Studying a passage in depth: observe, understand, apply
Reading the Bible is one thing; studying it is another. Study takes time, attention, sometimes a few tools. It is one of the loveliest ways of loving the Word. This week's quest invites you to choose a passage and truly work on it, in three steps: observe, understand, apply.
What it looks like in your day
Take a passage of about ten verses (or a short chapter) and set aside forty-five minutes, preferably spread over two or three days.
1. Observe: what does the text say?
- The context. Who is writing? To whom? In what situation? What happens before and after?
- The genre. Story, poem, letter, law, prophecy? Each genre is read differently.
- The key words. Those that recur, those that are unusual, the important verbs, the connectors ("for," "therefore," "so that").
- The structure. What are the main parts? Where is the turning point?
2. Understand: what does it mean?
- What did the author mean to his first readers?
- What are the difficulties? A note, a commentary or a friend can shed light.
- How does this passage fit with the rest of the Bible?
3. Apply: what does it change?
- What does this text teach me about God?
- What does it ask of me, today?
- What concrete action will I take?
Finish with a prayer: give thanks for what you have seen, ask to live what you have understood.
If you are in a hurry, keep only the observation and one application. If you are a beginner, choose a narrative passage or a psalm. If you are shy about study, remember that it is learned by practicing.
What the Bible says
Paul encourages Timothy to serious work:
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
The one who is "rightly dividing the word of truth": that takes effort. Not to become a scholar, but to avoid saying just anything from the text. Ezra's example is a fine model of this threefold approach:
“For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.”
Study, practice, teach: Ezra sets his heart on these three things, in that order. Study is not an end in itself. It leads to life, then to sharing. Psalm 119 asks God: "Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law" (Psalms 119:18): even the most rigorous study needs the light God gives.
Pitfalls to avoid
Looking only for information. You can study to accumulate knowledge without your heart moving. Come back to your prayer: "Lord, what do you want to tell me?"
Reading without context. This is the source of most errors of interpretation. A verse taken out of its passage can say something else.
Imposing your ideas on the text. It is tempting to look for confirmation of what you already think. Let the text contradict you.
Getting locked into secondary details. Study can turn into a hunt for curiosities. Keep the central message in view.
Studying alone without ever checking. After your study, compare with a reliable commentary, or discuss with someone more advanced.
This week, choose a passage. Work on it in three steps, then note one concrete application.