The Obvious Part of Studying the Bible We Forget

Studying the Bible can be both easy and exceptionally challenging. I’ve shared this at different times and in different places, but there is a sense in which the Bible can be read in much the same way you might read any other book. It has a flow that you pick up on as you become familiar with it. It has a storyline that carries from one book to the next. We can use the basic rules we intuitively employ when reading a novel, blog post, biography, history book, or anything else you can imagine.

So there is much that, despite how it may seem at times, is actually pretty straightforward. But some aspects are not—even in parts we think are straightforward. After all, even as Christians believe that its message transcends space, time, and cultures, we know the Bible is also rooted in its time and place in history. Its authors wrote between 3500 and 2000 years ago. The rules of some of its genres are foreign to us. The authors’ grammar and rhetorical devices are rooted in their times and places in history. There is a historical, cultural, and geographical divide between us and them.

This probably seems obvious to you. And if does, I get it. We’ve all heard this before. We’ve read it in books, heard our pastors mention it in sermons, and probably seen a video or two on some social media platform or another. It’s obvious because it is. But I wonder if that’s exactly the problem. It’s because it’s so obvious that makes it so easy to forget.

What Happens When We Forget the “Obvious”?

What happens when we forget something that seems obvious? There are at least two key problems that I see. The first is that we ignore our own culture-boundness (if you’ll forgive the questionable grammar). The time and place in which we live plays as much a role in how we’re inclined to interpret Scripture.

So, being that I am a Canadian man living in the United States, I’m going to be inclined to read the text in light of the assumed norms that come with my background. We all do this, whether we realize it or not. And guess what? Sometimes—often, even—those assumptions are right. But not always. Sometimes, we miss the mark because we think we know what’s happening when we really don’t.

That’s the first problem, and the second is like it. Forgetting that the Bible is rooted in a particular place and time, we can mistakenly think that it was written not only for us, but also to us. And when we do this, the results are often problematic as we seek to flatly apply one teaching or another or take promises as our own that were never ours in the first place. This happens frequently when we’re studying the Old Testament. Rarely does this end well, as we’ve seen countless times throughout history.

Keep Your Eyes on the “Obvious”

Remembering what might seem obvious helps us to be more faithful in studying Scripture. It helps us to discover appropriate universal principles within contextually rooted passages. We want to understand that context to the best of our ability. We should seek to know who wrote a book, to whom it was written, and the author’s general intent. Keeping our eyes on the obvious also encourages us to consider Old Testament passages in light of the New—especially how a practice or prophecy may be fulfilled or enhanced in light of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. And it encourages us to dip our toes into church history, to explore how faithful believers have understood the message of God’s Word throughout the millennia.

None of this is revolutionary. It’s obvious—or, at least, it should be. But for many, whether we’re new to studying the Bible or we’ve been faithfully studying for years, it is anything but. It is easy to forget; we’re prone to ignore it. So, if there is any encouragement I can offer today, it’s this: Stay focused on the obvious. Learn what you can about the background of what you’re reading. Consider historical perspectives. Use the tools that are at your fingertips like the book introductions you’ll find in a good-quality study Bible. Your time in the Word will be better for it, and your life will be enriched because of it.

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