Gaining a Feel for the Scriptures

Gaining a feel for... Over the last several years of my life, I've asked quite a number of people (military pilots, police officers, pastors, tradesman, etc.) a simple question. In its various forms it goes something like, "How long did you _________ before you gained a feel for what you do?"

Of course the answer depends upon the particular skill and as well the individual involved. Such a "feel for the subject" may be seen by some to be a rather subjective approach to the Bible but properly understood and practised, such, when developed is invaluable.

Gaining and maintaining a "feel for Scripture" must be based in fact. Such a "feel" for the material must be rooted in fact. That means that a starting place for such understanding comes from a knowledge base.

Gaining and maintaining a "feel for Scripture" must involve the Holy Spirit. Also involved is the teaching function of the Holy Spirit.

Gaining and maintaining a "feel for Scripture" must involve exposure. Some years again I received a subscription to a computer magazine. At first what I read made no sense but as I read and reread the articles I began to gain an understanding of the material. So it is with the Bible, exposure, reading and rereading with thoughtfulness is necessary.

Gaining and maintaining a "feel for Scripture" must take time. Then there is the element of time. That is to say that there it simply takes time to gain a feel for the Scriptures. Certainly with that time comes understanding. In summary then, we could say that in order to gain a feel for the Bible there must be a knowledge of the Bible, a functioning of the Holy Spirit, and those things over a period of time.

In practise. In practise what does this mean. First, it means that I become intimate with the written Word of God. That is to say that I get on a "first name basis" with the words of the Bible. It does not mean that I will have an inexhaustible understanding of the Bible. Second, this means that in the course of one's day to day service, there will come those times that something perhaps a sentence in Scripture does not set right. That does not mean that such is discounted but that it occasions a deeper look at that particular thing.

Did the Bible say what I thought it said? Sometime ago I was reading an account found in the Scriptures. Even after I had read it dozens of times over the years of my Christian life, it still on this particular day, did not sit well with my heart. Thereupon I decided to dig in a little deeper to see if there were other possible explanations and understandings. I did so and found that what has been a common experience in bringing suppositions to the story has left little room for what might be the truth and square better with other Scriptures.

Understand, that this is not an essential of faith and therefore will warrant little if any comment beyond illustrating the notion that we do well to gain a feel for what the Bible says. However, it is an example of the need for us who place such importance upon the Bible to read and reread it and to get that "feel" for the Word of God and then when some deeper "nudge" comes our way to dig in and find out if there might be another way to understand that passage.

Said another way. By the way, such a feeling (a deeper sense) for the Word is closely akin to gaining a feeling for God and His ways. The essential point is that this deeper feel for God's Word will ALWAYS square with other Scripture and thus be rooted, not in supposition, but in truth.