So, you’re looking for encouragement from the Scriptures. How do you find that from the study of the Bible's context?
Perhaps you go through periods in which life gets you down.
You might want to read some verses, think about it for a bit, and pray over the situation. You try to hear God’s voice.
That’s great.
Keep doing this.
However, I do think further study over time can encourage you even more in your journey with God.
Let me explain.
While God can certainly speak as you read one verse in a few seconds, you’ll gain many valuable insights by digging deeper.
Much of this discovery process has to do with context…
• Literary
• Socio-cultural
• Historical
• Grammatical
Studying the Bible in context is important for several reasons:
1. You’ll understand more clearly the overall message God is trying to communicate.
2. You’ll potentially discover several more applications and insights than you would with briefly skimming a verse.
3. Your faith will grow.
4. You’ll have greater knowledge and ability to give reasons for your faith (to those who ask about it).
5. You’ll learn the correct interpretations of each passage.
Example 1: The Literary Context of the Psalms
Let’s take for instance the Psalms. Those who are grieving can find much comfort in reading passages from this emotion-filled Book of poetry.
The reason people love to read the Psalms is that it’s relatable.
The Psalmists express a wide range of emotions that include:
• Sadness
• Anger
• Anxiety
• Joy
• Love
• Hatred
Authors like King David wrote the Psalms thousands of years ago. The culture was vastly different than ours. Historically, the time in which the authors lived included events that are unfamiliar to us. The language was far removed from English. And of course, the region of the world the events took place was far from us.
However, the emotional aspect of the Psalms still resonates with people like you and me today.
When it comes to the context, a specific type of Psalm is the lament.
The lament is when the Psalmist cried out to God in the midst of some type of distress, such as in Psalm 13:2:
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
How does the lament encourage you in your faith?
Well, it’s helpful to know that the ones who wrote these Bible passages struggled mightily.
You might wonder though…what’s so encouraging about reading someone’s depressing journal?
The Psalms were sort of like keeping a diary of how the writers felt.
However, one characteristic of the lament Psalm is that the author praises God at the end.
First, you come to know the depth of their struggles in what they express in the Psalms. Secondly, you see how they praise God in the same set of sentences.
The lament is an example of the literary context. Let’s look at another example from the Psalms---this time from the historical context….
Example 2: The Historical Context of the Psalms
The Psalms were written over about a 1000-year period, which includes the history of the nation of Israel. Why is this encouraging?
Well, God had a plan for Israel and knew the big picture. However, kings like David had to overcome much adversity.
Imagine how hard it was at times to trust God and to move forward into that big picture and plan. The authors of Biblical texts were human and struggled. Reading the Psalms helps us reflect on our own lives and see that God has a plan, even if we are immersed in adversity.
Example 3: The Cultural Context of the New Testament
If you live in the West, you’re familiar with an individualistic culture. That was not the case in the Ancient Near East.
People in the first century A.D. were very group-oriented.
The words of Jesus were written in that context.
How might learning about the collective context of the New Testament encourage you as you go through life’s challenges?
You might embrace the benefit of reaching out to people and ministries within the church to get support and prayer.
Example 4: Context related to Grammar and the original language
Are you looking for encouragement regarding what God thinks of you? Study the word “agape”—the Greek word for Love. Knowing this specific type of love from the Greek helps you understand the depth of God’s love.
You’ll find it encouraging to know that God’s love (from the study of the Greek word and looking at all the verses that use that term), involves sacrifice and valuing the one loved--a love that is unconditional and seeks your highest good. You’ll know how special you are in God’s eyes.
Studying the context of Scripture also leads to encouragement in terms of explaining one’s faith. In other words, how would you respond if people ask, “why do you believe what you believe?”
Numerous aspects of the life of Christ in the Gospels make clear that the church could not have made up the narrative.
Examples include the role of women in the Gospels. The Gospels were written in a patriarchal context. And so, the high degree of importance given to women was not something that could have been added to try and spread Christianity.
Another example involves the death of Jesus Christ. It’s hard to imagine the church making up a story about a crucified Messiah. First century culture valued honor and tried to avoid shame as much as possible. Crucifixion was the most shameful way of dying. Also, the Jewish people were expecting a conquering king.
In the pages that follow, we’ll look at the different types of context and subheadings within each one. In keeping with the theme of this site, the goal is to find encouragement and application regarding one’s faith in Christ.
Enclosing, to find encouragement through studying the Bible in context, follow these steps:
Step # 1: Read and meditate on the passage.
Step # 2: Journal your thoughts about what God may be communicating to you.
Step # 3: Read a commentary or similar kind of resource pertaining to that passage.
Step # 4: Go back to the passage and your journal and record additional insights.
Step # 5: Ask and respond to the question: Given what I’ve learned, how does this passage encourage my faith?
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That last point segues nicely to the following link under this particular topic...
How the Historical Context of the Bible can Encourage your Faith (encouragementscriptures.com)
A major element of the Bible's context has to do with the ancient art of persuasion. Learn more what rhetoric is in the Bible and how it can encourage your faith...