This week we are finishing our introduction session by looking at the importance of doing Bible study correctly. The Bible is not hard to understand, but for some reason many people think, at one extreme, that there is a hidden formula or secret, and at another extreme, some think they can dissect out any verse to mean just about anything they want. Both extremes are wrong and will never bring about true understanding.

If we simply read the Bible like we might most books, we will find it exciting and, for the most part, straight-forward! Watch the class presentation and see if the “hermeneutical method” makes common sense to you. Use it in this class and in your future studies and see if it improves you understanding of God’s Word!

Overview notes from the presentation:

BIBLE STUDY

Always remember to pray before you study and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and lead you into the truth found in God’s Word – pray for protection from the evil one who will try to discourage, distract and deceive us.

READING—STUDYING—MEDITATING
Know the difference

Reading: Get the big picture (the story) by reading the Bible in large chunks—an individual book or a complete storyline within a book—just like any good novel.

Studying: Get a study Bible and some tools like a Bible dictionary or concordance, and then use the hermeneutic method.

Meditating: Pick out Scripture (after doing the above) and pray over it, thinking on its context and application for your life.

Note: MEDITATING IS NOT EMPTYING YOUR MIND! IT IS PRAYING AND THINKING ABOUT THE THINGS YOU HAVE LEARNED FROM GOD’S WORD.

Practice Hermeneutics!

Three basic principles to follow:

1. Never take a verse out of context – use the hermeneutical method (author-audience-purpose-context-application)
2. Get the Big Picture (Jesus = the Scarlet Thread of the entire Bible)
3. Let the Bible interpret the Bible (use cross-referencing when possible)

A Basic Hermeneutic method

Hermeneutics describes the task of explaining the meaning of the Scriptures. Using hermeneutics helps us to accurately understand what the message (verse, or passage) is trying to communicate and it is easy to do once you understand a few basic principles for reading literature in its historical context:

1. Author – Audience – Dating (timeline): Who wrote it, when, and to whom? When was it written and when were the events?
2. Genre – Purpose of the writing: What is the literary style (most are historical narratives, but there is also prophecy, poetry, and wisdom)? What was going on in the culture at the time of the events, and what did God want them to know?
3. Context – Flow of thought: Read before and after the verse or passage to get the big picture. This sometimes requires reading the whole book in one sitting and then going back, taking notes, or doing outlines. Cross-referencing other passages from other books of the Bible can be helpful here, especially when questions arise.
4. Interpretation and summary: What does the verse and/or passage mean? This is done only after studying the context. Interpretation should relate to the overall purpose and connect to the ‘big picture’ of the entire Bible.
5. Personal and cultural application: How can we apply it to our lives? Every story, if understood in its proper context, can apply to us today and can teach us how to grow closer in our walk with God (and not repeat the mistakes of those in the past).

Note: It is important to follow this order. If you start with personal application instead of author and audience you may not get the correct context and misapply it to your life.

Bible Study Questions – Session 1

We’ll cover these questions together this week in order to make sure we have the right idea in using hermeneutics:

Practicing the Hermeneutics

1. The books of Moses include the first five books of the Bible. What are they, and can you name them in order?
2. What other names are used for this grouping of books and why?
3. Author?
4. Audience and Dating (date written vs. date of events)?
5. Genre?
6. Purpose for writing these books?
7. Why is it important to understand the context of a book or passage before making an interpretation?
8. Why is it important to understand that life application should be made last?

