Address the Biblical Text ~ Part 2

In Equipping People to Study the Bible, I listed five steps. The first was “Ask God to speak through the text.” The second was “Address the text.” But what does that mean?

My pastor knelt in his study, praying with me as I asked Jesus to forgive my sins and become my Savior. Less than five minutes later, he told me to pray and read my Bible every day. I thought about the enormous family Bible Mom read to the family each morning before breakfast. I had never read any book that big. Though I nodded my head, the task of reading the Bible was intimidating.

Address the Text by Exploring What’s in Your Bible

God graced me with a Christian home. Early in life, my parents bought Bibles for me. Only as I got older was I able to choose a Bible. In last week’s blog, I wrote about selecting your Bible.  With your new Bible in hand, take the time to get acquainted with it. You will find some introductory information in the front. Then, familiarize yourself with the front and back sections, where you will find many materials to assist in your study. You will refer to them as you read through the Scriptures.

The Old Testament contains 929 chapters, and the New Testament 260. The 1,189 chapters in the Bible have 23, 214 verses and about 622, 700 words. If you want to address the text, you must read it. How long does it take? If you read one chapter a day, it will take nine months to read the New Testament. Reading through the whole Bible will take three years and three months. To determine how many pages to read each day, count the pages in your Bible and divide by 365. So, reading through an 1100-page Bible requires perusal of about three pages a day. 

To read the Bible aloud would take just under 71 hours. Before skipping the oral reading idea, stop, and think. Until the development of the printing press, most people listened to God’s Word. Today, about 775 million people in our world cannot read. Yet many people—both readers and non-readers—prefer to listen to audio Bibles. 

What Is the Purpose of Our Reading?

Think about what you want to accomplish in Bible reading or listening. Do you want to race through the Bible or ponder what you are finding? Your reflection on the words and thoughts you encounter can speak to your life. But why rush through the text? Since publishers added subheadings to help readers focus and understand, reading between the headings is a way to engage what you discover. Also, meditation enhances observation.

Sometimes reading shorter books from start to finish exposes helpful insights. And pay attention to the context, which is more than the verse before or after your text. A concept may surface a few chapters to a few verses before and conclude a few chapters or verses later than the specific passage you are reading. I read several chapters a day before focusing on a particular text.

Plan Your Reading

To get the most out of your Bible reading, you need a strategy.

• Choose a plan. You may read a certain number of pages or chapters each day, or a pre-determined amount of sub-headings. The YouVersion website and apps present a variety of Bible reading plans.  If you need help in deciding what is best for you, explore their offerings.
• Choose a time. I prefer the morning as a time to focus my heart and day on the Lord. The psalmist wrote in the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice. However, many people select other times of the day to pray and read the Bible. Making the right choice of time and protecting that time will require sacrifice and determination. 
• Choose a place. Seek a location where you can be quiet with God. You may be under a tree, in a closet, or at a desk. I have a corner in one room in my house where I read and pray. Interestingly, the older I get, the more time I spend there.

Today, we have explored basic methods to address the text. Think through your purpose for reading. Then plan the way you will activate your plan. Don’t fear flexibility. But seek to be consistent in your pursuit of meeting God in the Bible.