Knowable Word

Helping ordinary people learn to study the Bible

Copyright © 2012–2025 DiscipleMakers, except guest articles (copyright author). Used by permission.

Make Your Bible Application Stick

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Steve Buissinne (2015), public domain

How often do Christians interact with the Bible? Forget the inspirational bookmarks and proof texts—let’s count substantial encounters.

For Christians who regularly attend church, belong to a Bible study, and maintain a personal devotional life, they consult the Bible 5–10 times each week.

Now the uncomfortable question: How many of those encounters with Scripture produce lasting change?

You don’t need an advanced degree to see that the lives of Christians—our lives—rarely carry the fragrance of Christ (2 Cor 2:15). If the Bible has as much power as it claims, why is this?

Why We Resist Change

Any significant time in the Bible should involve application.

But application is hard! Much as we don’t like to admit it, we’re fond of our sin. We have the powerful Spirit of God within us, but the flesh is formidable. The world and the devil also sling their arrows, leaving us battle-weary most days.

We’re also ignorant of our sin at times. We have serious blind spots, and we need the help God provides through Christian community.

Further, we lack imagination to change. Sometimes we’ve been walking in a deep, muddy trench for so long we can’t envision life in the nearby meadow. We can’t picture ourselves taking that risk or loving that difficult person.

Why We Must Apply the Bible

It’s tempting to study the Bible as an academic exercise. Observe the passage and interpret it carefully. Try to discern the author’s main point in writing.

But if we don’t carry on to application, we’re fools. That’s what Jesus calls us.

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” (Matthew 7:24–27)

And James says that we can know the truth and yet be deceived if we don’t apply it.

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. (James 1:22–25)

We show our love for Jesus by keeping his commandments (John 14:15). And God sent the Spirit to be our Helper in this effort (John 14:16–17). We must apply the Bible.

How to Apply the Bible

We have many articles at Knowable Word on applying the Bible. Here, I’ll mention four strategies to help your application stick.

Be specific. Peter has written about this in detail, but it’s worth repeating. Vague goals and resolutions won’t take you far. If you want to produce real change, list the necessary steps and make your progress measurable.

Be realistic. Your goals should stretch you, but consider your starting place when you set them. Aiming for a four-minute mile isn’t the wisest approach, especially for the out-of-shape father with angry knees.

Enlist help. We need community to apply the Bible. Tell your friends what God is teaching you and how he is leading you to change. Ask them for counsel. Ask them to pray, and encourage them to follow up.

Remember Jesus. The biggest need you have in applying the Bible is not self-control. It isn’t discipline or accountability or time. It’s Jesus. He welcomes all who come to him, whether for the first time or the ten thousandth. Stand as a child of God on the finished work of Christ, and apply the Bible with confidence in his love for you.

Originally published in 2017

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Your Buying Guide for Bible Study Resources: Updated for 2024

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If you’re in the market for gifts to encourage Bible study, here are our top recommendations. We’ve reviewed most of these products on this site at many times and in many ways, but here they are in one place for you.

Bibles

readers-bible-6-volumeYou can’t beat a good Bible. Our top recommendation is to get yourself or someone you love one of the best editions of the Bible to hit the western world: the ESV Reader’s Bible, 6 Volume Set.

Our first review. Second review.

Get it at Amazon | Westminster

And while we use the ESV translation more than any other, we must mention that the 4-volume NIV Sola Scriptura Bible Project has perhaps the most innovative layout and presentation of the Scriptures, which make it a sheer delight to read.

ESV Reader's BibleIf 6 volumes seem too much to you, the single volume ESV Reader’s Bible is still well worth picking up.

Our review

Cloth over board: Get it at Amazon | Westminster

Reader’s Bibles are arriving with increasing frequency in other translations as well. See our reviews of the CSB, NIV one-volume, NIV 4-volume, and ESV Gospels. They’re even starting to come out with editions for kids.

And for something completely different, consider getting an entire book of the New Testament on a single page spread, with the ESV Panorama New Testament.

