R A N S A C K I NG THE S C RI PTU RE S BI BLE R U LE S FOR BI B LE S T U DY By KE IT H L. BROOKS C opyrigfl uwn By K eith L. B rooks BIBLE I N ST IT UT E OF LOS ANGELES - H 536 558 Sou th op e St . Los An geles Californ ia I N D E X B ible R u les for B ible S tu dy I mp or ta n ce o f the Methods o f B ible I mp or ta n t Cha p ter s of th e B ible N u mber o f C hap t er s in the B oo k s Why th e B ible w as Wr itten 12 K ey No tes o f th e ‘ K ey Ver ses of the B ook s Wr iter s an d Da tes o f th e B oo k s 15 Ou tw ar d Divis i on s o f th e B ible C on clu sion s o f the B oo k s F a cts A bo u t th e 23 Disp en sa tio n al Divis ion s 25 I n sp ir a tio n o f th e B ible 27 I n dex of B ible Ev en ts an d 34 IB I B L E R U L E S fo r B I B LE S T U DY I S - E —A - R — C - H The B ible is Go d ’ s L ove L etter to every Christian . It is therefore the C hristian ’ s business to “ search o ut ” i ts teachings , or to p ut it even more “ — literally Ransack th e Scriptures . ( Acts Jn . As we wo uld study every wor d and medi tate upon every paragraph o f a love letter fro m one near to our hearts , th at we mi ght gather every expres sion o f love an d every tho ught for “ ” o ur good , so we sh o uld explore the Word of Go d that we may grow in grace and in th e knowledge of Jesus Christ , o ur Divine L over . Yet the B ible is a great feast into which tho usands never venture for themselves . Too many p eople want their B ible study in capsules , sugared to taste and made to slip down easily , requirin g no chewing . No Christian can be what Go d wants him to be on capsule fo o d . Th e B ible is the most inspiring and fascinating book in all th e world if yo u go at it with th e help o f the H oly Spirit . Yo u can brin g it down to every experience o f life , and yo u o ught to bring yo ur experiences up to it . The B ook yo u will want for yo ur pillow when yo u are dying , as Joseph Cook has said , is the B ook yo u o ught to study while you are living . I ofier h ere some general r ules for B ible study , grouped under th e “ ” - - - - - letters s e a r c h . T E MA T I A L L Y 2 Ti m S C . “ Study to shew thyself approve d unto God , a workman that needeth not to be ashame d ; ” rightly dividing the Word o f Truth . A mechanic wo uld b e a failure if not familiar with his tools . A Christian , not familiar with th e Word o f Go d , - is a wall fl ow er in the ch urch . Systemati c stu dy is the great need . The grassh opper metho d o f B ible study ( j umping here an d r there ) gets n ow he e . Were yo u studying for a professional career , yo u wo uld not op en your book to day at Chapter 6 an d read a bit ; to morrow hastily read a few par a gr a p h s o f the first chapter and next read the index . Yo u woul d rea d systematically and serio usly to get ’ the author s thought . B e j ust as intelligent in reading the B ible . A R N E ST LY P s a . “ Open mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things o ut o f thy L aw . Yo u could n ot get the most fro m an art gallery with o ut f one to lead an d explain . M uch o interest wo ul d be misse d by travel ing alone . The B ible is a p icture gallery o f vast extent . To enj oy it and find its richest treasures a guide is needed to enlighten o ur u n der stan din g . Ju o . says , The Holy Spirit shall glorify me , for He shall take o f the things o f mine an d sh ow it ” unto yo u . L et the Spirit of God reveal . Take the things hard to m understan d to Hi , and o n bended knee , with B ible open before yo u , h see what He will give yo u . If t e 4 heart is honest in the prayer , and yo u are willing to walk in the light H as e reveals it , m arvelo us things will break in upon yo ur so ul . NXI OU SL Y P s a “ Make me to understan d the way o f thy precepts , so SHAL L I TAL K OF T HY WONDROUS ” WORKS . If yo u are a Christian , yo u are going to meet the assaults o f the devil ’ s agents who seek to undermine the faith . The Word o f Go d is th e weap on that p uts the enemy to silence . If Jesus used it ( Matt . 4 ) and defeate d Satan in His face to face enco unter , how m uch more sh oul d we use it in dealing with his agents . The B ible does no t nee d o ur de tense . It needs o ur study . It will defend itself . It is its own com mentary Seek the answers to all difficulties not fro m h uman reason m ’ ings , b ut anxio usly fro Go d s Word . It is not what men think but what Go d ’ s Word says that co unts . E G U LA R L Y P s a 3 , His delight is in the law of the L ord an d in His l aw d otn he meditate day an d night . And he shall be like a tree planted by riv ers o f water th at bringeth forth his fruit in his season . His leaf also shall not wither and whatso ever he ” doeth shall prosper . The man who DAIL Y meditates on the Word bears the fruit o f p atience in the time o f su fier in g ; faith in the sea son of trial ; a h o ly j oy in seasons o f 5 prosperity— h e is never voi d of fruit . What h e does prospers . There is a blessing concealed in every cross , loss or sorrow that comes his way and he never fails to find it . He is an evergreen tree . The sign o f spiritual life is always with him . Yo u don ’ t try to eat enough on M onday morning to last yo u for the week . If yo u did , yo u wo uld be in a most sickly condition at th e en d o f the week . Th ose who get mixed up in th e prevalent false doctrines , are those wh o get sickly fro m ir regular feeding on th e Word . B e regular . Put it first on your pro gram . L et n othing interfere . A R E F U LL Y 2 Tim . 1 7 , “ A ll Scripture is given by in spiration o f Go d an d is p r ofit able for do ctrine , for reproof , for correction , for instruction in right eou sn ess. That the man o f Go d may b e perfect , thoroughly fur ” n ish ed unto all go o d works . Then d o not b e skimming over passages in it that d o not at first glance seem to yield foo d for thought . It is n ot a question o f how ma ny times yo u have been through the B ible , but how many times the B ible has b een through you . If you are looking for chestnuts , and the leaves up on th e ground seem to con ceal them , yo u will take a stick and poke over an d over again in the same spot . Yo u are surprised that you find s o many of th e brown nuts in the spots where yo u had at first thought there were none . L ikewise 6 yo u will be ama zed at what one seem in gly unimportant verse will yield when yo u crack it open . — U MB L Y Ju o . If any man will do His will he shall ” know o f the teaching . U n less we study the B ible wholly p ur posed to yield o ur lives to the truth Go d reveals , His revelations will cease and the B ook will become dry .