Eating the Bible

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Eating the Bible

• Insight into studying Gods Word

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Overview

• Pray
• Ask God for wisdom and understanding
• Read
• Read a verse or passage
• Journal
• Ask yourself questions about the passage
• Summarize what you read
• Action
• Apply (if possible) what you read to your life

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Prayer

• It is simple and straightforward
• Ask God for an open heart to His word
• Ask God to speak to you
• Ask God to use His word in your life

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Reading

• Pick a passage
• Be consistent--dont always jump around, but
  choose a book to read through
• Pick a small passage to read--a couple of
  paragraphs at the most
• Read around the passage
• Find the context of the story
• Read the passage
• Read the passage a couple of times

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Journaling

• Ask questions about the passage
• Reread the passage if necessary
• Write a summary of the passage

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Asking Questions

• Ask questions from different viewpoints
• God/Christs point of view
• The experience of the person/people involved
• The surrounding peoples experience
• Ask the big 6 questions
• Who, what, where, when, how, and why
• Ask what the Biblical context is
• Ask what you can learn about Gods character

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Who

• Who is telling the story?
• Who was in the spotlight?
• Who witnessed the event?
• Who was for the event?
• Who was against the event?
• Who performed the supernatural?
• Was it God through man or God directly?

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What

• What took place?
• What words/ideas are repeated in the passage?
• What was the cause, if any?
• What was the response, if any?
• What effect did it have after the response?
• What is my response?

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Where

• Where did the event take place?
• What was the geographic location?
• What were the surroundings?
• Buildings
• People
• Objects
• What was the weather like (if applicable)?
• Could it have taken place elsewhere?
• Where was God/Christ in the event?

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When

• Was it before/after the Fall of man?
• Was it before/during/after Christs life?
• Was the year of importance?
• A year of Jubilee, Passover, etc.
• What time of year was it (if known)?
• What time of day was it?
• How long did the event take place?

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How

• How did the event happen?
• By what natural/supernatural means did things
  take place?
• How could it have been different?
• Cause
• Response (of God or man)

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Why

• What was the motivation of the person/people in
  the spotlight?
• What was the motivation of the witnesses?
• What was Gods motivation?
• What was Gods purpose?

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Biblical Context

• What similar stories are there?
• How many?
• What opposing stories are there?
• What parallel stories are there?
• Old Testament to New Testament
• How does the event fit into the context of the
  Bible as a whole?
• Is it History, Poetry, Prophecy, or other?

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Gods Character

• What is the most prominent part of Gods
  character in the passage?
• What other characteristics are present?
• How does God reveal His character?

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Summarizing What You Read

• Write a very brief summary of the story
• Possibly outline the story
• Write what you learned
• About God
• About yourself
• About the Bible
• Write how you can apply the passage to your life

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Application

• If the passage contains a command, follow it
• Ask God how you can apply His Word
• Compare the passage to your life
• Ask God to change your heart, mind, attitude,
  actions, and disciplines