Knowable Word - Bible study help

Overcome Common Excuses for Not Studying the Bible

August 6, 2018 By Ryan Higginbottom

Because we’re human, our desires and motivations are in constant flux. Sometimes we want nothing more than to study the Bible, pray, and commune with God. Other times, we look to do anything else.

When my desires for God are weak, I make all kinds of excuses to avoid prayer and the Bible. Maybe you can relate. Last summer I tackled six major excuses we make for avoiding reading and studying the Bible.

I’m not smart enough to study the Bible. “We compare ourselves to all-stars and find ourselves lacking. How can we compete? If I can learn from experts, why should I study the Bible myself? I’ll never learn as much on my own.“
I don’t have enough time to study the Bible. “Among Christians, I suspect busyness is the top excuse for not studying the Bible. It seems we don’t have enough time for God’s word. I’ve made this excuse many times myself. But we must confront this Biblical truth: We always do what we want to do.“
The Bible is boring. “The Bible is God’s word. If God is the creator and sustainer of every atom that exists; if he is infinitely holy, good, wise, and glorious; if he is the very definition of love; then everything about him must be interesting.”
Bible study is complicated. “Studying the Bible is as straightforward as taking a walk. Lace up your shoes, step out the door, and go.”
I’d prefer to read something easier or different than the Bible. “Reading a devotional work or listening to a sermon can stimulate your spirit. But this is not the same as reading and studying the Bible for yourself. You need to hear directly from the mouth of God.”
I’m not motivated to study the Bible. “Though Christians have experienced this once-for-all change, we still drift and search after other fulfillment. We still need reminders about what is most valuable, what is most fulfilling, and what is the best use of our time and resources.”

Ultimately, we need a change of heart in order to seek God. But popping the balloons of our excuses and remembering the truth about God and the Bible can be a helpful step of obedience. As you read, I hope these help you as much as they helped me when I wrote them.

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Context Matters: The Most Commonly Overlooked Life Advice

August 3, 2018 By Peter Krol

Perhaps you’ve heard about the famous Bible verse for graduates: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jer 29:11). I’ve heard that this verse comes up often in commencement speeches. And why not? It’s packed with inspiring vision and hope for young people about to proceed into young adult life. Sure, people sometimes criticize the way this verse tends to be read (for example, see The Gospel Coalition and Relevant Magazine take it on). Such critics talk a lot about context…exiles…70 years in Babylon…blah blah blah. But if we could only free our minds from these shackles, we’d see that the common usage of this verse doesn’t go nearly far enough.

Context matters. If we keep reading the Bible as a collection of independently assembled proverbial sayings, we’ll discover that we really can look deep within our hearts for ultimate meaning and get whatever we want out of life.

Why Jer 29:11 Doesn’t Go Far Enough

Sometimes people offer a vision for life, prosperity and wellness from that lone verse, Jer 29:11. But it might be good to consider an even more helpful verse, which comes just a few chapters earlier, and therefore clearly applies in the same sort of situation (life advice for young people experiencing a momentous milestone). Jeremiah must have intended this verse for 21st century graduates of Christian high schools. And if I ever have the privilege of speaking at such a school’s commencement ceremony, I will make sure to cover this crucial verse.

Here is the verse:

Then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Drink, be drunk and vomit, fall and rise no more.’ (Jer 25:27)

Daniel Filho (2006), Creative Commons

Let’s Not Be Merely Hearers of the Word, but also Doers

Here is the word of the Lord! I am prepared to obey God by saying this to them. I hope they are prepared to obey God by living according to it. It doesn’t matter how scared or confused they are about the future; God has spoken his will with utmost clarity. May they not be like the foolish builder, who built his house on the sand. Such is the person who hears the word of God and fails to do it.

If they won’t listen to me, the next verse tells me just what to do:

And if they refuse to accept the cup from your hand to drink, then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: You must drink!’ (Jer 25:28)

All we have to do is read a single verse, on its own, as though it had been addressed directly to us, and we, too, can enter the third heaven. We don’t even have to wait for our next major milestone. We can put it into practice, and have the time of our lives, this very weekend.

