Bible Study… Lets Dig a bit DEEPER
I have mentioned in Bible Study (A foundation) – Part 1 that a Bible study method is important. Thereafter I also looked at two Bible study methods which can be found Bible Study (Method 1) – Part 2 and Bible Study (Method 2) – Part 3. And now we are going to be looking in how to dig deeper in scripture, since I have found that there are times that we get stuck at a place and we get discouraged and quit…
But let’s first do a quick recap of everything about Bible study…
A Quick Recap
What is Bible study? You can find the answers in Bible Study (A foundation) – Part 1
In the part “How do we do bible study?“, I mentioned these steps (go to Bible Study (A foundation) – Part 1 to get more detail)…
1st step: Get a METHOD
2nd step: Get a TIME
3rd step: Get a PLACE
4th step: THIS is now an APPOINTMENT
5th step: Get the EQUIPMENT READY
6th step: READ THE BIBLE ALOUD
7th step: NEVER GIVE UP
8th step: It is dealt with on the CROSS
Let’s Recap the first Method, Discovery Bible Study (DBS), on how to do Bible study.
And the Steps are as follows (see Bible Study (Method 1) – Part 2 for more detail):
1st step: Pray
2nd step: Get the scripture we want to read
3rd step: Read the Scripture
4th step: Write Scripture in our own words
5th step: Interpretation, there are 3 questions linked to the interpretation
5.1. What does it say about Jesus?
5.2. What does it say about man?
5.3. What does it say about God’s plan?
6th step: Application
7th step: Pray, there are 2 part linked to this part of prayer
7.1. Ask for guidance
7.2. Give Thanks
8th step (only for group): Encourage everyone to go through study on their own
Let’s Recap the Second Method, The S.O.A.P. Method, on how to do Bible study.
And the Steps are as follows (see Bible Study (Method 2) – Part 3 for more detail):
1st step: Pray
2nd step: Get the scripture we want to read
3rd step: Read the Scripture
4th step: S – Scripture
5th step: O – Observation
6th step: A – Application
7th step: P – Pray, there are 2 part linked to this part of prayer
7.1. Ask for guidance
7.2. Give Thanks
8th step (only for group): Encourage everyone to go through study on their own
And without further ado…
Let start DIGGING DEEPER…
So in my life I have gotten to a place where I read the Bible, do Bible study and make music and I am just not getting revelation… What do I do know? I believe there are many others who have gotten here as well… But what do we do? I hope that I can shed some light on this, and maybe we can all grow closer to God by overcoming this…
These are some of the issues I have encountered, and I will be dealing with this using examples… And what I found to be working…
Scenario 1 – Bridging the problem
“I normally would have read a couple of scriptures that would go together… Almost like the author of the book wants me to believe that they belong together. And many times it happens that a certain scripture makes absolutely no sense to me… One of these were Ecclesiastes 10:19. It was mind-boggling. I didn’t know why this is different and what it meant. It is just that I needed to seek for answers. I needed wisdom.”
What did I do?
This is not a new study, but a add-on to a current study we are already doing… We use this to build a bridge over the issue we are having… Why did I call it “building a bridge”? Because we struggled with a certain part of something and we needed to just BRIDGE it so we can continue…
Step 1: Get different translations
The Bible’s original texts and manuscripts were written in Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic. There are various definitions for the original words in these languages. And each translation uses some sort of definition that they believe will work in the context of the verse they are translating… Thus, due to this situation not all the translations are the same or use the same grammar used, but you can see that the content is the same…
Why do we need to know this? If we do not understand the context of specific words, we may find an easier to read version or one that gives a better translation to the Scripture we are stuck on.
Different Translations
There as two versions I normally use and a couple others which I tend to use… I will show them below… I will be writing about the different translations I am using especially Afrikaans translations and English translations…
A feast is prepared for laughter, and wine makes life happy, and money is the answer for everything.(Eccl 10:19 (HCSB) (normally used))
A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things.(Eccl 10:19 (KJV) (normally used))
Laughter and bread go together, And wine gives sparkle to life — But it’s money that makes the world go around. (Eccl 10:19 (MSG) (different version))
A feast is made for laughter, And wine makes merry; But money answers everything. (Eccl 10:19 (NKJV) (different version))
A feast is made for laughter, wine makes life merry, and money is the answer for everything. (Eccl 10:19 (NIV) (different version))
[Instead of repairing the breaches, the officials] make a feast for laughter, serve wine to cheer life, and [depend on tax] money to answer for all of it. (Eccl 10:19 (AMP) (different version))
Well so having done this step, I am still lost… since all of them says something like “Money makes the world go round”… So lets continue to the next step…
Step 2: Who is the author?