Chronological Bible

The ESV Chronological Bible is worth your attention. It’s not what you want for deep study, but it’s wonderful for extended reading or reference. Here is our review. Get it at Amazon | Westminster

Study Bibles

There are so many options. See our buying guide for recommendations about which ones succeed at promoting OIA Bible study.

Markup Bibles

For something you can write in with greater ease, see our recommendations. Also consider large print and journaling Bibles. Or Scripture journals. If you prefer more space between lines of text, see the Inductive Version of the Journaling New Testament.

Journibles

If you or a loved one like the idea of copying out the Scriptures by hand, you might want to consider a Journible.

Audio Bibles

The Dwell app for mobile devices is a remarkable tool designed completely for listening to the Bible. NIV Live is a terrific dramatized audio Bible.

Bible Study

For a snapshot of the OIA process, see this blog post.

For a little more explanation of the principles, see our free booklet.

To go even further, with lots of illustrations, examples to follow, and exercises to practice, see One-to-One Bible Reading or Peter’s book Knowable Word (now revised and expanded).

If you’re familiar with the OIA model, and you’d like to hone your skills to perfection, consider getting Methodical Bible Study by Robert Traina. This book is dry and doesn’t tell many stories. But it delves the depths of the model like nothing else.

Leading

If you’d like to grow as a Bible study leader see Peter’s book Sowable Word or Colin Marshall’s terrific book Growth Groups.

Commentaries

See our page with recommended commentaries that promote OIA Bible study skills. We don’t have recommendations for every Bible book yet, but we update this page as we come across helpful volumes.

Beginners

Great places for beginners to start in gaining familiarity with the Bible’s layout and message are The Beginner’s Guide to the Bible (see Peter’s review), The Visual Theology Guide to the Bible (see Ryan’s review), and The Visual Word (see Ryan’s review).

Software

Peter still happily recommends Logos Bible Software, as it has drastically improved the speed and quality of his Bible study. See his reviews of Logos 7, Logos 8, and Logos 9 for details. Logos is now more affordable than ever through subscriptions (see Peter’s review of this latest development). Here is a link for a 30-day trial.

While Logos is remarkable with its reference libraries and powerful features, it’s not for everyone. If you are more interested in slimmer, free software, you may want to check out E-Sword or STEP Bible.

Children’s Resources

The best thing you and your church can do for your children is to buy them a Bible and teach them to use it. In my household, that means we buy ESV pew Bibles (the cheapest we can find) almost by the case. These things will get beat up and need to be replaced often, so there’s no use in getting the authentic-porpoise-leather-imported-from-Mars-heirloom-editions just yet.

When children are first learning to read, it may be helpful to give them the NIrV. This builds their confidence in reading the very words of God in their own language. Remember, the story Bibles are good, but God’s undiluted word is even better.

And before dipping into the supplemental resources below, perhaps you’d consider printing out a few simple devotional pages for your kids, so they can explore the Scriptures for themselves before hearing what others have to say about the Scriptures.

Ages 0-2

The Big Picture Story Bible – A marvelous overview of the Bible’s rich storyline: The people of God under the rule of God in the place God gives. Get it at Amazon | Westminster

Read Aloud Bible Stories – Brief Bible stories that draw in young children, letting the children know these are their stories. Get it at Amazon.

Ages 3-5

The Gospel Story Bible – Retellings of 156 Bible stories, synchronized with the Gospel Story for Kids curriculum, and devotionals Long Story Short and Old Story New. The best part of these stories are that much use is made in the retelling of the actual text of Scripture. Get it at Amazon | Westminster

God’s BIG Promises Bible Storybook – Traces 5 major promises through the Bible from beginning to end. Great to read aloud to preschoolers, or to have young elementary students read themselves. See our review. Get it at Amazon | Westminster

The Jesus Storybook Bible – Gripping gospel focus, though it sometimes seems to suggest that Bible stories are not meant to serve as examples (contrast with 1 Cor 10:6, 11, etc.). Get it at Amazon | Westminster

Ages 5-7

Mark’s Marvellous Book – I still hope this becomes more of a trend: A children’s story Bible that follows the shape and themes of a book of the Bible (rather than cherry-picking certain stories, ignoring the fact that they were written to an audience in a context). See my review. Get it at Amazon.

