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There is a basic three-step approach to studying the Bible:
(1) Observation focuses on the question, What does it
say? Here we assume the role of investigator, no clue or detail is trivial while
observing the text.
(2) Interpretation deals with the question, What does
it mean? Here our quest is to comprehend the author's meaning.
(3) Application answers the question, What must I do?
Here we determine to understand the Bible so that our lives may be transformed
by its truth.
These three steps stand alone, yet may sometimes overlap.
Observation is essential because it forces us to learn what a passage is
saying in order to understand what it means. Observation may be defined as
taking notice of things the way they actually are. Observing is noticing.
Observation moves from analysis, looking at the details, to synthesis,
looking at the big picture.
Analysis
Noticing the Details
Asking Significant Questions
Who are the people involved? Identify who is in the passage, what is said
about them, and what they say. For example, in Acts 1:8 we read, "But you
shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My
witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the
remotest part of the earth." The context tells us that the word you refers
to the apostles (v. 2). We also observe that this verse is answering a question
the apostles had asked Jesus. As we recreate in our minds who the disciples are,
we learn that they are people who have heard Jesus' teaching, seen His miracles,
were chosen by Jesus and were anxious about His kingdom. At this point, we might
want to consult other passages to learn everything we can about the relationship
between Jesus and His disciples.
What is happening? What are the events? In what order? What happens to
the characters? What is the argument? What is the point? What is the writing
communicating? For example, we observe that Acts 1:8 is part of an answer Jesus
was giving to the apostles' question, "is it at this time You are restoring
the kingdom to Israel?" (v. 6). We notice that Jesus' answer is part of a
dialogue in which the disciples are asking questions and Jesus is answering
them.
Where is it taking place? Where are the people going? Coming from? What
is the geography? Are we studying a journey? Consulting maps and Bible atlases
will be helpful here. For example, Acts 1:8 takes place in Jerusalem. This is
where the apostles are to begin as witnesses of Christ. One thing we can observe
about Jerusalem is that this is where the crucifixion took place and the
apostles are known there. So a hostile environment is to be the starting point
as Christ's witnesses.
When is it taking place? When did the events occur in relation to other
events? When was the writer writing about this? For example, we observe that the
apostles' question and Jesus' answer in Acts 1:8 is in the context of Jesus'
ascension (vv. 9-11). Jesus' answer, then, is His last words to His disciples
before He ascends to heaven. Jesus, in effect, gives His disciples their
marching orders and immediately leaves. Suddenly the apostles' ministry begins.
Why is this here? Why is this included? Why does it follow what it
follows? Why does it precede what it precedes? Why does this person say what he
says? Why? ("Why?" is an observation question when the answer is
stated in the text. Otherwise "Why?" would be interpretation.) For
example, why is the Holy Spirit mentioned here? His coming describes the time
the apostles would receive power because they initiated the conversation with a
time question (v. 6).
Noticing
Significant Terms
Is anything emphasized? The amount of space used, a stated purpose given,
order of material and movement from lesser to greater, and vice versa indicate
emphasis. For example, in Acts 1:8 Jesus emphasizes the places the apostles
would be His witnesses by the order in which He puts them "Jerusalem,
Judea, Samaria, even to the remotest part of the earth."
Is anything repeated? For example, the word you is repeated three times
in Acts 1:8. The repetition of you raises the question, Who are these people?
Is anything contrasted? Contrast indicates a change in direction. For
example, in Acts 1:8 the word "but" forces us to go back to the
preceding context (vv. 1-7) to discover the reason for the change in direction
with verse 8 and following.
Is anything compared? Comparison is the association of like things. For
example, Acts 1:8 compares the power the apostles need to be Jesus' witnesses
with the coming of the Holy Spirit upon them.
Is anything related? Is there movement from the general to the specific?
Questions and answers? Cause and effect? For example, Jesus says the apostles
are going to receive powerthat¹s the cause. The effect is that they are going
to be something, namely, "witnesses." It is power and then witnesses,
not vice versa.
Synthesis
Noticing the Big Picture
The next step in observation is to catalog and summarize what we have noticed.
Here we ask and answer the question, How does this tie together?
Pay attention to the immediate context. Always consult the neighbors of
the passage to find out what the broader context is. We have already seen the
importance of context in our observations from Acts 1:8.
Evaluate the passage in light of the whole book. For instance, we have
noticed that the apostles are to be Christ's witnesses "in Jerusalem,
and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."
When we study the book of Acts, we discover that they did start out in Jerusalem
(Acts 2), then Peter and John went to Judea and Samaria (Acts 8:14), and Peter
went to the Gentiles, beginning with Cornelius (Acts 10). As we fit these
observations together, we discover that Acts 1:8 can serve as an outline for the
book of Acts.
Review the historical context of the book. Where does this fit
historically? When was it written? What is happening elsewhere in the world at
that time? Where does this book fit in the flow of the Bible? Is it before,
during, or after Christ? For instance, Acts covers 30 years of history after
Christ, as it chronicles the expansion of the church from Jerusalem into the
inhabited world. Rome, as the world power, is prominent throughout the book.
Tensions mount between Jews and Rome, culminating in Rome's destruction of
Jerusalem in AD 70. These facts are significant to the commission to go into all
the world.
Summarize your observations. We can label our observations and/or place
them under different headings that group them together. For instance, at least
two of our observations from Acts 1:8 could be labeled "future"
("you shall receive power you shall be My witnesses") and grouped
under that heading.
We can also use grid charts to summarize our material in a manageable way. For
instance, Acts 1:8 provides a four-part outline using Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria,
and the remotest pat of the earth as headings. Under each heading we could study
the progress, occasion, and result of the Apostles' witness in each region
throughout the book of Acts.
Jerusalem
Judea
Samaria
Earth
Questions and Answers
Q: What is the value of observation?
A: It is the only way to discover what a passage is saying in order to
understand what it means.
Q: How do we observe a passage?
A: Observation begins by analysis, noticing the details (Who? What? When?
Where? Why?). Then synthesis, noticing the big picture.
Q: What do we do with our observations?
A: We use them for the next phase of study: interpretation.
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*Some of the material in this short topic comes from the book "Living by
the Book" by Howard and William Hendricks (Chicago: Moody Press, 1991). I
highly recommend this book for the study of this subject.
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