CHAPTER 4

READING THE INGREDIENTS

Observing the Text

HAVE YOU EVER MARVELED at how someone can see something in a passage of Scripture that you’ve read many times but never noticed yourself? It’s like the person reached up to the top shelf of the pantry cabinet and pulled down something you’ve glanced past many times but failed to see for yourself. Sometimes that can be discouraging; other times it simply makes you curious. If only you could pull out the same ingredient, you could make your own gourmet meal. Just as a knowledge of the ingredients is a prerequisite for making a delicious meal, a careful reading of the Scriptures is required for proper understanding. My hope is that this chapter will help you take the first step toward reaching top-shelf understanding on your own. It really isn’t complicated; it just takes some intentionality.

While I realize that most people aren’t called to preach or stand before a group of people and teach God’s Word, all of us in God’s family are to be good students of His Word. The first step in getting to know your Bible is observation, which we discussed in the previous chapter. Through observation, we discover what the Bible says. This part of the process is absolutely foundational. I go through this process every time I prepare any message, lesson, or sermon. Yes . . . every time. One hundred percent of the time, I start right there. My goal is to discover what is written in the verses I’m studying.

Many people are in such a hurry to know the meaning of the Bible that they rush ahead and overlook the step of observation as they plunge straight into interpretation. That’s a guaranteed formula for error. It’s the equivalent of randomly mixing ingredients together before you’re sure you have the right ones in the right amounts. You can never reach the correct interpretation of the Scriptures until you’ve taken sufficient time to discover what the Bible is saying. Learning what has been written must always precede finding out what it means. Interpretation hinges on thorough, careful observation.

SHARPENING YOUR OBSERVATION SKILLS

What do I mean when I refer to observation? To observe means “to inspect or to take note of; to look carefully, with attention to detail.” Detective Sherlock Holmes was quick and correct to point out to his friend, “Watson, you see but you do not observe.”

OBSERVATION

To inspect or to take note of Scripture; to look carefully, with attention to detail

Louis Agassiz, a well-known nineteenth-century naturalist from Harvard, was asked, “What was your greatest contribution, scientifically?” Agassiz didn’t hesitate: “I have taught men and women to observe.” Yogi Berra got it right: “You can observe a lot by watching.” We smile at that, but the truth is, we often fail to observe —and when we do, we regret it.

This point was driven home for me when I came across this true account of Sir William Osler, the distinguished professor of medicine at Oxford University in the first part of the twentieth century. A stickler for detail, he was determined that his medical students become keen observers beginning early in their training. On one occasion, before a classroom full of young, wide-eyed medical students, he placed a small jar containing human urine on his desk. He said, “I want all of you to understand that this bottle contains a sample for analysis. It’s often possible by tasting it that you can determine the disease from which your patient suffers.”

Suiting action to words, he stuck his finger into the urine and then put a finger into his mouth. Then he continued, “Now, I’m going to pass this bottle around, and I ask that you do exactly as I did.”

Every student cringed. The bottle made its way from row to row, from student to student, as each one gingerly poked a finger into the urine and then bravely sampled its contents with a frown. When the container finally made it back to the professor’s desk, he said, “You will now understand what I mean when I speak about details. Had you been observant, you would have seen that I put my index finger into the bottle, but I put my middle finger into my mouth.”[7]

Most of us think we’re better at observing than we really are. Here’s a quick test to check your observation skills:

OBSERVATION TEST

1. Think of your spouse or a good friend. What exactly was this person wearing when you most recently spent time with him or her?

2. Which inscription does not appear on the back of a one-dollar bill: “In God we trust,” “The Great Seal,” or “E pluribus unum”? You’ve handled dollar bills all your life. Surely you will know this!

3. How many miles are on your car’s odometer today?

4. Is your mother right-handed or left-handed? How about your father?

5. Was Moses an only child, or did he have siblings? If he had siblings, how many? (For the answer, see Numbers 26:59.)

6. Who traveled with Paul on his first missionary journey? (For the answer, see Acts 13:1-3.)

7. Do all four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) include a record of Jesus’ birth? If not, which ones don’t? (For the answer, see Matthew 1 and Luke 1.)

