Living the Christian Life – Chapter 10: Old Testament Poetry

The prophetic books of the Old Testament are both inspiring and sometimes difficult to understand. It is a good idea to read these books with the help of a standard Bible survey book. It might also be helpful to go through this part of Scripture as part of a Bible study group. Remember that while the entire Bible is God’s revelation, not everything in it is written for us today. We can learn from the things written to earlier generations though we can’t always apply those things to our modern lives.

The Book of Revelation

The final section of the Bible, the book of Revelation, is exciting, inspiring, and sometimes difficult to understand. The book is a prophecy or revelation given by Jesus to the apostle John during his exile on the Isle of Patmos. Again, this book is best read with some sort of study guide or as part of a Bible study group with a mature Christian leader. The final lesson from this book is that Jesus will return to earth someday to do away with sin, pain, and sorrow! This is the exciting conclusion to the entire Bible.

Studying the Bible

As you’ve already seen, some portions of the Bible are excellent for devotional reading and other parts lend themselves to more serious study. While this is true, it is also important to understand that the study of all parts of the Bible is important for your spiritual growth. The apostle Paul gives this encouragement to his disciple Timothy:

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15 NASB).

Studying the Bible will enable to you “accurately handle the word of truth” as you grow in your walk with the Lord. In order to get the most out of your Bible study you may want to join a class through your church or at a local Bible college. You can also sign up to take Bible courses online.

Many good Bible study tools are available to the student of Scripture. One highly recommended method is called inductive Bible study, where the student makes observations of the details of each passage and then draws conclusions. From these conclusions, application is then made to life today. A book that helps to understand this popular method is How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart.