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What to Observe: Words

September 1, 2012 By Peter Krol

Douglas Wilson wrote, “Words are the bricks with which you build. Buy the bricks before starting on the wall” (Wordsmithy, Moscow, ID: Canon, 2011, p.104). He was advising aspiring writers to study etymology and ancient languages. I’ll commandeer his point to encourage those who study the Bible to begin with the beginning.

Books of the Bible were constructed from stories. These stories were built from episodes. Episodes arose by gatherings of paragraphs. Paragraphs disemboweled produce sentences. Sentences dissect into words. Words are our bricks. Let’s observe them to start.

I’ll use Luke 2:1-21, NET for a sample text. It’s a pretty familiar text for many Christians, so we’ll work hard to observe it well.

First, notice a theme to key words in the first few verses

decree
Caesar
Augustus
empire
registration
Quirinius
governor
Syria
city of David – 2 times
house and family line of David
firstborn son
Lord – 2 times
glory
Savior
Christ
vast, heavenly army – a phrase that explains what angels are

What stands out? Major attention is drawn to power, glory, and governing authority. There’s some tension between Imperial authority (represented in Caesar and his underlings) and God’s authority (represented in his son).

Let’s keep looking at another class of words

Joseph
Nazareth
Bethlehem
Mary, who was promised to be married to him
expecting a child
the time came to deliver
child wrapped in strips of cloth – 2 times
laid in manger – 3 times
no place for them in the inn

This group lends itself to another theme: that of unpredictable lowliness.

I’ll mention one final set of observations regarding word choice in Lk 2:11:

Today your Savior is born in the city of David
He is Christ
He is the Lord

The narrator, through the angel, communicates loads of information simply by his word choice.

What is a “Savior”? One who saves. A hero. A rescuer. He’s not the guy who runs out of the burning building to save his own life; he’s the guy who runs into the burning building to save others’ lives.
What is a “Christ”? We need some background help on this one, but “Christ” is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word “Messiah,” which means “Anointed One.” What on earth is an “anointed one”? We don’t have those anymore! Think of it as someone inaugurated and sworn into office. The narrator wants us to know that Jesus has a job, and he’s authorized by God to execute that job.
What is “the Lord”? It’s what the Jews of old would call God himself. Flip through your Old Testament, and see how often the word LORD shows up in all caps. That represents instances where God’s personal name (something like Yahweh, but we can’t know for sure how it was pronounced) was used in the Hebrew text, but translation traditions hand it down to us as simply “LORD.” The narrator wants us to know, through the angel’s proclamation, that Jesus is, in fact, God.

I’m beginning to move into interpretation, so I’ll hold off until we get to that step in the OIA process. Your take-home point for now is: the first part in how to study the Bible is to observe (not just see, mind you, but truly to observe) the words on the page.

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Five Things to Observe

August 31, 2012 By Peter Krol

You sit down with your Bible, and you’re ready to study it. You pray and open the page to the right spot. Then…what? You see lots of ink and paper. You’ve heard these verses before.

You’d like to go deeper, and you don’t want to let familiarity get in the way. But what exactly can you do? What should you begin to observe?

Derek Bridges (2006), Creative Commons

Here are some ideas to get you started:

WORDS: Pay attention to the words. Count up how many times different words are repeated. Notice how different things are described or labeled.
GRAMMAR: Identify the subject, verb, and object of a sentence. What are the main verbs? Who is doing what, and where and how are they doing it?
STRUCTURE: How does the passage fit together? Break it into paragraphs. Pay attention to transitions.
GENRE: Is this poetry or prose? A letter or a narrative? Who is the author? Who is the original audience?
MOOD: What tone of “voice” is the author writing with? Does the passage inspire action, invoke emotion, or challenge assumptions?

Here’s an exercise for you to consider. Let’s just take one verse: John 3:16.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (ESV).

Use the five categories above to help you get started, and try to write 50 observations on that one verse.

