Written almost 2,000 years ago, the Scriptures still hold truths and lessons for us today. As we read, study, and learn, we discover Yahweh’s wisdom and direction for our lives. Hidden treasures, truths, and life lessons (dealing with the issues of life) come alive to us.
Review the following outline to get the most out of your study. (KJV used, unless otherwise stated.)
Prepare Your Heart
The Scriptures hold many hidden gems that are easily overlooked. We sharpen our spiritual sight to uncover thosehidden treasures by preparing our hearts with prayer. Ask Father Yah to open your understanding, give you ears to hear what the Scripture is saying, and reveal His truths to you for you to incorporate in your life. Ask for the Holy Spirit (Ruwach Qodesh) to guide you as you study. Whatever requests that lay on your heart, also present them and yield them to Yahweh and end your prayer, in Yahshua’s name.
Set time aside to study. It can be a short period of time, as long as we commit to taking time to spend with Yahweh. Seek His presence daily and He will bless you. Yahweh longs to have a relationship with each and every one of us. By opening yourself to His Word and opening your heart to be teachable before Him, He will bless you with insight and wisdom for your daily life.
A few minutes before your study time, get rid of all distractions. Close any extra tabs on your browser, silence your phone/computer, get something to drink, and/or take that last-minute bathroom trip. The Accuser will do anything he can to distract you and/or pull you away from spending time in the Word.
Study Format
We may study the Scirptures many times and still elarn something new each time.
- Surface reading is reading the Scriptures in your own language and gleaning from what you read. It includes observation of details in the passage(s), application of truths you discover, and prayerful guidance from the Ruwach Qodesh.
- Biblical resources complement your study (but do not replace them). They may include the Strong’s Concordance; the Lexicon; the Interlinear; Bible dictionaries; Commentaries, etc. These resources are utilized to clarify meanings in passages and are not intended to replace Scripture reading. Please remember that most of these resources come from Christian perspectives, not Hebraic culture. Also, if you access the Internet for these resources, please keep in mind that not all websites hold a Torah-observant standard.
- Personal experience comes through as we live and grow in this world and in our walk with Yahshua the Messiah. Wee learn how to adapt (or tolerate) others who seem to be the “sandpaper” in our lives. The times may have changed from the ancient world to our modern contemporary society, but the people remain the same. We will be able to draw on our own experiences and relate to some of these women although milennia separate us. We learn how to operate, function, and interact with others who live with different understanding and/or perspectives than our own.
- Word studies clarify meaning for us. Some words seem broad and elusive, but when we put that word through a word study, we gain a better understanding of how the word is used. For example, help meet in Genesis 2:18 is Strong’s Concordance number H5828. H5828 is used 22 times in the Bible. Its primary root, H5826 is used 82 times. And we learn that help meet or helper is someone who has equal or greater resources.
Application
The Scriptures serve as instructions for life. For example, the book of Proverbs shares blunt truisms that are relevant today as they were back in ancient times. As we study these women of the Bible, we will learn how personality traits are used in good and bad ways; we will learn how their choices affected their lives. And more importantly, we will learn from their life lessons and apply them to our own lives, as we seek to become more Messiah-like.
Some sample questions to ask:
a) What stood out the most to me?
b) What lesson did I learn?
c) How can I apply this in my own life?
d) What characteristics/personality traits can I incorporate from this woman to become more Messiah-like to those around me?
e) What Scripture verses can I memorize to help me form a new habit? Write one verse that was meaningful to you.
f) What is one aspect I learned that I can share with others to encourage them?
g) Yahweh, what is one thing I can start to change in my own life?
May Yahweh bless you and keep you and shine His face upon you always, keeping you in the palm of His hand, under the cleft of His wing, well protected. Shalom.