Tag Archives: Bible Stuff

Bible Stuff: Look At Your Fish!

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Today I am going to perform an exercise I learned from a class called Exegetical Studies. Exegesis is a fancy, scary word that means to find the meaning in a passage or portion of a text, especially the Bible.

The exercise does not in anyway full encompass the proper exegeting of scripture, but it is a good start. My professor, Pastor, and hero Dr. George W. Westlake introduced me to the concept he called “Look at Your Fish!” taken from a story by Samuel H. Scudder, and American entomologist who studied under zoologist Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz . In a nutshell Professor Agassiz forces his students to make observations about a fish in a jar, for days and days.

My Professor Westlake urged us to start our studies by making observations about the text itself. Not based on other supporting scripture. Not personal experience, but really digging in and writing out every single detail that the verse communicated with no outside influence.

It was the first step in a process that resulted in a greater understanding of how to study and pull the truest meaning from Biblical scripture. I hope you enjoy my little experiment and will give it a shot on one of your favorite verse… and just when you think you’re done… “Look at your fish!”

For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.
Psalm 33:4-5 NIV

Here we go:

  • The word is the Lord’s.
  • The Lord’s word is right.
  • It is also true.
  • The Lord’s word is not wrong. It is not a lie.
  • It’s not just right. It’s right and true.
  • The Lord is faithful.
  • The Lord does not stop what he is doing halfway.
  • Everything the Lord is doing is dependable.
  • The Lord does a lot of things. All done faithfully.
  • The word of the Lord is dependable because He is dependable.
  • His word is supported by his actions.
  • The rightness and trueness of his word is due to the faithfulness in all he does.
  • If he were not faithful, his word would be wrong and a lie.
  • The Lord loves righteousness.
  • He loves rightness.
  • He loves justice.
  • He loves just-ness.
  • He does not love wrongness.
  • He loves them together.
  • The earth is full of his unfailing love.
  • His love does not fail.
  • The Lord does things. He is active.
  • He Lord’s love fills the earth. Fills is the verb.
  • His love fills. An action. Therefore a faithful action since he is faithful in all he does.
  • The love of the lord is unfailing // faithful.
  • The opposite of faithful would be failure here.
  • The word of the Lord is right and true – as is apparent from his faithfulness
  • He loves rightness and just-ness – as is apparent from an earth full of unfailing love.
  • His faithful actions prove his word is right and true.
  • His unfailing love proves he loves rightness and just-ness.

Now try it with your favorite verse or better yet a verse you are unfamiliar with. Pull as many truths from the text as possible. See what “Looking at the Fish” can do for your bible study.

Read the next entry in this series on studying the Bible: A Text Without A Context is a Pretext

Bible Stuff: Worshiping in Spirit and in Truth

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God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” John 4:24 NIV

These are words spoken by Jesus to the famous Samaritan Woman at the Well. Jesus was more or less on the run from the Pharisees on his way back to Galilee. Jesus and his Disciples traveled through Samaria and through the city of Sychar. Jesus, tired from his journey has a seat near the well at around noon.

Jesus was alone. His disciples had gone to get food. A Samaritan woman came to get some water, at noon. This is apparently not the time women get their water. She was an outcast. Not only because she was Samaritan and the Jews considered Samaritans half-breeds, idol worshipers and false-Jews. She was an outcast even among her own people. Jesus later tells her why. Because she has been with five husbands and is living with a man who is not her husband at all. I love that Jesus, though acknowledges her sin, seems to be thrilled that she told the truth about it. “You are right when you say you have no husband,” he says, and ends with, “What you have said is quite true.” Continue reading →

Bible Stuff: God Cannot Be Mocked?

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Today’s Verse

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh,from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Galatians 6:7-8 (NIV)

God Cannot Be Mocked?

The first part of Galatians 6:7  sounds so hard and mighty. I can’t read it without hearing a thundering preacher in my head. “GOD CANNOT BE MOCKED!” Then the voice trails off with threats about how God will destroy us all or something just as horrible. Out of context this seems like a lie. God can be mocked. So I had to address this issue first, for my own sake if anything. Continue reading →

Bible Stuff – We’re Not Meant To Judge Others

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Read 2 Corinthians 5:16 below. I’ve included various versions. Read them all if you like. They all say pretty much the same thing, but reading them all gives you a better understanding of the original text since each is translated in a slightly different way. I actually encourage you to read the entire chapter. It’s easier to understand a single verse when you know the context.

16 Therefore from now on we recognize no one [f]according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. (NASB)

16 So from now on we don’t look at anyone the way the world does. At one time we looked at Christ in that way. But we don’t anymore. (NIRV)

16 We are careful not to judge people by what they seem to be, though we once judged Christ in that way. (CEV)

16 Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. (NKJV)

Chapter 16 starts out by talking about the human body.

Basically defining it as a tent that we live in while we’re on earth. It’s a home that we will one day leave for our eternal home. Our bodies keep us from eternity for now, but in the mean time it is also tool God has given us to please Him and we will one day be judged for the deeds that body does, good or bad.

So our bodies are apparently in existence to help our Spirit get things done. In a way the text is minimizing the importance and usefulness of the body (can be destroyed, keeps us from Heaven) but then points out it’s usefulness in obeying and pleasing God.

Our bodies are how we outwardly express our devotion to God and God’s devotion to others. How many of us think of our bodies in that way? I just think about how fat my body is most of the time. It’s how I enjoy my movies, video games. It’s how I drive around, hug my kids, type out blog posts. But although our bodies are limited, in usefulness and duration, we are to use it in ways that will be judged as good. Just like anything God has given us, we are accountable to Him for how we’ve made use of it. Boy am I in trouble. I have a lot of explaining to do for what was going on between ages 14 and 16.  Continue reading →

Thoughts On Amos Chapter 5:14-15, Part 2

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amos

This is a continuation of commentary on Amos 5:14-15. So read the first part first. This is the second part.

“Choose good instead of evil! See that justice is done.”

Good and evil. I immediately think of the evil villain tying the damsel to the railroad tracks. A few thoughts later and I’m thinking of those who kidnap, those traffic human beings, those who murder, steal and those who judge others. There are also the evils of child abuse, spouse abuse, self-abuse through the use of drugs and excess alcohol, gossiping, and countless others. Followers of Christ enjoy a little perk we call grace. Since early Christianity we have rested easy knowing that our sins are forgiven and our place in heaven is secure. And though that place is secure, we must not take advantage of that grace. Continue reading →

Thoughts On Amos Chapter 5:14-15, Part 1

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amos

Amos 5:14-15 
If you really want to live, you must stop doing wrong and start doing right.
I, the Lord God All-Powerful, will then be on your side, just as you claim I am.
Choose good instead of evil! See that justice is done.
Maybe I, the Lord All-Powerful, will be kind to what’s left of your people.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Skip this first paragraph

I am no bible scholar… but I do think hard about the biblical text that I read. I try to see it in it’s original context. That means that I try to understand what it meant to the people it was written to in the time period it was written. This is complicated exponentially by the fact that I know very little about the people or time period in question. So rather than claiming to know the exact original context, I will simply claim one thing: Continue reading →