Mention one of your observations in the comments below, and let’s see how many we can come up with!

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The Greatest Enemy of Observation is Familiarity

August 30, 2012 By Peter Krol

The first step of our Bible study method is Observation. Before we’ve even crossed the line of scrimmage, however, familiarity is right there to knock us down. When we think we know something, we stop paying attention to it.

For example, how many stairs are there in your house? What color are your father’s eyes? What is your license plate number? Name three left-handed people in your acquaintance.

As Sherlock Holmes says to Dr. Watson in “A Scandal in Bohemia,” “You see, but you do not observe.”

Let me give an example. I recently taught on Genesis 31, the story where Jacob runs away from Laban without telling him. My initial thought was, “I know what happens. Why does the story have to take up 55 verses, and how am I going to teach on it?”

So I dug deeper. I stared at the text and kept reading it over and over. Things started popping out.

For example, I observed that every other verse in Gen 31:4-16 makes reference to God. Up until now, Jacob hasn’t really mentioned God a whole lot.

Then I observed that the narrator calls Laban “the Aramean” (Gen 31:20, 24). That’s funny, because he used to call him Jacob’s “mother’s brother” (for example, see Gen 29:10 where he’s called that 3 times). So the narrator doesn’t consider Laban family anymore….

Then I observed that Laban calls God to witness their agreement (Gen 31:53), but do you see which god it is? “The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” The true God called Abraham to leave the household (and gods) of his fathers (Gen 12:1). Jacob knows this, but Laban doesn’t get it. Jacob swears by the true God, the Fear of his father Isaac (Gen 31:53).

I could go on. My point is not that any single observation is the silver bullet that unlocks a Bible passage. Instead, I’m suggesting that the way forward is always to keep observing. We must be willing to stare at a text until we don’t just see, but we observe.

I’ll give one more big example. One of the most famous passages in the whole Bible is 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. It’s the great Love Chapter. We’re so familiar with it, though, that we generally miss the point.

Read it again, one verse at a time, and ask yourself, “what is he saying here?” Observe carefully, and I think you’ll see that it’s neither romantic nor encouraging. It’s actually a stinging rebuke directed toward those who don’t know how to love their neighbor.

Let’s not just see. Let’s observe.

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Six Reasons Why We Don’t Study the Bible

August 19, 2012 By Peter Krol

In his excellent (and free!) ebook on Bible study, Denis Haack lists six reasons why many people never learn how to study the Bible:

I don’t know how.
Bible study is boring.
I prefer to use Bible study guides.
I’m not smart enough; never was much of a student.
I can become discerning by reading books.
I don’t have time.

Please don’t let these reasons become excuses for you to miss out on receiving God’s Knowable Word!

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Observation tip: Look for contrasts

August 18, 2012 By Tom Hallman

“The real problem is not why some pious, humble, believing people suffer, but why some do not.” – C.S. Lewis

“Facts are stubborn, but statistics are more pliable.” – Mark Twain

“I don’t think marriage is a civil right, but I think that being able to transfer property is a civil right.” – Barack Obama

The quotes above, regardless of whether you agree with them or not, have this in common: they are all statements of contrast. (We’ve written about other examples of contrasts in an earlier post.) Contrasts are very helpful at emphasizing the difference between two things. That is, each side of a contrast can contain some observation that is useful, but when compared against one another, their differences are highlighted. This is very useful in determining the main point of the speaker/author.

We use contrasts all the time in our daily speech and the Scriptures are chock full of them. One sure-fire way to spot a contrast is to look for the word, “but”. That’s not the only way to find contrasts, but it’s a good starting point. (Did you notice that contrast right there?)

