{The Word of God} Part 2: Know the Word
From cover to cover, the Word of God reveals the heart, the character, and the actions of God. We have the great privilege of being able to get to know God through His Word. But I think it goes even further than that. If we want to have a vibrant, life-changing relationship with God, we need to KNOW, LOVE, and LIVE His Word.
This series is intended to equip you to KNOW, LOVE, and LIVE the Word of God. To help you, an everyday woman, put feet to your faith and discover how the Word of God is relevant to your everyday life. And as you are persistent and diligent in knowing, loving, and living the Word, I firmly believe one day you’ll wake up and find yourself in the middle of a REVIVAL.
If you missed the first part in this series, you can read it here.
I want to begin with a disclaimer. This post is not comprehensive. In fact, it barely scratches the surface of the importance and practicalities of KNOWING the Word of God. This is a beginning. It’s a foothold. A starting place.
At the end of this post, I will provide you with practical tips and resources for reading and studying the Word of God. Before we get to that, however, let’s talk about why KNOWING the Word of God is so vital.
In Philippians, I believe the Apostle Paul clearly states our number one goal and purpose in this life:
“Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ.”
Everything else is worthless. This is of utmost importance—to KNOW Jesus Christ.
In the first chapter of John, we discover that the Word of God existed in the beginning, was with God, and actually was (is) God (John 1:1). Not only that, we also learn that “the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14 ESV).
The very Word of God became flesh and blood--Jesus! We also know that all of Scripture actually points to Him, reveals Him (John 5:39). Those were Jesus’ very own words!
Want to know what else Jesus said? He revealed that if we know Him, we also know God. To know Jesus is to know God (John 8:19; John 14:7). Jesus is the “image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15 ESV).
If our number one goal, according to Paul, is to know Jesus (and God through Him), then it is vital to KNOW His Word.
Psalm 19 is a remarkable Psalm. Take a minute and read it. It starts with declaring the majesty of God—all of creation even gives Him glory. Then it transitions into declaring truth about the Word of God (the Law, instructions, testaments, etc.—all of which refer to the Word of God).
We will come back to Psalm 19 later in this series, but I want to show you something fascinating here in this Psalm. The first 6 verses use the generic Hebrew term “El” for God. In the rest of the verses, the ones referring specifically to the Word of God, the English word LORD is used. In Hebrew, this is “Yahweh”—the personal name of God, the name God revealed to Moses in Exodus 3.
When David, who wrote this Psalm, began writing specifically about the Word of God, he used God’s personal name. I believe this signifies how very personal the Word of God is—that it reveals the personal nature of our God.
Want to know God? Read His Word. Read the words He gave us. He has revealed who He is to us through His Word.
Sometimes I think we lose sight of the fact that it is such a privilege to have the Word of God, to be able to know our Father through His Word. Looking back at church history, this has not always been the case. The Word of God has not always been as accessible as it is now.
We don’t have to rely on a book, a teaching, or a sermon to know who God is. We have access to His very words, telling us exactly who He is and how much He loves us!
Books and podcasts and sermons add to our understanding of the Word (I am actually going to recommend some below), but they cannot replace our time actually digging into the Word. We have access to the ultimate Source. We can have first-hand knowledge of who God is! Why not dig in?
This is why it is so important to KNOW the Word of God. We KNOW the Word of God to better know our Father.
One more reason to KNOW the Word can be found in 2 Timothy.
“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.”
The Word of God teaches us what is true, shows us what is wrong in our lives, corrects us, teaches us what is right, and prepares and equips us to do what God has called us to do. We need to KNOW the Word for any of this to happen. We need to be reading it and studying it if we want it to do what it can do in our lives.
Did you know there is a difference between reading the Word and studying the Word? Both are important. Both are needed.
I heard Jen Wilkin, a prominent Bible teacher, explain it like this: Reading the Word gives you breadth, and studying the Word gives you depth.
When we read the Word, we are gaining a better grasp on the scope of it—seeing the bigger picture. When we study the Word, we are digging deep into one aspect of it—gaining more understanding of what we believe.
Let’s get practical:
These are the top 5 tips or encouragements I would give anyone who were to ask how to begin or enhance the journey of knowing the Word.
Have a Plan
Whether you are reading through a Bible reading plan or reading your own plan, know what you are going to be reading and stick to it. That way when it comes time to sit down and read/study, you aren’t wasting your precious minutes trying to decide what to read.
Plus, we are easily swayed by our emotions, and true studying of the Word is not about our emotions. Everything in the Word is profitable at the right time. Read the Word with the mindset of a savings account.
“For years I viewed my interaction with the Bible as a debit account: I had a need, so I went to the Bible to withdraw an answer. But we do much better to view our interaction with the Bible as a savings account: I stretch my understanding daily, I deposit what I glean, and I patiently wait for it to accumulate in value, knowing that one day I will need to draw on it. Bible study is an investment with a long-term payoff.”
