In a neverending personal tradition, I watch “The Three Amigos” at least once every year, usually within a week of New Year’s day. I know the script quite well, and there are few surprises. But every couple of years, there is a joke or innuendo in there that I had missed before and suddenly it all makes sense to me. This humor that is revealed to me in layers is the result of, dare I say, consistant study and attention to minute details. This movie is truly one where you find more and more to enjoy the more effort you put into it. When I watch it and something clicks where before I hadn’t noticed anything before, it makes me appreciate the movie that much more. I suppose you could say that I am an adept at discerning the slapstick comedy of this movie.
1 Corinthians 2:13-16
These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
Raw repitition on its own does not pay the same dividends in biblical study, however. There is another component to correct discernment of the Bible beyond producing the time and effort to rightly divide the word of God. That is the work of the Holy Spirit within us, helping us discern what we should be getting out of the reading. Yes, repitition is helpful, as is taking your time to prayerfully consider each precept. But none of that would be fruitful if it were not for the work of the Spirit guiding our study.
When I viewed the Bible as a book for me to read for the sake of being able to said that I had done it, I did not get the benefit intended by God. I do believe that every Christian should read the entire Bible at least once in their life, but not at the expense of taking the time to meditate over the words of the Lord. I have now read the Bible twice in two years and have decided not to read it through a third time this year. Sure, if I read it all this year, I may get a nugget here and there that I missed in my earlier reading, but when you seek your pearls along the beach, you will not be as blessed as you would be if you were to dive into the deeper waters, where the true wealth is found.
I have been reading 2 Timothy in the ESV translation over and over. I still prefer NKJV for much of my reading, but ESV is rapidly becoming another favorite. I may not finish a chapter of this book over a 45 minute lunch hour, due to all of the contemplation I apply, but I have found pearls that I had never noticed before in that short book. Eventually, I will need to figure out some sort of marking system so I can continue in the inductive process outlined in Kay Arthur’s book, How to Study Your Bible.
I want a system that I can use throughout the Bible. Considering the various kinds of books in the Bible, this may not be easy. Does anyone have suggestions for what kind of a system works for them?
January 2nd, 2005 at 10:45 pm
There’s a couple of different ways I study my Bible. One method I use is sheer observation. I have one bible that I just use to highlight things that are repeated, who is being addressed, who is doing the writing, names of God and that sort of thing. It proves more beneficial after all the highlighting and sheer fact finding to go back and see what the facts point to. IE: Book of Philippians how often the book refers to “Joy”. Book of John how often the word “life” and “belief” are mentioned.
Second study method that I have found immeasurably fruitful is focused on one book that’s studied. For instance, study on the book of Numbers:
What were the Israelites to learn from these things?
1) How often does the New Testament allude to the book of Numbers?
2) Why does it allude to it?
3) Look at the book of Numbers
4) How is it divided in thought flow?
5) How is it divided in structure?
6) What patterns are found in the book?
7) Why are they there?
9) What am I to learn from these things?
10) How do I apply what I learned?
In the New Testament, I would do something similar but forego allusions and pretty much starting at number 3.
1) Look at [New Testament Book]
2) How is it divided in thought flow?
3) How is it divided in structure?
4) What patterns are found in the book?
5) Why are they there?
6) What were the recipients of the book/letter to learn from these things?
7) What am I to learn from these things?
Sounds annoying at first but winds up being very enjoyable because you get an appreciation of the Holy Spirit at work and these men at work—coworkers in the Work of God!
Like, the book of John, you see the number 7 repeated a bunch of times (everybody knows this). But you also see only 4 visits up from Galilee, up to Jerusalem and back North to Galilee…only 4….why? Why in the book of John? Why not in Matthew? Etc. Great stuff.
I used to enjoy Systematic studying but have found it prone to proof-texting so I have only used it when the text supports it in the afore-mentioned study method. But definitely, I start with exactly how you start. Read the book. Reread the book. Meditate on the book. Pray about it. Reread it. Reread it again. Put down notes. Reread it again. Once I get the overview of the book I can pull back and see “Wow! There’s a pattern!”
Um…this was REALLY long…
January 2nd, 2005 at 10:47 pm
Lastly, another method that I have found beneficial but extremely time consuming and thus feel the need to learn Greek is having the Greek bible open, the NASB open and a word study guide open. Slow going and a little Greek is a dangerous thing so in the meantime I stopped this study method so I can learn Greek.
Hope this helps.
January 9th, 2005 at 6:44 pm
Damn, I thought this was a site about The Three Amigos! How wrong can you GET :/
January 9th, 2005 at 7:02 pm
Don’t cry for me, Argentina!