‘I Don’t Understand What I Read’

Every Christian who tries to read through the Bible encounters challenges along the way. There are unknown places, unusual customs, seemingly endless lists of names, apparent tensions, and other difficulties that puzzle even seasoned saints. Many well-intended Bible reading plans have come to a screeching halt somewhere in the bloody sacrifices of Leviticus, the land allotments of Joshua, the genealogies of Chronicles, or the speeches of Job. Even those taking refuge in the familiarity of the Psalms find bitter laments and bold imprecations!

This article recommends three strategies to help Bible readers overcome discouragement, dryness, and other defeaters to find consistent spiritual benefit from God’s word: Pray for illumination. Ask questions for insight. Consult study tools for instruction.

Pray for Illumination

Let’s be clear at the outset: The Bible is no ordinary book. The sovereign God speaks to us in his trustworthy and true word, and we need God to open our eyes and hearts to rightly see and really believe what he has revealed. The travelers on the road to Emmaus heard Jesus open up the Scriptures, but they did not understand until their eyes were opened to recognize the living Lord Jesus who was hidden in plain view (Luke 24:31–32).

We need this sort of spiritual sight to grasp the spiritual realities of God’s Book. Thus, God’s word teaches us to pray,

Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law. (Psalm 119:18)

Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. (Psalm 90:14)

We seek not only to read the Bible consistently but to read it supernaturally. We want to behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus and believe that he is all we need.

Ask Questions for Insight

“Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth” (Proverbs 4:5). We seek insight into the Book that God has given us, and we get that insight through prayerful, careful, active reading.

“Remember that God’s word is trustworthy and true; it is more desirable than gold and sweeter than honey.”

This sort of reading is radically countercultural in our world today. Smartphones have conditioned a generation to scroll and click through wave after wave of entertainment, social media, and news. We need a different approach to the Bible, one that leads us to meditate on God’s word day and night (Psalm 1:2). In addition to constant prayer, the best way to counteract shallow, passive reading and promote deep, active engagement with the word of God is by asking questions when we read. Employ the simple questions you learned in grade school: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?

Consider Acts 1 as a case study. A professional reader takes about four minutes to narrate these 26 verses. But you can spend hours studying this chapter and not exhaust its riches. Luke’s account prompts a number of questions:

• Who is Theophilus? Why is he mentioned in verse 1?
• Why does the author say that “Jesus began to do and teach”? What does this phrase imply about Christ’s ongoing work after he is taken up to heaven?
• When would the disciples be “baptized with the Holy Spirit”?
• How does Jesus’s teaching in verses 7–8 relate to the disciples’ question in verse 6?
• What Scriptures does Peter cite to explain Judas’s apostasy and the need for a twelfth apostle?
• Why do the disciples cast lots? Does this establish a pattern for us to follow?

Careful wrestling with questions like these forces us to think over what God has said and seek greater understanding (2 Timothy 2:7).

Consult Study Tools for Instruction

How do we find satisfying answers to our questions about God’s word? Let’s focus on three types of tools that will help thoughtful Christians press on in more effective Bible reading and Bible study.

TOOL 1: STUDY BIBLES

A good study Bible helps readers understand God’s word more deeply by including introductions to each book, cross-references, explanatory notes, maps, charts, a concordance, and more. While readers may want to own multiple study Bibles, I recommend starting with The ESV Study Bible, which remains a remarkably balanced and useful resource produced by a team of nearly a hundred scholars.

Readers should not conflate the authority of the God-breathed biblical text with the commentary below it. Note the editors’ counsel in the Introduction:

The best way to use a study Bible . . . is always to begin and end with the words of the Bible. We should always begin by reading the Bible’s actual words, seeking with our hearts and our minds to understand these words and apply them to our lives. Then, after starting with the words of the Bible itself, we can turn to the study notes and many other study Bible resources. . . . Finally, we should return again to the Bible itself, reading it with a new and deeper understanding, asking God to speak through his Word to the situation of our life and to draw us near to himself.

One vital but often overlooked feature is eighty thousand cross-references adjacent to the biblical text. The most important and illuminating references are quotations and allusions of Old Testament texts in the New Testament. Looking up these whole-Bible connections helps us appreciate how God fulfills his ancient promises and accomplishes his sovereign purposes.

TOOL 2: BIBLE DICTIONARIES

A Bible dictionary includes hundreds of articles arranged alphabetically covering the books, people, places, events, customs, and major concepts of the Bible. Some dictionaries are designed for scholars while others are more suited to students and church members, such as the New Bible Dictionary or New Dictionary of Biblical Theology. These tools are particularly useful for readers who are asking questions of the biblical text and looking for a summary of the Bible’s teaching on a particular topic with supporting references. The combination of a good study Bible and a Bible dictionary can help patient readers troubleshoot challenging passages and persevere in their study of Scripture.

TOOL 3: BIBLE COMMENTARIES

Pastors and theological students have long prized commentaries. Charles Spurgeon called biblical commentators “a glorious army . . . whose acquaintance will be your delight and profit.” I have reflected elsewhere on the purpose, value, and limitations of commentaries and provided recommendations for each New Testament book.

The primary reason to consult a commentary is to understand the meaning of God’s written word more accurately. Readers are best positioned to benefit from commentaries when they have already spent time studying a portion of Scripture and have specific questions they are trying to answer. For example, when working through Acts 13, you may wonder about the various places Paul and Barnabas travel — Seleucia, Cyprus, Salamis, Antioch, and so forth. You may be unfamiliar with the role of a Roman proconsul and be surprised that a Jewish prophet is performing magic. You may have questions about Paul’s multiple names, about Jewish synagogues, and about how and why Paul appeals to Old Testament passages like Psalm 16 and Isaiah 49.

For those without a library at home, The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary could be a good place to start. My favorite one-volume commentaries are the Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament and the New Bible Commentary. Those looking for a multivolume set might consider the ESV Expository Commentary. Or if you are planning to study a particular book of the Bible, invest in an excellent exegetical commentary or two by scholars like Tom Schreiner, Doug Moo, or D.A. Carson.

Words of Life and Wonder

Anyone who plans to read through the Bible consistently encounters obstacles of various kinds. You may be distracted by your smartphone or your schedule; you may be discouraged in your fight against sin; you may be confused by the content of this ancient text and wonder how it possibly relates to your problems today.

Remember that God speaks to us through this Book, and we live by every word that comes from him (Matthew 4:4). Remember that God’s word is trustworthy and true (Revelation 21:5); it is more desirable than gold and sweeter than honey (Psalm 19:10). We cannot rightly know God or ourselves apart from the Book he has given us. So, press on in prayerful, patient, persistent Bible reading and find life according to God’s word (Psalm 119:25).