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How’d You Do That? (6/8/12)

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In our last Proverbs post, I looked at what sort of genre proverbs are.  Let me give those comments a context.

When we come to learning how to study the Bible, one of the first steps is to observe the text carefully.  But what should we observe?  I generally consider five categories:

  1. Words
  2. Grammar
  3. Structure
  4. Mood
  5. Genre

You can observe the words themselves, considering repetition, tenses, number (singular or plural), etc.

You can observe the grammar, considering issues such as sentence structure (subjects, verbs, objects, etc.), pronouns, or prepositional phrases.

You can observe the structure, considering things like comparison, contrast, section divisions, or the shape of the text.

You can observe mood, identifying how the author communicated: excited, angry, patient, personal, etc.

Finally, you can observe the genre.  Primarily, you’ll want to notice whether you’re reading prose or poetry.  If I write of red roses, it’s important that you understand the genre.  On the one hand you might find just what you need in a pinch.  On the other hand, you could create too many giggles.  Don’t mix up genres!

In the case of Proverbs, I discussed the wisdom genre of proverbs.  We should not read proverbs like laws, or even like prophecies.  Proverbs are intended to address many fine details of life.  As we go through the text, we’ll see how this fact plays out.  But by way of introduction, I wanted to draw attention to the significance of genre.

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

I observed Proverbs’ genre,

Now you can, too!

Why Book Overviews Matter

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When we began the process of adopting our twin sons, the U.S. State Department required numerous criminal background checks.  First, the Pennsylvania State Police cleared us of any misdemeanors or felonies.  Second, the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare cleared us of any history of child abuse.  Third, the FBI cleared us of any federal offenses.   In addition, despite our spotless history in the United States, the Ugandan magistrate also required a background check from Interpol.  Once again, our records were so clean you could have disinfected a toilet with them.

Why did they require such thorough investigation into our history?  I imagine it was because we were pursuing a lofty objective with weighty consequences.  How could they not examine every corner of our lives to make sure these precious boys would have a good home with us?

When we study a book of the Bible like Proverbs, we must likewise investigate its background.  Therefore, over a few posts we’ll examine four topics that are foundational for understanding this book: the genre, the author, the audience, and the author’s intentions for his audience.

Stay tuned!

How’d You Do That? (5/16/12)

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In Wednesday’s post, I continued listing some counterfeits to wisdom present in our day.  All I tried to do here was apply the introductory material by dealing with some issues that may hopefully hit closer to home for some of us.

How many times have you heard (or said) the following?

  • “You’ll understand when you’re older.”
  • “Once you get a few gray hairs (or some more experience under your belt), then you’ll earn more respect or influence.”
  • “Why should I do what you’re saying?”  “Because I’m your father!”

One way to apply Bible passages is to consider what we ought to believe.  I’ve heard this called the “Head” realm of application (as distinct from the “Hands” or “Heart” realms, which refer more to skills or character).  In this case, we ought to believe the right thing (and not the wrong thing) about how to become wise.  Let’s not fall for the subtle but unbiblical assumptions that exist all around us.

One more thought: in this post, I considered some common misconceptions about how one becomes wise.  I tried to reflect what was good before identifying what I thought was bad.

Even if we disagree with someone or some idea, we should always first aim to find what is good, true, and beautiful about it.  After we build agreement there, we can move toward addressing areas of disagreement.  I think Paul had this approach in mind when he wrote Philippians 4:8, which is in the context of helping two women deal with a conflict in Philippians 4:2.  I encourage you to study Philippians 4:2-9 and follow the steps listed there the next time you are in a conflict with another person and want either the peace of God or the God of peace to be with you.

How’d You Do That? (5/10/12)

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In Thursday’s post, we briefly surveyed Proverbs 9 and identified a few common counterfeits of wisdom in our day.  Here are some principles demonstrated in that post.

1.  Observe Comparison and Contrast

Proverbs 9 describes two different women.  We are meant to observe what is similar (comparison) and what is different (contrast) about them.

Similarities: women, serving a meal, making invitations to bystanders.

Differences: prepared food vs. secret bread, mixing wine vs. stealing water, sending maidens vs. no maidens, hewing pillars vs. knowing nothing.

Observing the similarities and differences enables us to see that, though both want to recruit followers and serve them a meal, what they offer and how they offer it is very different.  Folly is copying Wisdom, but with less power and weaker results.  We too ought to expect counterfeits to wisdom.

Comparison and contrast are simple yet powerful to observe.  Here are a few more examples.