Context matters.

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Context: Children and Parents

August 1, 2018 By Peter Krol

Mike Leake shows us why context matters in the letter of 2 Corinthians. Some might see a universal principle in 2 Cor 12:14: “Children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.” But the historical, logical, literary, and biblical contexts show us the limited scope of what Paul meant.

Leake does a great job showing us how to approach the text of Scripture with caution and care for the context.

Check it out!

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Context Matters: You Have Heard That it was Said…But I Say to You

July 27, 2018 By Peter Krol

Perhaps you’ve heard about Jesus’ disagreement with the Old Testament. The people of Israel had received a set of laws through Moses, but Jesus trumped them in his Sermon on the Mount. An extreme version of this view might say that Jesus disregarded the Old Testament law and put a new law in its place. A softer view might say that Jesus took the outwardly focused OT laws and added to them an inward dimension, focused on the heart. But perhaps we should take a closer look.

My goal in this post is not to develop a comprehensive theology of Old and New Testaments, nor to explain what our thinking should be on the OT law. My aim is more focused. I want to look at just one passage that some might use to claim that Jesus either set aside, or in some way added to, the law of Moses.

Context matters. If we learn to read the Bible for what it is—and not as a collection of independently assembled proverbial sayings—we’ll discover that some of our most familiar passages don’t actually mean what we’ve always assumed.

The Pertinent Formula

I’m referring to Jesus’ repeated formula: “You have heard that it was said…But I say to you…” (Matt 5:21, 27, 31, 33, 38, 43). Seems clear enough, right? You have heard what Moses said—you shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, and so on—but I have something new and/or different to say. Moses was great, but I am greater. The old has become obsolete and is ready to disappear; the new has come. The law of liberty. The law of love. The law of Christ.

ajshain (2011), Creative Commons

The Immediate Context

But look at where Jesus just came from. Remember that the Sermon on the Mount was a sermon. It was all spoken at once. In fact, what Matthew has recorded to us could be spoken out loud in about 10 minutes, and it’s highly unlikely that such large crowds would have gathered on a mountain for only a 10-minute speech. So Matthew has likely condensed and summarized all that Jesus actually spoke that day. But the point remains: Don’t break it into tiny pieces. Read the sermon as a unit.

And right before Jesus launches into his sixfold “but I say to you” formula, he makes the following introductory comments:

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matt 5:17-20)

Jesus could not be more clear about the fact that he did not come to abolish the Law. Certainly, we can debate what exactly it means that he came to “fulfill” it. But there is no question that Jesus did not come to abolish it (Matt 5:17). Heaven and earth will pass away before the tiniest stroke of the Law passes away (Matt 5:18). And Jesus has no goodwill toward anyone who would relax “one of the least of these commandments” or teach others to relax them. The great ones in his kingdom are those who do the Law, and who teach others to do it (Matt 5:19). And to even enter Jesus’ kingdom, we must have a righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees (Matt 5:20).

Interesting. Note all the contrasts lined up in a row:

Jesus came not to abolish the Law :: Jesus came to fulfill the Law
Heaven and earth will not pass away :: The Law will be accomplished
Anyone who relaxes even a single command, and teaches others to do so, is least :: Anyone who does the commands, and teaches others to do them, is great
Scribes and Pharisees [presumably, by the sentence’s logic] will not enter the kingdom :: Those more righteous than scribes and Pharisees will enter the kingdom

So Jesus contrasts his purpose (fulfill) with what is not his purpose (abolish). And he contrasts right use of the law (do) with wrong use of the law (relax). And he contrasts those who get into the kingdom (more righteous than scribes) with those who don’t (scribes).

And then… He works through 6 more contrasts, 6 case studies, having to do with the Law. “You have heard that it was said…. But I say to you….” The context therefore suggests that the 6 contrasts of verses 21-48 are following on the theme of verses 17-20. In other words, they are contrasting those who abolish or relax the commands with those who do them and teach them.

