Spiritual Formation Lesson 4: Reading and Studying Scripture Purpose: To remind us of the importance of studying Scripture, why we do it, and some new ways of studying or reading the Word Opening Question: What is your favorite way to experience a story? (ie: movies, books, songs, people). Have you ever had time you got so caught up in a story that it felt real? Why do we read/study Scripture? It is often popular to say that the Bible is a handbook for living - a way to show us how to live. There is much to back this up, especially in the Old Testament. And, the Bible does do that - certainly, we learn much about how to live from the Bible, especially in the words of Jesus and in the epistles. However, if we only look at the Bible as a handbook, or guidebook, on how to live, then we have limited it. There are many reasons to read Scripture, here are a few: 1. We read and study Scripture because it s important to God! We certainly see in Scripture the importance of studying the Bible. We see it in the Old Testament when the people are taught to know the law, and in Psalms in verses like these:! 1 of! 12
Psalm 119:16-201 I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word. Be good to your servant while I live, that I may obey your word. Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me. My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times. This whole Psalm is about love for the Torah (God s law) and the desire to follow the Law. What does this small portion of Psalm 119 have to say about reading and knowing God s word? Here, the Torah of Yahweh guides people into the way of the righteous. 2 While noting that he does not want to neglect God s word, he also also asks for help to have eyes open to see the wonder in the law. One thing that is easily noticed is that the psalmist desires to know God s word and delights in it. Having access to the Word of God is a blessing! 1 All Biblical quote in this lesson are from NIV 2 W.D. Tucker, https://ezproxy.acu.edu:6467/content/entry/ivpotwpw/psalms_1_book_of/0! 2 of! 12
In 2 Kings 22, Josiah becomes king as a young boy after Manasseh and Amon, both kings who did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. In contrast, Josiah does what is right in the sight of the Lord (I Kings 22:2), but he is following God without the benefit of the book of the law, most likely the book of Deuteronomy. The high priest finds the book of the law and gives it to his secretary to read it. The secretary reads it out aloud to King Josiah who weeps upon hearing it because he realizes the Israelites have not obeyed the words of this book. During the reigns of past kings, ones who did not follow God, the book was lost. We are blessed to have Scripture - we are blessed to have the words of God. It would be good to ask ourselves, are we consumed with love for God s law as the psalmist of 119? King Josiah did not have access to Scripture as he began to follow God. Even though we have access to Scripture, can you describe when you have read something in the Word (even if you had read it before!) and been convicted? In the New Testament, it is clear that both Jesus and those who follow Him know Scripture, as they quote it often! One of the most well-known times that Jesus quotes Scripture is when he quotes the Shema in Deut. 6:5 and Lev. 19:18 about loving neighbor. We read and discussed this in our first lesson. Read: Matthew 22:37-40! 3 of! 12
Jesus replied: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like this it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. I believe that here Jesus is giving us a way to view Scripture - when we read Scripture, we read knowing that the Greatest Commandment is to love the Lord and the second is to love neighbor. We can interpret the words of Scripture through this lens. 2. We read Scripture to immerse ourselves in the story of God. When we read Scripture, we immerse ourselves in the story of God. Eugene Peterson speaks of it being the meta-story - the over-arching story of reality. He writes, It is a story large with the sense of God, a world suffused with God, a world permeated with God s spoken and unspoken word, his unseen and perceived presence, in such a way that we know that it is the world we were made for, the world in which we most truly belong. 3 We are often used to fitting God into our own lives, however, Scripture shows us that the world is God s - we are fitting into God s world instead of vice-versa. The whole world is God s reality - God is not fitting into our reality. When you think of reality what do you think of? What defines reality? 3 Eugene Peterson, Eat This Book, 48.! 4 of! 12
