06/18/2026
Week Five: Bible Study Methods
Day 5: Reflect also known as Interpret—What does this mean?
Once we’ve gathered information, it is time to consider its meaning. While there are many applications to the Word of God, there is generally one meaning to what the Word of God is saying. Many people try to make the Word of God mystical as if cannot be understood, but most of the Word of God means what it says. There are some places where figurative language and poetry are used, but most of the time they are described as so or at least are very apparently so. For instance, in Isaiah, he calls us clay and God a potter. “But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.” (Isaiah 64:8) We are not clay, so this is figurative language. It speaks of God the Father being our Creator and being able to be molded into what He wants. More often than not, though, the Word of God means exactly what it says. We can take it at face value.
Many people read the opening chapters of the Bible and stick figurative language where there is none to fit their narrative. It is important that we study to show ourselves approved unto God (Hebrews 4:12). Never take any individual verse at face value. Scripture will back up Scripture. In fact, the Word of God should be our number one commentary meaning before we go to man’s word, we should look up other verses to help us understand a verse when we are having trouble. Those other verses are called cross references.
As an example, the past three weeks our memory verses have been on the Word of God. These verses all help support the other verses. They are considered cross references (x-references).
Cross references help us know that we have the right idea about Scripture—that we are coming up with what God’s meaning not our own. Unfortunately, much false doctrine is based off one Scripture alone and turns many hearts away from the truth of the Word.
So, how will you know if you have interpreted the Scriptures correctly or not? The Holy Spirit of God. “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” (John 13) Remember, He is our teacher (John 14:26). If we go into the Word, however, believing we know what something means, we will never hear Him. It is important that we yield to His teaching. Something else you should know is that the Holy Spirit doesn’t teach us things that we aren’t ready to know yet. So, we must be mindful of where we are reading and how we are feeling about it.
I remember when I first started reading my Bible on my own without “having to read it” for a class of some sort. I chose Daniel for no other reason than I heard of Daniel and my name is based off his name. So, I started reading and I thought it was so good until I got to Chapter 7 and I had no understanding. I can’t explain the still small voice, but God gently told me to read Genesis instead and I did. If I would’ve continued to read in Daniel, I may’ve been turned off from the Word of God because I wasn’t ready for that meat yet. So, be very sensitive to the Holy Spirit in your reading. Don’t dwell on things that you don’t understand. Keep reading and keep studying, but when you have no understanding, it is okay to move on. Of course, you do have a mentor and you could ask questions as well. There is no harm in asking questions.
We will not have a lot of understanding at first. This is why reading is so important. The more that we read, the more we know and can begin to see how things fit together. However, interpreting the Scripture is a lengthy process because we have to look at the time difference, cultural differences, and even the testament differences when understanding the Word of God. This will not happen overnight. It will likely not even happen through the first year of this study, but you will be closer if you don’t give up, and the best news is that no matter how long you study the Bible, there is more to learn. So, you never have to feel like you are behind.
Some key things that you must keep in mind when interpreting Scripture are:
1) Time matters. When going through a book of the Bible or if you want to know the meaning of a Scripture, you must know the time frame that it was written in because it matters. There are historical and cultural connotations that will change the meaning if it was in a different time or culture, especially ours today. A study Bible could help with this. Often, they have an overview at the beginning of a book in your Bible and that is helpful in knowing the time frame, who wrote the book, key events, key people, and the general historical significance of the book. You can also find overviews online but be careful to never just take one source. Always search for multiple sources to make sure that they align. Before long you will find sources that you trust and value. I use e-sword, a free app available for your computer and phone (phone app might cost money). In this app, I have downloaded many free resources that are helpful to my study, including Biblical maps and books by strong Christian writers.
2) Context is key. Even when only studying one verse or passage, do your best to read the surrounding passage to get the best understanding of what you are reading. Without context, it is easy to twist Scripture. I remember one time a young man asked me if Proverbs 9:17 meant what it said. He was taking that one Scripture and couldn’t believe that it was in the Bible. This verse states, “Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” (Proverbs 9:17) Taking that verse alone it sounds like it is good to steal and lie, but we know that is contrary to who God is, so we must look at the surrounding passage to see what God is really saying.
3) Old Testament and New Testament have great differences. Most of the Old Testament is not written to us (we in this church age under the new covenant of grace) but still contains vital information to the faith and to history as a whole. The Old Testament also has much that we can apply to our lives today. Please see the index for a quick reference guide that you can use to understand the different type of writing in the Bible and how the Old Testament differs from the New Testament. It will be a help to you as you begin and help you make some sense of what you are reading/studying.