God’s Daring Dozen – Similar to Mark’s Marvellous Book, these short volumes each follow the shape and theme of a book of the Bible. These sets work through the twelve minor prophets, from Hosea to Malachi. And they are simply extraordinary. See my review. Get box 1 (Amazon | Westminster), box 2 (Amazon | Westminster), or BRAND NEW box 3 (Amazon).

The Big Picture Story Bible – A marvelous overview of the Bible’s rich storyline: The people of God under the rule of God in the place God gives. Read this to your kids at ages 0-2; then have them read it to themselves at ages 5-7. Get it at Amazon | Westminster

radical-book-for-kidsAges 8-14

The Radical Book for Kids – This is the kind of gift you get for your kids, but it’s also, sort of, partly, perhaps, for you. You know, like Legos, football tickets, or family room surround sound systems. It’s an engaging and delightful handbook of the Christian faith. See my review. Get it at Amazon | Westminster

The Really Radical Book for Kids – Just as wonderfully radical as the first one, only really so. See my review. Get it at Amazon | Westminster. Or get a deal on both Radical books at Westminster.

Or perhaps you’d like to consider getting them their own beginner reader’s Bible.

Family Devotions

I highly recommend the series of devotionals by Marty Machowski. These volumes don’t merely communicate Christian truth, as important as that is; they train children to study the Bible and find that truth for themselves. In addition, the “daily” family devotions take only 5 days/week, and they truly take only 10 minutes per day. The payoff is high, but the price of entry is low. This makes it more likely you’ll be able to stay consistent with them. Every volume in this series has the same high quality; each also has the same basic structure for each day’s devotion. See my review.

Happy gift shopping!

Disclaimer: Links in this post to Amazon, Westminster, and Logos are affiliate links, which means this blog receives a small commission when you click those links. Doing this helps us to cover our costs, enabling us to continue recommending decent resources. Thank you.

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When Biases Drive Your Interpretation of the Bible

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Stephen Kneale has a brief but provocative piece on “Three ways we might find our biases driving our biblical interpretation.” Of course, I don’t ever think I bring my biases to the study. But shouldn’t I take note when the fruit of my study matches one of Kneale’s signs?

  1. The Bible always agrees with you
  2. The Bible always affirms your politics
  3. You cannot fathom why Christians in different contexts do things differently

This is worth your time to consider.

Check it out!

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Announcing our 10th Annual Bible Reading Challenge

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We believe one of the best ways to learn to study the Bible is to read it. A lot of it. Over and over again. That way, when the foundations are destroyed, the righteous will know what to do. When the wicked bend the bow, the children of God hide in the one who is their refuge. When surrounded by those who have lost their minds, the people of God have sure footing and a stabilizing security.

If you’re not sure what I mean by all these foundations/bow/sure footing metaphors, then maybe this is your year to read the entire Bible in 90 days. Objective truth and emotional stability are yours for the taking. Not by toughening yourself up (Prov 18:11, 26:12), but by perceiving who really sits on throne (Psalm 11:1-7, Matt 6:19-21). You’ll only see, though, if you’ve got the eyes for it.

But I digress and perhaps ought to get to the point.

The Challenge

I’m writing to announce our 10th annual Bible reading challenge. The challenge is to read the entire Bible within 90 days. If you wish, you may begin today. Regardless of when you begin, your 90-day period must end no later than March 31, 2025. Once you complete your reading, you may submit an entry form (see below) to enter a prize drawing.

And why—you ask—would you embark on such a strange venture? (“Has the day finally come,” they inquire, “when the Lord has struck with madness the riders of this horse we call the blogosphere?” Zech 12:4) I can think of at least three reasons.

