Bible Analysis Epilogue: Spare Parts
If we are to be totally honest with ourselves, bible studies often oscillate between phases of serendipity and frustration. It’s like a love-hate relationship with someone who is equal parts loveliness and stomachache. Very often, ad hoc measures must be taken to oil the cogs of bible study.
Over the past five years since entering college, I have taken part in and led a good number of studies. Residing outside the circle of bible analysis techniques, the following are a scattering of thoughts that have crystallized over the years. Some may be uniquely suited to your situation; others may seem like unnecessarily dogmatic prescriptions or somewhat out-of-place. Miscellaneous and uninspired though they may be, my hope is that a few may resonate with you and prove to be helpful.
- Inductive bible study can be a very effective format for a small group. However, it needs to be done with appropriate pacing. Are people shutting up like a plate of clams when you ask questions about the passage? Give them time (10-15 min), a colored pencil, and copy of the passage to mark up. This, at least, will give them a fighting chance to find something interesting to talk over.
- Get your hands on a good commentary and crack it open before leading a study. The Bible was not printed by Gutenberg yesterday, and many people older and wiser than you have brilliant, chewy insights to share.
Tom Constable’s commentary is a resource from which some amazing gems can be gleaned. This commentary is something of a meta-commentary, featuring the best quotes and snippets of wisdom from other commentaries. It may also be found at net.Bible.
Henrietta Mears’ What the Bible is All About is a timeless classic and a great resource for gaining some much-needed context about the Bible.
Ray Stedman's expository teaching on the Bible fired the imagination of many a Stanford student back in the 70's. His sermons are simple and down-to-earth, yet brimming with insights.
- Let everyone read some of the passage, maybe two lines or a paragraph. Go around in a circle (just once!) and let whoever is last take care of any overflow. This lets everyone participate and feel that they were able to share and take part in the scripture reading. - There are, in fact, such things as stupid questions, despite what they told you in college. In bible studies, we are almost all guilty of them. They come from leaders, not members. Fittingly so, they are called “leading” questions. “Should we love our enemies?”...“YES” “Who is the one in this story who demonstrated ultimate love for his enemies?”...“JE-SUS” As the deeply profound exchanges above indicate, childish questions engender childish answers. The solution? Don't be lazy! Use open-ended questions. Look to the six W’s (who, what, where, when, why, and how) to reframe the question in an intelligent way. “Who else in the bible demonstrated love for enemies?” “Why is it so imperative that we love our enemies? What does it say about us?” “How can we love our enemies while maintaining appropriate boundaries?” These are open-ended questions that do not have an immediate yes/no answer. As an aside, it’s a lot like figuring out how to hold a conversation with teenagers, who, as we all know, are gifted elocutionists.
- Everyone has something to say – pay close attention. Maybe someone has been giving very shallow platitudes or incredibly obvious statements. Don’t fall prey to thinking that they are too dumb to contribute anything of value. One day, they might surprise you by sharing about a life experience that is deeply meaningful and relevant – it’s the Spirit working in them. Hear and learn from their experiences and listen intently. - Don’t speak unless you have something to say. Is what you’re about to say something that almost no one present has known about this passage? If not, then refrain. “But wait, won’t this mean I won’t ever have anything to say? Will I be like one of those mystical monks in the wilderness who didn’t say anything for 27 years?” Hopefully not. If you can’t find anything worthy to share, you need to block everything out. Focus, and ask yourself “why” questions of the passage. Focus especially hard on the things that you don’t understand – something may just *click*. This concept of only “speaking when you have something to say” applies more to biblical findings, not the sharing of personal experience. Also, this may not be very applicable for bible studies where everyone collectively clams up in solidarity. You might need to put out truths that most people already know to “prime the pump,” so to speak. However, in many gregarious bible studies, there is more than enough dialogue drifting through the airwaves. On the flip side, if there's something important you feel God has placed on your heart to share, don't wait. You may never have another chance to share it. As someone who was not Kevin Bacon put it, "Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand - and melting like a snowflake..." - "Going off of that…" is one of the most important phrases you can say. So you’ve been finding wonderful things in the Bible and have been sharing them enthusiastically for the good of the order! Everything must be great, right? Not always. It's very possible to become so wrapped up in analyzing the bible that we become oblivious to what others are saying. If you observe experienced leaders, you’ll notice that they speak very little. When they do speak, it’s inevitably in response to someone else’s findings. This is an advanced form of active listening. For some, it’s difficult to find relevant words of acknowledgement to say off-the-cuff without forethought. However, this is an important skill worth learning. Going off of another person’s findings is not an attempt to stroke egos, but rather, an caring expression of love and identification that says “I understand and affirm what you are saying, and I treasure your input in this bible study.” - The most important thing you can do when leading a bible study is to pray. You may be the most brilliant, witty leader who ever lived, but any bible study will fall flat if no one has anything to say. Only God can put insights in peoples’ hearts and move them to speak. Before starting, say a prayer with the members of your study. Ask God for His wisdom to be revealed during the study, and that He will open the eyes of your hearts and minds.
Bible studies remind me of creative writing – it’s like extensible free association. You can bounce ideas off other people and in doing so, find insights that you would never have found on your own.
One important danger remains present. As J.I. Packer remarked in his excellent Knowing God, “One can know a great deal about God without much knowledge of him.” For avoiding that pitfall, I highly recommend that book. It is intensely fun and rewarding to find new insights in the Bible, and these should help us to fall deeper in love with its Author. I am continually surprised by how the simplest passage in the Bible is inexhaustible. Amazing things are there – you need only the eyes to see.
"Open my eyes, that I may see...wonderful things in your law." - Psalm 119:18
Bible Analysis Techniques: I. Why? II. Inversion III. Extensions IV. Shell Method V. U-Sub VI. Integration by Parts VII. Deja Vu