8. What’s the brand name of the stove in your kitchen?

9. How many steps lead to the second floor in your home? If not your home, how many steps are there in the building you work in or leading up to the door at your church?

10. What’s the speed limit on the main road closest to your home?

How many questions did you get right? We’re generally surprised by how many things we don’t know when we observe them more carefully.

I recently thought about my observation skills when I was driving through a school zone at twenty miles an hour. I realized I didn’t know what time the light starts to blink yellow and when it goes off, though I pass by hundreds of times in a given month. I see it, but I’ve never observed the details. Since then, I’ve begun to notice that the times change from one school zone area to another.

I need to explain the difference between observation and interpretation. Observing is not the same as interpreting. Inside our kitchen cabinet, Cynthia and I have a small prescription container. These words appear on the label: “Take with food.” These are three simple words, but what exactly do they mean? When I looked at them yesterday, I imagined how a person from another culture might interpret that statement. Should I take the pill, break it up in my food, and swallow it while I’m eating my meal? That’s exactly what it says! But we know, because of experience, that we’re to take the medicine after a meal so our stomach won’t be upset when the chemical enters. That’s what the bottle means, but that’s not what it says. What it means is the interpretation. Determining what the text of Scripture says is the step before determining what it means.

Let’s look at Psalm 119:18 as an example. Put your thinking cap on, since this will require concentration.

Open my eyes to see

the wonderful truths in your instructions.

If I were to make a list of observations, the first thing I would notice is that this verse is a prayer. In fact, as we have already learned, all but four verses in Psalm 119 represent a prayer. Note that this prayer contains one specific request. Do you see it? Look again: “Open my eyes to see.” But the psalmist wasn’t saying, “Let me see the image of the letters that form words.” Rather, he was saying, “Let me see the wonderful truths that are here.”

The psalmist was acknowledging that God’s truths are wonderful. So his request was specific: “Lord, I come to You today, and I ask You to open my eyes as I unroll the scroll.” That was how the Bible was read in the days of the psalmist. He was saying, in effect, “As I come across a section of the law and read it, I want to know fully and completely what it is saying.” I would call this prayer our mandate to vigilant observation of God’s Word.

OBSERVING THE WORDS AND THE CONTEXT

Carefully observing the text is always the first step of studying the Scriptures. With the psalmist’s prayer on our lips, let’s turn to the verse that we’ll spend most of our time with in this chapter: Acts 1:8. If you’re not familiar with your Bible, it would help to turn back to the two-page chart in the insert and notice that there are thirty-nine books in the Old Testament and twenty-seven books in the New Testament. The New Testament begins with the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. After the book of John, the second shelf displays the book of Acts. This historical book records the actions of those who carried the message of Jesus to the people of the known world. That’s why the book also goes by the name the Acts of the Apostles.

Locate verse 8 in the first chapter of Acts —one of the most familiar and important verses in the New Testament.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.

ACTS 1:8, NASB

At this point we have merely read the words of the verse, but we haven’t yet observed very carefully. This takes time and effort.

So let’s dive in together. Initially, we pay attention to the terms. Our full attention is given to each word. Forget the time this takes —focus on one word at a time and read it as if for the first time. It may be tempting to say to yourself, Oh, I’ve read this verse many times. I’m totally familiar with this; I need to go on to something more interesting. But if you do, you’ll miss some of the treasures buried under the surface. Even if you think you know the verse, there is much here you’ve never really observed. You must discipline yourself to examine each word closely.

The first word is but. We know that this term represents a contrast or a change of direction. If we’re moving in one direction and a “but” occurs, it indicates a turn. “But” means there’s a change from what has been going on to something that will now take place.

What does that term of contrast force us to do? It requires us to look back and determine what the contrast is. This process is called checking the context. We understand a verse of Scripture better when we grasp its context —when we acquaint ourselves with the surrounding verses. Every verse sits within a larger context. So surrounding this verse, something is happening that causes the writer to begin this statement with but. To determine the context, we must go back to verse 4, where Jesus is sitting with His disciples:

Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but . . .”

ACTS 1:4-8, NASB

Now you have some context. Do you realize what we were doing when we read verses 4-7? We were listening to a conversation. Jesus spoke, the apostles responded, and He gave them a statement. Then they asked a question, and He corrected their assumption. In other words, the conversation is a dialogue between Jesus and His closest followers. And in the middle of the dialogue, He said, essentially, “But hold on.” This but in verse 8 is important.