Jen Wilkin — Women of the Word
Focus on God
The Word of God is a book about God first and foremost. Read it through that lens. As you are reading, look for God. Ask yourself: What does this say about God? What does this reveal about the character of God? Where do I see God in this passage?
You can then use those answers to determine how the passage or reading can apply to your life. When we approach the Word of God with the intention of finding ourselves in it or only the answers we seek, we are short changing ourselves of the true depth of what we read. We can absolutely apply what we read to our lives, but that should not be our main goal.
Context Context Context
The Bible is for us, but it was not written TO us. Knowing the context of what is written changes everything about what you read. As you begin a book of the Bible, take a few minutes to find out via Google, a study Bible, or other study tools to whom the book was written, by whom it was written, the historical period in which it was written, and any other contextual information you can.
There really is so much we do not understand about the culture and times during which the Word of God was written. Admittedly, it is difficult to read the Word without our cultural biases getting in the way, but it is possible! And it is worth the effort.
Ask Questions
Questions are good. Questions are how we learn. Be a thoughtful reader. Pay attention. If something doesn’t make sense, dig a little deeper. Be curious.
Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?
God welcomes your questions. I believe He loves when we are curious about His Word. He wants us to know Him and His Word.
Don’t Give Up!
This won’t be easy. It will take patience, diligence, and endurance. Knowing the Word of God will not accidentally happen.
It’s okay to start small. The important part is starting and not giving up. And it’s okay to show yourself some grace. Not to be too cliche, but this is a marathon not a sprint.
My favorite phrase when it comes to our life with Christ was popularized by Eugene Peterson, and I believe it can be applied to our studying of the Word. It is a long obedience in the same direction.
And just like our natural appetite, the more we feed on the Word of God, the more we will crave it. Our desire to read and know the Word of God will increase as we are consistent in showing up and putting in the work.
Resources:
These are just a few resources I have used over the past few years. There are many, many more. We truly are so blessed to live in a time where resources for studying and knowing the Word of God are so plentiful and accessible
Bible Reading Plan (free)
5 day Bible reading plan — I started this “Bible in a year” plan in August 2018 and finished it in August 2019. You can start anytime!
Why this particular plan? It is chronological and only 5 days a week. I found myself always getting behind when I tried to follow a 7 days a week plan. We all have life and things pop up unexpectedly. This plan has built-in grace days, and that was so helpful for this mom of three.
Book
Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin — this is the best book I have read specifically about studying the Word of God. It’s written by a woman and for women, but it’s not fluffy or shallow. It’s easy to read and easy to understand, but your Bible reading time will never be the same after you read this book.
Study Bible
NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible — this is a new find for me. I received a copy of this hefty Bible for Christmas. It has been enlightening and exciting to have a deeper understanding of God’s Word as I am learning more about the cultural background of what is written.
Apps (free)
Enduring Word — this is a completely free commentary of the whole Bible. I found this commentary before it was an app, and I am thrilled it is now much more user friendly. This commentary is comprehensive and easy to read. This has been one of the most impactful tools for my personal Bible study time.
I do recommend that you spend adequate time with a passage--reading and meditating on it--before reading any commentaries.
Blue Letter Bible — this study tool app does have a learning curve, but it is super helpful if you are curious about the original languages of the Old Testament and New Testament.
Videos and Podcast (free)
The Bible Project — they produce wonderful videos on all things Bible related. They have videos about the books of the Bible, themes of the Bible, and other specific topics. They also have a podcast available in which they have conversations about different topics of the Bible. I am not exaggerating when I say this: the Bible has never been more alive than when I began listening to this podcast. Fair warning: the podcast is not for light listening. Be ready to dig in and maybe even take notes!
Knowing the Word of God is just the beginning! We will continue this series by discussing another response we can have toward the Word of God, but it is important to understand the importance of knowing the Word before we do continue. The posts in this series build on each other. They are not boxes to check off the list.
Just in case you were wondering, there will never come a time when you will have learned all there is to learn about the Word of God. So keep moving forward. Keep reading and studying the Word. Keep pressing in.
And if you need a little teaser to help you get all the way to the end of this series. I wholeheartedly believe REVIVAL is the outcome, the result of what will be discussed in the entirety of this series. I believe the Word of God is the catalyst that sparks REVIVAL in our lives.
You can read the next post in this series here!
If this has been helpful in any way, can I ask you to share it with your friends? Now more than ever, having a grounded foundation of the Word of God in our lives is vital. And I’m a big supporter of being grounded together with other believers. Let’s all dig in and become women who are actively engaged in knowing, loving, and living God’s Word.