Grasping God's Word : A Hands-on Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible

by J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays

• ISBN13: 9780310262237
• ISBN10: 0310262232
• Edition: Workbook
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-08-01
• Publisher: Zondervan

Summary

A revised workbook to accompany Grasping God’s Word textbook on reading, interpreting, and applying the Bible for college students and other serious readers.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 4
How to Read the Book-Basic Tools
The Interpretive Journey	p. 6
How to Read the Book-Sentences	p. 11
How to Read the Book-Paragraphs	p. 21
How to Read the Book-Discourses	p. 31
Contexts-Now and Then
What Do We Bring to the Text?	p. 38
The Historical-Cultural Context	p. 39
The Literary Context	p. 51
Word Studies	p. 57
Bible Translations	p. 71
Meaning and Application
Who Controls the Meaning?	p. 76
Levels of Meaning	p. 81
The Role of the Holy Spirit	p. 85
Application	p. 87
The Interpretive Journey-New Testament
New Testament-Letters	p. 94
New Testament-Gospels	p. 97
New Testament-Acts	p. 103
New Testament-Revelation	p. 105
The Interpretive Journey-Old Testament
Old Testament-Narrative	p. 112
Old Testament-Law	p. 119
Old Testament-Poetry	p. 129
Old Testament-Prophets	p. 135
Old Testament-Wisdom	p. 145
The Exegetical Paper Guidelines	p. 154
Passages	p. 157
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

Grasping God’s Word Workbook—Second Edition
Copyright 2001, 2005 by J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays
Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530
ISBN–10: 0–310–26223–2
ISBN–13: 978 –0–310–26223–7
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible: New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973,
1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any
means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission
of the publisher.
Interior design by Beth Shagene
Printed in the United States of America
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We want to hear from you. Please send your comments about this
book to us in care of [e-mail]. Thank you.
Part 1
How to Read the Book—Basic Tools
The Interpretive Journey
Assignment 1-1
Describe the four steps of the Interpretive Journey.
Step 1:
Step 2:
Step 3:
Step 4:
Assignment 1-2
What are the guidelines for developing theological principles?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Assignment 1-3
What are the differences that determine the width of the river to cross?
Assignment 2-1
Find a minimum of thirty observations in Acts 1:8. List them below. Avoid making interpretations or applications at
this stage. That is, stay with observations. For example, an observation would be to note that the passage starts off with
the conjunction “but.” This conjunction connects the sentence to the one above it in a contrasting way. If, however, you
were to note that the Holy Spirit empowers us for evangelism, that observation falls into the category of interpretation
or application. Do not enter into the interpretation or application phase yet. Limit all thirty of your observations
to the details and not to the interpretation of the details.Work hard! Dig deep! Read and reread the passage. Do not
quit until you have found at least thirty observations. Try to find more than thirty. Happy hunting!
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
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Extra 1.
Extra 2.
Extra 3.
Extra 4.
Use another sheet of paper if you have more.
Assignment 2-2
Make as many observations as you can on 1 John 1:5–7. Follow the format presented for Romans 12:1–2 in Chapter 2 of the textbook. Dig deep! Think hard. Spend time on this.Mark dozens and dozens of observations. Read and reread!
Look again! Observe! Observe! Observe!
5This is the message that we have heard from him
and declare to you: God is light;
in him there is no darkness at all.
6If we claim to have fellowship with him
yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.
7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light,
we have fellowship with one another,
and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

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Excerpted from Grasping God's Word: A Hands-on Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible by J. Scott Duvall, J. Daniel Hays
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