HOW TO STUDY THE WORD OF GOD

“And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”  II Peter 1:19-21

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”  II Timothy 3:16-17

The Bible was written to be read. An unread Bible is like food that is refused, an unopened love letter, a buried sword, a road map not studied, a gold mine not worked. It is said that a book is a book only when it's in the hands of a reader.

For all practical purposes, reading is the foundation of all learning. If you can read you can learn anything. If you are going to learn the Bible, you will have to develop the habit of reading large portions of the scriptures. Bible study is essential to be a "workman approved unto God" (II Timothy 2:15). But the foundation of that study must be reading. There is a big difference between devotional reading and study reading.

Unless a person has the regular habit of reading the Bible, he will never develop a regular study habit. In fact, it is usually the consistent practice of reading the Scriptures that inspires a person to become a student of the Bible. The person who enjoys studying the Bible first developed the habit of regular reading.

READ DAILY

Daily Bible reading is to your spiritual life what daily eating is to your physical life. Just as the body needs a regular feeding time to maintain its energy level, so the spiritual man must regularly be fed the Word of God.

SET A REGULAR READING TIME

It is important that you set aside a certain time of the day for Bible reading. How much time
should be devoted to reading the Bible each day depends on the seriousness and discipline of the person. If you are a good starter and poor finisher, five minutes will do. It is better to be consistent at five minutes a day than nothing. But, if you really want to develop a working knowledge of the Bible, you had better plan on a minimum of fifteen minutes daily.

SET A REGULAR PLACE

It will help your concentration and consistency if you set a regular place to do your daily reading. You should read sitting and preferably at a desk or table, as it aids in concentration. The less you have on your desk besides your Bible while reading the better. Coming regularly to this "quiet place" helps establish the devotional mood.

READ WITH A PENCIL AT HAND

The biggest danger to devotional Bible reading is in letting your eyes run across the words and assuming you have read the material. Many people follow their Bible reading with prayer and assume they have had an effective quiet time. But if you asked them an hour later what they had read, they can't recall. Their eyes read the words but their brain wasn't turned on.

The best way to dial your brain into a vital attitude is to pick up a pencil and be ready to receive a message from God. Another thing it does is assist your memory. When you see something special in your reading, write it down. This helps to cement the thought more forcibly into your brain.

READ THE BIBLE DEVOTIONALY

The Bible is a living book written by God to His children and it is "profitable" (practical). In it He provides basic principles, guidance and inspiration on how to live. It was written to people and because human nature hasn't changed in the years since its writing, it has a message for us today. The Bible is food for the soul.

Even when a person doesn't find anything special in his reading there still is an aspect of spiritual benefit just in the reading, for it feeds our soul. Devotional reading provides that spiritual inspiration for daily living that we all need and it is always based on the truth revealed in the Word of God.

WHAT BIBLE READING REALLY INVOLVES

Have you ever read an entire page in a book unaware of what you were reading? If so, you know that it is possible to read without having read! The eye activity of reading, basic as it is, is not enough in Bible reading. More activities are involved. How can we help ourselves to become sharper observers, and avoid the pitfall of the heavy eye?

READ ALOUD

It will amaze you how new vistas are opened as you hear your own voice speaking words and sentences you may never have voiced before. When you read, read interpretatively, with meaning and feeling.

READ CAREFULLY

Read alertly, not mechanically. There is a place in Bible study for the quick, cursive reading, but in devotional reading you must read slowly as well as carefully, weighing each word, and even the punctuation. Train your eyes to read carefully. It is very true today that there is much crooked thinking because there is much crooked seeing. Each word in the Bible has a function. Always seek to learn what that is. This may be slow going, but it is necessary.

READ REPEATEDLY

Return often to the beginning of the passage. One thrust of the spade does not unearth all the gems of the Bible's mine. Don't ever conclude that you have exhausted the meaning of a verse when it becomes familiar to you.

READ PERIPHERALLY

Peripheral vision is seeing the surroundings while the eye is focused straight ahead. A good driver must have excellent peripheral vision. So in Bible study you should keep your eyes open to the surrounding context of the words you are reading.

REFLECTION

When God speaks to us, we should stand still and consider what He is saying. In Bible reading reflection is the mind and heart at work, thinking over what the eyes have seen. That is quite different from merely seeing with the eye. Reflection in Bible reading should have the intensity of meditation, whereby the soul has the desire and intention of obeying God's Word: Joshua 1:8 “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

REFLECT PURPOSEFULLY

The psalmist had a purpose in hiding God's Word in his heart: that he might not sin against God (Ps. 119:11). Bible meditation should not be haphazard, or little by little. If you want to keep a fire burning in your soul, don't scatter its fuel. Reading only isolated verses, out of context, and expanding them according to personal whims, is a dangerous practice. It is as foolish and fruitless to read the Bible without purpose as it is to search about a room looking for nothing in particular.

What are your purposes as you meditate on the Scriptures? Do you want to know God more intimately, and glorify Him? Do you want to know more about yourself? Do you want to know the truth? Do you want to grow strong spiritually? Do you want to know God's will, hear a word of comfort? Then reflect purposefully!

REFLECT IMAGINATIVELY

This is not difficult, if you are willing to put yourself into the situation of the Bible passage. Taste and feel every word you read. If the passage is narrative visualize the setting. Something is bound to stir within your soul the moment you begin to reflect imaginatively as you read the Bible.

REFLECT HUMBLY

The Word you are reading is the Holy Word of the Holy God. God is bigger than His Book. It should humble you to think that this Holy one, who is also the Almighty One, has spoken to you in the Bible, and has given you the blessed privilege to read it, and so to listen to Him.

REFLECT PRAYERFULLY

If you reflect humbly, you will reflect prayerfully, for the contrite heart craves to speak to the One on whom it depends.

REFLECT PATIENTLY

Patience in any phase of life is priceless. The New Testament makes many references to patience. Patience is surely a requirement in the meditative process of reading God's Word. Reflection requires time and concentration, and the good Bible student will give both.