Friday, May 3, 2024

Getting the most out of the time you spend in God’s Word is a worthy endeavor. Understanding why and how to effectively read the Bible will enhance your experience. Today we’ll explore the final 2 questions of “the envelope” that can help. 

• What is the purpose?
• What is the literary style?

Understanding both of these will help you interpret what you are reading. Grasping the author’s purpose of the piece gives you insight into what they were aiming to accomplish through their writing.

The Bible is a compilation of multiple genres including historical narratives, poetry, Wisdom, Prophesy, Gospels, Epistles and Apocalyptic. Knowing the literary style offers additional insight into the piece. Just as you read a book of poetry differently than a letter or a history book, each book of Scripture should be approached based on the way it is written.

Let’s take a closer look at each.

Historical Narratives such as Genesis, Joshua or Kings, tell us what happened. The author rarely comments on the morality of a certain incident, only what occurred. God does not automatically approve of everything that was done in these books.

Poetry, such as Psalms, are songs to God. Words are used metaphorically and generally should not be taken literally. The symbolism is part of the power.

Wisdom literature (Proverbs) offers general principles, not promises.

Prophesy books including Isaiah, Hosea, and Amos, are filled with figurative language and poetry. Most of these things have already happened.

The Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are written by different people with a unique purpose and are all about Jesus’ life. Chronology is not important to these writers, and sometimes incidents are shaped to emphasize one specific thing. The fact that they are not all the same brings credibility to the writings.

Epistles are letters written to a specific audience for a specific purpose. Just as you wouldn’t pick a random sentence or two in a letter you receive and think you had complete understanding of the whole, it is most effective to read the entire epistle. Romans, Hebrews, and Colossians are examples and epistles make up the bulk of the new testament.

Finally we come to the Apocalyptic books. These are highly symbolic and sometimes it is challenging to know what is literal and what is figurative. Revelation falls into this category as well as parts of Daniel and Ezekiel.

It’s easy to be overwhelmed when approaching the Bible for the first time, but if we set aside some of our preconceived notions and keep in mind some general principles, it doesn’t have to be scary. Reading the Bible is the adventure of a lifetime. It is a true living book with something for the new believer as well as the seasoned theologian.

This article was written by Julie Mabus, a regular contributor to the LivingItOut Devotional.