Understanding God's Word
Reading the Bible is a good thing to do. But there is a difference between casual reading and reading in a manner looking for truth. Some parts of the Bible are a little more boring than others - think lists of genealogy. Some parts of the Bible are filled with heart wrenching emotion - David's Psalms come to mind. But all parts of the Bible are included because God has a message for us. There is a piece of truth He wants us to grasp.
So, when we read our Bibles it is helpful to ask ourselves the following questions:
1) Who was the author of the passage we're reading? Or who said the message being recorded? (Yes, it is all God breathed, but context is important.)
2) To whom was the passage being written?
3) When was the passage written?
4) How would the original audience apply that message to their lives?
5) Can we apply that same message to our lives in a way that the original audience applied it to their lives?
6) Can this passage stand alone? Or does it need to be understood within the broader context of the Bible?
To find the answers to these questions, you might need a study Bible or a good online resource. But in this age of information, nearly all of the answers to these questions are readily available from a trustworthy source.
In the next posting, I'll explain how we can do this with Leviticus 11:12, which was originally quoted in the Huffington Post (found here: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/07/13-things-the-bible-forbids_n_1327701.html). Although, it appears they have removed and changed some of their content recently.
So, when we read our Bibles it is helpful to ask ourselves the following questions:
1) Who was the author of the passage we're reading? Or who said the message being recorded? (Yes, it is all God breathed, but context is important.)
2) To whom was the passage being written?
3) When was the passage written?
4) How would the original audience apply that message to their lives?
5) Can we apply that same message to our lives in a way that the original audience applied it to their lives?
6) Can this passage stand alone? Or does it need to be understood within the broader context of the Bible?
To find the answers to these questions, you might need a study Bible or a good online resource. But in this age of information, nearly all of the answers to these questions are readily available from a trustworthy source.In the next posting, I'll explain how we can do this with Leviticus 11:12, which was originally quoted in the Huffington Post (found here: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/07/13-things-the-bible-forbids_n_1327701.html). Although, it appears they have removed and changed some of their content recently.
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