Simply Studying

I have a very good reason for being late to the simple pleasures party this week. I interrupted my regularly scheduled blogging for my Thursday morning Bible study group.

That's a bit ironic since this week’s simple pleasure is Bible Study.

Whether I'm in a group or alone...
Whether I'm the student or teacher...

Bible study just makes me happy.

This week, I should be purely giddy because I’m over my head with it. Not only am I busy on the learning end for Thursdays, but I’m busy on the teaching end for a women’s retreat on Saturday plus my regular Sunday School class.

 That’s three different days

 on three different topics.

I honestly don’t know how pastors do it.

I do, however, know why they do it.

They do it for the simple pleasure.

It’s exciting to study the big picture and the color commentary behind the passages. It’s fun to pour over the work of folks smarter than I am and read what they have to say.

Even more fun than the big picture is breaking it down into many little pictures. 

I love to find the nuggets hidden within the verses.

and  apply them to my life.

(I probably should do this one again.)

I get my biggest kicks when I pull out a Greek or Hebrew word or phrase and plop it on the table for close inspection.

I love to study the definition…

and the usage…

and the tense…

and the mood...

I love to get to the root of it, and if I can chisel down to the root of the root? Well, that’s even better. I love to find the Greek or Hebrew synonyms that the writer didn’t use and ponder why God inspired that pen to write that specific word over all the others.

It makes me go hmmmmm…

You can imagine how jazzed I was to discover that the Hebrew root for meditate is exactly that, an onomatopoetic word for the sound made by groaning in deep thought.

hmmmmmmm…

Sometimes, I find the treasure in the English words hidden within the Greek ones, words like

dynamite

and energy

and poem.

Some make me think; others just make me chuckle.

Once, I discovered the word hormone hidden within a passage about uncontrollable temper. It gave me the full out belly laugh, and I could hardly wait to share it with my class of women all hovering around the age of 50.

The biggest problem is that God put so much good stuff in there. Once I start digging, I’m like a little steam engine hacking my way through solid rock. I find treasure after treasure and feel the need to share them…

Every single one…

My class recently studied the 8 verses which make up the familar passage from Ecclesiastes,

 To everything there is a season 

 It took us two months.  By the end, many had scribbled an addendum:

…a time to move on

Not really. They pretty much go with the flow. Most of them are treasure hunters too.

This Saturday, I’m teaching a one day retreat, and the scripture they requested is the  Proverbs 31 Woman. I’m having a dilly of a time.

  You see... 

 Proverbs 31 has 31 verses.

In my translation, that’s 320  words.
To cover in one day.

Oh dear...

If you don’t hear from me by Monday, maybe someone should take pity on the women and call 911.

Bible study...
This week's simple pleasure

*****

Sharing with Dayle at

A Collection of This and That

for her Simple Pleasures Party.