What if you really have no idea who the author is, and maybe the author is not really saying something to you… Well in that case we skip this step. Yet there are many situations where the author may give valuable information to the study.
The author of Ecclesiastes is believed to be Solomon. It is professed in the Bible that Solomon was the wisest man ever, and this is why It may give us valuable information. In everything Solomon says there would be some form of wisdom.. And this means this Scripture should be no different.
Step 3: Get some context
Try to get the context in which this is written. Context is, was and WILL always be important. Christians may use this Scripture to say to be rich is good, since “money is the answer to everything”. Yes, I do believe Christians will look for a reason to do things, even if the Bible is taken out of context…
For this I will use only verse 17 – 19.
Blessed are you, land, when your king is a son of nobles and your princes feast at the proper time— for strength and not for drunkenness. Because of laziness the roof caves in, and because of negligent hands the house leaks. A feast is prepared for laughter, and wine makes life happy, and money is the answer for everything. (Eccl 10:17-19 (HCSB))
So this gave me some clarity…
“A feast is prepared for laughter, and wine makes life happy, and money is the answer for everything.” is made much clearer to me when I read “Blessed are you, land, when your king is a son of nobles and your princes feast at the proper time— for strength and not for drunkenness.”
So if we feast correctly, eat and drink, we would not do it to get drunk, but because of celebration and celebration in the right time gives strength… This is what I needed… But what about the last part “money makes the world go round“? So let’s look at the next step…
Step 4: Get the FULL perspective
Now it is time to search the Scripture. Ask God to guide you in this, as this may give you answers which may be incorrect if we just get everything about money… If needed Google a keyword, search youversion…
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8)
Now at this point it was like Holy Spirit reminded me of a Scripture…
In every way I’ve shown you that by laboring like this, it is necessary to help the weak and to keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus, for He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35)
This was the final break-through I needed… It is not that money makes the world go round (although this seems to be true in today’s life), it is more that you will be more fulfilled in it, if you have something to be able to bless others.
Let us consider what the last step would be, if this is still to vague…
Step 5: Go to the ORIGINAL languages
The Greek and Hebrew word definitions can also be a huge help.
Some tools you can use:
E-Sword (free on windows)
BibleHub Lexicon
BibleHub Strongs
There are many others too…
You can look at the definitions and then see which works the best in context… Normally using Lexicon, they will also give a count of how many times it was translated in that way…
– END OF SCENARIO 1 –
Scenario 2 – No more confusion
Let’s get rid of the problem of confusion. Confusion is a nasty thing where things happen are said or understood by different people in different ways…
“I keep hearing this one scripture, 1 John 1:9, and it really bothered me. Why? The controversy around grace vs. repentance. And that other places in the Bible states the same thing a little different. I wanted clarity on this, and I needed to be sure that everything made sense. For your convenience I am adding it below”
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.(1 John 1:9)
Now every time I would hear this, or this is being discussed, some questions kept arising…
Think about it this way… A debate on this scripture… Two sides… One says: “But Grace” and the other: “But Faith”… And this confused me a bit.
From a grace point of view, we would wonder why should we confess our sins, SINCE JESUS DIED FOR ALL OUR SINS…
Looking from a point of Faith, we would normally say: “but faith without works is dead”, so confessing is correct…
So I was a bit confused. I also know another scripture, which was the original reason for my search to begin:
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (James 5:16)
This does say confess your sins, BUT TO EACH OTHER…
So I had to ask God what to do, and I clearly felt…
READ THE CONTEXT
So if a verse in church bugs you, or someone keeps using it and it makes no sense, read the context…
This is the message that we have heard from him and announce to you: “God is light and there is no darkness in him at all.” If we claim, “We have fellowship with him,” and live in the darkness, we are lying and do not act truthfully. But if we live in the light in the same way as he is in the light, we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from every sin. If we claim, “We don’t have any sin,” we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from everything we’ve done wrong. If we claim, “We have never sinned,” we make him a liar and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:5-10)
This passage revealed to me what I needed to know… So confession is not about the prayer life that many people use. It is about the fact that we should confess to a person we trust, and whom is a mentor of some kind to us…
The revelation I received was that if we confess to a mentor or friend, then we have witness. The devil will always try to remind us of our bad… “Are you sure He has forgiven you for lying?”. And if this happens, remind him that there are witnesses… You are forgiven… It does not excuse us to sin, but it does keep us in right-standing with God… We confess, not to please God, but to cleanse our soul and mind of torment…
– END OF SCENARIO 2 –
Scenario 3 – Breaking down the wall
“I do a chapter by chapter study of a book in the Bible, and this chapter did not make any sense… No revelation, or just very limited and I kept feeling there is more to this, It happened in the last couple of weeks… I read 1 John 2, and nothing. Next day, I read 1 John 2 again, and nothing. Something keeps telling me there must be more… Like seriously. I can’t be that out of touch, to not get anything after I read this for a couple of days… Just to say, this continued for a week, I read and got nothing… Something reminded me on my FIRST huge revelation on Psalm 23, which you can get here, and this is what I have done this week… Try to understand 1 John 2… Not quitting until I get the answer.”