  1. Your grasp of the Bible’s big picture will surge like a second wind for Ahimaaz (2 Samuel 18:19-28).
  2. Your reward in heaven will be great.
  3. We’ve got a sweet set of prizes to urge you on in the present age.

Because this is our 10th annual reading challenge, we’re blowing things up this year. There are not one but two grand prizes. And for every 10 people who complete this year’s challenge, there will be an additional prize package. On top of all that, we will grant extra entries into the drawing for anyone who recruits first-timers to complete the challenge with them.

Grand Prizes

The first grand prize is a 12-month pro-level subscription to Logos Bible Software. Logos has been the most requested grand prize for this year’s challenge, and due to the generosity of Faithlife (makers of Logos), your faith has become sight. Just this year, Logos has shifted to a subscription model. So one winner of our drawing will be gifted a 12-month subscription at the Pro level, which includes a library of over 500 books, along with tools for note-taking, counseling, preaching, marking up the text, making presentations, and access to five free mobile ed courses each quarter of the year. Find my review of the new subscription-based Logos here.

The second grand prize is a premium book rebinding provided by Pro Libris Rebinding. The winner of this prize is invited to take their favorite Bible, novel, or other book, send it to Pro Libris, and have it re-bound with a premium leather cover and binding. Or if you can’t decide which book of your own to get rebound, we will provide you with a free copy of a one-volume reader’s Bible of your choice, and Pro Libris will give it the premium treatment. You can view a sample of Pro Libris’s work at their Facebook and Instagram pages.

We want you to read and re-read God’s word for years to come, so we’re offering these prizes to catalyze a habit of such delightful romps.

Additional Prizes

But wait, there’s more! In addition to the two grand prizes, we will offer one additional prize for every 10 people who complete this year’s Bible reading challenge. That means that if only 10 people complete the challenge, two of them will win the grand prizes, and one will get an additional prize. If 100 people complete the challenge, two will win grand prizes, and ten will secure an additional prize.

So your odds of winning a prize this year could be greater than 10%. Can you find any other giveaway on the Internet with such great odds of winning? And though the physical discipline and training of reading the Bible in 90 days is of some value, the character and godliness which it instills in you holds promise not only for the present life but also for the life to come.

Everyone selected to win an additional prize will get to choose one of the following options:

  1. A one-volume reader’s Bible of your choice.
  2. A copy of both Knowable Word and Sowable Word.

Please note: Physical prizes are limited to people with addresses in the United States. Winners in other parts of the world will receive a $50 Amazon gift card via email.

Referral Bonus

One last new spin on this year’s challenge: the referral bonus.

On the entry form for this year’s challenge, there will be a place for you to mark whether this is your first time completing the challenge. And if it is your first time, there will be a place for you to provide the name of the person who recruited you to try the challenge.

Both recruits and recruiters will benefit:

  • First-timers will gain one extra entry in the drawing for naming the person who recruited them to this year’s challenge, if that recruiter also completes this year’s challenge.
  • Anyone who completes the challenge and is mentioned by one or more first-timers who also complete the challenge will gain three extra entries in the drawing for each person they recruited to complete the challenge.

Note that both the recruit and the recruiter must complete the challenge. All recruits must be first-timers; recruiters can be either returnees or first-timers themselves.

And as usual, fake, incomplete, or spam entries will be deleted. For example, anyone who fills out the form today or tomorrow clearly hasn’t read the entire Bible within the time window, so their entries won’t count. Also, entries submitted before Bible reading has been completed will be thrown out; this drawing is only for those who read the Bible in 90 days and not for those who intend to read the Bible in 90 days.

So it will do you no good to recruit millions of people to complete the entry form without completing the actual reading challenge. God sees and knows what you are up to, and your entries will be chucked to the place where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.

Help is Available

If you’d like a checklist to help you stay on pace, here are three. You may make a copy and update the dates, if you plan to start on a date other than January 1.

