Living by the Book/Living by the Book Workbook Set (77 page)

Read Romans 5 again. Have any of your questions from Day 1 been answered by now? If you have remaining questions, good! Perhaps you’ll keep reading until they are clarified. If you don’t give up, you will arrive at answers to most of your Bible questions.

OLD TESTAMENT STUDY FOR A MONTH:

The book of Malachi

NEW TESTAMENT STUDY FOR A MONTH:

The book of 1 John

TIME COMMITMENT:

About 30 minutes daily

“The fruit of the Word takes time to ripen. So if you are the least bit impatient,you’re liable to bail out early and miss a rich harvest” (p. 89).

F
or this and the next exercise on “reading patiently,” feel free to take some liberties with what we’re suggesting. After all, these Bible studies are for your benefit.

If you’d rather tackle a different passage than the one suggested, please do so. We’re recommending you spend a month examining the same text. If you’re ready to move on in three weeks, go ahead. If you’re still going strong after two months, good for you!

But in all the variety and leeway we hope you enjoy, we
would
like to remain firm that you maintain a commitment to use only your Bible during most of this exercise. While secondary sources will certainly have much to offer, the most significant gains come from your own personal interaction with Scripture. It’s OK to struggle a bit and have unanswered questions. While you may continue to not understand all that you are reading, you’ll still be making new discoveries every day.

You may not want to do the Old Testament and New Testament assignments consecutively. It’s perfectly acceptable to spend a month or so with one of them, move ahead with other exercises in this workbook, and come back to the other when you’re ready for another opportunity to read patiently. You might even want to postpone this exercise until you go through the workbook and try the Bible studies that follow. (You can spend a month in the book of Ruth and/or the book of James after going through the Observation, Interpretation, and Application process.) At this point, however, we’re still in the initial stages of Observation. If you’re spending a month in a single book, you should be doing so to observe everything you can.

“There’s a vast difference between running sprints and running cross-country. To do the latter you need to develop the kicker, the second wind. You’ve got to prepare for the long haul. So it is with patient Bible reading. You have to develop some stamina, some staying power to hang on with a text until you start to make some progress” (p. 90).

As you begin your one-month study of your chosen assignment, first “zoom out” and read the passage (or book) in one sitting to get an overview for what you will be learning. Make sure you continue to see the “big picture” of the passage. But then “zoom in” and spend a few days focused on some of the specifics. For instance:

• What can you learn about the author—his character, opinions, writing style, and so forth?

• For whom is the book written? In what ways do you tend to relate to that particular audience?

• What does the author have to say about the past? Present? Future?

• What warnings are contained in the text, either blatant or implied?

• What promises are made to the reader?

• What does the author want the reader(s) to do?

• What, if any, teachings are unique to the author? Which ones seem to echo the teachings of other Bible writers?

• What, if anything, is noteworthy about the writing style (grammar, sentence structure, word choices, use of metaphors/similes, repetition, and so on)?

• What other observations do you feel are significant?

“The keys to reading the Bible patiently are: Be patient with the text, and be patient with yourself. . . . So as you dive into the Word for yourself, relax and enjoy the experience. God’s truth is there, and you’ll find it if you just give yourself time to read patiently” (pp. 92, 93).

TODAY’S PASSAGE:

Genesis 11:27–12:9

TIME COMMITMENT:

30 minutes

“Selective Bible reading involves using the right bait when you troll the Scriptures. Here are six “lures” that you can use with any text, six questions to ask any passage of Scripture. . . . Who are the people involved? What is happening in this paragraph? Where is it taking place? When is it taking place? Why do you think God put it in the narrative? And what difference would this make in your life?” (pp. 94–95, 99).

T
he call of Abraham to leave his homeland and travel to Canaan is familiar to many people. We find it admirable that Abraham was so faithful and obedient. Yet many people have never read this account selectively. If we apply our set of six questions to this passage, we may find a new level of respect for Abraham’s obedience to God.

Read Genesis 11:27–12:9. Then refer back to the passage as you answer the following questions.

• Who are the people mentioned in this passage?

• What is happening?