Episode 3.08: Follow the Patterns Found in Bible Study
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The Bible uses lots of patterns. God shows us He had a plan for mankind before He created the Earth. He tells us to follow the patterns set out by faithful brethren. He gave Noah a pattern to follow for the Ark. God gave Moses a detailed pattern for the Tabernacle. Using God’s word to establish a path for you to follow is a good thing. Today’s episode looks at how to study in a way that you can find those patterns. Then it shows how to use the pattern for yourself or for others you may be trying to teach.
This episode is a lead-in to the final four episodes of the season, so be sure to Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast player, on Youtube, or via thediligentwoman.com/podcast to be notified of new episodes when they drop!
Ephesians 1:3-14
Genesis 6:14-16
Exodus 25:9
Exodus 25-31
Hebrews 8:5
2Timothy 3:16-17
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Mentioned in this episode:
S3 Ep 306 Building Layers in Your Bible Study
S3 Ep 305 Study from History
S3 Ep 307 Trust the Context When You Study
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Transcript
[00:00:00] Welcome back to the diligent woman podcast. We are in episode 308 of season three. And we are learning how to be confident that God has given us his word so we can understand it. Because he has told us to understand it. And this whole season, we’re looking at different ways to study so that we can gain more understanding. And this week’s study is less of a
[00:00:31] study procedure as it is an approach to anything you are going to study. I guess. I’m calling it “follow the patterns”. You follow the patterns that are already found in Bible study. And if you follow those patterns, it gives you a place to start. Just as an example. If you’re trying to figure out what’s a good routine to get into for prayer. You would study prayer and how [00:01:00] people in the Bible prayed and what their routine looked like. Well, if you can’t figure out where to begin,
[00:01:07] then you could pick somebody to imitate what they do. Daniel is a good example. He is a pattern of someone who chose to pray three times a day, intentionally. That was his pattern that he followed. We don’t know anybody else who followed that exact pattern.
[00:01:24] It wasn’t given by God required of them. It’s what Daniel chose to do.
[00:01:30] You have example of Jesus praying at very different times. It depended on his circumstances. He went away by himself to pray, but he also prayed in front of other people because in Luke, when the disciples asked him to teach him them how to pray he had just finished praying in front of them. And I think by the implication of they’re asking to do what he did he wasn’t already teaching them.
[00:01:57] He was just praying in front of them. [00:02:00] So we can follow those as patterns to get us started. And so for us to look at our scriptures, Look at them as something approachable that we can take and utilize.
[00:02:14] I don’t believe it’s wrong to consider that God gives patterns because he gives lots of patterns in scriptures. Over in Ephesians chapter one, we are told about God’s intentions and his plans. And the purposes that he made in the beginning before creation, and then how that played out for our benefit is really the point of Ephesians one, two, and three. Really how Jesus fits into that, how the brotherhood fits into that, and then how our daily walk fits into living out God’s purpose that he intended before he created the world. So he has a plan. He has intentional plan that set things in motion to behave in a certain [00:03:00] way.
[00:03:00] We also see, if you remember Noah, in Genesis six, verses 14 and 16 specifically. God tells him how to build the Ark. He tellhihem why you need to build an ark and he didn’t just go say, Hey, build a boat. God gave him very specific instructions. And told him how big it needed to be. He told them how many doors. How many windows, those kinds of things. He gave very specific instructions for that.
[00:03:34] So he gave him a plan to follow. And it says in verse 22, thus Noah did, according to all, God had commanded him so he did. Noah followed the pattern. He followed the plan. God told him how to build that ark because the only way to build the ark that would sustain Noah and his family was to do it by God’s pattern. That was the boat that was going to save them.
[00:03:58] It wasn’t going to be a boat that Noah [00:04:00] designed. It was going to be a boat that God designed. We see the same thing over in Exodus, but even to a greater degree. In Exodus chapter 25 in verse nine, we start to see God laying out the pattern for the tabernacle. This is what he gives to Moses to then take down to the people, to build the tabernacle and all of its various pieces.
[00:04:23] And God is extremely detailed. Very detailed in what he tells them to do for what this building is. It’s going to travel with them. It needs to be able to be packed up. It needs to be carried. It needs to be unpacked in a hurry because that’s how God would be with them whenever they stopped, as they went through their wilderness wanderings. So the tabernacle was very important to God and we know this because he gave explicit details. Even down to who it was, who would do the different things.
[00:04:54] Those who would be the people who would create the beautiful elements that were part of the [00:05:00] tabernacle. And then if you jumped forward into. The instructions that David puts together for Solomon to build the temple. We see similar detail. God is very much a God of plans. Of showing you how to do things.
