Hendricks book titled Living
by the book, equips those who want to read the bible more effectively with
strategies aimed at the main goal of Life change
Hendricks stresses that bible study requires a stringent
method, with the goal of consistent personal encounters with God through the
process of observation, interpretation and application.[1]
According to Hendricks observation is not naturally
intuitive but requires intentional development. The first step in observation
is to answer the question “What do I see?” In order to answer that question, the
student is to begin with looking for terms, people involved, cause-effect
relationships, define the terms, notice the location, then relate the verse
itself to the entire book. In a very practical fashion, the author address
barriers like insufficient reading skills, and outline ten strategies to
first-rate reading. Hendricks instructs us to read thoughtfully repeatedly,
patiently, selectively, prayerfully, imaginatively, meditatively, purposefully,
acquisitively and telescopically. This section of the book was incredibly
helpful as it offered the student ten distinct directions they can take in
order to be able to more effectively encounter God in scripture.
Next, the author provides the reader with six things to look
for within the text being studied. These are: things that are emphasized,
repeated, related, alike, unalike and true to life. Particularly helpful,
though, are the examples given and the practicum sections where the reader is
encouraged to experiment with the method being presented. The final section within observation relates
to how the student can handle the vast amount of data that they have just collected
through graphing or chart their results.
The second step in the effective method of bible study as
defined by the author is interpretation. Put another way, it is the answer to
the second question, “Do you understand what you are reading?”[2]
Interpretation is a critical part of bible study because there are huge
barriers that exist due to time, location, communication, literary, translation
and culture that we need to address in order to be certain that our
understanding of scripture is as accurate as possible. It is altogether too easy
to misinterpret the bible, so the admonition to be careful, thorough and
responsible is a warning to be taken seriously. The keys to careful
interpretation are to deeply understand what kind of literature you are
reading, whether it is narrative, biographical, parable, poetry, wisdom, or
prophecy. The second key is to study content, then context, followed by
comparison, culture, consultation, using tools like concordances, and walking
through figurative literature.
The final of the three keys to effective bible study is
application. This step is the differentiating step between knowing and doing. It
is answer to the question of whether we will live what we are reading. Failure
to apply scripture is common, and dangerous. In fact, the author admonishes us
to avoid substituting things like interpretation, rationalization or emotions
for application. Really, there is no
substitute for application, because applying God’s word to our lives will
transform us.[3]
Application leads to conviction in our hearts and ultimately a change of
desires produced by the power of the Holy Spirit.[4]
Next, God begins to convince us of his ability, availability, intentions and provision. As we are convinced of God’s character, we
begin to change into the person God intends us to be.[5]