  1. Canonical Order
  2. Chronological Order
  3. Hebrew OT & NIV Sola Scriptura NT Order

Or here is an iOS app that can help you track your plan. You may also want to consider making a reading plan in the Dwell listening app if you prefer audio. And perhaps you’ll want to bookmark this post so you can find the entry form once you complete the reading.

You may now begin any time, and may this be the ride of your life.

Official Rules

Here are the rules:

  1. You must read (not scan or skim) all 66 books of the Protestant Bible. You may choose the translation and reading plan (canonical, chronological, etc.). You don’t have to stop and meditate on every detail, but the Lord sees and knows when you are being honest about reading and not skimming. Listening to an unabridged audio Bible is acceptable. You may also use any combination of audio and visual reading, as long as you’ve read or listened to the entire Bible within the allotted time period.
  2. You must read the entire Bible within a 90-day period.
  3. The last day of that 90-day period must be between November 10, 2024 and March 31, 2025. If you’d like to understand why we recommend such fast-paced reading, see our Bible reading plan for readers.
  4. To enter the drawing, you must fill out the survey below, letting us know the dates you read and what you thought of the speed-reading process. Your thoughts do not have to be glowing, but they should be honest; you’ll still be entered into the drawing if you didn’t enjoy your speed-read.
  5. Any submissions to the form below that don’t meet the requirements or appear to be fabricated will be deleted. For example: multiple entries with different data, date of completion not between November 8, 2024 and March 31, 2025, “What I thought about the experience” has nothing to do with Bible reading, or date of completion is later than the date of entry submission (please don’t try to enter the drawing if you plan to read the Bible; only enter once you have completed reading it).
  6. In the first week of April 2025, we will randomly select 2 grand-prize winners from those who have submitted the form. Each will be assigned one of the grand prizes, but those two winners may swap prizes if they both agree to it.
  7. Then we will randomly select, for an additional prize package, one winner for every 10 legitimate submissions to the drawing (e.g. 50 total submissions means 5 additional prize packages).
  8. We will email all winners (both grand-prize and additional-prize) to get their shipping addresses. If a winner does not respond to our request for a shipping address within 1 week, a new winner will be selected in their place.
  9. The first grand-prize winner will receive a 12-month Pro-level subscription to Logos Bible Software.
  10. The second grand-prize winner (if in US) will receive a premium book rebinding for a Bible or book of their choice (from their personal library), or for a new one-volume reader’s Bible of their choice.
  11. Additional-prize winners (if in US) will select either a copy of both Knowable Word and Sowable Word or a one-volume reader’s Bible of their choice. (While these are not your only options, we have reviewed the following: ESV, CSB, NIV.)
  12. Any winner who does not qualify for a physical prize will receive a US $50 Amazon gift card via email.
  13. Unfortunately, though they are among the most courageous and competent people on the planet, staff members of DiscipleMakers are not eligible to win the drawing.
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Context Matters: Romans 8

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Romans 8 is one of the most beloved chapters of the New Testament, with many staggering promises and assurances for the people of God. But could it be that some of them tend to take on meanings Paul didn’t intend, when we cite them out of context?

Joshua Greever tackles 3 such verses from the chapter, employing the context of Paul’s argument to explain some familiar verses and phrases:

  • What does it mean to be “led by the Spirit” in Rom 8:14?
  • What is the “good” that “all things work together for” in Rom 8:28?
  • In what way are those loved by God “more than conquerors” (Rom 8:37), and in what way can no-one be “against us” (Rom 8:31)?

Greever’s work on these texts is worth considering and modeling how to answer such interpretive questions from a close examination of the train of thought.

Check it out!

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A Great Launching Question is Worth the Effort

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SpaceX (2016), public domain

If old shampoo commercials have taught me anything, it’s that you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

This advice isn’t just for job applicants. Your first moments with your Bible class or small group are critical as well.

A Great Way to Begin

Some teachers begin a class with a review. Others jump right into the passage.

But most skilled teachers use a softer opening. They create a transition period where people can settle, adjust, and get on the same page. Launching questions are great for this.