Look at verse 7 again: “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority.” This statement refers to when Jesus will return and establish His Kingdom. Jesus was saying that since we don’t know when all those events will happen in the future, something will play a significant role in our lives. This is the contrast.

Let me remind you: never isolate a verse from its context. When we seize isolated verses without having a bigger view of how they fit in with the rest of the passage, it leads to error, especially when verses are pulled out of context.

Years ago, I had the privilege of leading one of my fellow Marines to Christ. I left the island of Okinawa before he did, and when I was leaving for California, he said, “When you’re in the San Francisco Bay area, would you please visit my folks? I know they’d love to meet you. I’ve written them all about you.”

“Sure,” I said. “I’d love to.”

Being discharged is a time-consuming process. While waiting for the paperwork to go through, I had a Sunday free, so I gave his parents a call on the Saturday before. “Oh, we’ve heard about you,” they said. “You’re the religious man who’s been influencing our son.”

Well, that was a good start, wasn’t it? Right away I was marked as a “religious man.”

“We want you to go to church with us,” they said.

They went to a liberal church —something I realized when we first walked into the vestibule. It was extremely colorful and artsy.

“Isn’t this a wonderful place? The marble is so beautiful. Look at the pictures on the walls,” they said to me.

I looked at the massive, beautiful portraits. There was a painting of Abraham Lincoln. Beside him, I saw another painting of Mahatma Gandhi. Then there was yet another of Socrates, and alongside him, one of Jesus of Nazareth, followed by another American president. At the bottom, written in gold lettering, were the words, “You are all the children of God.” At first glance, everyone who admired those beautiful, framed works of art would think that all being portrayed were children of God. But this verse goes on to say, “For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26).

Eek! The entire verse is saying something very different from what those first seven words quoted in the vestibule implied. When you use only a portion of a verse, you can easily miss some nuances that are quite important. As we take Acts 1:8 apart, we need to understand not only each word but also the broader context of the verse.

Let’s return to verse 8 and move on to the next word, you. In English, we can’t tell if the word is singular or plural. However, having just looked at verse 6, where Jesus is speaking to His apostles, we now know that the you has to be plural. So we could say “you apostles” or “you followers of Mine.” Again, we are carefully observing Scripture to find our answers.

This brings us to the main verb, “will receive.” Look at this phrase in your own Bible. Jesus was saying that they weren’t going to cause something to happen; they were going to receive something. Next we look at whether the verb is in the past, present, or future tense. “Will receive” obviously means that this event is going to happen in the future. As we read the verse, we can assume that the apostles didn’t have the power then, but that a time would come in the future when they would receive it. Making this observation is not complicated, but if you skimmed the text, you might overlook it.

Most people read their Bible in a hurry so they can get through an entire chapter in ten or fifteen minutes. But if you wish to become a serious student of the Bible, you need to forget your speed-reading course. There’s no rush.

Now is a good time to pause and summarize our observations thus far.

But1 you2 will receive3 power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.

1 (But) This is a contrast from what was previously stated.

2 (you) This is a plural pronoun referring to Jesus’ apostles.

3 (will receive) This is future tense, because they do not currently have the power.

If it’s important enough for Jesus to say “But you will receive,” it’s important enough for us to discover what He’s referring to. Receive what? He uses the word “power.” If we look up this word in the dictionary, we find this definition: “the ability or capacity to act or perform effectively.” Power is a significant word in the verse and therefore deserves investigation. This is a good time to observe the cause-and-effect nature of Jesus’ statement: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.”

Now, stop and picture the scene. The apostles aren’t praying for the Holy Spirit. They’re not trying to bargain, thinking that if they give up something, they’ll get the Holy Spirit in return. They’re not promising that they’re going to be living good, clean lives so the Holy Spirit will come to them. No, Jesus says simply, “You will receive.” This is a promise. In fact, it’s an unconditional promise. In a sense, He’s saying, “You can count on this. You’re going to receive power because it will come from the Holy Spirit.” The Spirit of God is the cause, and the effect is the presence of His power in their lives.

