DEFINED

Observation is “the act or faculty of…taking notice; the act or result of considering or marking attentively.”  Dr. H. T. Kuist defines it as “the art of seeing things as they really are.”  He also suggests that it entails seeing “impartially, intensely, and fearlessly.”

(Robert A. Traina, Methodical Bible Study, p.31)

It’s amazing to me how much of the amazing treasure of God’s Word lies untapped, unnoticed.  As I have been revisiting my own study of God’s Word, I am grateful for the insights I’ve gained and the renewed commitment in my own life to thorough observation of Scripture.

According to Traina (whose material I was thankfully required to read in my Biblical Interpretation class through Western Seminary), there are three things needed for good observation and four main things to observe.  I share these briefly.

Need #1 - The Will to Observe

“Unwilled observation is soon satiated and goes to sleep.  Willed observation, vision with executive force behind it, is full of discernment, and is continually making discoveries which keep the mind alert and interested.  Get a will behind the eye, and the eye becomes a searchlight, the familiar is made to disclose undreamed treasure.”  (Traina, p.32)

THE CHURCH NEEDS THIS TODAY!!

Need #2 - Exactness in Observation

Here’s a powerful illustration:

Sir William Osler, the eminent physician, always sought to impress upon young medical students the importance of observing details.  While stressing this point in a lecture before a student group he indicated a bottle on his desk.  “This bottle contains a sample for analysis,” he announced.  “It’s possible by testing it to determine the disease from which the patient suffers.”  Suiting actions to words, he dipped a finger into the fluid and then into his mouth.  “Now,” he continued, “I am going to pass this bottle around.  Each of you taste the contents as I did and see if you can diagnose the case.”  As the bottle was passed from row to row, each student gingerly poked his finger in and bravely sampled the contents.  Osler than retrieved the bottle.  “Gentlemen,” he said.  “Now you will understand what I mean when I speak about details.  Had you been observant you would have seen that I put my index finger into the bottle but my middle finger into my mouth.”  (Traina, p.32-33)

Need #3 - Persistence in Observation

• Peering into the mists of gray
• That shroud the surface of the bay,
• Nothing I see except a veil
• Of fog surrounding every sail.
• Then suddenly against a cape
• A vast and silent form takes shape.
• A great ship lies against the shore
• Where nothing has appeared before.

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• Who sees a truth most often gaze
• Into a fog for many days;
• It may seem very sure to him
• Nothing is there but mist-clouds dim.
• Then, suddenly, his eyes will see
• A shape where nothing used to be.
• Discoveries are missed each day
• By men who turn too soon away.

Clarence Edward Flynn  (quoted in Traina, p. 33)

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Four Things to Observe in Scripture

1. Terms

This refers to words and their meaning in a given context.  Sometimes the same word means something different in a different context.  But it only means one thing in each context.  For example, take the word “trunk”.  It can mean the base of a tree, the body of something, a part of an elephant, a box or a chest, or the back end of a car!  But it only has one of those meanings in a given context.  Pay attention to words!  This is where your jr. high English classes pay off.  Nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, prepositions, conjunctions…

2. Structure

This refers to how words/terms relate and interrelate to each other.  The Bible was written in language.  Language has structure.  I hate to say it, but grammar could be the most spiritual thing on the planet.  Paul intended to be understood.  He wrote on purpose, as did all the Biblical writers.  Carried along by the Holy Spirit.  And the phrases, clauses, sentences, paragraphs that make up Scripture carry truth in a structured form.  Pay special attention to “connectors” - words that indicate flow in the structure of the writing.

Time words (now, then, after, until, when);

Location words (where, at);

Logical connectives (because, for, then, therefore, so that, but, yet, nevertheless, as, likewise);

and Emphatic connectives (indeed, only).

These are clues that will lead you to important structure in each passage that will help you get at the writer’s meaning and flow of thought.

3. Literary form

Scripture is beautiful literature.  Of course, it’s so much MORE than that.  But the fact is the Bible is made up of various kinds of literary “genre” or form.  There’s narrative stories, poetry, prophecy, wisdom literature, figurative speech, parables, logical writing (epistles), and apocalyptic (Revelation, Daniel).  Each of these genres have various interpretive keys.  You don’t read them all the same way!  Knowing what “genre” you are reading and some basic rules/keys for reading that genre will help you see and take away what the Lord intended and intends.

4. Atmosphere or Mood

As you look closer, spend more time, and linger in passages of the Bible, becoming more aware of what is there and what you see - you will also begin to get a clearer sense of the atmosphere or mood of the author and the spirit or tone of what he’s writing.  For example, is there an urgent, aggressive tone?  Or, a gentle, comforting tone?  Joyful? (Philippians). Or concerned? (Galatians).

