What I am going to share is nothing new; I am sure that there are others out there that use a method similar to what I do. For others, they have found a way that works for them when they study the Bible. I personally think that there is a reason why there are only a handful of scriptures that instruct us how to study the Bible. There’s Paul’s guidance to Timothy: Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (II Timothy 2:15), and David’s heart’s desire as recorded in Psalms: Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word (Psalms 119:148). Also, in that same psalm, David wrote, Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee (Psalms 119:11). There are about thirty other verses that deal with the concept of meditating on God’s word, but no Biblically defined right or wrong way for the believer to do study the Bible.
Recently I was asked how I study the Bible by a former student of mine. Until that moment, I really hadn’t thought of how I study the Bible as being much different from anyone else’s. Before 2006, I never seriously studied the Bible before beyond a casual reading and the use of a monthly devotional. In 2006, when my life was literally a mess, I decided that I needed to become more serious about my faith. It began with two verses: But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6) and Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (II Timothy 2:15). At the time, I was attending graduate school and working towards a Ph.D. in American History. From that moment, I decided that if I could spend all the time and effort reading, researching, and studying American history as my vocation, I should be able to study the Bible just as intently.
What helps me to get the most out of a Bible Study are some pretty simple things that helped me through graduate school. I am a creäture of habit, and so taking full advantage of that, I decided to develop new habits that would help me develop my Bible studies. What I decided to do was to set aside a part of my day, a time that will not only allow me to devote that time exclusively to focus on the study but that will be consistent from day-to-day. While this does not sound like much, it is important – and I will have to admit that I am now off my normal routine. Being a morning person normally, I like to do my Bible studying in the early hours of the morning, when no one else is awake. This way, I am able to study uninterrupted and without distraction. For you, it may be that you have to do yours at night or some other time during the day; there is no right or wrong time, just as long as the time you choose is free from interruption and you can consistently spend that time with the Lord.
Once I found a time that worked for me, I decided to handle my Bible study as I did my academic studies. Just as I had tools that I used within my study of American history, I knew I would need tools to help with my Bible study. I played around with online Bible study aids, but for me the temptation to surf the web was too strong and were too much of a distraction. After a few months of Bible study, the tools I discovered that helped me out the most were some things that seemed common sense: my Bible, a notebook dedicated to my Bible studies, and a pen. Over time, I added some specialty tools that aided my study efforts: a good Bible dictionary, Matthew Henry’s Commentary, Biblical Mathematics by Ed Vallowe, Strong’s Concordance, Cruden’s Concordance, and a good dictionary. There are those that would say that it shouldn’t cost anything to study the Bible or that one should not have to spend money on Bible study tools and at one point in my life, I would have agreed with that. However, with most of us, we would think nothing of dropping a couple of hundred dollars buying a new tool if it helped us with our jobs or a hobby. If we can do that for things that we cannot take with us into Heaven, then why do we hesitate to spend money on things that not only can help us to walk a closer walk with God, but on things – knowledge about the Lord Jesus Christ – that we can take with us to Heaven?
For the first few months of my new Bible study, I played around with a variety of formats. What I felt worked best for me was to begin each one with prayer, where I would not only ask the Lord to help me learn more about Him, but about myself as well and the needs of the members of my church family. Once I had done that, I would then begin by reading one chapter from Proverbs. For example, since today is the 18th day of the month, I would read the corresponding chapter, chapter 18, from Proverbs. Each month, I repeat this pattern since there are 31 chapters in proverbs and even the longest month only has 31 days. I still do this today and although I read the entire book of Proverbs 12 times within a year, I am still learning a lot from this simple exercise. What I have discovered is that as a Christian, I should desire to have a life that God would find pleasing and Proverbs provides that guidance of how I can do just that. After reading the chapter of Proverbs, I follow a plan of reading that will allow me to work through the Bible in two years. I know that there are many people who brag on reading the Bible through in one year, but for me, I want to take the time to digest what I have read and to learn as much from it as the Holy Spirit leads me to learn. Remember, it is not about seeing how fast or how many times you can read through the Bible that counts. It is the reading, the understanding, the meditation, and the application of the Word to our lives that provides the reward for our study efforts.
