Introduction
Over the last few weeks I have been thinking about how we learn as people and putting this into the context of the Scriptures. I have thought about how did Adam and Eve and their descendants grew in knowledge and wisdom and understanding. Who taught them the how to’s of life…? What kind of practices were in place to learn? We know very little about any kind of educational process during the Genesis period. And yet somehow over time they grew in their intellectual abilities. Here are a few thoughts as to how they learned before any academic systems were in place. These points would repeat over and over.
· Experience. This would involve trial and error. Here is a classic modern example of trial and error. As an inventor, Thomas Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb. When a reporter asked, “How did it feel to fail 1,000 times?” Edison replied, “I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.” In the days of Genesis, people lived longer and had years of experience to learn by.
· Observation and reflection. As a result of experience one would keep an open mind and observe and reflect. What do you see? Examination…
· What concepts and ideas did the First Peoples, Adam and Eve, formulate.
· Show and tell was so important in the process of learning.
Origins of Bible Teaching
Most of the teaching and learning in early Biblical times consisted of informal oral training passed by the parents to the children, i.e. how to survive in life. This eventually developed into more guidance focused on a moral and religious upbringing. As written languages were developed (2690 BC), the first being Ancient Egyptian, societies formed a more formal education that included mostly limited to the elites, rulers and leaders, their family members and those under their care. Moses is mentioned in this context in Acts 7:22 - Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.
As the Israelites formed as a nation and the Law was given to Moses, semiformal learning was placed into the hands of the parents, practically and spiritually. There were practical observations the Israelites were to obey in regard to cleanliness, food, foreigners, and work to name a few. The parents would listen to the instructions of the Law and pass them onto their children. Spiritually speaking, the “Shema”, a Jewish prayer, can be found in Deut 6:4-5 – Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. This prayer is similar to the Lord’s Prayer found in the New Testament. Hear, listen is the message of the Shema for Jewish people. This prayer was to be spoken in the morning and evening by the parents to their children. They were to keep the commandments close to their hearts and “Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates” (Deut 6:7-9).
The first probable mention of a formal school, outside of home life, is the school of the prophets found in 1 Sam 10:10. The idea of a procession, or group or band of prophets is listed here. The group is bound together having learned about the Lord and prophecy. Then beginning with Ezra, a new group of scribes arose. This was more formalized in the teaching of the Law in Synagogues on a weekly basis and at the special feasts established by God. Later on we discover that Daniel and his friends showed aptitude for every kind of learning, were well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace (Dan 1:4). They were trained by the best in Babylon. In Jesus’ day there were the Scribes, Teachers of the Law, the Pharisees and Sadducees who directed the affairs of learning towards the Jewish people. Jesus himself was called a Rabbi, a term for a religious leader and teacher. Another noteworthy point is the creation of Libraries during the Roman Empire, the most famous being the Library of Alexandria, which was said to have around 500,000 books. These libraries formed centers for learning and study, where students began to learn the importance of grammar.
The Study of God’s Word
There are many references in the Scriptures to the study of God’s Word. I have mentioned before the analogy of the hand in regards to Bible Study. Hear, Read, Study, Memorize, and Meditate! It is so important to remember that Jesus is the Living Word of God, and he can be found in the pages of the Written Word. There is not enough time here today to explain why the Bible is trustworthy. Suffice it to say that based on man’s careful research the Scriptures have the best reliability of any book in history. Add to this the component of faith and people’s experience of God through the Word of God, the Scriptures again stand alone life-giving and trustworthy.
One of my favourite Old Testament passages is Joshua 1:8 - Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Another passage is Psalm 119 where we find numerous verses supporting the pursuit of God’s Word. In the New Testament there is the passage of the Berean believers searching out the Scriptures to make sure Paul’s preaching was legit (Acts 17:10).
Bible study takes time and energy, and we must learn how to be intentional in our approach to the Bible. Methods of Bible are important to understand and this morning I want to present two approaches. Method comes the two Greek words joining together: meta which means with and odos which means road or way. In other words, we are on the way or the road of learning how to study.
Deductive Study:
· approaches the Bible with a stated idea and then moves to affirm the idea through the Scriptures. A deductive student starts with a proposition (“truth”) and then examines all evidence to see if it really proves true. This is like studying the Bible from the top down.
· This form of Bible study is ok but can lead to tunnel vision. It is great to study grace or love or holiness. And many of us do this on a regular basis. We read books on this or that topic. We listen to teachings. The challenge of too much deductive reasoning or study is that it can lead to an unhealthy bias on said topics.
· This is what happened to the Pharisees and Sadducees and the Teachers of the Law. However, this also happens in our day and age where good meaning Christian people go off on tangents, supporting this or that doctrine. This often creates debate that leads to division.
Inductive Study:
· Inductive study is a more bottom-up approach where one begins by asking and examining the Scriptures and then move up to formulate more general propositions and conclusions. This involves beginning with a blank canvas, an unmarked Bible, and then asking the right questions.
· While usually more rewarding, inductive study often involves much more effort than deductive because the inductive student must constantly compare, evaluate, and associate things together and think in order to formulate conclusions. In deductive study one’s has already preconceived conclusions. When you study Scripture inductively, you have to think! The intensive cognitive component to inductive study discourages many would-be students from mastering this method. But be encouraged! After you practice a while, you’ll find it much easier.
· Here is a caution in the arena of inductive study. It is important to note that scientific discovery is based on this method of research - the examination of how the parts relate to the whole. This form of study begins with the puzzle pieces and attempts to put the puzzle together. However, in the science world we now see many sliding over into deductive reasoning and becoming more rigid.
The solution to reigning in our own Pharisaical traditions is in the inductive study of Scripture. Instead of coming to the Bible to prove a truth we think we know, we come to Scripture to examine it carefully and see what it teaches us to do. Do you see the difference?
Inductive Study Method
Inductive study asks lots of questions. I love how Jesus interacted with the crowds and his disciples, as least I think I do. He made them think! He asked questions. He spoke in parables. He interrogated and quizzed and cross examined his followers. We must learn to ask many questions of God’s word in order to draw out the meaning. We must learn to ask and observe over and over again.
1. Observation: What does the text say?
· Ask the questions…
· Literature? Historical context? Who? What? When? Where? WHY!!! Structure. And the questions can go on and on.
· What does the text say?
2. Interpretation (exegesis): What did the text mean when it was written?
· Interpretation builds upon great observation.
· Author and original hearers. Historical background is needed.
· Why is this communicated to the original hearers?
3. Application (hermeneutics): How does this passage or book apply to us today?
· How do I apply what I have learned to my present day?
· Is there something I need to learn? Is there something I need to change?
· Prayerfully apply this today.
In Conclusion
I was pondering the idea of schooling during my prep for today’s message. I was thinking what kind of schools I would like to attend spiritually speaking. I would attend the School of the Holy Spirit and the School of the Bible. Then I thought about the School of Worship, and the School of Evangelism. I could go on to prayer or prophecy and others. This morning I am thinking about the School of the Bible.
As followers of Jesus it is important to take hold of the Scriptures in a healthy and fruitful way in our lives. Disciples are learners. Learners are students. And students study, ask questions, interact with the teacher and the text. Let’s commit ourselves again to God and his Word. It is life to you and me.
Let’s pray