Consider these texts and how the contrasts emphasize the statements:

Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.” (Proverbs 31:28-29 ESV, emphasis mine)

For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. (Romans 4:13-16 ESV, emphasis mine)

“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:16-18 ESV, emphasis mine)

The three examples above are from Proverbs, Romans and the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). All three of those sections of Scripture make frequent use of contrasts. Why not go through a chapter or two of those sections to see how many contrasts you can pick out, and what it tells us about God, men, sin and salvation? It will be well worth your time!

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Why OIA is the Best Bible Study Method

August 12, 2012 By Peter Krol

A few days ago, I outlined the OIA method of Bible study that we follow. In short, it stands for Observation, Interpreation, and Application.

I’ve already made one audacious claim: that everyone has a Bible study method. Today I’d like to make another: that OIA is the best method one can use to study the Bible. Let me support this claim with three reasons.

1. It works for any person anywhere of any age

It can be taught to PhDs and other “professionals” and get quite complex and profound. It can be taught to 3 year olds just learning to talk. Anyone in between can use this method to great profit, understanding the main ideas of what God has communicated and becoming more like Christ as a result.

2. It’s the way God designed all communication to work

OIA is nothing new or innovative. It is simply an attempt to outline the steps by which any human being communicates with another human being (observing what was communicated, interpreting the meaning, and responding appropriately). God made communication to work this way, so of course the Bible works the same way.

Let me illustrate. If I met you on the street, you might observe me walk up to you, smile, and stick out my hand. You would interpret that I mean you no harm and simply want to greet you. You would apply the gesture by reaching out your own hand, taking my hand with yours, and saying “hello” or some similar sentiment. Communication has now taken place.

Let’s say I ask you a question. You might observe the raised inflection at the end of my sentence (the question mark), a resultant silence, and raised eyebrows on my face. You would interpret these signs to mean that I want you to answer the question. You would apply the interaction by answering the question, frowning in thought, holding up a finger to request more time, or running away in terror.

We simply cannot escape OIA. We do it all the time. We should employ it when we study God’s Knowable Word.

3. It’s how Jesus interpreted the Bible

Jesus is the Lord (Phil 2:11) and the author of Scripture (1 Peter 1:11). We should learn from him how to read Scripture.

Look at Matthew 21:42-44 as an example. Notice how Jesus observes the Old Testament text in verse 42, interprets it in verse 44, and applies it in verse 43 (implying that his listeners should believe the truth and make some changes in their lives).

Jesus often references Scripture, giving us a window into his understanding of it, but he rarely is as clear as in Matt 21:42-44. Usually, he assumes or implies the Interpretation, and states the Observation and Application explicitly (for example, see Matt 13:10-17 or Mark 12:35-37). One place where he Observes and Interprets but doesn’t explicitly Apply is Luke 4:17-21.

In suggesting that OIA is the best method to use, I’m not saying that there’s an easy one-size-fits-all way of plugging every text through an equation. I’m merely saying that we have a valuable and clear way by which we can understand what God is communicating in his Word. Our study of the Bible is not arbitrary.

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Summary of the OIA Method

August 10, 2012 By Peter Krol

"Open Bible" by Ryk Neethling (2011), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution License

Ryk Neethling (2011), Creative Commons

I’ve argued that everyone has a Bible study method, whether conscious or unconscious. So here’s mine.

The acronym OIA summarizes the method:

Observation – what does it say?
Interpretation – what does it mean?
Application – how do I need to change?

You can restate these three steps as what? why? and so what? Or again, as what did the original author say? What did that mean to the original audience? And what does it mean in our context?

Knowable Word did not invent this method. It’s an old, old method. Seminaries call it the “historical-grammatical method of Bible interpretation,” but that title can be big and scary to most people. Some more popular treatments call it the “inductive Bible study method,” but I think that’s an unfortunate misuse of the wonderful term “inductive” from the realm of logic. So I prefer to call it simply “OIA.”

The wonder of the OIA method is that it allows the text to speak to us, rather than reading our own meaning into the text. The beauty of the OIA method is that it can be taught at seminary and get very, very deep, or it can be taught to the youngest children, enabling them as well to know the Lord in his Word.

