Last week I introduced a series called 4 steps to effective Bible reading. The four steps I will cover are: Observation, Interpretation, Application and Communication. Today is all about step 1 – Observation – finding out what the Bible says.
Observation is kind of like the spectacles of Bible study.
To get us started here are two very simple examples using situations outside of the Bible.
Example 1 – You always leave for work at 7am. Today you wake up, look at the clock and the time is 6:55am.
- Observation – what does it say – the clock says 6:55am. I am simply reading the clock.
- Interpretation – what does it mean – for you, this means you have 5 minutes before you have to leave for work. Now I am identifying the known facts surrounding the situation.
- Application – what does it tell me – I need to hurry up and get ready for work. This is where I am looking critically at how the current time relates to what I need to do in my life.
- Communication – how would I share it – If I cannot leave on time I may need to text my boss and say I might be late for work. This is when I explain what happened, so it would be inaccurate to text my boss and say, “traffic is heavy so I am running late.”
Example 2 – You look out your window and see your neighbors painting their house.
- Observation – Your neighbors are painting their house.
- Interpretation – They are getting ready to move (maybe). They are just updating the color (maybe). Truly you can only understand what is happening by learning more about the situation.
- Application – You might look at your house and see if it needs an upgrade. You may consider helping them paint. Or, you may not have to do anything.
- Communication – You may not have much to say about this situation.
These two scenarios make the point that as you read the Bible you will come across passages that directly affect your immediate situation. And, you will come across passages where you have little to no application in your own life. There will be options in between as well.
Remember – reading, interpreting and applying Biblical teaching is a process that takes time. You will get better as you go.
The better your Observation, the better your Interpretation.
The better your Interpretation, the better your Application.
The first step is Observation. There is no shortcut to opening the Bible (or Bible App, or Audio Bible) and reading it (or listening to it).
If you want to learn what the Bible means (Interpretation) and how it applies to you (Application), then you will need to read the Bible (Observation).
The day I became a Christian (Feb 1, 1994), a man at the church told me that it was important for me to read the Bible. Over the course of the next year or so I read through the Bible from beginning to end (more about that next week).
How long does it take to read the Bible?
- At a common reading speed it takes approximately 70 hours to read through the Bible. I am a fairly slow reader, so it takes me longer.
- Reading about four chapters a day will get you through the Bible in about one year.
- Reading one chapter a day will take about four years to get through the Bible.
Now this next point is extremely important. The point of “Observation” is simply to read the Bible to determine what the verse, passage, chapter, or book “said”.
Seven methods of reading the Bible (Observation).
Below are seven methods of reading the Bible (Observation). You will want to consider your current situation or stage in life to determine which of these (or some combination) may be best for your situation:
- Read out loud – This creates a more engaging reading experience because you read, vocalize, and listen to the words. This combination significantly enhances your mental recognition according to a recent study by researchers at the University of Waterloo
- Listen online – For thousands of years this was the primary way for people to hear the Bible. You can download the YouVersion Bible app and listen to someone else read the Bible. I have listened to the entire Bible while traveling to and from work. I think it takes a little longer than 70 hours simply because reading out loud is slower than reading quietly.
- Straight book reading – this principle is simply taking one book at a time and reading it straight through…essentially with no breaks. Clearly, some books are longer than others – Example – Genesis has 50 chapters which can take some time to read straight through.
- Repetition – the idea is to read the same chapters several times in a row. Here are a few examples of how I have done this:
- Read the same 6-7 chapters every day of the week. Then read the next 6-7 chapters every day. It takes about one year to read like this from Daniel through Revelation.
- Read the same 3 (or so) chapters of Psalms every day of the week. It takes about 1 year to get through Psalms reading the same three chapters every day for a week (you might consider just reading Psalm 119 every day for a week).
- Proverb of the Day – Since the book of Proverbs has 31 chapters you just pick the day and read that Chapter. Example, this blog was published on the 9th, so you read Proverbs 9 today. Obviously this doesn’t get you through the whole Bible, but it does help with consistency on daily Bible reading.
- Time Based – I appreciate the one year Bible reading plans, and I don’t have anything bad to say about them. But, I have never done them. My goal in reading has not been “to get done in a certain amount of time.” If you need a daily plan and a specific layout, a plan like this can be great for you.
- Variation – I have several friends who read a new testament and old testament passage each day for “variety”. I don’t even watch different TV shows at the same time. Another type of this is reading a “Chronological” Bible. This Bible mixes all the chapters and verses into a chronological layout, which mixes the books together. If this method of breaking up the stories is helpful for you then go for it!
In this blog I’m not addressing the different Bible versions and which version(s) you should read. To steal an old quote, “the best version is the one you’ll read.” I’ll save that for another blog.
The first step to understanding the Bible is Observation – reading the a Bible. For many, this is a major roadblock. If that is you, start small. Don’t feel like you need to rush through. Take your time. You can do it!
Come back next week when we talk about Interpretation – what does it mean!
Love and blessin’s,
David