Arrow 1
The Seven Arrows • Sermon • Submitted
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What Does This Passage Say?
What Does This Passage Say?
We want to summarize the passage in one or two sentences
Basically restating the main point of the text in your own words
Why do we get stuck in certain stories?
Great stories take us into a new world
They allow us to empathize and engage with the characters in the story on an emotional level
ENGAGING WITH GOD BY READING THE BIBLE DEMANDS THE SAME ATTENTIVENESS AND ENTHUSIASM THAT WE INVEST IN OUR FAVORITE STORIES AND CHARACTERS
Why should the Bible be any different than stories or shows that we love so much?
After a lot of trying avid and frustrated readers can both feel like the Bible is impossible to understand
- The goal of Arrow 1 is to encourage readers to examine and engage the Bible with a clear goal in mind
- In fact, sitting down to read the Bible without a clear goal in mind may be the very reason the Bible seems so frusterating
The Goal of Arrow 1
The first goal of arrow one is to determine what the passage says
First we must figure out the single point that the author is making in the paragraph or individual story
Try to only examine a single story or passage at a time, going big and reading through will not help you understand the text better
Intimidation
As you start trying to apply arrow 1, you may be slightly intimidated because the Bible does not feel or look like the typical book you would pick up and read
Don’t psych yourself out!
The Real Issue
The problem is not that the Bible can’t be understood, the real problem is that you are likely just not familiar enough with the Bible
For example, our pastor Brian is not necessarily a genius, nor am I. But we have developed skills for reading the Bible well
Skills Worth Having
How many of you have heard the saying, “any skill worth having takes work?”
The Bible is no different
We practice until we are skillful because we think the skill is important
Just like how we learn to drive a car because getting around is importnat
Or how we learn to talk because grunting and pointing would be pretty frustrating
Understanding the Bible is more important than any other skill because it directly reveals the character of God to us
Things to Look for When Determining What the Passage Says
- Writing Style
- Examining how the Biblical author presents their material starts with figuring out what kind of genre they are using
- Is the author recounting a story? Is the passage a song? Is it a prophecy?
- Once we answer this, we will know if the author is going to use literal language, or figurative emotion- sparking language to teach his readers
Ex. Literal - Drive 1.2 miles and make a left turn onto main street
Figurative - She almost gave me a heart attack!
The Biblical Skeleton
- The largest group of literature in the Bible is historical narrative, which means the author is giving a historical account of what is happening through his writing
The rest of the genres are the muscles, organs, and tendons that attach to the skeleton
Some of these genres include: prophecy, poetry, proverbs, parables, songs, idioms, exaggeration, laws, covenants, sermons, and letters
When these are attached to the skeleton, they display not only what God does, but who He is
Lastly
Here are some tools that will help you understand what the passage says in almost any genre
Repetition of Words and Themes
Do you ever have a teacher repeat something multiple times? Like reminding you of homework due or test dates? They do this because the information is crucial, the Bible is no different
Common sense tells us that if something is repeated, it is important
Comparisons
Sometimes authors will use similes or metaphors to bring clarity into a confusing concept
Figures of Speech
Figures of speech and comparisons are close cousins but are not the same
A figure of speech is like when someone says they have a “splitting headache” not meaning that their head is literally being split in two, but rather feels like it
Action
Action is the factor that draws us into stories and points us toward the meaning that the author is conveying
A careful reader always pays close attention to who is doing what and what an important character says
Most of the time the author will be very clear about who is doing what
Conversations
Look for quotation marks
Who is talking?
What seems to be the tone of his/her voice? Is it friendly? Hostile?
Tone
Have you ever sent a text and made someone upset because the tone of what you were saying wasn’t clear?
Biblical authors will often use very strong language to make sure the tone of what is being said is clear
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