June 14, 2021
The value of studying Scripture
I mentioned in last week’s Post Script that I was preparing to teach Proverbs 31 at a (virtual) women’s conference at my church this past weekend. (For those who’ve asked, I hope to give you the link to the recording in next week’s Post Script.)
One thing I appreciate about speaking engagements (like writing projects) is that they assign me the task of Bible study. As you likely know, I’m a regular Bible reader. I use the New Living Translation of the One Year Bible, which takes readers through daily selections of the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs. The assigned reading is usually about three chapters in length, and though I try reading it slowly, it’s far too much content to examine at any depth.
Reading the Bible is like driving through a national park and observing the landscape through the car window. It’s valuable and affords a beautiful view. But it’s not the same thing as getting out of your car and bending over native plants and scouting wildlife. Studying the Bible is that close-range appreciation. When I speak of studying the Bible, I mean: reading and rereading the passage; noticing repetitions; examining word choices and meanings; consulting commentaries; considering the text’s meaning in the larger scope of the Scriptural narrative; finding Jesus in the text.
I think one misconception we often have is that studying the Bible is for professional Christians—and reading the Bible for everyone else. I’m grateful for many people who have encouraged me to study the Bible: Jennifer M., my high school Sunday school teacher; Davonne R., my Young Life leader; James C., my college friend; Tom B., a Bible teacher at a church we attended years ago; Wendy S., my esteemed friend and the discipleship director at my church today. These are men and women who taught me what kind of tools I could use to dig more deeply into the Bible to mine its treasures for myself.
In my close-range study of Proverbs 31, I learned that verse 26 has meaning we might miss in the English: “The teaching of kindness is on her tongue.” To examine the original Hebrew is to see that instruction is torah, that kindness is hesed. Torah is the Old Testament word to speak of God’s teaching, instruction, commands, and laws. Hesed is the word to speak of God’s covenantal love.
Here, then, is a woman who isn’t simply wise or kind. She speaks words rooted deeply in the true story of God’s saving love. Presumably, she can only speak those words and tell that story to the extent that she had studied them for herself.
So that’s my plug this week: to assign yourself a reason for studying the Bible. Maybe you’ll volunteer to lead your next small group or Sunday school. Maybe you’ll plan to share what you’ve learned with your children at the dinner table. Maybe you’ll study a passage to share with the new believer you’re walking alongside. Or maybe you’ll do it simply to understand something more deeply for yourself.
If you’re looking for tools to teach you to study the Bible on your own, may I suggest:
Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin
How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart
New Bible Commentary Edited by D.A. Carson
The Bible Speaks Today (commentary series edited by John Stott)
Help Me Teach the Bible (podcast) by Nancy Guthrie
Blue Letter Bible (online resources)
The Bible Project (online resources) and founder Tim Mackie’s list of resources
Until next week,
Jen