Living by the Book/Living by the Book Workbook Set by Howard G. Hendricks, William D. Hendricks Page B
Authors: Howard G. Hendricks, William D. Hendricks
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unified whole in which all the details fit in with the overall message of the book.
Alter your approach
As we’re seeing, there is more than one way to study Scripture. The more strategies you use, the more insight you will gain. And the way to hang in there for the long haul of Bible study is to vary your approach, just as runners vary their pace. In subsequent chapters we’ll talk about some different techniques you can use with different kinds of material.
T WO P RINCIPLES OF P ATIENCE
The keys to reading the Bible patiently are: Be patient with the text, and be patient with yourself. I’ve suggested some ways to be patient with the text to give it a chance to reveal its message.
Perhaps a more difficult principle, especially for the inexperienced Bible student, is to be patient with yourself. Often a person will attend a church service or a conference where he hears a speaker deliver an incredible exposition of the Word. In response, he becomes a real eager beaver who can’t wait to get into the text. He’s so motivated to discover truths for himself that he can’t see straight. And that’s wonderful.
But what he forgets is that the speaker has been studying the Scriptures diligently for years. There’s no way that a novice can start out at that level.Remember my “race” with Gil Dodds. I started out like a flash of lightning. But the champion knew what it took to go the distance. I didn’t.
So as you dive into the Word for yourself, relax and enjoy the experience. God’s truth is there, and you’ll find it if you just give yourself time.
CHAPTER 11
R EAD
S ELECTIVELY
M y sons will tell you that I’m not much of a fisherman. I love to fish, but I don’t catch very much. Our family used to take vacations in Colorado, and we’d go to a little pond where there were trout about half the size of a canoe. But do you think I could hook one of those babies?
I tried every gimmick the tackle shops had to sell. No luck. Those fish would come right up to the shore, and I dangled the hook right in front of their noses. But all in all, I caught very little.
The frustrating thing was, just down the shoreline were always a couple of old duffers with two or three rigs, and they couldn’t reel the fish in fast enough. We’d be talking to them while they were pulling one in, and meanwhile one of their other lines would be dancing with a strike.
What was their secret? Not only did they know the pond and not only did they know trout, they knew what bait to use.
They illustrate the fourth strategy of first-rate Bible reading:
R EAD THE B IBLE S ELECTIVELY
Selective Bible reading involves using the right bait when you troll theScriptures. Here are six “lures” that you can use with any text, six questions to ask any passage of Scripture.
Who?
Who are the people in the text? That’s a pretty simple question to answer. Just read the text. But once you’ve identified who is in the passage, I suggest you look for two things.
First, what is said about the person or people? For example, Joshua 2:1 introduces Rahab, but it identifies her as “a harlot whose name was Rahab.” And from then on she is known as “Rahab the harlot.” How would you like that hung around your neck? She never shows up again in the account without that full title.
Or how about Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. Do you know anyone with a famous brother or sister, or a famous parent? Every time he’s introduced, it’s, “This is Andrew. You know, Peter’s brother.” It’s as if he has no identity of his own. That was Andrew’s predicament. But whenever anything is said about a person, make a note of it.
And be sure to consult other passages to learn everything you can about the person. For example, the preface to Psalm 88 tells us that the psalm is a “Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.” (By the way, those prefatory notes are considered part of the biblical text.) Who in the world was Heman the Ezrahite? The psalm doesn’t
Alter your approach
As we’re seeing, there is more than one way to study Scripture. The more strategies you use, the more insight you will gain. And the way to hang in there for the long haul of Bible study is to vary your approach, just as runners vary their pace. In subsequent chapters we’ll talk about some different techniques you can use with different kinds of material.
T WO P RINCIPLES OF P ATIENCE
The keys to reading the Bible patiently are: Be patient with the text, and be patient with yourself. I’ve suggested some ways to be patient with the text to give it a chance to reveal its message.
Perhaps a more difficult principle, especially for the inexperienced Bible student, is to be patient with yourself. Often a person will attend a church service or a conference where he hears a speaker deliver an incredible exposition of the Word. In response, he becomes a real eager beaver who can’t wait to get into the text. He’s so motivated to discover truths for himself that he can’t see straight. And that’s wonderful.
But what he forgets is that the speaker has been studying the Scriptures diligently for years. There’s no way that a novice can start out at that level.Remember my “race” with Gil Dodds. I started out like a flash of lightning. But the champion knew what it took to go the distance. I didn’t.
So as you dive into the Word for yourself, relax and enjoy the experience. God’s truth is there, and you’ll find it if you just give yourself time.
CHAPTER 11
R EAD
S ELECTIVELY
M y sons will tell you that I’m not much of a fisherman. I love to fish, but I don’t catch very much. Our family used to take vacations in Colorado, and we’d go to a little pond where there were trout about half the size of a canoe. But do you think I could hook one of those babies?
I tried every gimmick the tackle shops had to sell. No luck. Those fish would come right up to the shore, and I dangled the hook right in front of their noses. But all in all, I caught very little.
The frustrating thing was, just down the shoreline were always a couple of old duffers with two or three rigs, and they couldn’t reel the fish in fast enough. We’d be talking to them while they were pulling one in, and meanwhile one of their other lines would be dancing with a strike.
What was their secret? Not only did they know the pond and not only did they know trout, they knew what bait to use.
They illustrate the fourth strategy of first-rate Bible reading:
R EAD THE B IBLE S ELECTIVELY
Selective Bible reading involves using the right bait when you troll theScriptures. Here are six “lures” that you can use with any text, six questions to ask any passage of Scripture.
Who?
Who are the people in the text? That’s a pretty simple question to answer. Just read the text. But once you’ve identified who is in the passage, I suggest you look for two things.
First, what is said about the person or people? For example, Joshua 2:1 introduces Rahab, but it identifies her as “a harlot whose name was Rahab.” And from then on she is known as “Rahab the harlot.” How would you like that hung around your neck? She never shows up again in the account without that full title.
Or how about Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. Do you know anyone with a famous brother or sister, or a famous parent? Every time he’s introduced, it’s, “This is Andrew. You know, Peter’s brother.” It’s as if he has no identity of his own. That was Andrew’s predicament. But whenever anything is said about a person, make a note of it.
And be sure to consult other passages to learn everything you can about the person. For example, the preface to Psalm 88 tells us that the psalm is a “Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.” (By the way, those prefatory notes are considered part of the biblical text.) Who in the world was Heman the Ezrahite? The psalm doesn’t
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