Lesson 4

How To

Study the Bible Lesson 4: Step One Is Observation

By Shane Scott

In this lesson we are going to begin a discussion of the nuts and bolts process of Bible study. The method we are going to follow consists of three basic steps:

STEP ONE. OBSERVATION: What does the text say?

STEP TWO: INTERPRETATION: What did the text mean to its original recipients?

STEP THREE: APPLICATION: What does the text mean to me?

In this lesson we are going to discuss the first step, observation.

The Purpose of Observation

Psalm 119:l8 expresses the purpose of observation: "Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law." The goal of observation is to collect as much information as possible about the book or passage your are studying. It is crucial that you be as impartial and even handed as possible in this stage, or else your interpretative phase will be skewed because of bias. A good detective turns over every possible stone, and a good Bible student seeks as much information as possible, whether it agrees with his preconceived notions or not.

The first phase of observation is simply to read the book or passage you intend to study. That may sound simplistic, but few people even take the time just to read the Bible. Reading requires the discipline of time and concentration.

Reading through a passage enables you to get an overview of the author's purpose. The first time you read a book, it may seem to be a jumbled collection of verses. But the more you read through a book, the more comfortable you will get.

I would suggest reading through a passage in several different translations, so as to get various nuances that may be missed in your preferred translation. In ancient times, all reading was done out loud (see Acts 8:30), and I believe that is helpful to the modern day reader. It is also helpful to listen to the Bible on cassette, because the narrator may use a particular tone or inflection that unveils a phrase in a powerful way.

Reading is an important first step, but there are also some other basic techniques in this information gathering process. Use the cross-references in your Bible to check out other places where an item in your text is mentioned. Then, consult your basic reference works (concordances and dictionaries) to fill out what may have been lacking in your own gathering.

The Four Critical Questions of Observation

Once you have familiarized yourself with a text go over it again with these four questions in mind: WHO, WHEN AND WHERE, and WHAT. As I go through each of these questions, I'll illustrate how they work from the book of 3 John.

WHO. The who question involves three angles:

1) Who is the author? What do you know about him? What does he reveal about his circumstances? And what does he say about his relationship to the readers? In the case of 3 John, the author describes himself as "the elder" (v. 1), that he had a lot to write but chose not to (v. 13), and that he hoped to see these people shortly (v. 14). He also was a father to these readers, and was overjoyed by their obedience (v. 4).

2) Who is the recipient? The recipient here is Gaius (v. 1), whom John loved. He is walking in truth (v. 3), hospitable (v. 5), and was asked to greet the friends (v. 14).

3) Who are other main characters? Two other people are mentioned by name in this book. Diotrophes (v. 9-10) was a dictator who cast people out of fellowship and who the author wanted to rebuke. Demetrius (v. 12) was a brother who received good testimony.

WHERE AND WHEN. These questions have to do with the chronological and geographical bearing of the book. In many cases these issues have a major bearing on the interpretation of a book. For instance, when Paul wrote the Philippians to rejoice as he rejoiced, he was in prison in Rome. That makes what he said have even more impact There are four issues to keep in mind in this step:

. 1) Where and when did the author live? There is not a great deal of information in 3 John on these matters, except that John was older, and that gives us some clue as to its time frame.

2) Where and when did the recipients live? Again, there is little information in this book that is relevant here.

3) What other geographical details are given? Not much is said in this book.

4) What other chronological details are given? We do have some more information along this line in 3 John. John intended to see the readers "shortly" (v. 14).

WHAT The final question has to do with the content of the book. And there are two dimensions to keep in mind:

1) What themes does the author stress? Authors can emphasize in point in three ways. One way is by the sheer number of verses they devote to something. For instance, nearly 1/3 of the gospels are devoted to the final week of Jesus' life. That is a clear indicator that Jesus' death was the primary emphasis of the gospels. Another way authors emphasize a theme is by presenting a clearly defined purpose for writing. John did this in his gospel (20:30-31), and his first epistle (5-13). A final way to emphasize a theme is by the repetition of certain terms. The term "know" is emphasized repeatedly in 1 John, for instance. In 3 John, the primary emphasis is on the treatment of those who travel and preach (see 5-10).

2) What problems does the author address? Another clue to content is a stated problem which the author wanted to deal with. Paul's first letter to Corinth is a striking example of this. Here in 3 John, the problem of Diotrophes was a special concern for John.

Using these four basic questions, you can elicit the central facts of any text and prepare for the next phase of Bible study, interpretation.

Questions for Review and Discussion.

1. What are the three basic steps of Bible study? Is it important to do them in this order? Why or why not?

2. What is the purpose of observation?

3. What are some helpful things to do when reading through a Bible passage?

4. What four questions are central to the observation process?

5. How do authors emphasize a theme?

6. PROJECT: Read through the book of Philemon and use the four questions we studied.

Translations consulted:

Number of times read:

WHO: 1) Author

2) Recipient

3) Other main characters

WHERE & 1) Author

WHEN

2) Recipient

3) Other geographic details

4) Other chronological details

WHAT: 1) Themes emphasized

2) Problems addressed