The Quotations (OT Context)

But that doesn’t make sense of the fact that Jesus actually quotes the Old Testament laws! The thing he is negating is the Old Testament text. The OT Law. “You shall not murder,” “You shall not commit adultery,” and so on.

But there is more here than meets the eye.

For the first two (murder and adultery – Matt 5:21, 27), Jesus quotes Exodus, and then he goes on to talk about heart-intentions. But I’ve written before (e.g. here and here) about how the law in Exodus was always about heart-intentions. This is nothing new.
The third quote (on divorce – Matt 5:31) is from Deut 24, which permits divorce only on the ground of “indecency” (i.e., sexual immorality). Jesus is not disagreeing with Moses but simply reiterating what Moses said.
The fourth quote (on swearing – Matt 5:33) is drawn from Lev 19:12, Num 30:2, and Deut 23:21. But none of those passages say anything about swearing “by heaven” or “by the earth” or “by Jerusalem”or “by your head” (Matt 5:34-36).
The fifth quote can be found all throughout the books of Moses (Matt 5:38), but never in support of vengeance. In fact, this stipulation exists to prevent personal vengeance and to limit what sanctions civil courts may impose.
The sixth quote…is no OT quote at all (Matt 5:43). It has a ring of truth (“You shall love your neighbor”). But you can spend all day looking up “and you shall hate your enemy” and you will not find it.

This sixth “quote” is the linchpin that alerts us to something significant. Jesus is not quoting the Old Testament laws to correct them in some way. He is quoting what these people have heard their teachers say about the Old Testament laws.

He is quoting those who have, in fact, relaxed the commands. Those who teach others to do the same. Those who abolish what God has required of them. Those whose righteousness is like the scribes and Pharisees…. Actually, we have much reason to believe he is quoting the scribes and Pharisees themselves.

Matthew’s Broader Context

Chapter 5 is not the first place in Matthew where Jesus quotes the Old Testament. Look at how Jesus chooses to refer to the Old Testament itself:

“It is written” (Matt 4:4)
“Again it is written” (Matt 4:7)
“For it is written” (Matt 4:10)

Later in the book, he will incredulously ask the scribes and Pharisees “Have you not/never read…?” (Matt 12:3, 5; 19:4; 21:16, 42; 22:31). He will command them to go and learn what the Scripture says (Matt 9:13, 12:7). He will accuse them of setting aside (relaxing) the word of God for the sake of their oral tradition (Matt 15:3, 6). He will curse them for not entering the kingdom (Matt 23:13) and for missing the point of the law (Matt 23:23-24).

My point: When Jesus refers to the Old Testament, it is the written word. When he mentions what “you have heard that it was said,” he is talking about the Pharisees’ oral traditions.

Conclusion

In Matthew 5, Jesus is not setting aside the Old Testament law in favor of a new teaching. He is upholding the full standards of the law, as intended by God. He identifies those who obey the law and adhere carefully to the written word according to its original intention, and he contrasts them with those who relax the commands, who abolish them, to hold to their own accumulated teachings about the law.

Context matters.

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How to Understand Genealogies

July 25, 2018 By Peter Krol

If you’ve been persuaded not to skip the Bible’s genealogies, you might still wonder what to do with them. And Scott Slayton has just the help you need. In his article “How Do I Deal with the Genealogies?” he offers three suggestions:

How does it fit within the author’s narrative?
How does it fulfill the promises of God?
What glimmers of grace do we see in it?

Questions 2 and 3 are useful in helping us to reflect on the theological benefit of any genealogy, but I find question 1 most helpful when working through a book. Remember that the genealogy is not a waste of words. It’s not as though the author had nothing useful to say, and so he decided to throw in a list of names. No, the author is making a case for something; he’s trying to move his audience to action. And the genealogy helps advance his agenda. We must observe the genealogy carefully to uncover what that agenda is.

Though Slayton addresses his article to pastors, his suggestions are just as fitting for any teacher or student of the Scripture.

Check it out!