Tapping into the mind and emotion of the Biblical author, as much as possible, through careful study of Scripture, provides rich information toward the overall message being conveyed.  If all we do is “fly by’s” - we’ll likely miss the true thrust of the passage!

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Recommended Reading:

Living By The Book, by Howard &  William Hendricks

How to Read the Bible as Literature…and get more out of it, by Leland Ryken

Methodical Bible Study, by Robert A. Traina

 

 

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Do we really believe that a pursuit of satisfaction in Christ has serious study of the Bible at its core?

Is it possible that God has given us His Word and expects us to not only read it, but study it, as a means to our increasing joy and strength in the faith??!!

“The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart.” Psalm 19:8a

We live in an increasingly biblically illiterate society.  Sadly, this is true of the Church as well.  Studying the Bible is a discipline that is scarce to find these days in any given group of Christians.  If we’re honest, most of us do more “fly by’s” than we’d like to admit.

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Well, friends, it’s time to land.  Get out.  Look around.  Dig.  Explore.  And often.

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Something has to change.

The implications of this desire bring a serious demand on our lives.  In fact, everything changes.  Life must get arranged and rearranged around the Bible and the beauty and power of the Truth it contains.

At RockSolid, we invite students to taste and see the challenges and rewards of study.  It’s an invitation, not driven by guilt and shame, but drawn by desire and longing for a vision of Christ that outshines the flashing, enamoring lights of High Def that compete for our attention and interest in this culture.

It’s akin to CS Lewis correct statement regarding our desires NOT being too strong…but too weak.  We are far too easily pleased.

And that’s certainly the case for most Christians in our culture when it comes to Studying the Word of God.

We invite you to endeavor to pursue with us an experience of deeper satisfaction in Christ through the serious study of the Bible.

Don’t be intimidated.  And don’t be fooled.  It is both demanding and rewarding - like all true Christian discipleship!

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The first step down the satisfying road of study is called OBSERVATION.

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I’ll share some helpful instruction about the kind of observation in Bible study I’m referring to in the next post… I think it will challenge you, inspire you, and help you to “see” Christ in your Bible as He ought to be seen!

In the meantime, consider these questions for yourself:

• What are the biggest obstacles in my life that keep me from studying the Bible in a satisfying way?
• When was the last time I spent 2 hours in the Bible at one sitting (as opposed to a movie)?
• Do I want to learn how to do more than just “fly by”?
• Am I willing to rearrange things in my life to make more room for God’s Word?

 

Many of you have asked what Bible Translation we preached from at RS. We have chosen to use the ESV as our “official” version.  While it is a fairly new translation, we are finding it to be very good.

It combines the accuracy of the NAS with the readability of the NIV. It is, from all reports, a wonderful gift to the Church.

It has also been very interesting to read along in it next to my Greek text in class. Although there will be variances with any translation, it holds up well and more often than not provides the closest and most helpful rendering of verb-tenses, moods, voices, and syntactical likeness with the Greek text. My Greek prof. is also very impressed with it (and Multnomah has one of the strongest and well-known Greek faculty in the West).

While I have zero interest in entering the “translations war” conversation (i.e. “MY translation could beat up YOUR translation”), if you were to ask me which translation I would recommend for you to study from, or put in the hands of your children, or memorize from as a family, my answer would be the ESV.

Here’s a link to the ESV Study Bible site…it looks to be an EXCELLENT resource, and I would strongly encourage each household to have one.

I’ve also included an article John Piper wrote 4 years ago regarding why he endorses the ESV…in it he compares different passages of the NIV and ESV side by side…it’s a very helpful and insightful read for anyone interested in the differences between translations.

Our prayer for you is that you would “…long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation…” [I Peter 2:2]

Growing with you,

josh

Here’s a couple great resources from the gang at New Attitude that we thought would be great for RS alumni as well.

Here’s a quick blurb on them from the NA website:

Application 101
After hearing several messages it’s not hard to get lost trying to figure out what to do now that you’re back home. This guide is here to help. It helps you dig into a particular message you want to apply and has five principles to keep in mind as you change your Bible reading: Time, Place, Plan, Memorization, Involving Others.

Hermeneutics 101
hur-muh-noo-tiks is the scholar’s way of saying “the craft of interpreting Scripture.” You’ll find seven questions to ask every Bible passage you come across in order to help you better interpret the passage and a short bibliography of other Hermeneutics resources.  All this on just one page you can print out and keep in your Bible.

They are excellent (short, one-page) resources to help you continue to process the messages you heard at RockSolid 2008!

[HT: New Attitude]