And that’s not the only promise here. Look at the next term: the small connective and. “And you shall be My witnesses.” I marked both will and shall in my Bible. You will receive power, and at the same time, you shall tell the story. Jesus said they would receive power and they would be His witnesses. Both these promises are straight from Him.

As I observe more and more details, I pause and allow my imagination to run free. I try to picture those men as they heard what was being said. How amazed and excited they must have been! You know why? Because in the previous setting, when the apostles were with Jesus, they were running away after His arrest. He was going on trial and would ultimately be nailed to a cross. These same men who ran away had now returned to Him. They’d seen Him, they’d heard Him say, “Don’t be afraid.” They’d received His assurance. And now, of all things, they were being told, You’re not going to be punished for running away. As a matter of fact, something transformational is going to happen in your lives. You’re going to receive power from the Holy Spirit —the third member of the Trinity. You’re going to have supernatural strength. You’re going to have insight into the truth of My Word. You’re going to have courage. You won’t be intimidated when opponents stand against you.

See the benefit of using the imagination? We can allow words to paint the scene. We enter into their world and consider what it must have been like to have heard Jesus say to us, along with the apostles, “You’re going to receive power, and you’re going to tell people about Him, as His witnesses everywhere!” Our tendency may be to begin to apply what we’ve learned right away, but we’re going to force ourselves to continue observing for now.

The verse doesn’t end before Jesus gets specific about location. Where will the apostles go when they witness? Observe the end of verse 8: “In Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

This should cue us to ask ourselves, Where are those places? When locations are mentioned in the Bible, we need to find them on a map. As it turns out, all those places were located in the land of Israel. Open your atlas or turn to the back of your Bible and find your maps. You should have a map titled “The Ministry of Jesus” or something similar. Examine the map. Take time to familiarize yourself with the land of Israel (often called Palestine) in Jesus’ day. At the top of the map is a body of water called the Sea of Galilee. Toward the bottom is a much larger body of water called the Dead Sea. Running north to south between is the Jordan River, which flows out of the Sea of Galilee and into the Dead Sea. To find Jerusalem, go to the northern part of the Dead Sea and then look to the west. There you’ll find the city of Jerusalem —the “home base” for the apostles. Jesus said they would be His witnesses right there in Jerusalem. After being empowered, they would start where they were. Fix that fact in your mind.

Next Jesus promises that they would be His witnesses in Judea. Look for large letters near Jerusalem that say “Judea.” Judea was a province, which is similar to a state in the United States. Jerusalem was a city located in the province of Judea, just like Dallas is in the “province” of Texas. Jesus was saying that not only would the disciples be witnesses for Him in their own city; they’d also take the message to cities around them —to places located in the province of Judea.

To find Samaria, move your finger north. Look for the word in the same size print as Judea since it, too, is a province.

Jesus was telling His apostles that when they received power, they would be His witnesses where they lived and then outside where they lived, and they’d even take His message to Samaria. And from there, they’d carry it to the remotest part of the earth.

That last phrase —“to the remotest part of the earth” —is such broad geography that the map on the ministry of Jesus doesn’t cover it. If you find a map that traces the journeys of Paul, you will see how the message began to spread throughout the book of Acts.

Map: Roman Division of Palestine

Let’s return to our key verse, Acts 1:8. I want to tie this together in a way that may surprise you. What we have here in Acts 1:8 is an inspired outline of the entire book of Acts. For the first seven chapters, the apostles were in Jerusalem, witnessing, suffering, and enduring intense persecution. The apostles and leaders of the early church were misunderstood by the religious community, and some of them were facing harassment and arrest. At the same time, they were watching God bless them as their numbers increased. Their empowered ministry in Jerusalem begins in Acts 2 and continues through chapter 7.

As a result of the intense persecution, the apostles were forced to scatter, and they moved out into Judea (Acts 8). In Acts 9, Paul (originally named Saul) was converted while on his way to Damascus. His plan had been to intimidate and silence the Christians living there, but God had other plans! After his conversion and transformation, he took the message far beyond Judea to the Gentile world. So between Acts chapter 8 and the end of the book, Paul and others went into Samaria and ultimately to the remotest part of the world.