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ESV Scripture Journals: A Note Taker’s Dream

July 23, 2018 By Ryan Higginbottom

A lot of Bibles have been produced over the past ten years with an eye toward journaling and taking notes. Publishers create wide margins, blank space below the text, or even inspiring art to spark reflection and creativity.

The trend toward producing a Bible for journaling may have reached its climax in the ESV Scripture Journal project.

Description

In the spring of 2018, Crossway introduced the ESV New Testament Scripture Journals. Available either individually or as a 19-volume set, these books are unique.

These soft-cover journals have a simple layout. The Bible text is printed on the left page, and some lightly-printed lines grace the right page. The font is large and readable (11.75 point size), the paper is thick and sturdy, and each volume has an inviting feel. The New Testament set comes in an attractive slipcase.

In exchange for an honest review, Crossway generously provided me with a set of these Scripture journals. I have been using the Luke journal for a few months now, and my daughters have used the Ephesians and Matthew volumes.

Excellent Journals

I’ve really enjoyed using my Scripture journal. I love that the paper is thick enough to prevent ink bleeding through to the other side. This is normally a concern about journals for anyone who, like me, uses a gel pen. But there is no such problem with these books.

The journals also lay flat on the first use. This is exactly what one wants in a journal.

There is plenty of room to take notes on the journaling side of the page. But the Bible text is also printed with roomy margins and interline space, so I have plenty of room to circle, underline, and write notes and questions on the Bible side of the page.

The lines on the right are printed just dark enough to guide you when writing but light enough to make room for drawing or other free-form methods of journaling.

My only small complaint is about the binding. After opening the Luke volume and doing a good bit of Bible study in chapters 9 and 10, the journal has lost a bit of its shape (see below) when I close it. The cover isn’t straight and the journal doesn’t close quickly. However, this might be my fault. I suspect these journals weren’t intended to be opened to the middle before the beginning, so my use could be to blame for this (admittedly minor) concern. I think I’d prefer hard covers.

Possible Uses

If you’re looking for a good way to combine Scripture reading or study with writing, I highly recommend these journals. I can see a number of good ways they might be used.

Use them for personal study. Each of these journals would make a great dedicated volume for an in-depth study of a book of the Bible. You have plenty of space and no distractions. These are wonderful markup Bibles!

Use them in your small group. These would be a fantastic way to get all members of your small group interacting with God’s word. Everyone would have the same translation, no one would be tempted to quote their study Bible notes, and the volumes are relatively cheap to buy (each of the 19 volumes retail for $5.99, but they can be found cheaper than that online). If every group member had the relevant Scripture journal, I think it would be easy to encourage everyone to do some OIA preparation too.

Make your own study Bible. If you’re studying a book of the Bible in a class or through your church’s current sermon series, these journals make a great place to take notes—right next to the Bible text! These are perfect for archiving and future reference—I’d be much more likely to keep a journal like this and come back to it after a few years (perhaps when studying that book again) than I would be to track down notes scattered throughout the pages of a nondescript notebook.

Highly Recommended

These Scripture journals will serve a great purpose for many people. They can help us interact with the Bible in an undistracted way. Crossway has done a great job with this set—I hope they’re working on the Old Testament!

If you’d like to buy the entire set, check Amazon or the Westminster Bookstore. You can also find any member of the New Testament set for sale separately—here are the links for Luke, as an example: Amazon, Westminster. (As of this writing, the Westminster Bookstore had significantly lower prices on both individual volumes and the whole set.)

Disclosure: the product links in this blog post are affiliate links.

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More on the Bruised Reed

July 20, 2018 By Peter Krol

As a follow-up to last week’s post on the metaphor of the bruised reed in Is 42:1-4 and Matt 12:15-21, here is an article I wrote for Desiring God. Here is a taste:

The metaphor seems self-evident. “Bruised reeds are people who are broken and needy, people worn out and tired and exhausted with life’s circumstances, people neglected by the world, but accepted by Jesus.” We casually toss the phrase out like a trump-suit ace impervious to counter-play. No need to explain; just assert: “Jesus never broke a bruised reed.”

