The Right Resources...
One of my favorite things about BTCL was the course on Bible Study Methods.
I remember when I was first learning about what it meant to walk with God each day and started to incorporate a daily quiet time into my routine. As a poor college student, I felt frustrated, because it seemed that in order to truly study God’s word, I needed to have a Bible study book. I thought I needed something with blanks that I had to fill out as I read.
During the Bible study methods course, I learned strategies to get the most out of God’s word. We learned about the three main steps: 1. Observation, 2. Interpretation, and 3. Application. By the end of the semester, I felt that, instead of buying one of those study books, maybe I could write one! (That may be a goal for the FAR off future!)
We also discussed the idea of “context” in great deal. In some cases, this meant what was happening in the surrounding passages on the text, but in other cases, this meant what was happening in history. The culture and location in which something occurred have a huge impact on how one interprets literature.
For example, let me refer to the 10 camels in the story of Rebekah that I posted last week. By looking at the historical context, we learn how deep Jacob’s well really was, how much water she could carry in her jar, and how much it takes to water one camel. With this information, we can begin to see how tough and TRULY kind her job really was instead of just glossing over it as a small good deed.
Of course, the historical and cultural contexts are not typically given right in the Bible. So, I was once again left feeling the need to buy some kind of supplement to my study. However, I have been pointed towards an amazing web site that is brimming with notes and details about every book of the Bible. If you find yourself in the same situation, check out soniclight.com. This web page boasts plenty of background information for any passage you might be willing to study. Just be prepared to do quite a bit of scrolling if your question is about chapter 12 and not chapter 1!
Happy reading!