ANSWERS:

1.  The Books of Moses

Names and order

1. GENESIS
2. EXODUS
3. LEVITICUS
4. NUMBERS
5. DEUTERONOMY

2.  The Books of Moses
Also known as…

• Torah in the Hebrew
• Pentateuch in the Greek
• Often referred to as “The Law” in other parts of the Bible

3.  Author: Moses

Moses was uniquely qualified to write

• He had the education and background growing up as a son of Pharaoh in Egypt
• He would have accurate information, as we see in the writings, about the Pharaohs and life in Egypt
• He described things from an Egyptian perspective (not Palestinian)
• He writings show first-hand knowledge of the area such as geography, seasons and climate
• As the leader of Israel he would have been the one to record everything, and he had the time to do it (40 years)

God directed his writing

• Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this in a book as a memorial and recite it to Joshua” Exodus 17:14a (NASB)
• Then Moses came and recounted to the people all the words of the Lord and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words which the Lord has spoken we will do!” Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. Then he arose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel. Exodus 24:3-4 (NASB)
• Also refer to Moses’ authorship in Numbers 33:1-2, Deuteronomy 31:9, Joshua 1:8, and 2 Kings 21:8

Most important:

Jesus spoke about Moses’ authorship

“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.  I do not receive glory from men; but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God? Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”

John 5:31-47 (NASB)

Note: In my view, the “Documentary Hypothesis” has been debunked concerning the authorship of the Torah.

4.  Audience and dating

The books of Moses were written to the Hebrew Nation during the desert wandering, ca. 1446-1406 BC—Events took place between the Biblical dating of ca. 4000 BC to 1800 BC

Timeline

Antediluvian Period to the Exodus:

ca. 4000 BC (approx. 2000 years):  Creation – Fall (The Promise) – Flood (Noachian Covenant) – Tower of Babel

ca. 2166 BC:  Abraham born

ca. 2091 BC:  Abrahamic Covenant

ca. 2066 BC:  Isaac’s birth

ca. 2000 BC:  Jacob’s birth

ca. 1915 BC:  Joseph’s birth

ca. 1526 BC:  Moses’ birth

ca. 1446 BC:  The Exodus

Note: Human history began to be recorded ca. 3300 – 2500 BC

Dating of events is extremely important

• Biblical historicity and reliability are at stake
• The secular version of events contradicts or eliminates the Biblical version
• The events and dating of Creation, the Flood, the Exodus, and the Conquest are specifically under attack by secular scholars

There is much evidence to support the Biblical worldview and dating of events, and we will cover that over this course including…

Going Deeper

(Recommended Class Video Series)
“Patterns of Evidence:” www.patternsofevidence.com

1. The Exodus
2. The Moses Controversy
3. The Red Sea Miracle Part 1
4. The Red Sea Miracle Part 2

Thinker’s Community: https://patternsofevidence.com/sign-up/

5.  Genre

• The books of Moses are historical narratives that covers a time period from Creation to the end of the Exodus, just before entry into the Promised Land with Joshua
• Most of the Old Testament books are historical narratives, however there are some that contain: Wisdom literature, Poetry, Prophecy (including end time/apocalyptic), and Law.

6.  Purpose of the writings

• These books were written so the Hebrew people would remember their history, recognize the greatness of their God, and understand who they were as God’s chosen representative to the [other] Nations—His “role models” (although they would fail at this all the time).
• Israel was chosen to be the carrier of the “Covenant Promise” as it unfolded, and they would come to understand that through the “Law” they would see how sin would manifest itself in hardship, suffering, and death if not atoned for.
• In these books God’s Kingdom, along with His character and relationship with His creation, is revealed.

7.  Why is it important to understand the context of a book or passage before making an interpretation?

• So we understand the historical importance
• So we know the proper storyline and how it fits the big picture
• So we don’t misapply God’s Word
• So we don’t learn incorrectly
• So we don’t share or teach others inaccurately

8.  Why is it important to understand that life application should be made last?

• We must understand the author’s intention for the original audiences first because it was not written to us, but it is for us.
• Life application should be made based on the principles being taught at that time, in that culture and in that author’s experience, and not based on our current societal norms.
• Understanding that the Old Testament was mainly written to the Hebrew people (Jewish Nation) is important, but as Christians, we need to know the historical narrative, God’s Covenant Promises and the prophecies so we can better understand Jesus and the New Testament, and thereby make proper life application.
• We can cross-reference New Testament teachings with direct application to Christians that mirror many Old Testament principles so we don’t have to take Old Testament principles out of context.