Characters, such as:

  • Abram/Lot in Genesis 13-14, 18-19
  • Zechariah/Mary in Luke 1:5-38

Plots, such as:

  • Men meeting women at wells in Genesis 24:15-21 & 29:9-12, Exodus 2:15-22, John 4:1-10
  • Sexually immoral demands at the doorstep in Genesis 19 & Judges 19

Settings, such as:

  • Personal encounters with God on mountains in Exodus 33-34, 1 Kings 19:9-18, and Mark 9:2-8
  • Childlessness in Genesis 11:27-31, 25:19-22, 29:31; Judges 13:1-3, 1 Samuel 1:1-2, Matthew 1:18-25

Things, such as:

  • Two gates, two trees, two candidates for the Kingdom, two houses in Matthew 7:15-27

Whenever we see two or more things that resemble each other in some way, we should keep our eyes out for both similarities and differences.  Make two lists, and ask yourself the question, “what is the author trying to communicate by comparing or contrasting these things?”

2.  Identify What a Passage is NOT Saying

When I moved toward particular application, I began to list some common assumptions in our day regarding what makes someone wise.  I haven’t yet defined, from the text of Proverbs, what wisdom is; I thought first it would be helpful to clear out some misconceptions.

One way to apply a text of Scripture is to consider what we ought to believe in light of the passage.  As we do so, we can identify what common beliefs exist in our culture don’t quite hit the bullseye.  Recognizing these faulty beliefs enables us to clear the debris so we can apply right beliefs.  We’ll see this in a few weeks when we move past the counterfeits (what wisdom is not) and define what wisdom is.

How’d You Do That? (5/3/12, continued)

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Here are two more Bible study principles I employed in last Thursday’s post:

2.  Read the Bible as Literature

Every book of the Bible is a book.  Each of these books was written by a person to a group of people.  We ought to read these books like we read other books.  That means they have a beginning, a middle, and an end.  The ideas flow from one thought to the next.  This is why I’ll work through Proverbs 1-9 section after section.

3.  Pay Attention to Context

This point flows right out of the previous one.  When we forget that the Bible is a collection of books, it’s easy to read a verse here and a verse there as we feel inspired.  However, each of those verses has a context.  There is a literary context (the thoughts written before and after) and a historical context (the person who wrote the book, and the circumstances under which he wrote it).

Here’s an example.  If I told you that on May 3, The New York Times quoted Tobias Meyer as saying, “I have all the time in the world,” what would you think of?  Does the quote inspire you or frighten you?  Do you share the sentiment, or do you envy it?

It’s impossible to evaluate such questions when the quote is isolated from any context!  So let me fill you in with more details.

Tobias Meyer is an auctioneer.  A few days ago, painter Edvard Munch’s famous work, “The Scream,” came up for auction.  Once the bidding reached $99 million, the participants paused, likely in anticipation of the $100 million milestone.  At this moment, Mr. Meyer exclaimed, “I have all the time in the world.”  As you know, auctioneers are not known for taking time or for drawing things out.  This moment was one to be savored.

The bidding continued, and the painting finally sold for $119.9 million, becoming the most expensive piece of art in history.  See the full article here.

Now that you know the facts in their context, does the quote take on new significance?

Let’s do the same whenever we study the Bible, making sure we understand it rightly in its context.  I will seek to do it in Proverbs by focusing on Solomon’s main points and flow of thought.  You can do it as you read the Bible, too.

How’d You Do That? (5/3/12)

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Everybody loves show and tell.  It’s that time in elementary school when you get to show all your friends something that really excites you, and then explain why it’s so exciting.

That’s why some of our blog posts will be given to showing you how to study the Bible, and others will focus on telling you how to do it.  Our hope is that by frequent showing and telling, you will be encouraged to practice these skills in your own study of God’s Knowable Word.

On Thursday, I began a series of posts on the Wisdom of Proverbs.  Even though Thursday’s post was a broad introduction, it still involved some weighty Bible study techniques. So I want to briefly comment on the key principles of Bible study demonstrated there.

1.  Know what the Bible says about the Bible.

We should read the Bible the way God wants us to read it.  Therefore, as we approach any passage of Scripture, we ought to know what the Bible says about the Bible.  On Thursday, I referred to 2 Timothy 3:16, which tells us that every passage of Scripture is useful.  Thus any Bible study we do ought to provide some sort of practical instruction, correction, or training in righteousness.  A Bible study that fails to provide practical help is incomplete.

Also, Jesus himself clearly stated in Luke 24:44-47 that the entire Bible was about Him.  He specifically referenced four components: his death, his resurrection, the forgiveness of sins, and the proclamation of these things to all nations.  So every Bible study ought to lead us to Jesus by illuminating one or more of these four areas.  If we haven’t seen Jesus, we haven’t rightly understood the text.

These two things are not all that the Bible says about the Bible; they’re just the two points I focused on in Thursday’s post.  Please feel free to leave a comment below about other sections of God’s Word that can help us in our study of any passage.

We’ll pick up two more principles tomorrow.