Bible Study

How about that? Two posts in one day :)!

One of my favorite things to do is Bible Study. I love to read through the history of the world from a biblical perspective and what better place to learn from than the Holy Scriptures themselves? Also, by reading GOD's Word, I am able to learn more about my Lord - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - and more about myself and who I am in Christ.

Given that, why is it I have such a hard time picking up the Bible and really settling down to read and study it? One of the best ways to truly discover Who GOD is and how He operates in my life, is to dig deep into the richness of His Word. Surface reading alone is not enough. I am currently involved in a Bible study program with a few Christian sisters (locally and via e-mail) and, when we are together and discussing the new insights and interesting questions, it is a very enjoyable and blessed time of learning and fellowship. When I'm at home and on my own, however, I read through the assigned book infrequently. Mostly because I spend too much time on this silly laptop (for which I am thankful, truly)!

To help me get the most out of my study time, I recently purchased four books that were highly receommended by a couple of the ladies in our group. The first book is Living by the Book by Howard G Hendricks and William D Hendricks. This book asks the question, "Why is it important for me to study the Bible?" Because A) it is essential to growth, B) it is essential to spiritual maturity and C) it is essential to spiritual effectiveness. Living by he Book explains that you need to "learn how to read," and gives you the tools to do it. Three important points I've learned so far are: 1) Observation - "what do I see?" 2) Interpretation - "what does it mean?" and 3) Application - "how does it work?" Once I begin to read the Scriptures with these points in mind, a whole new level of understanding will be opened to me and I will have a more complete view of Who GOD is and who I am in Him.

The second book is titled, Interpreting the Symbols and Types by Kevin J Conner. I just got this one last night in the mail, so have only glanced through it so far, but I can tell it will be a very useful book! Some of the chapters: The Language of the Symbol; Symbolic Objects; Symbolic Creatures; Symbols in the Tabernacle of Moses and many more. For example, the phrase, "palm tree" symbolizes Victory (Ps 92:12, John 12:13) -- when I learned this, the Holy Spirit spoke to me saying, "When you are in the palm of My hand, you are in a place of victory." This was a new insight for me and only came about because I had discovered the spiritual meaning for the word palm. I look forward to using this book in my studies!

The third book is called Biblical Mathematics - Keys to Scripture Numerics by Evangelist Ed F Vallowe. Although written in textbook style, this little book is also a very interesting one. In his Forward, the author writes, "One out of every five Scriptures in the Bible contains a number. Numbers are important to having a working knowledge of the Bible. The numerical structure is found everywhere in the Scritpures." Chapters include: God's Designing Hand Seen in Numbers; Numbers are the Secret Code of God's Word; One - Unity; Two - Union, Division, Witnessing; Sixty-Six - Idol Worship; One Hundred Forty-Four - The Spirit-Guided Life. By using Biblical Mathematics, I gain a better understanding of what GOD is saying to me in His Word -- numbers and digits in a given passage of Scripture is more than meets the eye. There is a prophetic message there as well, if I will only take the time and make the effort to search it out.

The fourth book is called The Exhaustive Dictionary of Bible Names by Drs Judson Cornwall and Stelman Smith. In the Preface, it states, "Every Bible name has a meaning. So much so, that sometimes when God changed the nature of a person He also changed his or her name. For example, when Abram believed God's promise of a son, God changed his name to Abraham and changed his wife's name from Sarai to Sarah. Years later, after the angel of the Lord had wrestled with him all night, Jacob's name was changed to Israel." There are no specific chapters in this book, although there is a section with a list of the names of God, the titles for Jesus, the Jewish calendar and descriptions of the stones used in the breastplate of the Old Testament priest (and how they relate to the heavenly City). The names covered in this book are not only of all the people in the Bible, but also place names. I believe this will be an excellent resource for discovering more of God's truths and character. It also deals with the prophetic.

So... Having each of these books handy while I slowly dig into the rich soil that is the Word of GOD, I have faith that my spiritual roots will reach down into the foundation of His Truths and will cause me to grow tall and blossom brightly with my face toward the Son.

LiC ~