Bible Study Resource
“There You Are!” Discoveries
How can we intentionally seek to know God through Bible study? Good question! Let’s explore.
Introduction
One of the things that Jesus said to the Jews was,
“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life” (John 5:39-40).
When Jesus prays for his disciples, he speaks to God about what eternal life truly is:
“And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3)
The Jews had the Scriptures, but they didn’t allow themselves to be led to Jesus. We study the Scriptures in order to let them lead us to God. We intentionally seek to know “the only true God, and Jesus Christ”.
How can we intentionally seek to know God through Bible study? Good question! Let’s explore.
In the same way that we get to know people in life by observing their names, descriptions, actions, words, and communicated desires, we can intentionally observe God in the Scriptures. We can observe the names he has, the way he describes himself, and the way that others describe him. We can observe his actions and interactions with different individuals, families, and nations. We can also observe what he says about himself, others, and the world. We can get to know his desires by observing his commands and the context in which he gives them.
When we take the time to pay attention through our intentional observation, we can get to know a personal God in a personal way.
In this study, we will intentionally observe God. Jesus would often challenge people to pay attention: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 11:15; Mark 4:9,23; Luke 8:8; 14:35) and “Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear?” (Mark 8:18).
How to OBSERVE God in the Scriptures
Observation is simple. We will use observation questions of an Inductive Bible Study: Who? Did what? To whom? The unique part of this study is that we focus on the “Who?” that we want to observe: God. We want to know all that we can about this “Who?” by observing his names, descriptions, actions, words, commands, promises, and questions.
Observe the following:
Analysis: Describing the Relational Shape
Analysis is the “bridge” between your observations and your final interpretation. In this step, you are describing the relational mechanics—how the Revelation of God (His character, words, will, and ways) is actually functioning in the lives of the people in the text.
Answer these three questions to describe the interaction:
01
The Initiation: Where does this Revelation of God meet us?
Look at the circumstances in your verses. What specific human situation, cry, or action is God moving toward to reveal Himself?
Example
Does this revelation meet people while they are worshiping, while they are sinning, or while they are in a moment of crisis?
02
The Manner: What is the “flavor” of the engagement?
Look at the verbs and adverbs in your list to describe the methodology, attitude, or intention of God in action. Is this revelation expressed through a sudden intervention, a patient process, a firm warning, or a gentle comfort?
03
The Exchange: How do people respond to this Revelation?
Identify the role God is assuming and the “give-and-take” occurring. What is God offering through this revelation (e.g., a promise, a command, a cleansing), and how does the text show the people responding in return (e.g., trust, repentance, or even a question)? Is that a response that God accepts, desires, rejects, etc.?
How to INTERPRET your observations of God in the Scriptures
Some of these questions may help you see the many paths of interpretation that you can take:
The author is communicating about God intentionally. Why do you think the author chose to use these words (names, descriptions, actions, words, commands, promises, questions) to make God known through this book? What was the author’s primary purpose for revealing God this way to the original audience?
What would the original readers understand from this choice of words? How did the specific historical needs, limitations, or cultural requirements of the original readers shape the way God revealed Himself here?
The Scripture is God-breathed, so there’s an element of God’s influence in how the author makes God known. Why do you think God chose these words to reveal himself?
The names, descriptions, actions, words, and commands of God can come from different voices. Some of them must be trusted (like when God speaks about himself) and others need to be challenged (like when Job’s friends speak about God). Is the voice revealing God in this passage one that should be trusted (like God speaking of Himself) or one that should be challenged (like a potentially flawed perspective: ex. serpent, Job’s friends, rebellious Israel, etc.)? Is there a contrast between how God reveals himself and what people say about God? Why does the Bible make a point to contrast these perspectives?
Where do these names, descriptions, actions, words, and commands of God come from? Is this the first time that this is revealed in the Scriptures? Has a previous author of Scripture used it? How do you think this observation of God was passed on from one author to another?
Is there any correlation between the names, descriptions, actions, words, and commands of God? For example, does God give a command to do something that he also does? Or do God’s actions lead to the description or name of God?
“The Holy Spirit will come upon (action) you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow (action) you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy (description)—the Son of God (name)” (Luke 1:35).
IMPORTANT: How does this observation of God support the main idea of the book or section? We want to see how the author’s use of the names, descriptions, actions, words, commands, promises, and questions of God connect to the intended message.
“There you are!”
Most books of the Bible have many names, descriptions, actions, words, commands, promises, and questions of God to observe. The goal is to finish with many discoveries of God. We are calling these discoveries: “There you are!”
The concept is that we are like little children playing hide and seek with our father. The child wants to find the father, and the father wants to be found by the child. The father will choose to hide in places that are easily discoverable. When the child finds the father, there is an expression of joy: “There you are!” The father comes out from hiding and makes himself fully known to the child.
This is what we are desiring through Bible study. We seek God through our search of the Scriptures, and we expect to find him. He expects to be found as well. And for that reason, he has breathed the Scriptures for us. “It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.” (Proverbs 25:2)
Let’s enter with the expectation of discovering God through His word!