[00:05:15] How do I use God’s word to guide me? How do I use God’s word? What can I use it for?
[00:05:22] There’s so much information
[00:05:24] and so in following a pattern, We have some good places to start. And second Timothy three. 16 and 17, we have an instance where. Paul. Is teaching Timothy how to go about helping this congregation to learn what they need to know. And one of the elements of Timothy’s teaching is his own behavior.
[00:05:48] And he gives a dictate to Timothy for how he supposed to do that.
[00:05:54] Timothy has known these from childhood, from the sacred writings, which are able to give you wisdom that leads to [00:06:00] salvation through faith, which is in Christ.
[00:06:02] Jesus. And then he says what he can do with that scripture. All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching. For reproof for correction, for training in righteousness so that the man of God may be adequate equipped for every good work. And we know from other scriptures giving a similar list to all people. That this is good for men and women.
[00:06:28] It’s not limited to preachers. It’s not limited to just men. But for all those who seek to follow Christ, these are things we can work on.
[00:06:37] So it’s profitable. God’s word. What you learned from scripture is profitable for teaching. So what’s something you can use God’s word for? To teach. If I need, I can teach it to someone else in. How do I start them in God’s word?
[00:06:53] How do I train them? I teach them God’s word and we’ll look at another pattern for how to accomplish that. [00:07:00] We can use it for reproof. Do I have the authority to use God’s word to reprove someone? Reproof is basically to get onto someone to call them out for something they’ve done. Correction would be to show them where they’re wrong and to walk them back into the right way, that’s discipline. And then training in righteousness is to give them the knowledge they need
[00:07:23] so they don’t stray off the path. And training and discipline is that purposeful? Living by the things that you’ve been taught.
[00:07:33] You’ve got an admonition to fathers in Ephesians chapter six. To bring your child, bring children up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Bring them up in the is the same thing as train them up.
[00:07:48] Teach them. Don’t just tell them. Show them. Train them.
[00:07:54] We do it at jobs all the time.
[00:07:56] Everybody knows what it is to go get job training, to get on the job training. [00:08:00] You’re going to work me through the paces and show me what’s expected and you won’t know everything, but you’ll get enough taught to you to get you started. And then you continue to learn along the way. It’s the same thing here.
[00:08:10] This is just life. It’s life training in God’s word. And so you can use the scriptures to help you do that. You follow these patterns? So if he tells you to train up children,
[00:08:25] There’s something. I don’t know that we remember whenever we hear that admonition from God. To train them up. I have to know something. If I’m going to train somebody else, how to do it.
[00:08:36] So how do I get the information so that I can teach them how to do it? Is it enough that I know the words to tell them, or do I need to also know how. So, how do I teach myself? Before I try to teach anybody else. We kind of referenced that in one of our previous episodes where we talked about righteous judgment. We need to be able to recognize the beam in our own eye.
[00:08:59] Before we [00:09:00] go messing with somebody else’s little speck of a sin and their world. It doesn’t mean their sin doesn’t need attention, but I’ve got bigger things to attend to. I need to see that in myself. Before I go apply it to somebody else. And it’s no different for training your children. If you want your children to be kind. You have to know how to show them kindness and it’s not enough to tell them to be kind. You have to know what actions. Show kindness and teach them how to be kind. I have to say kind things. You say kind things. Show them how to think kindly towards others.
[00:09:36] Stop those thoughts that are negative or critical and teach them how to think better thoughts. You can teach your children to have a Philippians four, eight attitude about their world through training. And fortunately God has given you a pattern to follow as a suggestion for a way you can go about doing that.
[00:09:56] And that’s over in Deuteronomy chapter six. [00:10:00]
[00:10:01] So Deuteronomy chapter six. Before Moses dies.
[00:10:04] He’s going to go through and repeat the law to the people. Now that they’re getting close to the promised land. He wants to remind them of the whole law. Remind them of what’s required of them as God’s people. And he says in Deuteronomy six in verse four. Hear O Israel. The Lord is our God. The Lord is one. You shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. So that’s a good place to start. Do you know what it means for you to love the Lord with your whole heart?
[00:10:40] How are you going to work on that?
[00:10:42] How are you going to improve that? Do you know what that means with all of your soul?
[00:10:47] Can I emotionally want to please God, but not deep down in my soul believe it? Can I be at odds with myself? Sure.
[00:10:56] It just takes more time in the word and more time trusting him and more [00:11:00] time in prayer. But we build up to where all of these things are working together. And with all of your might. I love that word. In other translations it translates with all of your strength.