But have you considered why the reed doesn’t get broken? Look at the text carefully, and you might find you’ve become a little too familiar with this biblical phrase and perhaps have missed a profound point. In fact, hastily assuming the “what” may have obscured your insight into the “why”…

We rightly marvel at Jesus’s deep compassion. We rightly delight in his commitment to the down-and-out of society, and we rightly long to imitate his works of service and provision. We rightly praise the one who brought hope and healing to those who had none.

But is the point of the bruised reed image Jesus’s compassion? Should we identify weak, lowly, or otherwise hurting people as the “bruised reeds” who weren’t — and thus shouldn’t be — “broken”? Interpreting the metaphor this way is often assumed rather than argued, but perhaps we’ve grown too familiar with it and should take another look.

Check it out!

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Why You Shouldn’t Skip the Genealogies

July 18, 2018 By Peter Krol

J.A. Medders understands the temptation to skip boring parts of the Bible, such as genealogies, even in his preaching. But he advises us not to do it. Why?

Genealogies remind us the Bible isn’t about us.
Genealogies remind us of God’s promise to send a son.

Medders has some needed encouragement to help us better align our hopes with God’s priorities. And I agree. Each year, as I commit to reading the genealogies along with the rest of the Scriptures, I find myself appreciating them more each time. Medders concludes:

[Genealogies] remind us about a list of names where you are listed. Right now, in Heaven, the Lamb’s Book of Life is filled with the names of those who would be redeemed by the blood of Jesus. And if you believe in the risen Lord, your name is on a page—and it’s written in ink older than the earth (Rev. 17:8). You aren’t listed in Exodus 6 or Matthew 1, but you are listed in Heaven, in a genealogy of Christ’s brothers and sisters.

Check it out!

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Context Matters: A Bruised Reed

July 13, 2018 By Peter Krol

Perhaps you’ve heard of the Puritan Richard Sibbes and his famous work The Bruised Reed and Smoking Flax. Though you may not have read it, you’ve likely been influenced by it. If you hear the phrase “bruised reed,” and your first thought is of a suffering person desperate for hope, you largely have Sibbes to thank. And while Sibbes’s work is packed with exceptional pastoral wisdom that looks to Jesus, our Chief Shepherd, it’s frankly lacking in careful contextual Bible study. No matter how familiar we are with biblical phrases, let’s make every effort to observe them carefully and heed their context.

Crack the Code

When people throw around phrases like “Jesus never broke a bruised reed,” they use it like a code. Almost an allegory. The “reed” is a person. The “bruise” is their suffering. To “break a bruised reed” would be a failure of tenderness or compassion that crushes the spirit or destroys the trust of the wounded soul.

Pastorally, these principles are crucial to understand. I would not condone any efforts to ignore them or justify harsh treatment of Christ’s sheep. Those who suffer are particularly wounded and vulnerable. And our Lord’s tenderness and compassion sound forth from the Scripture at high decibels (Ex 19:4, Ezek 34:11-16, John 21:15-19, Mark 5:33-34, Mark 5:39-43, Luke 7:11-15, etc.).

So I am not challenging the wisdom of compassionate tenderness, especially when someone has gone through the valley of the shadow of death. I think only that we need to be careful with our metaphors, so we don’t run afoul of the biblical author’s intent.

I’ve written for Desiring God on this topic of the bruised reed. But let me repeat here the arguments of both Isaiah and Matthew, in their use of the bruised reed metaphor. Please suspend your disbelief with me, try to set aside your familiarity, and look at these texts with fresh eyes.

Isaiah 42

The image of the bruised reed is in verse 3, but let’s follow Isaiah’s thought before and after it. This poem speaks of Yahweh’s servant, upheld, chosen, and delighted in (Is 42:1a). Yahweh put his Spirit into this servant, with the goal that “he will bring forth justice to the nations” (Is 42:1b).

This goal of justice is no small matter for Isaiah. We could trace the theme of justice all through his book of prophecy. The lack of it is a major accusation against Judah (Is 9:18-10:4, etc.) and the surrounding nations (Is 14:4-6, etc.). Its restoration in the future is the hope of Israel and her promised Davidic king (Is 11:1-5, etc.).