Now for the steps I followed.
Step 1: Pray
You may think this is common knowledge, but it is VERY important… Ask God for wisdom as you read the Scripture… Ask His Spirit to break open what you read and give you revelation.
Step 2: Break it into smaller parts
There is a saying that goes “you eat a whale one bite at a time”. This is the exact reason why you break it down… Sometimes we need to portion the passage we want clarity on correctly.
For 1 John 2, I broke it up as follows (since I felt I needed only three days to do it)…
On day 1: 1 John 2:1-11
Then on day 2: 1 John 2:12-23
And lastly on day 3: 1 John 2:24-29
I will use examples from Psalm 23 from here on out, the above mentioned is so you see that you can break it up, and Psalm 23 is short enough to not break it up into parts…
Step 3: Get a copy we can mess on
Yeah, I mean it… Having copy of the Scripture we read makes it easier to make notes and underline… If you feel confident, you can use your Bible directly.
I do not really like writing in my Bible, so I would print a copy of it on paper, and this I can underline, make notes and whatever else I feel like doing. This I would add to my journal so I keep it.
Step 4: Read the selected passage
Reading the Scripture, gives you insight. Now keep your mind at that which you are reading. Do not jump through the Bible for understanding… This is so you get the revelation of WHAT GOD IS SAYING IN THE SCRIPTURE you are reading.
Step 5: READ IT AGAIN AND AGAIN
This may feel a bit frustrating, however sometimes we will not find what God is saying in only one read… I got my revelation on Psalm 23 after I read it 3 or 4 times.
Step 6: Listen well to God
You will know exactly when step 5 is over, if you get the revelation God wants to give you. Things will pop out and a new light will be shine on what you are reading.
I will use Psalm 23:1-4 to show how this happened to me… I will bold the words that started shifting my view on this and a new light was shining on Psalm 23.
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul. guides me along the right paths for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Step 7: Why did it pop out?
Get the complete picture… This is important… The word that popped out, that which you saw, it means something, ask God to reveal it… Ask yourself questions to figure out the reason for this… When you do it, you will see that it comes quite easy… We know what to ask, and the answers will flow…
The Lord IS my shepherd, I lack NOTHING… So this is telling me that the Lord IS my Shepherd… He is a shepherd…
What is the duty of a shepherd? A shepherd is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards herds of sheep…
The sheep needs to do what? Nothing, the shepherd gives everything which is needed for the everyday life…
Why is He my shepherd? He supplies in all my needs…
I lack NOTHING… So this is saying I have everything I need…
But I barely survive? yes, but I do survive…
This is literally how it would go… It would flow… And I would get details that helps me get closer to the truth than I ever was…
Step 8: Application
How can I apply that which I have read today in my life. God showed you in-depth stuff in this, He would definitely challenge you for change… He loves you way to much to show you all this amazing things and not challenge you for a change in your life…
Step 9: Pray
I know it seems like a lot of prayer, but bear with me. Step 9 has two parts…
Step 9.1: Ask for guidance – In the application we said we will do something, here we ask God for Guidance in that pursuit
Step 9.2: Give Thanks – Now give thanks for the revelation that He gave us.
This I did the first time in a group setting. But I would not recommend it… This has the oppertunity to become very personal, which may have bring out some emotions. God will deal with personal stuff and we will get a lot of massive revelations…
– END OF SCENARIO 3 –
I really hope that this series helped some of you. I would love to hear from you. So comment below and tell me what has happened, you may also get in contact via the Contact Page
If you have an interesting way of doing Bible study, share it with us as well by commenting below…
And on a side note, my word on Bible study is not a law, if you find a better one, that helps you more, use it… There are many good Bible study method, and they are all helpful. I just know there are many who do not have a method, or does not know how to do it, so I gave examples on how…
The idea is not to always work on a plan, but to make the plan your own… Adjust it where needed…
God bless… Happy studying… Believe God will bless you as you grow so much closer to Him…