The Blessing of Scripture Study

How different is the man who devotes himself
To the study of the law of the Most High.
He will seek out the wisdom of all the ancients
And be occupied with their prophecies.
He will preserve the discourse of notable men
And penetrate the subtleties of parables.
He will seek out the hidden meanings of proverbs
And be engaged in the riddles of parables.
He will serve in the midst of great men
And will appear before rulers.
He will travel through the land of foreign nations
And test the good and evil among men.
He will give his heart to rising early
Before the Lord who created him,
And will make supplication to the Most High;
And he will open his mouth in prayer
And make supplication for his sins.
If the great Lord wills,
He will be filled with the Spirit of understanding.
He will pour forth words of His wisdom,
And in prayer he will give thanks to the Lord.
He will direct his counsel and knowledge aright,
And he will reflect on His hidden things.
He will reveal instruction in his teaching
And boast in the law of the Lord’s covenant.
Many will praise his understanding,
And it will never be blotted out.
His memory will not disappear,
And his name will live through all generations.
Nations will proclaim his wisdom,
And the assembly will proclaim his praise.
If he lives long, he will leave a name greater than a thousand,
And if he goes to his rest, his work is completed.

Wisdom of Sirach 39:1–11

So You Want to Study the Book of Revelation

It seems that if you put ask any number of Christians in a room and ask which book of the Bible they want to study, one of the top answers will invariably be the book of Revelation.  We have a curiosity for things not yet fully revealed.  A mystery is presented and remains unsolvable, but we are unsatisfied with the texts and scenarios surrounding Jesus’ return and seek for more or better knowledge.  This aspect of human nature—to know the unknown—is a gift of God as the Solomon has said:

It is the glory of God to conceal things,
    but the glory of kings is to search things out.  (Pr 25:2)

But there is a point at which we are to stop looking because it is unknowable and just appreciate the thing for what it is:

He has made everything beautiful in its time.  Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.  (Ec 3:11)

The lack of knowability never stops us, however.  Like Eve, who was tempted with the promise “that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Ge 3:5), we press to gain more understanding of the deep mysteries, even though they are never revealed.

In an effort to help keep Christians from hitching their carts to the wrong end of their horses, I determined the best response to the above request is something like this:

Okay, fair enough.  How well do you know Genesis?

What am I getting at?  Know the beginning before jumping to the end.  You may say, “But I’m a Christian.  I don’t need to know that Old Testament stuff.”  Oh, really?  That would be like picking up a P. D. James mystery, opening to the ultimate chapter, and trying to understand what this Adam Dalgliesh character is uncovering.  You need the back story.  So, in relation to the study of end things, do you understand what happened in Genesis that needs to be wrapped up in Revelation?

Is an adequate knowledge of Genesis or any part of the OT necessary if we understand that Jesus came once to die for sin and will come again to right all wrong?  Genesis establishes the groundwork and lays the basis for everything that happens through the rest of Scripture, and Revelation gives the culmination.  We can look at the Bible as structured this way:

The Covenantal Arrangement of the Christian Bible  © 2005 Miles V. Van Pelt

Covenant Prologue	Law	Prophets	Writings	Covenant Epilogue
Genesis	Exodus Leviticus Number Deuteronomy	Judges Samuel Kings Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel 12 Minor	Psalms Job Proverbs Ruth S of Songs Ecclesiastes Lamentations Esther Daniel Ezra Nehemiah Chronicles	Revelation
	Matthew Mark Luke John	Acts of the Apostles	Paul’s Epistles Hebrews James 1, 2 Peter 1, 2, 3 John Jude
	Covenant	Covenant History	Covenant Life

OT order is that found in the Hebrew Bible.  By using this we can see how the major sections of all Scripture is united theologically with Jesus at the center as He spoke on the road to Emmaus:

Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”  (Lu 24:44)

By giving short shrift to the beginning (and even the middle), the end is treated more as a curiosity than the comfort of promises ultimately fulfilled.  Study the things concerning the end but in its proper place and time, having a foundation of where redemption history has been, so we might appreciate where and to Whom it goes.

24-Hour Bible Study on the Psalms

Yes, you read that correctly.  Issues, etc. has an annual 24-hour Bible study.  This year the speakers take up Major Themes in the Psalms.  Below is the schedule from their bulletin insert.  I try to catch snippets live but usually wait to download the podcasts later.

Issues, Etc. 24
LIVE Friday, November 22 - Saturday, November 2
(All times are Central.)
Major Themes in the Psalms
11 am-1 pm	Dr. Carl Fickenscher	Creation
1-3 pm	Pr. Will Weedon	Zion
3-5 pm	Dr. John Saleska	Descriptive Praise
5-7 pm	Dr. Peter Scaer	Wisdom
7-9 pm	Pr. Bill Cwirla	Messiah/King
9-11 pm	Pr. Jonathan Fisk	Enemies
11 pm-1 am	Pr. Tom Baker	Individual Praise
1-3 am	Dr. John Kleinig	Community Praise
3-5 am	Dr. Joel Humann	Liturgical Psalms
5-7 am	Pr. Peter Bender	Personal Laments
7-9 am	Pr. Bryan Wolfmueller	Trust
9-11 am	Pr. Brian Kachelmeier	Community Laments
Listen LIVE or on-demand at www.issuesetc.org

Proper Place of Commentaries

Phillip J. Long is beginning a blog series of Top Commentaries for New Testament Studies.  Reading his introductory post, I was pleased by his early statements:

First and foremost, a commentary ought never take the place of reading the text of the Bible.  Study should begin by reading the passage to be studied several times through, in context, with a pencil in hand.  Make your own observations before opening a commentary.

 I have heard this taught many times, and yet, so often in the past my first reaction was to open commentaries first.  Not until years later did I realize that most everything the Holy Spirit is saying in a passage through the writer is quite understandable just by reading through and meditating on the passage in context.  How much context?  Enough to know the flow of logic: this could be one chapter, a block of chapters, or the whole book.  Removing the passage from context leads to poor doctrine and ultimately to full-blown heresy.  Notice the recommendation is not directed to preachers and teachers.  No, this is pertinent for anyone wants to understand his Bible.

Should commentaries be used?  Certainly, but in their place: in an abundance of counselors there is safety (Prov 11:14).  And do not think that only the latest commentaries are those only worthwhile.  They reference and build off centuries of scholarship for a reason.  There are many websites that contain the historical works (CCEL, for example).  For more contemporary work, check out something like Bible.org, which has solid studies by book or topic.  Above all, have someone older and wiser in the faith that you can go to with ideas and questions.  If you are the older and wiser, talk with your peers.  Check and recheck your findings.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.  (2 Tim 2:15)

How to Engage in Intentional and Prayerful Theological Study

Over at Cyberbrethren, Paul McCain has posted a Bible study plan that is somewhat unique in that it advocates simultaneous cursory and accurate readings each day.  Most of the steps are common in other study programs, but the total package struck me.  I may try something like this in the future, maybe even adding the apocryphal works as mentioned.