I’ve explained the method in more detail in other posts, but for this summary, note what happens if we miss any part of it.

If we neglect good observation of what the text says, we have no true foundation upon which to know Christ. We have great intentions, but in all the wrong directions. We’re the people who failed to observe which weekend was the daylight savings time switch, and we show up to church an hour off from everyone else. An example of poor observation of Scripture is found in Luke 24:25-27.

If we neglect good interpretation of what the text means, we might not know whether what we believe or do is biblical or not. We might be honoring the Lord, or we might not be. We won’t be certain until we meet him face to face. A good example of poor interpretation of Scripture is found in Mark 12:24.

If we neglect good application of how we ought to change, we are like foolish builders founding a home upon sand. We are to be pitied. We give lip service to Christ, but our hearts are far from him (Matthew 15:8-9). God wants to make us more like Jesus (Rom 8:29), and he won’t rest until his Word accomplishes that purpose (Isaiah 55:10-11).

For much more detail on the OIA method see my How to Study the Bible series of posts.

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What the Olympics Taught Me about Bible Study

August 4, 2012 By Peter Krol

This week marked a significant milestone for me: the first time since 1994 that I’ve gotten to follow the Olympic games with any regularity.

I love the drama. Ryan Lochte wins gold in the Men’s 400 meter individual medley, but Michael Phelps fails to medal in the event. Phelps goes on, however, to win more medals and become the most decorated Olympian in history. The USA women’s gymnastics team wins gold, but reigning world champion Jordyn Wieber fails to advance to the all-around competition. Four badminton teams are thrown out of the games for throwing their games. A Korean archer with poor eyesight helps his team win bronze. 22-year-old Kayla Harrison overcomes a history of sexual abuse by a previous coach and wins the first ever US gold medal in judo.

The drama is inspiring, but also challenging. Why isn’t our study of God’s Knowable Word equally inspiring?

Why is it that we’d often rather do anything other than read God’s Word? When we do read it, why does it feel like such a chore? When we get together in groups to discuss the unbreakable Scripture, why can’t we think of anything to talk about? Why can church seem routine and lifeless? Where is the drama that inspired a generation to turn the world upside-down (Acts 17:6)?

God has revealed his Son to us through the Bible written by his Spirit. In the Bible He lets us in on what he’s thinking. He tells us what to expect about the future. He fills in the back story to our existence. He advises us about how life works best. His Word is the most influential book in history. How can we recapture the drama?

Here are some ideas:

Read a lot of Scripture. Keep the big picture in mind. Consider taking an afternoon to read a whole book of the Bible in one sitting. Just read lots of it and keep going. As you understand the scope of the whole, each detail takes on new life.
Read it lots of times. Over the past two weeks, I’ve read the same two chapters over and over again. I read them and didn’t understand them at first. So instead of moving on, I decided to try it again and again. I’ve now read them dozens of times in a row, and they’re starting to make sense. What was once confusing has become exciting and impactful!
Talk to others. God puts us in community on purpose. Others will have insights you don’t have. So plug into your church, find a Bible study group, talk about the sermons. Ask people what they’re learning from the Word, and share what you’re learning. The drama of God’s glorious plan through Christ will infect you with joy.
Put yourself into the story. Picture what the characters went through. How would you respond in similar circumstances? What would you feel, desire, fear, or hope? Remember that Bible characters were real people, experiencing life much as we do.
Focus on Jesus. You don’t have to be innovative. You don’t have to make the Bible exciting. All you have to do is get out of the way and let Jesus show his glory.

The Olympics are exciting, and I can’t wait to see what will happen over the next week. But the glory of men will wither; does anyone even remember the medalists from 1994 anymore? God’s Knowable Word will remain forever (1 Peter 1:24-25).

