Another way to read the Bible

I blogged an example of how to do this a while back, but it is worth mentioning, because this method is really enjoyable and makes the Bible even more three dimensional, interesting and educational.

My New Standard Bible from 1955 has a wonderful Alphabetical and Cyclopedic (topics) Index. Just leafing through the index is very interesting. For example, in the A's there are topics such "Arts and Craftsmen of the Bible" and beneath it listed all the occupations and the Bible reference, such as Bakers (Gen 40:1), Baking (Ex 16:23), Barbers (Ezek 5:1), Boat building (1 Ki 9:26), Braziers (Gen 4:22), Brickmakers (Gen 11:3), Calkers (Ezek 27:9) and so on.

Sometimes when I want to read the Bible I do so by selecting an everyday topic, and then read all of the passages that cite that topic.

For example, under "False Accusations against Christ" you can find the list: Blasphemy, Demon possession, Gluttony, Insanity, Sabbath desecration, and Treason.

But it's also interesting to look up just average everyday items. Here, for example is the listing under "Field:" Money paid for, Places of meditation, Every man sold his, Not to covet neighbor's, Ruth gleaned in, Potter's, bought, Consider lilies of, Of corn, Swine fed in, Is the world. So when I do one of these exercises I look up and read each of the entries under a topic such as field.

The one "is the world" is Matthew 13:38.

The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

Tares means weeds. Here is the passage in more modern language:

The field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one.

Do you notice, by the way, that Jesus uses the field as analogy for the world, because the weeds that grow there are not deliberate and spring up unpredictably among the sown seed. He would not use a "garden" therefore as an example, because a garden is closely tended and weed would not have an opportunity to grow. In those days before pesticides, mechanical cultivators, or even having enough hands to tend the fields. the weeds sprang up among the sown seed crops.

See, even the imagery that Jesus uses would have had significance to the people of the time. This is why "garden" is often used, in both the Bible but especially the Qur'an, as a description of heaven. A garden connotes (even though home gardeners might disagree!) a place that is constantly tended so only the beautiful grows. Weeds do not spring up in surprise in a heavenly garden. These agricultural and pastoral people immediately grasp the subtleties of the images Jesus uses in his parables and teachings.

So out of curiosity I look for references to "Garden" to show you the comparison. The Biblical definition of "garden" is a place that has a hedge about it. The "Field" was defined as cleared land; open expanse.

Garden: Of Eden, Of the Lord, Of Egypt, watered, Gethsemane, Symbolic of plenty, A "garden of nuts," and two references for "used for" idolatrous purpose, and place for burial.

Gardener ("one who gardens"): Adam, the first, Jesus mistaken for.

Looking a little further down the index in G you can even find the place where "Garlic" is cited in the Bible: A food in Egypt (Num 11:5).

It's like an unchained melody through the Bible. Or rather like making a daisy chain as you go along. You start reading all the Biblical references to one topic, and then it gives you an insight into not only the scripture but a better sense of life during that time.

Oh, wait, here's another cool one. "Gath" is a wine press and a Biblical city. Under Gath are eleven references in the Bible: A Philistine city, Giants left here, Ark carried to, David's deception at, Goliath of, Men of, smitten, David, refugee here, Taken by David, Fortified, Rehoboam, Uzziah broke walls, Conquered by Hazael.

Anyway, it's great to just look up any word, proper name or event concept and read all of the references to it throughout the Bible, as a break from just doing sequential or one topic reading.

One last example, looking up a quality: Piety.

Piety ("devotion, respect") Begets confidence, In old age, Lost in old age, For rulers, recommended, Inward and outward, Promotion by, Exhortation to, A maternal, A paternal, The best legacy, Hypocritical kind denounced and then there's a list of "striking examples of (piety): Enoch, Noah, Hezekiah, Josiah, Job, Obadiah, Daniel, Simeon, Anna, Barnabas, Ananias.

I like doing this with an actual Bible rather than through word searching an on line Bible. You can see that the editors have collected topics that you can be inspired by just reading down the list, and jump from one idea in the index to the next.

Oh, one more. I just saw Politeness ("polished, refined, courteous"): Manifested by Athenians, In social life, As a mask, A tender.

Now, see, if you searched on "politeness" you would not have found the tender example of it, since it is not said by name of attribute. It is Gen 43:26-29 where Joseph's brothers, still not knowing who he is, visit him and are very polite, as he is in return, hiding the tenderness in his heart. Interesting.

Anyway, I hope this stimulates even more love of the Scriptures!