What is a Launching Question?

A launching question is asked at the beginning of a class or study. It launches the group toward your goal, gathering as many people on board as possible. (We’ve written about launching questions before, and Peter has provided some great examples.)

Much of the power of small groups (and smaller classes) lies in the interaction between the people. A good launching question encourages participation, showing that conversation is welcome, safe, and valued. The best questions are also linked to the topic or text of the meeting.

Common Mistakes with Launching Questions

I’ve seen and made lots of mistakes at the beginning of a Bible study. Most of these mistakes fall into four categories.

Too Heavy/Personal

Some questions ask for too much too soon. Someone who just sat down might not be ready to summarize Genesis or talk honestly about their sin. Asking a question that demands too much often results in silence, and nobody wants that!

In my small group we aim for honest conversations and personal applications of the Bible, but these discussions often happen toward the end of the study, not the beginning. I ask for more depth (both cognitively and emotionally) as the meeting progresses.

Disconnected

It’s easy to get people talking—sports, weather, or politics should do the trick. But if your interaction isn’t connected to the subsequent material, that launching question can seem like a waste.

Fill in the Blank

Some questions have only one answer. These are fine in an elementary school classroom, but in a small group they promote the illusion of interaction without the reality.

Try to craft a launching question which is open-ended and easy for everyone to answer. Instead of fill-in-the-blank questions, state the truth you’re fishing for and follow up with why or how.

Not Clear

The specific wording of a question is critical, and I’ve found that improvising doesn’t work. I encourage every teacher to write down their questions verbatim and in an easy-to-spot place in their notes.

Without a scripted beginning, my launching questions end up being too long, vague, or confusing. A clear, straightforward question is most important in those opening minutes.

An Example: Idolatry

Suppose you’re teaching on a passage which centers on idolatry. You plan to steer application toward personal and corporate idols in the church.

Let’s discuss some possible launching questions.

  • Can family be an idol? — This is a yes/no question, so by itself it won’t generate any conversation. Instead, start by defining an idol and then ask how a good thing like family could become an idol.
  • Is family a prominent idol for people in our church? — This puts some distance between the responder and the response, which encourages answers. But the flaw in this question is asking people to confess the sins of others. Because this could lead to gossip, I’d avoid this question.
  • What is an idol? — Depending on the maturity of your group, this could be a great place to start. To encourage multiple people to participate, follow up by asking for examples.
  • What is one of your personal idols? — This is too personal for a launching question. Build up to questions that call for revealing answers like this one.
  • What are some common idols in the modern church? — If your group is familiar with the definition of an idol, this is a great launching question. It isn’t personal, it gives people some detachment in their answers, and it encourages talk about general trends instead of specific people.

There are other ways to begin a study like this; drop your suggestions in the comments!

Worth the Effort

I write my launching question at the end of my study preparation. I need to know the end of the story before I take aim at the beginning. (It’s one of the hardest parts for me!)

Remember that every group and class is different, so what works for me might not work for you. If your small group shares a meal before your study, or if your class always follows a focused time of prayer, you can handle the beginning of your meeting differently.

A slam-dunk launching question won’t make up for poor study preparation. But a good question will pave the way toward a productive, fruitful discussion. It’s worth the effort!

This post was first published in 2017.

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Listen to Instruction

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Hear, my son, your father’s instruction,
And forsake not your mother’s teaching (Prov 1:8, ESV).

Having set our hope in the right person, we are now called to do the right thing in response. In verse 8, we have the first instance of one of the most repeated commands in Proverbs 1-9: the command to hear or listen. Solomon made every effort to give us a written record of his instruction, and he calls us to hear it over and over again. Will we do it? Will we listen? Will the instruction sink down deep and become a part of us? Will it make any difference in how we live our lives?

