How to Study the Bible: Context
The Bible is filled with stories and lessons, words of wisdom, prophecies of destruction and songs of joy. It is easy to get caught up in a particular passage of Scripture and forget what we are looking at. It can even be dangerous even, believing we are being taught one thing when we are really wandering down the wrong path.
So how do we understand what we are reading? As we learn how to study the Bible, we gain insights into many practices that can help us understand and dive deeper into God’s Word. One of the key foundations of solid Bible study is understanding the context.
Context comes into play at a variety of levels. When reading a passage of Scripture, it is important to consider all of these levels to some degree. This is especially helpful when you are really trying to parse (fancy term for decipher and translate) out the language and message of God.
The easiest way to look at this is through an example.
"I will rescue my flock; they shall no longer be a prey. And I will judge between sheep and sheep."
The Verse Itself
Ezekiel 34:22 is one verse in the middle of a paragraph. Taken by itself, it’s meaning is a little confusing. The first half of the verse seems to be about redemption and salvation for a group of people. That's great news.
The second half of the verse seems to be about judging those same people that are being saved. Not so great of news. It is an odd combination and when you think about it as a lone verse, it leaves more questions than answers.
This is one of the easier mistakes to make when using the Bible. How often do you see someone quote an individual verse and use it to justify a particular thought or idea? We all have done this from time to time. It is not necessarily wrong either.
A lot of verses make sense on their own. They have a particular meaning that is difficult to misinterpret or confuse. But there are many verses that can be taken out of context. You've heard someone say, "you're taking that out of context," before. It means that we are missing the real point, the truth of whatever is being said.
The solution is simple enough. We just have to acknowledge the larger context.
Immediate Context
Expand your view past the immediate verse. You will see more of what the author, Ezekiel, is trying to say. We see that this statement is actually a declaration from God (see verse 20). More than this, we see that this is part of a prophecy against the shepherds, or leaders, of the people of Israel.
God’s message in the verses surrounding Ezekiel 34:22 talk about God’s judgment between the leaders of Israel – who have not defended the cause of the poor, injured, ill, or oppressed – and the people of Israel who needed help and support. This explains the apparent contradiction in verse 22.
When we look at the verse on its own, its meaning is lost and we are left confused. Taken as a part of the larger context, we see more of its real purpose. God will save His people, but the people He is saving are those who are ill, injured, poor, or oppressed. This is how He both saves the sheep and judges between the sheep.
Larger Context
So let’s keep looking at the bigger picture. Looking at Ezekiel as a book of the Bible is the next step. What is Ezekiel all about? Who was this Ezekiel and how does this verse fit into His writing? These are all great questions to ask to continue to understand the meaning of a passage.
For the book of Ezekiel, we find that Ezekiel was a prophet during the time of the Babylonian captivity. During his time, the people of Israel were judged by the Day of the Lord. Babylon conquered Israel as part of the will of God in His judgment against their sins. Babylon then took the Israelites captive to Babylon.
The part of Ezekiel that we find ourselves in chapter 34 is discussing the end of God’s judgment. God reminds His people that He will redeem those who have been taken advantage of and that He will honor His covenant of redemption. He gives us the hope of a coming salvation.
Which brings us to the bigger picture.
The Big Picture
Every part of Scripture is a small portion of a unified whole. All of Scripture is the narrative of God’s story. His story is one of judgment and justice, love and salvation. We should always remember that each passage of Scripture teaches us more about God and what His purposes are in the world.
Ezekiel 34:22 is part of this single narrative. It shows us God’s salvation and His judgment. It allows us to think about how God works in the world to save those who rely on Him. It teaches us about how we should live to love others, especially those who are suffering and in need.
It reminds us of the greatest commandments, which Jesus tells us clearly in Matthew 22. We should love our neighbors as ourselves, which is demonstrated in the immediate context of our passage (caring for the poor, sick, and oppressed). More than this, we should love God.
The judgment the leaders of Israel are receiving in our passage is the result of their failing to follow the greatest commandments God has given us. The salvation for the sheep is the fulfillment of God's covenant and also God's demonstration of how He will always love and care for us.
Looking at the context of each passage allows us to get a much deeper view of God’s message. We get to understand what is happening in the passage and how it fits into the Bible as a whole. Without understanding the context, reading the Bible is like holding a map but never using it for direction.
Learn to look at context and find where God wants you to go.