And in chapter 42, the Spirit is on Yahweh’s servant to bring forth justice (Is 42:1). He will bring forth this justice faithfully (Is 42:3). And he will not grow faint or be discouraged until he establishes this justice in the earth (Is 42:4). The main idea here is that the servant will bring justice on earth, even though we might expect him to grow faint or be discouraged before he’s able to do so.

Now how will he do it?

“He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street” (Is 42:2). He will not force the unjust to comply. He will not open a picket line until he gets his way. He won’t even be a major public figure. His voice will work effectually away from the typical forums of civil discourse or political advancement.

And that’s when Isaiah brings in his metaphor. “He will not cry aloud…a bruised reed he will not break…he will faithfully bring forth justice” (Is 42:2-3). The metaphor illustrates the point made in verse 2, that he will not cause political change through typical political channels. He will be an unlikely hero. He will accomplish Yahweh’s purpose of justice, but not according to the world’s expectations of someone who can or will exercise justice (along with great power, pomp, pizzazz, or military might).

Isaiah expands on this idea later in the chapter, where Yahweh confesses, “For a long time I have held my peace; I have kept still and restrained myself; now I will cry out like a woman in labor; I will gasp and pant” (Is 42:14). The servant will faithfully labor to bring forth justice by working behind the scenes, quietly and carefully. But after a while, the time will come when Yahweh will, in fact, cry out and simply “lay waste” and “dry up” and “turn darkness into light” (Is 42:15-17).

The point is this: When Isaiah speaks of the bruised reed, he is not using it as an allegory of ministry to hurting people. He is using it as a word picture to describe the quiet and unobtrusive machinations of Yahweh’s servant establishing justice. This servant keeps such a low profile that, as he passes through the marshes, not even bruised reeds will break off. Not a twig will snap. His draft won’t have enough force to blow out even a smoldering wick. And this unpretentious strategy will not last forever. The time will come for him to eventually beat his chest, get everyone’s attention, and just get the job done.

Matthew 12

According to Matthew, Jesus heals a man’s withered hand, on the Sabbath, in direct defiance of the ruling elite (Matt 12:9-13). As a result, those elites begin conspiring to destroy him (Matt 12:14).

Jesus knows what’s going on, and he withdraws (Matt 12:15a). He doesn’t put up a fight or launch a PR campaign; he just slinks back into the shadows. And many follow him, and he heals them (Matt 12:15b), but his goal right now is not to make too much of a fuss. He has to keep laying low. So he orders these people not to make him known (Matt 12:16).

This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah…my servant…a bruised reed he will not break…until he brings justice. (Matt 12:17-21)

According to the flow of Matthew’s gospel, it was not yet time for Jesus to make a fuss. For this season, he backs off and avoids too much attention. “His messianic mission had a noteworthy ninja element” (DG).

But while going up to Jerusalem one last time, he can talk about almost nothing but his coming victory over death (Matt 20:17-19, 22, 28). He will faithfully bring forth justice. The time for silence has ended. So he must pick a fight in the most public forum—the temple during the Feast of Passover—in order to get himself killed (Matt 21-23). They take up their plot once again (Matt 26:3-5). This is his path to victory.

Conclusion

This contextual study of the bruised reed metaphor is not meant as an excuse to ever be harsh, demanding, or manipulative with wounded people. By no means! Instead, I hope merely to show you the glory of your Savior Jesus Christ, who accomplished all he set out to do.

And by way of application, perhaps we ought to be slow to use Jesus’ harsh words with the Pharisees as a model for our own public dialogue. That is, unless we are called by God to get ourselves killed for the sin of the world.

Context matters.

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The Golden Rule of Bible Reading

July 11, 2018 By Peter Krol

In his second video on what “meaning” means, John Piper gives another reason why “meaning” is what the author intended to communicate through a text. This video takes the famous Golden Rule of Jesus and applies it to the act of reading. Do unto authors what you would have other readers do unto you as an author.

Check it out!

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