Before we jump back into our text study of Joshua Chapter 10, I would like to take a quick moment to address the proper way to study the Bible so we can properly understand its meaning and grasp the many divine patterns and principles embedded in God’s Holy Word.
What I’m about to share is particularly pertinent with regards to our study of Joshua if we are to really understand this monumental book as it was meant to be understood.
First off, whenever we study and debate the true meaning and value of the teachings of Scripture, more often than not, we treat God’s Word as if it was a huge reference book containing a bunch of wise sayings that we can just pick and choose from to suit whatever particular occasion.
It’s like the Bible is a sort of Benjamin’s Almanac jam-packed with proverbs and sayings that break down truths into very general or over simplified terms so we can easily remember them.
And this reminds me the Scriptures were originally meant to be SPOKEN and not treated as literature.
Remember God’s Word originally was transmitted from generation to generation verbally.
That’s how the Bible was originally structured.
Anyways, in order to make my point today, I’d like to use this analogy.
Consider that a wise saying or proverb from Scripture all by itself is kind of like a fossil.
While there may be much value and understanding to be derived from that one bone, we’ll never truly understand its function and its purpose until we see how it was originally connected to the whole body.
Or maybe another way to look at it is to consider that one proverb from the Bible is like just like one piece of a jigsaw puzzle.
That one piece doesn’t have any meaning all by itself until it’s connected to all the other pieces and we see the big picture.
That’s why it’s so important to look at the Bible as a whole and not as a random collection of pieces that we can just pick and choose as we please.
And that’s why it’s utterly ridiculous to build a doctrine on just one verse or even a set of verses for that matter.
We’ll discuss this some more the next time we meet.
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