This question is important enough for him to repeat the command incessantly. Hear my instruction (Pr 1:8a). Don’t forsake your mother’s teaching (Pr 1:8b). Make your ear attentive to wisdom (Pr 2:2a). Incline your heart to understanding (Pr 2:2b). Be attentive, that you may gain insight (Pr 4:1). Hear and accept my words (Pr 4:10). Be attentive to my wisdom (Pr 5:1). And so on.

deer behind grass
Photo by Magda Ehlers on Pexels.com

Notice, too, that the word “instruction” in 1:8 connects back to Proverbs 1:2, where the first purpose of Solomon’s proverbs was to help us know wisdom and instruction. The “instruction” that he refers to is not his own personal advice, but rather the instruction of God, revealed through his Word, of which Solomon is now a representative. Solomon is not asking his audience to hear and obey every personal whim of his simply because he’s the older, more experienced one among them. He is pointing them to a greater set of instructions: those that came right from the Lord and can be applied to every detail of our lives. This conclusion flows from Prov 1:7 where fools despise the Lord’s instruction, but those who are wise fear the Lord (and thus hear his instruction).

How does this apply to us? If God has put us in positions of spiritual authority over others (as parents, elders, pastors, teachers, etc.), then we should be simultaneously confident and humble in our leadership. We can be utterly confident as representatives of the God of the universe (Josh 1:5, 2 Cor 5:20). Yet we’re also humble, knowing that our instruction does not always match God’s teaching perfectly; there’s room for us to grow, even as leaders. In other words, we must never ask for unqualified obedience on the merit of nothing more than the leadership position God gave to us. For example, “You better obey me, because I’m your father!” We must always aim to be representatives of a greater authority (the Lord himself). And, only in so far as our advice is in line with God’s revealed wisdom, ought we to expect those under us to hear and obey.

A good friend of mine modeled well such confident and humble leadership when he asked his six-year old son for suggestions on how he could be a better father. The boy’s first response was, “You’re a great Dad; I don’t think you could be better.” But later in the day, after some difficult interactions between the father and another sibling, the boy came back and said, “Dad, one way you could be a better Dad is to not get angry when we make mistakes or disobey.” My point here is not that parents should do whatever their children want them to do, but that, in a context of confident and humble authority delegated by God, a leader need not be insecure about wise feedback, even from those he leads.

Jesus himself told us that Solomon’s wise advice was not the ultimate instruction for us to heed. Solomon was a picture of the Savior to come, the man who was God and who spoke only God’s own words. In answer to those who wanted Jesus to prove himself to them, he said, “The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here” (Matt 12:42). Jesus, as God’s ultimate representative (Heb 1:1-4),repeatedly reminded people, “Truly, truly, I say to you….” As God in flesh, Jesus had no need to speak tentatively. In fact, one title for Jesus is the Word (John 1:1; Rev 19:13). Our objective in studying Proverbs is not just to listen to Solomon but, far more importantly, to make sure we are listening to Jesus.

Our default is to listen to anything but the Lord Jesus. Our own hearts whisper sweet promises of joy, fulfillment, and satisfaction in anything other than the righteousness of Jesus. The world gives apparent credibility to these promises, offering us more stuff, more pleasure, and whatever else will promise happiness. The devil prowls about seeking to destroy us, exploiting opportunities to showcase these lies and to hide from us the reality of their vicious consequences.

Thus Solomon comes back to it again and again: “Hear…listen…pay attention.” The second step on the path of wisdom is really the same as the first. We just have to keep taking it over and over again.

This post was first published in 2012.

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Context Matters: The Least of These

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Consider one of the most chilling statements Jesus ever made:

‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matt 25:45-46)

It sounds as though the way a person treats “the least of these” is—if not the cause—at least the evidence of a person’s eternal fate. But do we understand who those people are whom Jesus wishes us to feed, clothe, welcome, and visit? It prevails on us to get this right.

Kevin DeYoung recently republished a helpful piece where he examines the phrase “least of these” from the context. He looks at Jesus’ usage not only in Matt 25:45 but also Matt 25:40, along with the logical flow of Jesus’ discourse and the literary connections back to Matthew 10.

