We’ve still got a Bible reading challenge underway, and it’s not too late to hop on board! I’ve written before about reading plans and tools I use, such as Logos and the Dwell audio app. But here are some more recommendations of tools from Amy Hall. I’ve not heard of the Bible Box app she mentions, nor have I seen the Discipleship Journal reading plan before that she links to. I will add that one to my list options in the future.
Take Care How You Use Your Resources
We are surrounded by a wealth of Bible study resources, and we’d be foolish not to make use of them. As long as we ensure our use of them is good use of them.
Mark Ward wrote a thoughtful piece for Bible Study Magazine on “3 Reasons to Use Better Bible Study Resources than Strong’s.” Though Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance has been a valuable tool for a very long time, it is all too easy to abuse it, and especially the dictionary in the back of it.
Ward’s 3 reasons:
- Strong’s dictionary entries lend themselves to abuses.
- Strong’s dictionary entries often tempt people to make “meaning soup.”
- Strong’s dictionary can lead Bible readers into word-study fallacies.
My Love-Hate Relationship with Bible Study Tools
Last week, the Gospel Coalition published a piece I wrote called “My Love-Hate Relationship with Bible Study Tools.”
What if I were to ask you to solve 30 long-division problems? One thing, though: there’s no calculator. Sure, you probably remember how to do it by hand, but since you haven’t since childhood, you’re rusty. As a result, the whole idea seems a little threatening and needlessly difficult, doesn’t it?
Thanks to the blessings of the modern age, nobody does long division by hand anymore. We’ve become dependent on the tool. Why go to all that intellectual effort when you can punch a few buttons and have an answer at your fingertips in a matter of milliseconds?
I love that we have access to calculators. I don’t even mind that using them has permanently atrophied my math skills. But I refuse to let modern Bible study tools—as great as they are—do the same thing to my Bible study skills. I never want to become so dependent on these tools that I forgo the deep joy that comes from sitting down with a Bible, plus a pen and some paper, and simply digging in. I never want to pretend that reading the fruit of someone else’s Bible study efforts is the same as plumbing the depths of God’s Word myself. And no matter how biblically wise or learned I may become, I never want to train anyone to rely on me more than they rely on Scripture.
What’s more, I’m convinced that if the New Testament authors were alive today they would back me up: modern Bible study tools are a great blessing—but if you rarely or never study the Bible without them, you’re not only doing it backward, you’re seriously missing out.
The article then lists 3 fruits of personal Bible study and makes a brief case for the OIA method. If you’d like to read the full article, have at it!
Write Chapter Summaries
Ed Mitchell (2007), Creative Commons
The Bible is a big book. It’s easy to get lost or tired or – honestly – bored.
Some people love digging deep. They’ll read a few verses, chew on them, pray over them, and feel closer to God as a result.
Not me.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m all in favor of exploring the details. But I’m not naturally motivated that way.
I’m more of a reader. I like to read many different things. I get bored with too much of one thing.
Regardless of whether you are more of a chewer or a devourer, the Bible is still a big book. How do you keep tabs on the big picture even while processing the parts? How do you read each section in light of the whole?
I have an idea for you. This is not the only right way to do it, but it’s one tool I’ve found especially helpful.
Write Chapter Summaries
Get yourself a notebook.
On the first page, write “Genesis” at the top and the numbers 1 to 50 down the side (you’ll probably have to go on to the second page to get 50 lines).
Then, as you read Genesis, stop at the end of each chapter. Consider each chapter and write a one-line summary next to the number for that chapter.
For example:
- creation of the world
- creation of man & woman
- fall into sin
- Cain murders Abel and fathers a line of ungodly people; Seth replaces him
- genealogy from Adam to Noah
And so on, down the page.
Then start a new page for Exodus. Continue through the books of the Bible until you have a summary of every chapter in the Bible.
Why are Chapter Summaries Helpful?
Although content summaries are not the same thing as the author’s main points, they still have a helpful place.
- They help you to process what you’ve read.
- They help you to retain what you’ve read.
- They increase your familiarity with the Bible.
- They record God’s marvelous works throughout history (Ps 96:3).
- As you read back over the summaries, they give you a sense of how a book of the Bible unfolds.
- As you read back over the summaries, they give you a sense of how the whole Bible fits together.
- They document what you’re learning about the Lord.
An Example
Over the course of my life, I’ve done this exercise 3 times. Each time I gain more insight, which gives me greater delight in the Lord
I enjoy looking back over my notes to see how my understanding deepened.
For example, here are the summaries I wrote for 2 Peter in 1999:
1. God’s given everything we need –> qualities of fruitfulness; Peter direct eyewitness.
2. False teachers will rise up –> last state (betraying Christ) worse than first (not knowing Christ).
3. Remember words spoken –> day of judgment, elements burned up.
And here are the 2 Peter summaries I wrote in 2008:
1. God’s promises through the prophets will be fulfilled in Jesus & in our character.
2. False teachers deny Jesus; the Lord won’t let them get away.
3. Reminder of word of prophets & apostles; we can bank on promises to be fulfilled in the future!
These two sets are not drastically different. They simply show a maturation in my understanding. The second set is more clear and focused than the first set.
Sometimes I return to these notebooks when I study a book of the Bible. They give me a starting point from which to hone my insights and build my understanding.
Questions: How helpful have you found exercises like summarizing chapters to be? What other ideas have worked for you?