We might think of reality being a reality TV show (which usually does not have much reality!) or real life versus the movies or a television show. Remember the saying Kodak moments? Now, we might think of someone s social media presence versus their real life. Pictures and Facebook statues give us a picture of reality that someone wants us to see; Scripture give us a picture of life as it really is. The world of the Bible is not immune to the ugliness that is possible in life on earth. It gives us the story of who is really in charge, what it looks like when people are following God and rewards are to be found in following God. It reminds us that God is the center of the universe - not ourselves, not Hollywood, not Washington D.C., not media - but God. In the Old Testament, the prophets message that Israel s God was the Creator and that he was unique from other gods was a subversive message in the wider worldview of it s time. 4 But it was normal for the prophets. In the same way, the Biblical story is normative for us - but subversive to the world. The world will tell us that there are far more important things to chase after than God. We want to immerse ourselves into the world of Scripture so that it becomes what defines normal for us. The normal of the world fades away and what is left is the reality of God. We read Psalm 77 last week, and heard the psalmist cry out to God in the beginning of the Psalm. After he cries out, he remembers what God has done and meditates on God s 4 Jeannine Brown, 72.! 5 of! 12
works. Read all Psalm 77:11-20. In his grief, he returns to the reality of Scripture - the reality of God s works. How can reading about what God has done help us today? When we read the stories about what God has done in the past, when we remember what God has done in the past, it reveals to us who God is in the present - these stories mark out who God is - especially when it comes to who God is in the person of Jesus Christ. 5 3. We read and study Scripture because it is the main way that God speaks to us today. Hebrews 4:12: For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edge sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 2 Timothy 3:16, All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 5 William Stacy Johnson, 115.! 6 of! 12
Romans 10:17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. We can try to follow God without Scripture as Josiah did when he did not have the Book of the Law, but we do it blindfolded. If we want to know God, we use the Bible, the main tool that He has given us to know Him. He speaks to us in Scripture! 4. We read because God transforms us as we learn to obey Him through Scripture. Jeannine Brown says that Scripture is not meant to simply be known and understood - we are to move beyond understanding to response. 6 Eugene Peterson says that the most important question we can ask of Scripture is not, What does this mean? but What can I obey? 7 (Although we also need to know what it means, so we can know what to obey! But knowing what something means without obedience is pointless.) Deuteronomy 30:14 The word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. When we read Scripture, we become participants in the story. We are like Moses, afraid and then courageous as we learn to trust God. We are like the Israelites who continue to 6 7 Jeannine K., Brown, 72 Eugene Peterson, 71.! 7 of! 12
doubt God in the desert - is he really going to do what he says he is going to do? We are like Naomi, angry and bitter then rejoicing as we come to trust God again. We are like Rahab, courageously following instructions of a God we do not yet know. We are like the apostles who courageously follow without truly understanding at first. We are the woman tugging on to the hem of Jesus clothes, desiring healing. We are the parent who is desperate for healing for his or her child. We are the church that Paul writes to who is struggling. Eugene Peterson says, The biblical way is to tell a story and in the telling invite: Live into this- this is what it looks like to be human in this God-made and God-ruled world; this is what is involved in becoming and maturing as a human being. 8 Sometimes, we may be more likely to want to use the Bible to transform others - to transform their thinking, their behavior. We get caught up in beliefs that we hold strongly about the Bible and want to use the Bible to hit people over the head. United Methodist Bishop Kenneth Carder has this to say on that topic, It is much easier to argue about evolution and creation than it is to live as though this is God s world. Or, debating whether a great fish really swallowed Jonah is far less costly and risky than acknowledging that God loves our enemies as much as God loves us. 9 Or, in the words 8 9 Eugene Peterson, 43-44. L. Gregory Jones, p. 145! 8 of! 12
