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It took me maybe a little less than a year to read the entire Bible, but a lot of it went over my head.When I got out of the hospital back at the end of Oct. 2021, I made it a point to read (and listen to) a couple chapters of the Bible, starting with Genesis, and it took me a little over a year to complete it. Best thing I'd ever done in my life.
I had the same problem going through the Bible as well, but whenever I had a problem or a issue I always stopped, re-read the part I was stuck at, prayed for guidance and inspiration and continued on.but a lot of it went over my head
You can't classify that style or technique of bible study as conventional daily bible reading!Only once I admitted by Faith in public by getting baptized in Christ Jesus, and then buckling down with discipline to study God's Word line upon line, chapter by chapter.
I used the 19th century British Bible scholar E.W. Bulllinger's study Bible which has scholar level notes in the side margin next to the 1611 KJV text. It is called The Companion Bible. Just all the info in the Appendixes in the back alone makes it worth having a copy. And The Old Testament contains many Massorah notes, a system the Israelite scribes used to make certain their copies of The Old Testament by hand from generation to generation. The Companion Bible is the only English study Bible that contains those Massorah notes from the scholar Christian David Ginsberg's work on the Massorah.
I also used BibleSoft's software of Bible versions and Bible study tools, which is fast. But going slow through the whole Bible, taking the time to look over in the side margin at Bullinger's notes, which contain Scripture references to other Bible sections on the same topic, and archaelogical notes, and historical notes, forces one to go slow and really let God's Word to 'sink in'. Always begin Bible study with a prayer asking The Father for understanding in Christ's Name too.
There would even be times when I would be studying a certain Bible Book and Chapter, and I'd rest for the day. And then within a week or so, something about it would be revealed to me. And sometimes it even involved places where I'd traveled overseas, where I didn't realize what the ruins I was seeing was really about. But the Bible history I was covering in my Bible study pointed to it.
You can't classify that style or technique of bible study as conventional daily bible reading!
That's a Harvard or MIT level disciplined study you're discussing here. It'd be interesting to learn the origin of how you started these unique study procedures.
Yes, the Lord is certainly worthy of our unabraded focused attention! It's really the way to build your relationship with the Lord and really hear his voice by setting disciplined time with Him. One scripture comes to mind: John 1:1Nothing special, it is just the simplicity of self-discipline. I wasn't baptized in Christ Jesus until I had turned 40.
So before that I had studied history, philosophy, and religion in my high school days. After high school I was in the USAF as an aircraft Crew Chief at Andersen AFB, Guam during Vietnam on the B-52D. Then after Vietnam I was assigned to MAC (Military Airlift Command) at Torrejon, AB, Spain for three and half years, on the C-141, C-5A, and C-130. From Spain we went TDY (temporary duty) all over Europe and the Middle East, and to some places that were classified.
After I got out, I studied at University, which forces one to learn disciplined study habits also, including with subjects one may not like, but are required for the degree major/minor. The University Bachelor of Science degree involves learning the Scientific Method for research. I majored in Aerospace Administration with a minor in Industrial Psychology (which is about industry studies, not behavioral psychology). Just about all of my junior and senior level classes involved a research paper or project, or multiple research papers per class applying mathematical statistics, etc., especially in the field of Industrial Psychology. In my Airline Management class, taught by an ex-CEO of an airline in Texas, we had to actually create an airline model like we were going to start it as a business, even down to what flight routes, the type of aircraft, stats on its operation and maintenance, facility overhead, payroll, airport hub, etc., and reduce the cost of all that down to one meaningful number using mathematical statistics as a function of 'seat miles'. By that one could determine costs of each flight route that each passenger would need to pay, how it's actually done in the real airline world today. We even had to come up with an aircraft logo and paint scheme for our aircraft. With that class, some real airlines had been started.
But the main working for my Bible study was from The Holy Spirit after I had gotten baptized in Christ. I prayed for God to give me understanding in His Word, and He certainly did that, as the 'unction' I was given would not allow me to stop my Bible study until I had gone all the way through His Word.
The Companion Bible made it easier because Bullinger put a dot above certain words in the KJV text, and gave more information about the original manuscript word, which most often involved a name of a person or place which the KJV translation did not bring into the English. I discovered certain Bible study tools that made those name translations easier too, like the Brown-Driver-Briggs for The Old Testament, and Thayers for The New Testament. Then my old reliable, the Strong's Exhaustive Concordance played a big part too. The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge Bible study tool was an amazing help too, as it cross-references Bible Scripture in other parts of The Bible about the topic verse one might be studying at the moment.
None of that means I'm smarter than anyone else. It just means I've had to discipline myself, and that rubbed off into Bible study once God had hit me with the unction from The Holy Spirit.
When you look at the standard Bible reading program (Bible in a year), it's 2 chapters a day, on the average. Usually one chapter from each Testament, or switch off between New and Old every other day.For my dad it took two years.![]()