Joshua 1 verse 8: ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’

You are welcome back to our discussion on how to study the Bible in practical terms. I believe that the insights that we have shared so far has been of great help to you. Today by His grace, we will be continuing from where we stopped. So without much ado let’s examine more practical guidelines in studying our Bibles.

1. HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE:

7. Engage the laws of scriptural interpretation in your studying of the Bible. In the past two lessons, we examined three of such laws, today we will be considering more, so off we go:

IV. The Law of First Mention. This has to do with where a scripture or a thing was first mentioned or recorded in the Bible. This law also helps in understanding the word of God better. Because it:

• It helps you to know the foundation or basis of something. I.e. How something originated or started.
• It helps you to know the underlying story behind a thing.
• It helps you to know the importance or significance of a thing
• It helps you to see how that thing has evolved overtime.

So my dear friends, this is why you need to have this law at your beck and call.

 Let us consider more examples below:

• Gen4v26 (First time men began to call upon God)
• Gen4v1-5 (First mention of Giving by Men)
• Gen14v20(First time the word Tithe was mentioned)

V. The Law of Comparative Analysis of Scriptures. This law has to do with the use of scriptures to compare other scriptures. This is also an essential law in understanding the Bible better because there is no scripture that is standing alone or aloof. Every scripture is connected and related to each other. This is why if you want to understand the Bible better, you need to study it alongside with other scriptures. Isa34v16; Jn5v39. And in order to use this law effectively, you can make use of a reference book or a Bible Concordance because these resources help you in linking scriptures with others.

A classic example for our consideration is Galatians1 verse4. If you were studying this scripture with special emphasis on “Who gave himself for our sins” i.e. how Jesus gave himself for our sins. Other counterpart scriptures to study alongside are; Eph5v2; Matt20v28; 1Tim2v6, Tit2v14; Jn10v17-18. To mention just a few. My dear beloved ones, this is one of the laws of interpretation of scripture that you would most certainly need from time to time. I pray that God will grant you further illumination and understanding of this law in Jesus name, amen. 

It’s interesting to note that your knowledge of the scripture can also contribute to other scriptures you can possibly study together as you recall or remember them. I believe that you have been blessed by today’s lesson, so in what ways are you going to put this into practice?

Other Scriptural References: 1Cor2v12-13; Mk10v1-9; Gen1v27: 2v24; 2Pet1v20-21; 2Tim3v16-17.

Prayer for Today: Thank you, Holy Spirit for another powerful encounter today in your word.

CONFESSION: I decree that from today, my Bible study experience is changing for the better as I embrace and put into practice these powerful insights and revelations. Glory be to God in the highest for my change has come!