Studying the bible

[rodsorp]

I'm a protestant christian who wants to get a better understanding of the torah. What can I do to help me understand the old covenant better?

 

[Steve Petersen]

When was the last time you read Genesis thru Deutronomy?

I would try that first, paying attention to what GOD says about His Laws.

 

[ContraMundum]

Just work a lot harder in your studies, brother.

 

[Avodat]

I'm a protestant christian who wants to get a better understanding of the torah. What can I do to help me understand the old covenant better?

All of the above plus - you will better understand the first part of The Book if, when you read the second part in your own study of the Bible, you follow all the links / references in the footnotes (or wherever else they might be shown). Jesus, Paul and all the others only taught from the first part so if you read what they say, and the quotes they use, it will give you a good start.

Make a habit of doing it this way and you will learn lots! However, you will find your beliefs challenged as many others have, but persevere and it will all become clear if you are open to His teachings.

 

[visionary]

There are a lot of help here, if you find that reading through you run into a snag. We will be more than willing to answer any questions along the way, plus give you sites that do teachings on the various subjects.. We all have had to start somewhere and we have found that the foundation of where it all began and how it progressed is the best place to start, May I suggest on the first go around not to get bogged down in the "begets" just read the stories the first time through, then read for more details the second time, and then maybe trying to tackle the genealogies and time frame the third time. God set up this book so that even the scholars are still gleaning, and the newbies can gather from it and God will inspire both to keep digging.

 

[visionary]

Just work a lot harder in your studies, brother.

Don't let discouragers stop you in your quest. Nothing is hard, if you put no pressure on yourself to go faster than the Lord leads. He said His burden is light.

 

[mrs94]

Don't let discouragers stop you in their quest. Nothing is hard, if you put no pressure on yourself to go faster than the Lord leads. He said His burden is light.

And, as you learn, you will find a consuming desire to know more!

 

[mishkan]

I'm a protestant christian who wants to get a better understanding of the torah. What can I do to help me understand the old covenant better?

First of all, I want to commend you for even recognizing this need. This epiphany doesn't come to everyone, or even most everyones.

The basic thing has already been said--if you want to understand the Torah, you have to read it. It is amazing to me how that simple fact whizzes right over the heads of many people.

I would also add the fact that we must keep in mind we are reading a text that is 3,500 years old, written in a different time, by people in a different culture. They had no light bulbs, no hot/cold running water, no automobiles. They lived in tents, just like when the Army goes out to the field. There were no doctors, in the modern sense of the term, so many of what we think of as medical issues were assigned to priests.

In short, to understand the Torah, one must apply due diligence in getting inside the heads of the original writers and readers. Getting a real handle on what was said involves lots of cross-cultural study involving history, culture, and literature.

An additional caveat: the Torah cannot be "understood" without application. No one will ever be able to explain the value of the instructions until they have lived them out to some significant degree. There are many who will mock some of the instructions in the Torah. But that's because they have not gone through the exercise. This is what Hebrews 5:14 means when it says, "But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." It is the practice of good that trains us to understand and value that which is good.

Learning the Bible is not so much a classroom pursuit as it is a life pursuit.

I also encourage you to get a good atlas, with maps of Israel and the surrounding countries. You can also find some good references that provide historical and geographical background on each of the books in the bible. In order to learn the culture, I recommend a book like, The New Manners and Customs of the Bible by James Freeman. That one served me well back in the early 1990's.

Most of all... have fun! Enjoy what you learn, appreciate the nuances, and rejoice as you build your relationship with the Master. If you aren't having fun when you learn, then you're not doing it right.

 

[Avodat]

<snip >
In short, to understand the Torah, one must apply due diligence in getting inside the heads of the original writers and readers. Getting a real handle on what was said involves lots of cross-cultural study involving history, culture, and literature.

An additional caveat: the Torah cannot be "understood" without application. No one will ever be able to explain the value of the instructions until they have lived them out to some significant degree. There are many who will mock some of the instructions in the Torah. But that's because they have not gone through the exercise. This is what Hebrews 5:14 means when it says, "But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." It is the practice of good that trains us to understand and value that which is good.

Learning the Bible is not so much a classroom pursuit as it is a life pursuit.

I also encourage you to get a good atlas, with maps of Israel and the surrounding countries. You can also find some good references that provide historical and geographical background on each of the books in the bible. In order to learn the culture, I recommend a book like, The New Manners and Customs of the Bible by James Freeman. That one served me well back in the early 1990's.

Most of all... have fun! Enjoy what you learn, appreciate the nuances, and rejoice as you build your relationship with the Master. If you aren't having fun when you learn, then you're not doing it right <snip>

If you go the Sticky section at the head of these fora you will find a great variety of books, journals and some web-sites that may help you in your quest. Please note that some of the web-sites may no longer exist but it is worth trying them (we cannot re-do broken links because the poster is no longer on CF).

 

[ContraMundum]

I think it was RC Sproul or someone like that who said that all errors in theology are the result of lazy or lacking study of the Word. I'm really shocked that the notion that Bible study should be a tough burden would be shunned by some...or am I?