[00:11:11] That is your energy and your effort.
[00:11:15] How do you with all of your energy and all of your effort, love the Lord?
[00:11:20] Can you put that into words? Can you put that into actions to teach your children? Not only to teach your children to teach other people around you? Is it something that you can reflect if you are a school teacher in your teaching young children? Can you show these behaviors without directly having to tell them this is what God has said to do. Can you show them what this looks like?
[00:11:45] And God goes on to give more examples. Talks about putting it in your whole day, put it everywhere around you. In verse six, he says these words, which I am commanding you today shall be on your heart while the words he’s getting ready to command them [00:12:00] today. Is. The old Testament. It’s the 10 commandments plus. Right.
[00:12:07] It’s the 10 commandments. And then all the ways in which you live out, the 10 commandments towards God and men. Because the 10 commandments covers both our behavior towards God, our relationship with him and our relationship with our fellow man. And keeping that in line with God’s will.
[00:12:24] So all of these things, you’re supposed to write them.
[00:12:26] They’re supposed to be on your heart. And in verse seven, you shall teach them diligently. There’s our intentional purposeful effort. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house. So when you’re at home, Spend time talking about God and godly things. And it doesn’t have to be formal, but it doesn’t mean it can’t be.
[00:12:51] Sometimes it will be very casual sitting around talking about your day, the beautiful weather, how thankful we are for the rain and how it watered the plants and how it [00:13:00] provided water for the animals. Whatever that looks like.
[00:13:04] And talk about it in general terms like that, the changing of the seasons and how powerful that is for us, how very quickly we go from frustrated and tired of the cold to. Wow. We are already into warm temperatures and thinking about how we might need to be cool again, because we need to turn on. Something to coolest off because the temperatures go up. And how powerful God’s nature is that he created that it can do both things to us within the space of base. Talk about those things when you’re at home. He says when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way. When you’re just going along. It needs to be part of your conversation. And that doesn’t mean a constant conversation of attempting to convert people.
[00:13:50] You know, this isn’t a constantly walking in. The only thing you ever talk about is need for salvation and all of those good things to talk about. But this isn’t what [00:14:00] this is talking about. This is talking about how you live.
[00:14:03] Way over in Peter, where he says live in such a way so that someone will ask you, what about your hope. This is the idea. Live in such a way where your language and your actions are those that point to God. And someone’s going to go, why do you do that? Cause that’s different than what they do. Because God directs in this way in the world directs in another.
[00:14:29] So it’s when you sit in your home, when you walk by the way. When you lie down before you go to sleep at night.
[00:14:38] Talk about these things. Talk about the, the word of God. Talk about what God asks of you today. Go through and say, what did you do today? That pleased God. Talk to your tone, what did you do today? That would make God sad. Or what did you do today? That was hard. And that we need to ask God for help with. So when you lie down, When you [00:15:00] rise up again in the morning. These are all reasons why we have these ideas of praying before we go to bed at night and praying first thing in the morning. Because we want to start and end our day with conversation about God and to God. That’s not, that’s not a thing that has to be eliminated from this.
[00:15:17] Having your prayers be a conversation to God is reminding you. All the things you know about God, when you go and you pray and you express praise and Thanksgiving. You build up your own trust and faith because you remind yourself. All of the things that God has done.
[00:15:36] And it creates this cycle that your mind is always being filled with the good things that God has done. So God gives you this pattern to follow. Is that something that you can create even in a more specific way?
[00:15:51] Where, if you’re needing to figure out how to teach someone.
[00:15:55] What would that look like? If you are working on studying something [00:16:00] with someone and you want to give them a guide so that these things are more understandable. Could you give them an outline of how to, how to spend their day? This week where we’re praying and we’re studying about whatever context it is that you’re in.
[00:16:13] We’re in Luke chapter 11. So in the morning when you wake up, pray to God about what you read. Or to open your heart so that you’ll hear what the chapter 11 says. As you’re walking along. Repeat to yourself. In general, what you learned from yesterday’s reading? Give them an outline for that. This is something you can do yourself. When you sit down to eat.
[00:16:39] Express your Thanksgiving for your food because Jesus shows that as a pattern. And talk about what you’ve learned so far, or think about what you, what are the things you picked up from your study yesterday? And you could line out an outline for that for someone who’s new. And needing to walk through this suggestions for what to do.
[00:16:59] [00:17:00] And first thing in the morning sometime throughout the day. And then again, before they go to sleep, You could make it, something like that for homeschooling. This is an amazing pattern to follow.
[00:17:10] It very much helps you put your day into a bracket of what to do when and how to include the things that need to be there.
