Q: When I have questions about the Bible, how do I look for the answer in Scripture? I know Google is not a trusted resource. For example, last night I was thinking more on Genesis, and God created the heavens and earth. But did he create them at the same time? If Jesus was always with God, wouldn’t that mean there was a heaven before this? Or some other realm? These are things I would like to dive into when I have free time, and the process in which to do so seems unclear. How would you suggest I find answers in the Bible to questions like these, if they are available?
I hear and understand your primary question here. “How do I look for answers in Scripture?” This is an important question. First, I think this is why regular Bible reading is so important, and especially reading large portions. For example, if you read the Bible through every year and do so repeatedly for years on end, you would start to notice connections that you didn’t notice before simply as a function of becoming increasingly more acquainted with all the text that is actually there. It’s why I have titled this blog, Reading the Old Testament. In the end, the absolute best thing we can do to study the Bible is simply to READ it…and read it over and over and over and over and over and…you get the idea.
Secondly, I recommend finding a good book on biblical hermeneutics and working through it. I think you would find that really helpful. In my opinion, the very best book out there on this topic is Methodical Bible Study by Robert Traina. It’s out of print now, so you have to find used copies, but it’s not difficult to find. Like I said, I think it’s the best book out there on how to study the Bible. However, it’s a seminary textbook, so it’s not an easy read. If that seems a bit too daunting, then I would recommend Living By the Book by Howard Hendricks. A third, middle-of-the-road option would be Introduction to Biblical Interpretation by William Klein, Craig Blomberg, and Robert Hubbard. The only drawback to that book is that it is very long, but it’s not too difficult, and it’s good. But the very purpose of these books is to help answer the very question you are asking — “How should I be looking for answers in the Bible to my questions?”
But if you have an inquisitive mind and you feel like you have questions about the Bible, then by all means you should look for answers both in the Bible and outside the Bible! God gave us minds for a reason. And yes, we should always pray and ask God for wisdom. [After all, God promises to give us wisdom when we ask for it honestly.] At the same time, we read the Bible in community, since all of us as Christians are indwelt by the same Holy Spirit. So it is good and right and proper for us to teach and listen to each other when we are asking and answering questions. So by all means, research biblical topics that you’re interested in!
Prov 25:2 says, “The concealing of a matter is the glory of God; but searching out a matter is the glory of kings.” I take this verse to mean that God has “hidden” all kinds of things in the world for us to search out and discover, and God is glorified when we do. Including in the Bible! Truth always stands up to inquiry. So by all means, ask away! God is not obligated to answer all our questions, but I think He delights in our asking them, when we do so honestly and with a desire for His glory.
If you’re looking for a good commentary series, I recommend the New International Commentary series. However, in my opinion the very best theological commentary on the Old Testament is the book of Hebrews in the New Testament (followed by the whole of the New Testament itself). Commentaries are great and all, but the very best way to try to understand theological problems in the Old Testament is to keep reading the Bible, over and over again. Keep the main thing the main thing!
Reading the Old Testament 