"The Septuagint is paramount in understanding the Hellenized
Jewish Diaspora," proclaimed the white-haired lecturer from behind a podium. I
looked to my left and right and saw a sleepy glaze cover the members of my small
group. I could almost see the unintelligible vocabulary of academia flying over
their heads.
Our church had invited a biblical studies professor to come and
give a lecture to our congregation. My small group was eager to attend and dig
deeper into Scripture. We were hungry for something beyond surface level Bible
reading, but unfortunately, we left with a lingering feeling of
discouragement.
We are all intelligent people. We are educated and we take
studying the Bible seriously. But many of the words coming out of the visiting
professor's mouth were shrouded in mystery. He spoke of original Greek and
Hebrew words like they were common knowledge. It made us feel like we were
incapable of breaching the wall to deeper study. My small group had come and
knocked, but despite this professor's best efforts, the door was not
opening.
Biblical studies can be overwhelming. Words like exegesis and
hermeneutics are tossed into the fray and it can feel like you need a seminary
degree just to stay afloat. But luckily, you don't need a Ph.D. in biblical
studies to glean meaning and application from Scripture. All you need is a Bible
and the willingness to ask the right questions. The trick is to think
inductively. If you pay attention to the details—the who, what, when, where, and
most importantly, the why—then you have all you need to let the Holy Spirit
bring the text to life. Read more
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