If you had asked people in that day to identify the farthest part of the world, most would have named Rome, where the emperor and the Roman government were located. And would you believe that before the end of Paul’s life, he had a face-to-face audience with the emperor? That entire flow of events is exactly what Jesus promised in Acts 1:8. He literally outlined the itinerary of the spread of the gospel!

Sometimes it’s helpful to try and summarize the text in your own words to enhance your understanding. Another glance into Acts 1 prompts this loose rendering of Jesus’ words to His close followers:

But since I’m not able to give you the specific time of My return to this earth, let Me tell you what will happen in the meantime. You’re going to be the recipients of invincible, divine power —power that will be sourced in the Holy Spirit. He will fill you with His power so you will become transformed individuals. You will no longer operate out of fear and insecurity and intimidation. You will instead carry My message into this very city and then into the province around it. You will carry My message into Samaria, in places you’ve never been. You will become God-inspired spokespersons. And then from there, you will take it everywhere —into the far-reaching realms of the earth.

But1 you2 will receive3 power4 when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses5 both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth6.

1 (But) This is a contrast from what was previously stated.

2 (you) This is a plural pronoun referring to Jesus’ apostles.

3 (will receive) This is future tense, because they do not currently have the power.

4 (power) The power comes from the Holy Spirit.

5 (witnesses) The power is for witnessing.

6 (Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the remotest part of the earth) The witnesses move from where they are across the entire world.

I need to pause here to express my excitement! Think about what Jesus predicted —think of the incredible hope and encouragement that must have flooded over His disciples. What is so remarkable is that all of these insights have come from just the first step in “preparing the meal.” We’ve simply observed what’s packed in one verse —that beats preparing the ingredients for making a cake by a long shot!

So right about now you may be feeling a little smug. “Hey, I know this verse. Look at all these observations we’ve made. I’m ready to roll!” I remember that feeling from when I took one of Dr. Hendricks’s courses called Bible Study Methods, back when I was in my first year at seminary. All of us students were perched on the edges of our seats. No teacher was like Prof Hendricks when he taught his students how to study the Bible. I clearly remember him saying, “All right, men” —back in 1959, only men attended Dallas Theological Seminary —“when you go home to your dorm or your apartment tonight, I want you to write down fifty observations from Acts 1:8 on a sheet of paper.” My first thought was, You’ve got to be kidding. Fifty? I figured I’d be doing well to list ten or twelve. That night I sat down in our little apartment, and after a considerable amount of time, I wrote down fifty observations. I was feeling pretty special when I brought it back to class the next day. After we all laid our fifty observations in front of him, he said, “Good work. Now go home tonight and find fifty more from the same verse.” My jaw hit my chest! Was he kidding? But guess what? We did it. How is that possible?

The answer is simple: we have an infinite text! The Bible is unfathomable. Its truths are beyond measurement. You could take another verse of Scripture or a section of Scripture and keep yourself busy for hours. How? By doing just what we’ve been doing: digging into the words, observing the context, examining the details, and seeing how they relate to each other.

A FEAST FOR THE SENSES

Enjoying a delicious meal is always a feast for the senses. How the meal looks and smells, along with the texture and the taste, makes the food delightful. It’s the same with the Scriptures. As we learn to engage our senses, the verses come alive in our minds . . . and ultimately in our lives! This process begins when we learn to see what we’re reading.

Let’s begin with the eyes. In order to become astute observers, we need to read as if for the first time. When we train ourselves to see God’s Word with fresh eyes, chances are good that we’ll notice details we’ve never seen there before. Seriously!

Several years ago I was riding with our youngest son in his pickup truck, and we were following a large white FedEx truck. We were talking about other topics, not about the truck, when Chuck suddenly interrupted our conversation. “See the arrow?”

“Arrow?”

“Yeah, that arrow on the FedEx truck logo —see it?”

“Are we looking at the same truck?” I asked.

“Yeah, Dad, look!”

I couldn’t figure out what he was saying. “What arrow?”

He laughed. “That white arrow between the e and the x.”

I stared and studied the logo. All of a sudden I saw it. I had never seen the arrow in the logo before, even though I’d been around those trucks for years. But now, every time I look at a FedEx truck, all I can see is that arrow! It’s funny how once you’ve discovered something, you wonder how you could have overlooked it for so long.

