might be. He pushes, pulls, nudges, convicts, cajoles, begs, batters, and compels. He does whatever he needs to do to get us moving toward Christ. Thus the ignorant person gets a clue. The indifferent person begins to care. The idle person gets to work.

Second, we face the challenge of redirection.

Inertia keeps us moving in the same direction, but the Lord wants to turn us toward him. We like to keep doing what we’re doing, but through the word, the Holy Spirit adjusts our trajectory and directs our path. He disciplines, directs, bumps, pursues, pesters, collides, invites, and overwhelms. He does whatever he needs to do to alter our course so we face toward Christ. Thus the angry person learns to love. The argumentative person learns to listen. The manipulative person learns to let go.

Application is terribly inconvenient.

It makes us doers of the word, unlike inertia, which encourages us to remain hearers of the word. As James writes:

Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. (James 1:22-25, ESV)

James takes issue not with hearing but with hearing and not doing. Hearing is good; it means that you “receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21). But hearing without doing is inconsistent. It’s like viewing your own portrait and honestly wondering who’s the looker. You’re not acting like yourself, and people should wonder what’s wrong. God’s perfect law promotes a life of liberty, but obstinate inertia eventually becomes an imprisoning insanity. Jesus likened it to building a beach hut in a hurricane zone (Matt 7:26-27). Make every effort to overcome your inertia and be not only a hearer but also a doer.

Hearers of the word go to church. Doers of the word discuss the sermons later and find connections to their daily lives.
Hearers of the word love theology. Doers of the word know when to attempt persuasion and when to abandon a quarrel.
Hearers can identify what they’ve learned. Doers can identify how they’ve grown.
Hearers have questions. Doers get answers.
Hearers talk about obeying the civil authorities. Doers don’t exceed the speed limit.
Hearers feel convicted. Doers make changes.
Hearers see how people need to change. Doers see how they themselves need to change.
Hearers know who Jesus is. Doers look more like him every day.

When the founders of the United States of America declared their independence from Great Britain, they based their actions on certain self-evident truths, including the Creator’s endowment of inalienable rights to all men. Among those immutable rights was the pursuit of happiness. What is the pursuit of happiness? According to an 1884 Supreme Court ruling, it is:

…the right to pursue any lawful business or vocation, in any manner not inconsistent with the equal rights of others, which may increase their prosperity or develop their faculties, so as to give them their highest enjoyment.[1]

The pursuit of happiness is the improvement of life. King George’s threat to the colonies wasn’t so much a threat of sadness as a threat to maintain the status quo. He wanted things to continue as they had been, with the colonies under his thumb, paying well, and unable to improve their communities. In other words, the greatest threat to the pursuit of happiness is inertia.

Change is worth fighting for.

Question: How do you see and resist the problem of inertia in your life?

[1] Butchers’ Union Co. v. Crescent City Co., 111 U.S. 746, 757 (1884).

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Your Method Shapes Your Bible Study

December 4, 2013 By Peter Krol

Recently, Aaron Armstrong at Blogging Theologically posted a short series about Bible study entitled “Getting Serious About Your Studies.” He focuses not so much on principles as tools, and you may find his recommendations helpful.

He concludes the series by reflecting on the crucial importance of our approach to the Bible. The results of our study are not arbitrary; our choices for how to read the Bible will affect what we end up seeing in the Bible.

Whether we realize it or not, we do this every time we pick up our Bible—and the rules and principles we hold to drastically affect what we believe the Bible says. For example:

Whether you believe pastoral ministry is for men only or is open to women as well stems from the interpretive decisions you make.

How you approach the “God-hates-yet-loves-sinners” paradox is heavily influenced by your hermeneutical approach.

How you understand the world to have come into being and how this world will end is drastically affected by the principles you use for interpreting the text.

It’s a good warning to give careful though to our methods.

Check it out!

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