Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth (2)

Let my cry come before You, O LORD;
Give me understanding according to Your word. Psalm 119.169

Ready for the next step
In this series we’re considering a seven-faceted approach to rightly dividing the Word of truth, getting the most out of our time of Bible reading, meditation, and study. We need to make sure that we come to the Word of God submitted to it as the inspired revelation of God and His will, and that we keep all our agendas and concerns secondary to what the purpose and narrative of Scripture can reveal to us.

We’ll need to make sure, throughout the rest of this process, that this facet remains in place throughout. A good way to do this is by maintaining an attitude of listening prayer, waiting prayerfully on the Lord to bring you into His presence and glory through the teaching of His Word, and not merely mining Scripture for nuggets from here and there to support your views or garnish your ideas. There is a place for such systematic reading and study of Scripture, but even when this is appropriate, we must always maintain an attitude of submission to Scripture, letting God lead us into truth, rather than trying to force Scripture to support our views.

As we work at maintaining an attitude of submission to God’s Word, we’ll be ready for the next facet of our process, that of seeking the Lord in His Word, so that we may meet Him in His glory and be transformed.

Seek the text in context
God reveals Himself and thereby draws us into His glory through the plain words and meanings of the text of Scripture. The way into the presence and glory of God is through the words of Scripture, and the words of Scripture can only be rightly understood when they are read in their proper context.

Let’s look at an example of why understanding the context of a passage is so important. Suppose, for example, that you are considering a particular action. Maybe you’re thinking about a purchase, not of something you need but merely something you want. You’re praying about whether you should hit that “shopping cart” button and place your order, but you hesitate. Maybe you should pray about this a little more. Or maybe you can get some guidance from Scripture. As you’re flipping open your Bible you notice, at the bottom of your order, that so many thousands of people have bought this item in recent weeks. You look up at your Bible, just where it has fallen open, and you read Jesus saying, “Go and do likewise” (Lk. 10.37). Well, there’s your answer. You click the “purchase item” button and go about your day, feeling entirely vindicated in this little shopping splurge.

Sound ridiculous? It is, of course. But people do some variation of this all the time, when they don’t take the time to study the larger context – the passage in its grammatical, literary, historical, cultural, and larger Biblical setting. Instead, they allow some impulse, strong feeling, hunch, or intellectual bias to cause them to miss the plain meaning of the text. Yes, it takes time to do this properly, but we’re waiting on the Lord to reveal Himself and His will in Scripture, not just to confirm some desire already present in our hearts.

Study to understand the context of a text, and you’ll be more likely to discover the Lord waiting for you there.

What to seek in the text
Once you’ve established the context of a text, the next question to ask is, “What is God trying to show me about Himself or His will”? Remember, Scripture is the revelation of God and His will. It is like a mirror, in which we may discern the glory and will of God. Unless we discern these, we’re likely to botch the rest of the interpretation.

Ask questions of your text, about what it reveals about God. For example, Jesus’ comment about going and being a neighbor (Lk. 10.37) tells us some things about Him. He’s a teacher. He has real authority. He commands and expects people to obey. He defines the meaning of neighbor. He speaks to us about what words and ideas mean, about truth as God knows it. And so forth. Jesus’ words about being a neighbor tell us much more about Him than about us, and we’ll be more inclined to accept what He says about uswhen we’re clear in our minds about Him.

Next, in the light of what you are learning about God, seek what the text teaches about you and the world you live in. Jesus’ having to teach us about being neighbors, for example, suggests that this doesn’t come naturally to us. We’re more like those men who walked past the wounded man, than the Samaritan who cared for him in a sacrificial manner. In what specific ways am I like those men? And how do I need to change so that I may be more like that Samaritan?

Finally, seek the path God would have you follow from this point, the next steps indicated in the text for you. What can you do todayto be more a neighbor like that Samaritan, like Jesus Himself? In the light of what you are learning about God and yourself, summarize the primary teaching of the text and what it suggests about how to be a neighbor. Pray your summary back to God, with thanksgiving. Then, take that “Go and do likewise” and reduce it to immediate steps for your life that day, so that you can become a better neighbor to the people around you. If you’ll take these next steps in faith, the Spirit of God will meet you as you are going and empower you to be more the person God wants you to be.

Take your time
This facet of seeking involves asking questions, looking to other Scriptures, waiting in prayer for the Lord to reveal Himself and His will, thinking carefully about yourself and your calling, and then making concrete plans to apply the text before you in your daily experience.

Such careful dividing of God’s truth takes time, and we must be willing to make the investment. Seek God and yourself in the context of His Word, and He’ll show you Himself and His will for you, for that very day.

It’s as we seek the Lord and His will in Scripture that we come into His presence and glory, where the Spirit can transform us into the very image of Jesus Christ. Stay submitted to the Word, and seek its meaning for your life.

For reflection
1.  What do we mean by seeking to understand a text in its context? 


2.  Why is it important that we should first seek the Lord and His will in our reading and study of Scripture?

3.  Meditate on James 1.22-25. How should we expect to see ourselves in Scripture?

Next steps – Transformation: In your present practice of reading, meditation, and study of God’s Word, how much “seeking” do you do? How could you improve your time in Scripture by taking the time to seek more carefully?

T. M. Moore

To learn more about understanding and using the Bible, enroll in the course, Introduction to Biblical Theology. It’s free and online, and you can study at your own pace or with friends. To learn more and to register, click here. This week’s study is Part 7 of a series on The Word of God, and is available as a free download by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.