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How’d You Do That? (7/31/12)

August 3, 2012 By Peter Krol

On Monday and Tuesday, we examined Solomon’s third purpose for writing the book of Proverbs and sought to apply it. How did I get to those specific applications?

Whenever we study a passage of the Bible, I find it helpful to think in the three categories of Head, Hands, and Heart. Each of these categories represents a way in which I can respond to a text.

Head applications identify ways I need to believe what is true. They help me to identify false beliefs so I can repent of them and choose to adopt God’s perspective. Examples are “God is more powerful than my enemies,” “Jesus is God and became a man to die for my sins,” or “God wants his people to be part of a church.”

Hands applications identify ways I can act upon what is true. They help me to identify ungodly behaviors so I can repent of them and live in obedience to God’s will. Examples are “I shouldn’t gossip about or attack my enemies,” “I can take steps to get to know my neighbors better and reach out to them,” or “I should join a good church and get involved in the community there.”

Heart application identify ways I must become more like Jesus. They help me to identify wicked or foolish desires so I can repent of them and develop more Christ-like character. Examples are “I must love my enemies as Christ did for me,” “I can trust other people because Jesus knows what it’s like to be misunderstood,” or “I must stop trusting in myself and instead find ways to serve others.”

The first three purposes of Proverbs correspond to these three areas. Solomon wants us to know wisdom (head), do it (hands), and always improve at both knowing and doing (heart).

When you read and study the Bible, are you growing in all three areas?

Don’t fall into the trap of overly theological (head), ethical (hands), or pietistic (heart) reading of Scripture. Keep a good balance of all three, and see how much God will do in your life through his Knowable Word!

And don’t feel like you have rely on yourself alone to grow as a Christian. Join a Bible study, or get more involved at your church! Others can help you in all three areas in ways you never expected.

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Everyone Has a Bible Study Method

July 29, 2012 By Peter Krol

I’ve been blogging for a few months now, talking a lot about different principles of Bible study. Look out for this, pay attention to that, consider these things, etc. Today I’d like to show my cards a bit by revealing a shocking truth: I follow a Bible study method.

A method? Yes, a method. How do you respond to that word?

Does it make you nervous or is it a relief? Does it make you feel like a piece of cookie dough jammed onto the tray or does it give you hope?

Whatever your reaction toward the idea of a method, I’m writing to propose that, like it or not, everyone has a method for Bible study.

Some methods are unintentional and informal. For example:

The Divination Method

Open the Bible
Drop your finger into a random place
Read what you find
Trust this is God’s will for you today

The Support Group Method

Read a passage of the Bible
Close the Bible
Consider (or discuss, if in a group situation) how you feel about what you just read

The Prayerful Method

Ask God to bring to mind a passage of the Bible that will address your current problem or need
Listen to what thoughts are put in your mind
Look at those passages for encouragement or help

Other methods, however, are quite intentional and formal. For example:

The Cross-Reference Method

Read a passage of the Bible
Highlight the key words or phrases in that passage
Look up another passage that this one reminds you of (the cross-references in the middle column of your Bible really help with this)
Look up another passage that the second one reminds you of
Look up another passage that the third one reminds you of
Repeat until you run out of time

The Word Study Method

Decide which topic you’d like to study in the Bible
Identify one or more key words that represent your topic
Search the whole Bible for passages that use those keywords (something like Bible Gateway)
Read each verse that comes up
Compile all the components of your topic
Live in light of what you learned

The Expert Method

Read a passage of the Bible
Read a commentary on that passage of the Bible
Believe and act upon what the commentator wrote

My point is this: everyone who reads the Bible has a method for studying the Bible. What is your usual method? Are you even conscious of how you study the Bible?

My secondary point is this: not every method is a good method. In other words, many methods do not result in correct interpretation. If, as we believe, the Bible is God’s Word to us, shouldn’t we make sure we understand it?

In future posts, I’ll lay out my method more explicitly.

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