Having understood why the Old Testament is still relevant today, how then should we read the books differently?

A general principle is that we should always look beyond the words, and try to connect to the human author and the Divine Author behind the text.

Finding out the setting of every book helps

For instance, the psalms were written throughout the Old Testament history but they were only collated and compiled after Israel had been exiled to Babylon.

Many of the psalms were emotional reflections from the Jews about their history with God and the suffering they went through during the exile.

For modern readers like us, it might be helpful to imagine ourselves as war refugees who are reading these psalms. We might find that these poetries will suddenly make more sense to us.

Reading the books according to their genres

Just as we don’t read Kung Fu Panda thinking that it’s a real story to be taken literally, we need to find out the genre of the book we are reading so that we can understand what the author is trying to convey accurately.

Take the psalms for example. Knowing that they are songs written in the past, how should that affect the way we interpret the text?

Psalms are meant to convey certain feelings and trigger certain emotional responses in us. And that means we must be extra careful when we pick specific verses and infer meaning from them. That would be like saying that a girl has “glitter for skin” and “solar power” after listening to Golden Hour.

With all that in mind, here are four simple steps to read the Bible more accurately.

1. Read it aloud

The Old Testament was written in a culture where people would read the texts out loud. Silent reading is something that we have developed only in modern culture.

As we read the scriptures aloud, we will notice certain writing styles that the authors intended for readers to notice, such as repetition of phrases or certain key details.

2. Watch out for clues in the text

Sometimes, the setting and context of the book can be found in the book itself.

One simple example would be the book of Ezekiel where the context is given directly at the beginning, whereas for Isaiah, we find the context of the book in 2 Kings where “Isaiah” was mentioned.

3. Refer to a study Bible

A basic study Bible will provide an easy-to-understand background. Some recommendations include the NIV Study Bible and the ESV Study Bible.

For a deeper look into the Old Testament, you can check out How To Understand And Apply The Old Testament: Twelve Steps from Exegesis to Theology by Jason S. DeRouchie.

4. Do it in a community

Back in the day, the Jews would gather weekly to hear the Scripture and also discuss with one another.

This is just like how we would watch movies with our friends and talk about it afterwards. We often get different perspectives from each other, and it’s more fun that way!

Likewise, we often reflect and respond better when we study the Bible with a group of people. It might also help to appoint a facilitator, someone who:

• Has a good grasp of the text
• Capable of drawing modern parallels from ancient contexts
• Has good energy to encourage participation and sharing

At the end of the day, we must understand that studying the Scripture is always a journey. There isn’t a hard-and-fast formula to do it. Rather, it requires consistent and diligent effort to get a better grasp of God’s Word.

Regardless of where you are in this journey, it’s always not too late to get started! Find some buddies and dive into God’s Word together.

This article was contributed by ACTS College — find out more about their courses here.