I won’t quote his conclusion here, to entice you to go and read how he arrives at it.

Check it out!

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The Fear of the Lord

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The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
Fools despise wisdom and instruction (Prov 1:7).

This verse describes the first step on the path of wisdom. We must begin by fearing the Lord. So far, so good.

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Defining the Fear of the Lord from the Text

But what does it mean to fear the Lord? Does it mean to reverence the Lord? Or does it mean to obey him? Or does it mean to be afraid of him? How should we understand the term “fear” in this verse?

The poetry here gives us a lot of help. Do you remember our brief discussion of parallelism (more here)? In this verse, we have an example of two lines that say opposite things. So, in order to help us interpret the first line, let’s look at the second line: “fools despise wisdom and instruction.” The beginning of knowledge in the first line appears to be parallel to wisdom and instruction in the second line. That much quickly makes sense.

That leaves us with fools despise contrasted with the fear of the LORD, so fearing the Lord must mean that I don’t despise wisdom or instruction!  How does that work?

Let’s consider this further. Why would a fool despise wisdom and instruction? Because he thinks he doesn’t need it. Why doesn’t he need it? Because he thinks he’s already smart enough. He doesn’t need anyone (especially the Lord) telling him what to do. He’s doing just fine on his own. As the fellow once sang, “I did it my way!”

The wise person, on the other hand, knows he isn’t wise enough yet. There’s always more room for growth, so he loves wisdom and instruction. He wants feedback. He welcomes constructive criticism. He delights in correction. Therefore he has the humility and faith to look for a true source of wisdom (which will not be himself). Ultimately, he knows that the only real source of this much-needed wisdom is God, who stores up wisdom and doles it out to the upright who walk in integrity (see Prov 2:6-7). Therefore, fearing the Lord means resting in God and trusting that he alone is wise.

The Fear of the Lord and the Gospel

We have here an example of the Good News being preached long before Jesus actually came on the scene. Solomon communicates that the most important thing to know about becoming wise, indeed the first step on the path of wisdom, is to acknowledge that you are not wise. Only the most courageous people can do such a thing. They must have nothing to prove, nothing to defend, and nothing to justify. They don’t make excuses or blame others for their own faults. They’re not touchy when conflicts arise or when relationships become awkward. These people find their security not in their own righteousness, but in the righteousness of another who died so they could have life.

Some wiseacre once quipped that Christianity is just a crutch for weak people. Others accurately responded that Christianity is actually more like a stretcher for dead people. Christians know they need all the help they can get. We’re dead meat if Jesus doesn’t rescue us. This teaching is not unique to Solomon, but is inscribed on every page of the New Testament as well. For one example, see 1 Corinthians 1:26-31:

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

If we are believers in Jesus and destined for eternal life and glory, it is not because we had something to offer God. Rather, God called and chose us because he couldn’t find any bigger fools than us! He gets more glory for having drafted us into his service, and we get wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. This is Good News.

When we hope in Jesus’ goodness, and not our own, we have taken the first step on the path of wisdom. Without this step, it is impossible to be wise. Therefore, if wisdom is a continual striving to know and do what the Bible says, the first step is to recognize that we aren’t doing it! In fact, we simply can’t do it. We need Jesus to do it for us.

This post was first published in 2012.

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When Gospel Accounts Include Different Details

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J. Warner Wallace, a cold-case homicide detective, writes about why we should expect witnesses to disagree.

There are many factors that contribute to one’s perception of an event. Physical location, past experience, familiarity with a feature of the crime scene; a witness’ physical, emotional and psychological distinctives play a role in what they see and how they communicate this testimony after the fact. No two people are alike, so no two people experience an event in precisely the same way. If you’ve got three witnesses in a murder case, expect three slightly different versions of the event. Don’t panic, that’s normal. In fact, when three different witnesses tell me the exact same thing, I start to get suspicious.

He then traces out the implications of this fact (among others) on our reading of the Bible’s four gospels.

Check it out!

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