study preparation

07-13-2022

how to approach studying the scriptures

Why don’t more of us, Christians, annotate our Bibles like we would when we read the writings by Steinbeck, Dickinson, Hemingway, or Shakespeare? Sitting in high school and University English class was clearly about engaging literary text in a way involving deep research, creative thinking, and striving to understand deeper meanings of the words in the context of the time period and culture, providing color, tone, and texture to the reading.

We’ve been taught how to do it and why we should do it but, when it comes to reading our bibles, many of us leave blank margins within our pages. Yes, we tend to highlight and memorize verses but how often do we pause to analyze specific passages within scripture? We often gloss over the words written emphatically which cry out for deeper thinking.

I would parallel studying God’s Word with how one might study art, more specifically oil on canvas works of art from the greats. For example, the Dutch Golden Age painter, Rembrandt van Rijn’s oil on canvas painting in 1633 called “Storm on the Sea of Galilee” is a depiction of Jesus calming the seas on the Sea of Galilee out of the verses found in the passages Matthew 8:23-27 and Mark 4:35-41.

“35 And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, let us pass over unto the other side. 36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. 37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. 38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? 39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 And he said unto them, why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, what manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” - Mark 4:35-41 (KJV)

A layman or amateur who views this painting, entitled, “Storm on the Sea of Galilee,” in a study book may say, “It’s a beautiful painting;” “It’s an incredibly complex work of art;” “Only a master painter could bring such an event to life;” or say, “This is a masterpiece!” All responses are agreeable and undoubtedly accurate yet, seeing the painting simply at face value diminishes its depth and does a disservice to the painter.

When we grow in our appreciation for art, we begin to study the painter, their country of origin, historical context from their point of view, events in their life that impacted their emotions or perspective, and the political climate at the time of their work, etc. We may also identify their schooling and mentoring, who developed this individual, and how their artistic expression developed over time. We look at their subject matter and determine their political stance, their emotions, and who the persons, places, or things they encounter. The level of research and detail is seemingly endless; in order to understand the who, what, when, where, and why a piece of art is created with the painstaking detail of exploration into the mind of the artist and their chosen subject matter, are what is most critical in bringing art to life.

Extending equally with this concept of art, what better teacher than our Lord in Heaven, who in and of Himself, gave us art? Arguably, anybody who has spent much time in Yosemite National Park, The Great Barrier Reef, watching a sunset, or gazing up at the stars in the night sky could attest, that God surrounded us with magnificent masterpieces so we could experience His creation, revealing His creativity. Our expression of awe when we encounter His amazing masterworks defines beauty to the fullest extent.

Just as it says in Genesis:

“I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” – Genesis 9:13-16

The iconic stories in the Bible typically preached are, if you will capture unique paintings of moments in history, i.e., the Woman at the Well, The Last Supper, Moses and the Burning Bush, Abraham becoming the Father of Nations, Jonah, and the Whale, etc. All have been recounted, taught, studied, and preached backward and forwards about the lessons and teachings from God’s Word. All applicable without recourse and with no intention of my own to detract from the teaching of those who came before me. What I aim to show is in our effort to teach the Word of God, sadly many of us fall short in teaching God’s Word properly. All wisdom and understanding come from the Lord and it’s through the lens of His grace we recall all forms of history: geography, archeology, topography, natural resources, native commodities, economics, geopolitical landscapes, and natural disasters that cause tragedy. In our human efforts to teach God’s Word with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, I do believe; our approach and technique can and should be improved with the pure and untainted guidance of the Holy Spirit.

In effect, we should use a similar level of investigation and research when reading the Bible, just as we do in analyzing art or when making archeological discoveries.