As you begin to reacquaint yourself with the Scriptures, you will make numerous observations for the first time. They’ve been there all along, but suddenly your eyes will see truths you’ve missed all your life. One method that will help you make original and insightful observations is to look at a Bible version that’s different from the one you normally use. For this study, I pulled my copy of The Message from my shelf and turned to Acts 1:8. Eugene Peterson renders the verse this way:

He told them, “You don’t get to know the time. Timing is the Father’s business. What you’ll get is the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the world.”

ACTS 1:7-8, MSG

The meaning is similar here, but there’s some helpful amplification. When we’re serious about the Scriptures, we read other versions to give us a broader understanding. I never prepare a message without taking the time to read other versions. Invariably, that helps me see the words as if for the first time.

Here’s another tip: pay attention to the sounds in the Scriptures. Can you hear the sounds of vegetables being chopped or the sizzle of a steak on a grill while preparing a meal? I suggest that you start reading your Bible with your ears —as if you’re reading a love letter. Listen to the words, and feel the emotions. I remember when I was overseas for more than sixteen months, far from my wife. When I got a love letter from her, I would never say, “Oh, it’s just another letter from Cynthia. That’s nice,” and then go about my work. Are you kidding? I’d say, “Whoa!” And then there’s the “smell test.” Ah, man! It smells just like her fragrance. Yeah, that’s her. Wow!

In one letter she began, “Dear Charles” (she used to call me Charles). However, in her previous letter she began, “My dearest darling Charles.” But this time she wrote simply, “Dear Charles.” Why the change? What does that mean? What happened? Was something different? Remember, when you’re reading a love letter, there’s no such thing as an insignificant word. I retreated to a quiet, private place, and I read her words aloud so my ears could hear what my mouth was saying. And I could hear her voice through the lines. I should add that I read them repeatedly. Some letters I read eight, ten, maybe twelve times. All I had from her were her love letters to me. They always told me more than just facts and events. They included words of affection. They meant something extremely important to me because I was in a lonely place, surrounded by fellow Marines but far from home. I drained every ounce of my wife’s emotion from each letter I received. I entered into her world. I allowed her words to simmer on the back burner of my mind. I lived for her love letters!

So read the Bible as God’s love letter to you. Read the words repeatedly. Read them aloud. If you were in my study, you would hear me having conversations with God about what He has written. I talk to Him, and I interact with His words. That’s the way I get to know the Scriptures —and the way to know God! That’s why when I teach a passage of Scripture, it’s as if I’ve been there before. I have relived the scene —heard the crackle of the fire, smelled the fish Jesus was grilling by the shore, tasted the bread He served His disciples. I repeat: going through this process takes time. Maybe you have only thirty minutes a day. Then observe what you’re reading for thirty minutes a day.

The third way you need to read the Bible is with your nose. You need the nose of a detective. Think of television shows that include crime-scene investigations. Detectives study every hair, every thread, every hint, every smudge, every recorded phone conversation, every e-mail message, and every smell. Keen-minded detectives look carefully at each handprint, fingerprint, and shoeprint. Detectives know that every clue they look for says something important. So when you search the Scriptures, pay attention to verbs, nouns, prepositions, adjectives, adverbs, and even pronouns. You might think, Pronouns? What’s the big deal?

Let’s turn to Acts 16, and we’ll discover the importance of pronouns. Acts 16 is a record of Paul’s second missionary journey. Paul has waited for the Lord to guide him and his companions, but no opportunities have opened up. He has attempted to preach at different places, but all the doors have been slammed shut.

That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once, having concluded that God was calling us to preach the Good News there.

We boarded a boat at Troas and sailed straight across to the island of Samothrace, and the next day we landed at Neapolis. From there we reached Philippi, a major city of that district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. And we stayed there several days.

ACTS 16:9-12

The first part of this account says Paul has a vision (verse 9). The pronoun us at the end of verse 9 (“help us”) refers to the people of Macedonia. Look at the next pronoun at the beginning of verse 10: “So we.” Let’s stop and think. Not “they,” but “we.” For the first time in Acts, the person writing the book of Acts (Luke) enters into the narrative himself. At this point, Luke joins the travelers. It’s not just Paul or Silas or the other companions but Luke as well. Sometimes the account reads “they” and “them”; other times it says “we” and “us,” alerting the reader of those times when Luke is included.

