The Importance of Reading the Rest of the Bible

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The Importance of Using Information from The Rest of the Bible to Help us Understand a Passage, especially the “Redemptive-historical Context” of a Passage.

Passages in the Bible often assume that the reader is somewhat familiar with what they are referring to, or at least that he or she could ask someone or could look it up. If a reader is not familiar with what the passage is referring to, and does not look it up, their ability to understand and apply the passage will be substantially decreased. This handout points out the importance of using the rest of the Bible to help us understand the specific passage we are reading.

A. General Examples & Suggestions:

1. If a passage refers to a person, place, event or custom that you are not familiar with, look it up. For example:

   • What is Judah? Is it just another name for Israel?

   • The city Nineveh is a capital city — of what nation?

   • The city Samaria — in the Old Testament, what is its importance?

   Some examples from specific verses:

   • Hosea 9:9 They have sunk deep into corruption, as in the days of Gibeah.

     God will remember their wickedness and punish them for their sins.

     Q: What happened at Gibeah?

   • Jeremiah 7:14

     Therefore, what I did to Shiloh I will now do to the house that bears my Name, the temple you trust in, the place I gave to you and your ancestors.

   • Jeremiah 26:6

     …then I will make this house like Shiloh and this city a curse among all the nations of the earth.

     Q: What happened at Shiloh?

   • Isaiah 7:17 The Lord will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah – he will bring the king of Assyria.

   • Jeremiah 7:15 I will thrust you from my presence, just as I did all your fellow Israelites, the people of Ephraim.

   • Hosea 7:11 Ephraim is like a dove, easily deceived and senseless— now calling to Egypt, now turning to Assyria.

     Q: Who or what is Ephraim, and what does it mean Ephraim calls to

     Egypt, and then to Assyria? [And what is Assyria?]

   • Lamentations 1:1 How deserted lies the city, once so full of people!

     How like a widow is she, who once was great among the nations!

     She who was queen… has now become a slave.

     Q: What city is this verse talking about?

     Q: And what happened to that city?

2. If the New Testament quotes a verse from the Old Testament, look up the Old Testament passage, and read it in its context to see what it is about.

   Example: 1 Cor 14:21 quotes Isaiah 28:11,12.

3. If a passage has a parallel passage, look it up and compare them.

   In the Old Testament 1 & 2 Chronicles are parallel to 2 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings.

   In the New Testament Matthew, Mark and Luke are often parallel to each other

B. A Major Factor to Bear in Mind — The “Redemptive-historical Context”

The expression “redemptive-historical context” refers to → where a passage falls into the overall flow of the events in the Bible.

In the Old Testament, for example, this means bearing in mind how the major developments that have occurred earlier set the stage for the passage we are reading now. The two most important such items are the main events and the covenants.

1. The main events are events such as:

   The exodus from Egypt, and Israel receiving the Law at Mt Sinai.

   The conquest & settlement of the land under Joshua.

   Israel moves from having Judges to having kings (Saul, David, Solomon).

   The construction of the temple.

   The division of Israel into Judah and northern-kingdom after Solomon dies.

2. The major covenants are: (listed in chronological order)

   • God’s covenant with the whole earth through Noah (Gen 6-9).

   • God’s covenant / promises with Abraham and his seed (Gen 12, 15, 17 & 22).

   • God’s covenant with the nation of Israel through Moses at Mt. Sinai (Exod 19-24).

   • God’s covenant with David and his son (2 Sam 7; Ps 89, Ps 110, Ps 132).

   • The new covenant (Jeremiah 31; Hebrews chs. 8 & 10).

   To note: The first four of those covenants, and all of the main events listed above, come before any of the OT prophetic books. They are what set the stage for reading and understanding the prophets. If a reader is not familiar with them, it will be hard to understand the prophets.

Closing Thought:

When we study the Scriptures, we read a passage closely and pay attention to the details — and we should. We could call this “micro” interpretation. But we also need to do “macro” interpretation. “Macro” interpretation means reading a passage in light of the information that the rest of the Bible provides us. Doing so will shed a lot of light on the passage we are reading, and will help us reach conclusions and applications that are solid and true to the Bible.