Today’s study has eight simple steps.
Pray and ask God to be present as you read and study his Word. Repent of every sin you’re aware of so that nothing will stand in the way of your fellowship with God. Tell Jesus he is welcome to your study and ask the Father to send his Spirit to open your eyes as you dive into the text of Scripture.
Read Jonah 1. If possible, read it aloud. It will take about three minutes and the goal is to get the big picture, so you don’t need to put in any special effort to note every detail.
Write your first impressions or reactions (if any). Some people have many impressions, some have none, and some are in between. Impressions might be your feelings (for example, did you feel loved, warned, frightened, encouraged, etc.) or your opinions (about characters or events or claims found in the text). If you do experience any special impressions or reactions, write them down. Taking good notes is one of the essential skills of personal Bible study, so it is best to start practicing it immediately. Use clear headings and subheadings, so that you can use your notes with ease when you come back to them after several days or weeks of study.
Write your questions (if any). As with impressions, some people have many questions right from the beginning, some have just a few, and some have none. If you notice any questions arising while you read, write them down when you finish reading. Don’t interrupt the first reading, because it is important for you to feel how the story flows. Your list of questions will grow from day to day: some will be answered as you go, but new ones will arise. Keep them well organized. If a question is tied to a specific verse, note its address next to the question. Verse numbers are another key element of good note taking. They provide one of the ways to find your way around when your notes become more voluminous, especially if you use a writing program like MS Word or LibreOffice, because they have search functions that can help you find any reference quickly.
Copy Jonah 1 from the internet and paste it into a writing program. Adjust font and size to your liking, set the line spacing to 1,5 or 2 and print it out. You can find many translations at BibleGateway website, like this one here. You will use the printed text to mark your observations, not only today, but also during subsequent days of studying. If you are not able to print the text, you can use a Bible, or, if you prefer not to mark the text in your Bible, you can copy Jonah 1 by hand. Write clearly and leave every other line empty to make room for marking. This would take some time, but that copy will be used a lot during this Bible study course, so it will pay off. The process of hand copying will also make you more familiar with the text, so you might want to try it out even if you can print the text.
Read Jonah 1 again, this time quietly and carefully, stopping to mark every appearance of any word that designates God. These are the words God, god, the Lord, and Lord God. You can use a highlighter or a color pencil of your choice, or you can just use a plain pencil to put a rectangle around the words. (The word Lord – when in small capitals – designates places where God’s name Yahweh is used in the Hebrew text, which, as you will see, is significant in Jonah 1.)
Analyze all sentences where the marked words appear. Go slowly, sentence by sentence, and list every fact you can find about God. The goal is to observe as much as you can from the text itself. Here is a good question to bulletproof your observations: “If someone asked me where I found this in the text, what would I say?” This will help you to stick closely to the text and avoid building your faith on unchecked information. If new questions arise, add them to your list. Step 7 is the most important step for today because it concerns your knowledge of God – one of the best fruits of Bible study – so take your time and be diligent.
Pray. Talk to God about what you’ve just learned about him. You can also pray about some of your questions and impressions, if you find them significant enough. This step is the culmination of today’s study because its about your fellowship with God. Personal Bible study should always start and end with prayer, because it is not just an intellectual process, but also a spiritual and relational one. You can also pray at any point during the study if you feel moved to do so. Enjoy God and his Word.
If you have any questions, write them in the comments below or send me an email to matej@pbsi.online. Subscribe to our newsletter to get notified whenever we publish a new post (you can do so at the bottom of the page). Share this post if you found it helpful and if you think it would help Christians you know.
See you on the next post. Until then, enjoy God and his Word.
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