When you have the nose of a detective, you’ll notice many of these little details that turn out to be significant. And when you point them out to those you’re teaching, they’ll love the discoveries they make! It’s amazing what we can learn from carefully observing the text. The man who wrote the book of Acts wasn’t engaged in any of the journeys until chapter 16. And from then on, Luke plays a very significant role as Paul’s companion and personal physician.

Think of your favorite meal, perfectly prepared. Imagine the taste as the first bite touches your tongue. Magnificent! It’s the same with God’s Word. When we carefully study the Bible, we have the privilege of tasting the text. Read the text as if you are in it. I try to imagine what it must have been like to be in the crowd when Jesus walked through. I put myself on the sick bed and try to picture what it must have been like not to be able to walk and then, suddenly, having the ability to stand up and move around. There is a remarkable feeling that comes over me as a result of entering into the text myself. You can have the same experience. It’s exhilarating!

I’ll take all this one step further. If you’re going to study the book of 1 Corinthians, join the church in Corinth. Imagine what it was like to be a church that was filled with conflict and disruptive schism. If you’re going to read and study the Resurrection, walk into the tomb! Stand alongside Peter and John, and experience that eerie moment when you’re looking at wrappings that are still in the shape of a body but flattened, with no body inside. Imagine what those men must have thought: What does all this mean? When you’re with Isaiah in chapter 6, stand beside him when he sees the Lord high and holy and lifted up, and when he hears the angel saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies” (verse 3). Feel the chill down your spine! Listen to the angels as they flap their wings while surrounding God in His throne room, then repeat the words of praise yourself. When I taught this passage in a sermon, I had the congregation sound forth, shouting repeatedly, “Holy, holy, holy! Holy, holy, holy!” How did I think of doing that? It happened in my study, when I was sitting at my desk and saying the words. I was thinking, How can I get this idea across? And then it occurred to me: I’ll have everybody enter into the text and become one of the seraphim.

Isaiah’s response to the awesome holiness of God was a wave of guilt and shame over his sin. One of the seraphim took a burning coal from the altar with a pair of tongs and touched Isaiah’s lips. Can you feel the burn of the hot coal on your mouth? When we use this approach of observing with our senses, the Bible becomes alive and active!

FIVE SIGNALS TO LOOK FOR

Before ending this chapter, I have one more important suggestion to help you become an astute observer of the Scriptures. This tip has several parts. First, find a pen and paper. Then trace your hand —around your thumb and then around each finger down to the wrist on each side. This will help you remember the five signals to look for. We’re going to write labels on the thumb and each of the four fingers.

  1. First, write the word emphasized on the thumb. When you look at your Bible, always look for what is emphasized. How do you know what is being emphasized? By the amount of space being used to discuss and explain it. Genesis is about Creation, and it’s about the Fall. And then it’s about the beginning of nations. And then it’s all about Abraham. Abraham’s story is told in Genesis 12–27, and the amount of space tells you that he’s the one being emphasized. So, starting with your thumb, remember: emphasized themes.
  2. On the index finger, write the word repeated. These are words that are used frequently in the Bible. Remember when we looked at the first section of the book of Proverbs in chapter 2? The phrase “my child” was repeated over and over. The writer of Proverbs repeated these words because he was offering counsel to his son. Notice particularly when a name is mentioned twice, as in “Abraham! Abraham! . . . Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” (Genesis 22:11-12) or “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4). A repetition of the same name means, “This is important!” Often the repetition is intended to build to a climax. Think of your index finger as your “pointer.” This will remind you to point out repeated words.
  3. On the middle finger, write the word related. Look for ideas in Scripture that are closely connected. Here’s how they typically appear: questions are followed by answers. We’ve seen an example of this in Acts 1:7-9. Promises are followed by rewards; warnings are followed by failure or obedience; sin is usually followed by consequences. Take note of terms or expressions that are closely related to one another, because they will show you the correct meaning of the passage.
  4. On the ring finger, write the word alike. Ideas that are alike are sometimes introduced with “as” and followed by “so.” Look at a few examples:

    “As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God” (Psalm 42:1). What a beautiful word picture. These are things that are alike. The words “as” and “so” are introducing analogies. We who thirst for God’s truth are like deer in a forest, searching for and being satisfied by fresh water from a bubbling brook. Here are other examples that don’t use “as” and “so” but still show two things that are similar:

    “I am the vine; you are the branches” (John 15:5).

