I wanted to write a post on my study techniques for all things scriptural - so you know where I am coming from. I've heard of various different ways to study. Some people prefer listening to programs; some prefer daily devotionals. I like to take my study habits from instruction given in the scripture as much as possible; what better way to learn than how the Bible tells you to read it?
The study methods I use are: Read, Interpret, Pray
This post is devoted to the first topic: Read
I read a King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. I find it to be the most poetic in language and the old English is not that hard to understand if you take your time with it. My version of the Bible is Bullinger's "Companion Bible" which has a number of fantastic study notes on the KJV Bible, the language used, and excellent cross referencing for when Old Testament scripture is quoted in the New Testament (or elsewhere in the Old Testament).
One of my favourite passages in scripture is Isaiah 28 - and that's where the title of this post comes from. The first part of the chapter is devoted to discussing those who think that they are going about everything the right way, but really haven't set themselves on the proper foundation for learning because they have not fully considered what the scriptures have said. Verse 8 basically relates that they have used the "binge and purge" approach to learning in that they can spew out the readings they have taken in, but they don't understand it because they have not digested the material. And it is at this point that Isaiah says in verse 9, "Whom sall He teach knowledge? and whom shall He make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: for with stammering lips and another tongue will He speak to this People."
Wow. That's given the M.O. (mode of operations) for the Bible. Now the prophet Isaiah was preaching that as if to speak for the people in mocking him, but though it was spoken in mocking (which is why Isaiah would call the speakers "scornful people" a little later) the words are 100% true. The Bible does need a certain amount of maturity to understand. We start like little babies in the knowledge of it and, through continued study and practice, begin to grow in it's truth. It's a giant puzzle, where all of the pieces have to be put together - here are some pieces and there are some pieces. The best way that I see to put it together is to go over it slowly, methodically, and thoroughly. Sometimes I will read a couple of verses here, or a couple of verses there, but the most rewarding experience has been to read line for line, chapter for chapter. Jesus' own disciples asked Him one time (paraphrased from Matthew 13), "Why do You speak to people in riddles and pictures? Why don't You just speak plainly to them?" To which He replies, "So that they won't get it right away. (They will have to think about it before they really understand what I am saying.)"
Who is "drawn from the breast"? It is those who have matured enough to begin to handle solid food, a don't just throw up what they've eaten all over. They've learned to digest it and use it properly. This is what spending time reading line for line will get you. We all have to start somewhere, but before you know it, you are moving on to digesting solid material in the Bible - and that is an exciting place to be.
Psalm 1 puts devotion to reading in a beautiful way. "Blessed is the man ... [whose] delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." Ahhh, refreshing. The word for "law" in the Hebrew is "torah" (you may have heard how Judaism follows "the torah") and the word simply means direction, or instruction. What a promise, though, from reading and taking joy in the Bible: whatever you do will prosper.
Where do you start reading? As I said in my prior post, Jesus is the foundation of the Bible. He is the fulcrum upon which the balance rests. He is the beginning and the end.... but His story is found almost smack dab in the middle. If you are a beginner, I would start by reading the story of Jesus in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Jesus was the One to put all of the Bible in the simplest context - so that is the best place to start. God bless.
