STEWARD WHAT YOU DO UNDERSTAND.
L.I.V.E. Your Bible Study
Linger & Listen * Insight * Voice * Empowered
“Both the discovery and the indwelling of the Word must converge!”
Customizing Your Bible Study In Four Movements: To record your discoveries,
you will need to use a notebook, journal, binder, or your preferred electronic device. The
L.I.V.E. Bible Study experience simply provides direction for your study and devotion
time. As you go through each movement, it is a good idea to organize your writing into
(4) sections. You DO NOT need to copy the instructions for each section, just your
discoveries.
{Linger in & Listen to Scripture}
1 Shema (means “hear” in Hebrew)
Listen with the intent to obey.
Beginning with prayer and continuing
in prayer, acknowledge the Holy Spirit’s
ministry of illumination. This will keep
us relying upon God in humility to gain
insight of His truth. Thereafter, it’s
essential to identify the kind of genre
you’re reading, which helps to provide a
solid framework for clarity. Is it a
narrative, a letter, a historical
writing, poetry, a prophetical
writing, is it a combination?
{Insight into God’s revealed truth}
2 Hagah (means “chew” in Hebrew)
Meditation in English is too nice a word.
The word “hagah” means you are very
persistent, chewing, and wrestling with
the word. The word “hagah” also means
to emit a sound, verbalize, mutter, to
speak in an undertone; it was not silent.
This is the same word that is used in
Isaiah 31:4. Meditation is the outward
verbalization of one’s thoughts towards
God, and talking out loud as you pour
over his teachings and words. It is the
wrestling with the Word; you can’t be
driven off of it, you are chewing on it,
pondering it, day and night.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Things Emphasized?
Things Repeated?
Things Related?
Things Alike?
Things Unalike?
{Voice your prayerful contemplation}
{Empowered by the Holy Spirit}
3 Shuv (means “respond” in Hebrew) 4 Menuchah (means “rest” in Hebrew)
To return Him or go back.
This will evoke intimacy within your
heart, soul, mind, and strength. It’s a
repentant place - an alignment of all of
you, not part of you …
Rest, repose, quiet, tranquil.
See the scriptural parts as a whole.
Savor the revelation of the triune God.
Show a willful heart to draw upon faith,
hope, and love.
Example:
Example:
heart (Christ’s dwelling place) - broken
& contrite, rejoicing, undivided, proud,
tender, open, foolish, pure, repentant,
envious, anxious, etc. …
soul (our life-breath) - despair, grief,
knit, bitter, restored, singing, waiting,
panting/thirsty ...
mind (our thinking) - willing, prudent,
steadfast, hasty, resolved, perplexed,
renewed, humble, wise, sincere …
strength (our doing) - great, little,
feeble, bold, renewed, full, increasing,
dwindling, His ...
See what facets of the gospel or particular
doctrine is clear to me.
Savor what has been the revelation or
reminder of the character/attribute of God.
Show that I will graciously walk in the
truth and disciple others, as I draw deeper
in intimacy with the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Spirit.
Now, let the word abide in you as
you abide in the word.
know before you GO
It is vital to the learning process that you allow yourself to move through understanding on your own, without the aid of commentaries or study notes, initially that is. The first several times you read a passage you will probably be confused. This is actually a good thing. Allow yourself to feel lost, to dwell in the “I don’t know.” It will make the moment of discovery stick! Nobody likes to feel lost or confused, but it is an important step in the acquisition and retention of understanding. Because of this, I have a few guidelines to lay out for you as you go through this study for the purpose of deepening intimacy and anchoring in the complete work of Jesus Christ. LISTEN: What are you hearing and observing? Everything. Your goal is not to determine what is and is not significant. Everything is significant. Every sheep knows His voice; you were created to hear Him. Your observations are kind of like panning for gold. Your goal is to dig up as much in listening as possible, then allow the later processes to sift the gold. 1. Mark up the passage. Don’t be afraid to write in your Bible. Circle, underline and highlight. Write in the margins, or get creative and print out the chapters from biblegateway.com and mark on paper, if you prefer not to mark in your Bible. 2. Notice or list 2­3 overarching themes you see in the passage. 3. Notice or list at least two observations per verse. The more the merrier. 4. Write down questions to think through in this experience of listening. INSIGHT: Consider the context and meditate. Meditation is the outward verbalization of one’s thoughts towards God, and talking out loud (or to yourself) as you pour over his teachings and words. It is the wrestling in and with the word; you can’t be driven off of it, you are chewing on it, pondering it, day and night. 1. Use different versions of the Bible. Reading a passage in more than one version can expand your understanding of its meaning. While God is the author of all Scripture, the human writers wrote in three languages. Because these languages don’t translate perfectly into English, translators must decide whether they are seeking to convey the exact words or the central idea of the original text. The translation philosophies are often referred to as word­for­word or thought­for­thought. Note: a paraphrase, such as the NLT or the Message Bible can be very enlightening for reading, but when you’re studying make sure to use a paraphrase with a word­for­word or thought­for­thought Bible (see brochure). 2. Avoid all commentaries until comprehension and interpretation have been earnestly attempted on your own. In other words, wait to read commentaries until after you have listened to the Holy Spirit and used Scripture to interpret itself. You can do this yourself, guided by the Holy Spirit, using the cross reference approach. 3. Cross­Reference: Look up key words/phrases using an English dictionary and Bible dictionary/concordance. (blueletterbible.org or biblehub.com are great tools for this!) This allows Scripture to interpret itself, and for you to see how a passage relates to others. Aim to acquire at least 3­5 cross references, which will either contain the same words or phrases (from the Old and New Testaments blueletterbible.org). Cross referencing is one of the most significant treasures in Bible study! 4. When stumped, list out all the various options and pros and cons of each. After due consideration, use supplemental resources such as the ESV Study Bible or commentaries for helpful insights and background information biblehub.com and bible­history.com are great sources). Your study Bible may include a good bit of information. 5. Don’t stop until you have considered how this passage fits into the overarching redemptive plan of God – the gospel of Jesus Christ. How does this passage relate to the person and work of Christ? 6. Make sure to discuss insights and questions with the LORD in prayer and others in your gospel­centered community. 7. See study Scripture as a privileged means, not the end itself. The end is Love … God is love. It’s about growing healthy in our discipleship, not a quick acquisition of knowledge. 8. You MUST suspend the need to come to quick conclusions about the text, savoring the text requires that you be driven by relationship (intimacy) not by a transaction (information). We go to the written word, the Scriptures, in order to encounter the Living Word, Jesus. Remember: BE PATIENT WITH YOURSELF AND STEWARD WHAT YOU DO UNDERSTAND. VOICE: This will evoke prayerful intimacy within your heart, soul, mind, and strength. It’s a repentant place ­ an alignment of all of you, not part of you … this place reveals unmet longings, frustrations, victories, ideologies, erroneous views, etc. EMANCIPATING: Bible study is incomplete until you have absorbed the nutrients of applying the truths to your life. Some passages will be more readily applicable than others, but all Scripture is useful and helpful (2 Tim. 3:16­17). ❖ See the scriptural parts as a whole. ❖ Savor the revelation of the triune God. ❖ Show a willful heart to draw upon faith, hope, and love. Recommended Resources ● Living by the Book by Howard Hendricks ● How to Study the Bible Sermon by Matt Chandler ● How NOT to Read the Bible Video presented by Women of the Word ● Bible Brainstorm and Skinny on the Bible Video presented by Skit Guys