    “We are the clay, and you are the potter” (Isaiah 64:8).

  5. Finally, on the smallest finger, write the word unlike. This has to do with opposites. There is a sharp contrast between the list of attributes that describe the sinful nature (Galatians 5:19-21) and the fruit of the Spirit list that follows (5:22-23). The contrast between the two lists shows that one is unlike the other. Paul is showing that the believer who has the Holy Spirit is completely opposite from the unbeliever. The contrast forces us to choose one side or the other.

Even if we have been given the gift of sight, we’re not given the gift of observation until the Lord steps in and enlightens our minds. As we give ourselves to the words of Scripture through prayer and time and discipline, we’ll begin to hear things we’ve never heard before and we’ll see things we’ve never seen. As God’s Word comes to life, we will find ourselves thrilled beyond words!

There’s a key to unlocking insights into the Bible. Clara Scott, who wrote the words of this hymn, had that truth in mind:

Open my eyes, that I may see

glimpses of truth thou hast for me. . . .

Open my ears, that I may hear.

Finally she says,

Place in my hands the wonderful key

That shall unclasp and set me free.

The key is observation. Just as healthy, wholesome cooking begins with a careful consideration of the ingredients, effective Bible study starts with careful observation.

Think of these steps as rungs on a pantry ladder that help you reach the top shelf. We are well on our way to that delicious feast. I can almost smell the sweet aroma coming from the kitchen.

Your Turn in the Kitchen

Reading the ingredients in a recipe is a careful process —one that’s critical for ensuring that a meal turns out right. Similarly, it’s helpful to develop your observation skills as you’re studying the Scriptures. Here are several exercises for you to try:

  1. One of the ways you can hone your general observation skills is by using all of your senses. Go to a familiar public place, such as a coffee shop, and sit there for thirty minutes. During that time, write down only the new observations you make about that place. Record everything you observe through your five senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch). What did you observe that you never noticed before? What did you learn about the power of observation?
  2. Look up John 3:16 in your own Bible. Take time to read all of chapter 3 to understand the context. In your journal or on a piece of paper, write down twenty-five observations from John 3:16 (similar to what we did for Acts 1:8).
  3. While observation begins with an individual verse, it’s important to observe a passage of Scripture in context. This skill will be useful whether you’re studying God’s Word on your own or preparing a lesson or sermon. Slowly and carefully read Philippians 4:4-9, and then write down twenty key observations. Take your time, following the instructions from this chapter.
  4. It’s important to observe the teachings of Jesus because they provide a foundation for our faith. One of Jesus’ most common teaching methods was to tell parables or short stories to present and explain His point. Read the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37. Then make ten observations about what you see in this parable and its context. Pay close attention to what prompted Jesus to tell this story.
  5. The Bible is full of stories where God interacts with people and nations. Learning how to observe a narrative well is important in both studying and teaching the Scriptures. Carefully read the story about Daniel in the lions’ den in Daniel 6:1-28. Then make ten observations about this true account.
  6. Practice using your imagination to picture a biblical scene in your head. Carefully read Isaiah 6:1-8, and then describe how the seraphim might have looked. How might Isaiah have felt? Use the five senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch) to describe the scene. How does creating this scene in your imagination affect your understanding of it and your ability to communicate it?

    Additional tip: Develop a marking system in your Bible for observing the Scriptures. For instance, you could draw a box around connecting words (and, but, therefore, since); underline promises; and write “def” in the margin when you come to a word that is defined in the verse (such as faith, which is defined in Hebrews 11:1). Write down your system and use it consistently when you study the Scriptures. You may wish to use colored pens to mark words and/or verses in your Bible. Colors can help you emphasize certain words you want to remember. For example, you might want to underscore important commands in red or circle prominent names in blue or highlight significant questions in yellow. The possibilities are endless. Just remember to be consistent with your system.