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Devotional and Exegetical
Reading of Scripture
Dennis Bratcher
There are two very different ways of reading Scripture:
exegetically
and devotionally. Both are valid, but
serve totally different purposes and approach the Bible in totally different
ways. It is often a confusion of these two ways of reading that leads to
misunderstandings between people when they talk about Scripture, and even
leads to
misunderstanding Scripture itself.
Exegetical reading of Scripture is
how most preachers, educators, or scholars study the biblical text. This way
of reading Scripture has as its goal understanding the meaning of the
biblical text for the larger purpose of drawing theological, doctrinal, or
homiletical [preaching] conclusions from it. It involves using various methods of
biblical study, such as: historical, cultural, and social backgrounds; the
original languages; the history of interpretation; relating texts to the
whole canon of Scripture; theological implications, etc. There are a variety
of emphases in these methods, but most are aimed at understanding the
theological message the text communicates. While not all Bible students
agree on all these methods, or their results, there is a great deal of
agreement about the basic principles, and about the boundaries of
interpretation that arise from careful study (what the text can't
mean).
Theological and doctrinal positions are (usually) constructed from such
deliberate and careful study of Scripture. The study is done openly and
publicly in the Christian community, with much dialog about differing views.
"Lone Ranger" or eccentric views are not accepted in the larger community,
which serves as a balance to over zealous individual interpreters ("no
prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation" -2 Peter
1:20).
Devotional reading of Scripture is a
personal reading that is intimately tied to prayer as devotion to God. It is
an attempt, a search, to encounter God through sacred Scripture. In this way
of reading, the person approaches the Biblical text from the context of his
or her own immediate world of experience, often in times and attitudes of
grief or indecision, or simply wanting to draw closer to God. The Bible is
read closely and thoroughly but always with the prayer that God will speak
through Scripture. There is always an immediacy to devotional reading that
addresses people where they are in a particular set of life situations. As
individuals contemplate a passage from Scripture, they allow the Biblical
text to master them as they saturate themselves in the presence of God
through focusing on Scripture.
It is important to notice here that the primary method of reading
Scripture in this approach is not to find out what the text might mean in
the Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek, or what the original author had in mind when
he or she wrote, or what the historical background of the text might be. This is
not Bible Study, and should not be confused at this point with the
exegetical approach that has more pragmatic ends in mind (theology,
teaching, preaching, history, doctrine, etc.). Yet, the Bible does not
become some magic key for the answers to life’s problems. In fact, and this
is the crucial point, Scripture itself is not so much the focus in
devotional reading as is the communion with God that occurs in the reading.
The reading of Scripture is a vehicle for expressing devotion to God, and
allowing God to commune with us.
Often in devotional reading, people say they are "given" a message from
Scripture. I have no doubt at all that this happens. Theologically, we would
say that the Holy Spirit has helped them understand something about
themselves, their life situation, a direction to go, a personal need. This
does not mean that the Scripture itself necessarily "means" this. And the
insight gained is so personal that it probably cannot be used as doctrine or
theology for all of the church for all time. It is not that kind of truth.
But it is a personal truth whereby the Holy Spirit enables the person to
understand something that they need to know at that particular juncture in
their lives.
Another way to say this is that the "truth" for the person comes in the
context of prayer through the Holy Spirit, who uses the Bible as the vehicle
or form for that truth. They have not studied
Scripture
for its meaning; they have sought God’s presence
through the vehicle of Scripture for strength in their lives. What they end
up with in this reading of Scripture is not the theological meaning of
Scripture, but an assurance of God’s presence in their lives, and the
strength that comes from an encounter with God. This is always the purpose
of acts of devotion of any kind. I am convinced that devotional reading of
Scripture serves to create the climate in which we can hear God in new ways,
and in ways that will not come from any other devotional practice.
Now, the real problems come when these two ways of reading Scripture are
confused, or one is eliminated altogether. I have no doubt that Phoebe
Palmer, a nineteenth century leader of the holiness renewal movement in the
United States, gained some marvelous insights into her own faith journey as
she read Scripture devotionally. She inspired thousands through her
devotional writings earnestly to seek a deeper, closer relationship with
God. However, as soon as she began making her devotional insights into
theological propositions, which quickly moved into doctrine in the American
Holiness Movement, she ran into trouble. She never did exegetical reading of
Scripture, and so drastically misunderstood Scripture. And 150 years later,
the heirs of the American Holiness Movement are still struggling with
the fallout out from those errors.
The same problem often occurs with preachers who opt for devotional
reading as a basis for sermon preparation or building personal theology
rather than taking the time to do exegetical study first. It is one thing to
share a personal devotional experience with others, and I think there is a
time and place even for preachers and pastors to do that. But it is not the
same thing as proclaiming a message of God that is biblically and
theologically sound. -1-
Most "Bible Study" groups I have attended are mislabeled. A "Bible Study"
where everyone sits around a circle and the leader goes around the circle
and asks, "What does this passage mean to you," is not a Bible study.
It is an exercise in devotional reading. That may be adequate for a certain
context, as long as people understand what they are doing, and know the
difference between devotional reading and Bible study. Shared insights and
shared faith journeys are a valuable source of encouragement to a community.
But there should be no illusions in such contexts that "study," or
exegetical reading of Scripture, has taken place.
Devotional reading of Scripture plays a crucial role in the church, as a
means of communion with God, and probably has been too neglected in our
modern culture where fewer people read. And for some of us who do far more
exegetical reading, it is difficult to read devotionally. When I do, I
quickly find myself wondering what the Hebrew word is behind this
translation, or start relating the theology of this passage to some text
somewhere else. I have heard others comment that they do not know enough to
do "Bible Study" since they don’t know Greek or Hebrew or all the technical
stuff of biblical exegesis. Maybe that’s why we all need each other. And
maybe we all need to work harder to cultivate and nurture both ways of
reading Scripture, lest we end up from either direction assuming that our
own thoughts are God’s.
Notes
1. "The difficulty that too many people experience in
reading the Bible is not that it is a cryptogram to be deciphered but that
they lack an awareness of the historical context. Identifying this setting
requires help in most cases. This is why study helps . . . are crucial for
the average person, even though many passages of Scripture may come alive
because the words address in a very personal way the existential situation
of the reader." H. Ray Dunning, "Does the Bible Contain a Secret Code,"
Herald of Holiness, December, 1997.
-Dennis Bratcher, Copyright ©
2018, Dennis
Bratcher, All Rights Reserved
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Related pages
Bible in the Church
Revelation and Inspiration of Scripture
Problems with "Plain
Sense" Reading of Scripture
Evangelicals and the
Bible
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