of Jesus, Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? (Matthew 7:33) Why do you think this is so difficult to do? We must all beware of the same kind of thing that James wrote to the early church about: James 1:22-25: Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it - not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it - they will be blessed in what they do. (NIV) Warning: As we immerse ourselves in the world of God, in the world of Scripture, some of it will become less understandable to us - God may be harder to define, harder to put in a box. We realize that we thought we knew exactly who God was - exactly what He would do - exactly what He wants. As we immerse ourselves in Scripture, we realize that there is no box that can contain God. We come to know Him better, yet we may feel we understand him less. That is okay.! 9 of! 12
We may find that we struggle more with Scripture and are at times resistant to it - at these times, it might be wise to ask ourselves, Why am I resistant to this? What is it in me that resists this? The Practice of Reading Scripture: Some of us may have grown up not reading Scripture. Some us may have fallen out of the habit of reading. Some of us may have read mostly for knowledge and now know many of the facts of Scripture. Some may feel like the young man who once said, If it s in the Bible, I pretty much know it. But God uses the Bible to constantly open our eyes to ourselves and to God. Sometimes it is helpful to change up the way we read Scripture. Here are a few ideas: 1. Pick a book of the Bible and read through it in one sitting. What strikes you as you read it? Did you notice some themes popping out that you may not have noticed before? Is there a big picture to the book you did not notice before? 2. Pick a portion of Scripture to read through daily for a week. As you continue to to reread, do you notice anything different? Is God using that portion of Scripture to convict you? To change your mind about something? Is there something in this Scripture for you to obey? 3. Pick a book of the Bible and read through it slowly. Ask God to guide you as you read. What are you learning about Him? What are you learning about Jesus? What are you convicted of? What can you obey?! 10 of! 12
4. Read a passage of Scripture and rewrite it in your own words. How would you adapt this for modern day? If you use your imagination, where do you find yourself in the story? Try doing this with Matthew 14:22-33. (This can be a good class exercise if there is time - just bring paper!) 5. Lectio Divina (A goood to practice for class if there is time.): A form of devotional reading to listen to what God s word for you may be at this time. Listen to the word as read by someone else or read it aloud yourself. (Following instructions adapted from Adele Calhoun, p. 189.) 1. Start with silence. 2.. Read passage aloud slowly. What word or phrase catches your attention? Sit with this word. 3. Read the passage again. Imagine the scene being read - What do you hear and experience as you listen to the text? 4. Read it one more time. Is there a way that God is inviting you to respond to this? Lift this up in prayer - pray spontaneously about anything the Spirit puts on your heart and in your mind. 5. Contemplate on this word and return to it throughout the day. (If able to practice this in class, Psalm 19 or a portion of it would be great to use. The teacher would guide the class through the exercise.) There are many excellent resources to aid in Bible reading - although none are substitutes for Bible reading! Eat This Book by Eugene Peterson (author of The Message) is a great! 11 of! 12
place to start. N.T. Wright s for Everyone Commentary series is a great set of simple commentaries on each New Testament book (ie: John for Everyone, Paul for Everyone, Matthew for Everyone, etc.). These kind of books can help open our minds and hearts to things we may not have noticed in Scripture before. Bibliography: Brown, Jeannine K. Scripture as Communication. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007. Calhoun, Adele Ahlberg. Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices That Transform Us, Revised and Expanded. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2015. Johnson, William Stacy. Reading the Scriptures Faithfully in a Postmodern Age. Pages 109-124 in The Art of Reading Scripture. Edited by Ellen F. Davis and Richard B. Hays. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2003. Jones, L. Gregory. Embodying Scripture in the Community of Faith. Pages 143-159 in The Art of Reading Scripture. Edited by Ellen F. Davis and Richard B. Hays. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2003. Peterson, Eugene. Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2006. Tucker, W. D., Jr., "Psalms 1: Book of." In The IVP Bible Dictionary Series: Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry, Writings, edited by Tremper Longman III, and Peter Enns. InterVarsity Press, 2008. http://ezproxy.acu.edu:2048/login? url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/ivpotwpw/ psalms_1_book_of/0?institutionid=4602! 12 of! 12