[00:17:21] It’s not hard to include God in your, in your daily walk, if you’re intentional.
[00:17:26] You keep him close. He goes on to say.
[00:17:30] To put it bind it as a sign on your hand. I think a rubber bands around the wrists are strings tied around your finger or ribbons tied around your hand to make, to help you to remember something. You’re putting it in front of you. keep it where you can see it and it’s mindful. He also says to put it as frontals. On your forehead or frontlets on your forehead.
[00:17:54] Well, that’s going to be something that you’re wearing that may or may not be in your vision, but you’re going to be aware of it. When you [00:18:00] look in the mirror, you’re going to see it. But other people are going to see it. And it’s going to be that they know that you’re trying to work on that because you’ve got, you’re wearing these things as a part of who you are.
[00:18:12] And then go so far as to write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
[00:18:17] The concept is that it always be in front of you though.
[00:18:21] Right. So use those things. You said as a pattern, as a guide, I God says I need to have these things in front of me. Well, how can I put it in front of me? Use a post-it note and write a scripture and stick it on your computer. Stick it on your phone, make a screenshot of a scripture and put that as. The lock. Screen on your phone.
[00:18:41] So you see scripture. If you need something to remind you, if you’re trying to memorize a scripture, put that one as your lock screen or as your home screen. So every time you pick up that stupid phone, the first thing you see is some scripture and it reminds you. So we’re going to pick up our phones.
[00:18:58] We’re going to use them, well, [00:19:00] let’s make them a useful tool. You know, you can do all of these things. But it’s God has shown us how to use his word. He’s given us a pattern for how to make it. Every day. And you can do the same thing. So I wanna encourage you to follow those patterns and see how God has laid that out. It’s going to show you places to start, but it will also teach you. Where. It may look different for you than it looks for somebody else.
[00:19:30] Someone with children. I may apply these scriptures in a different way right now. Whereas someone who’s single may have different circumstances. They need to think more about it. How can I, how can I go about implementing the instruction that God has given that I need to be. Training it wasn’t just to parents. Right.
[00:19:52] Timothy had this obligation as a preacher. But we are also supposed to be teaching and influencing and [00:20:00] encouraging one another in the word we were supposed to find unity in the word through studying together. We’re supposed to be working our way through this life.
[00:20:11] And making our election sure. I working on these pieces of that recipe that we talked about. In one of the other episodes in second Peter one. You’ve got a recipe there. That’s perfect for studying from.
[00:20:25] And these are patterns that you can use. And as we go forward,
[00:20:29] In the next four episodes, we are going to use God’s outlines to do this. We’re going to take some of God’s outlines. Cause he’s got lots of outlines in come outlines, come lists, whatever we wanna call them. That you can use to create a steady. It’s a place for you to start and it’s a place for you to study.
[00:20:49] So you learn.
[00:20:52] But if these are things that your children or young people in the Bible class that you need to teach, or the adults in a Bible class that you need to teach, if these are [00:21:00] things that they need to know, Well guess what you need to know them too. If you need to know them, they need to know them. Let’s start in these lists.
[00:21:09] And then how do I study? From those outlines that God has given how much scope does he give us to understand his will. Just in some of these outlines that God has provided for us. It’s amazing how complete they are. And how much time you can spend. So we’re going to do that over the next four episodes.
[00:21:29] We’re going to basically look at how to take those studies. Those outlines and turn them into studies and how many different ways, at least how many different ways I can think of? I’m sure you all can think of some others. But we’re going to look at those each week, take some of those outlines and dive into them. So we can make use of them.
[00:21:48] See how they’re approachable or they’re not just words on the page that God said here, do this. But how God actually showed us how to do that. So that’s the hope in the coming weeks. So I hope that you will [00:22:00] stay here for that subscribe to the podcast so that you get notifications. Make sure that you’re following it. If you have questions, if your podcast app has a place for you to Leave a, some kind of a. A vote or where you can vote, or if you can give five stars and give a review, if you can type in a review on apple or Spotify, either one of those, I see those. And I can use that information that may be included in one of the episodes.
[00:22:29] If there is something that you have questions about or would like to see studied, if there’s something about that, you can always go to the diligent woman.com. Find the episode that you’re looking for. And go there. And you can make comments on those posts as well and ask questions or send them to me via my contact page. I’ll link to a lot of that down in the show notes, but reach out and let me know what you’re thinking, what you’d like to study. And how you would like to learn to see God’s word is more accessible. [00:23:00] So I’m going to leave that with you this week, and I hope you have a good week and we will see you next time. Bye.