How to Study the Bible Intentionally [Updated Edition]: Methods and Conditions for Effective Bible Study

by Reuben A. Torrey

It is a rare privilege to study any book under the immediate guidance and instruction of its author, and this is the privilege of us all in studying the Bible.

Harry Morehouse, one of the most remarkable Bible scholars among uneducated men, used to say that whenever he came to a passage in the Bible that he could not understand, he would search through the Bible for some other passage that threw light upon it, and then lay it before God in prayer. He said that he had never found a passage that did not yield to this treatment.

I have had quite a similar experience. Some years ago I was with a friend touring the Franconian Switzerland and visiting some of the more famous underground caves. One day the country letter carrier stopped us and asked if we would like to see a cave of rare beauty and interest, away from the beaten tracks of travel. Of course, we said yes. He led us through the woods and underbrush to the mouth of the cave, and we entered. All was dark and uncanny. He spoke much about the beauty of the cave, telling us of altars and fantastic formations, but we could see absolutely nothing. Now and then he uttered a note to warn us to be careful, as near our feet lay a gulf, the bottom of which had never been discovered. We began to fear that we might be the first discoverers of the bottom. There was nothing pleasant about the whole affair. But as soon as a torch was lit, everything became different. There were the stalagmites rising from the floor to meet the stalactites as they came down from the ceiling. There were beautiful and fantastic formations on every hand, and all glistening in the light. I have often thought it was like that with many passages of Scripture. Others tell you of its beauty, but you cannot see it. It looks dark and intricate and forbidding and dangerous, but when God’s own light is kindled there by prayer, how different all becomes in an instant. You see a beauty that language cannot express, and that only those who have stood there in the same light can appreciate.

Finally, make practical use of spare moments in the study of the Bible. In most people’s lives there is a vast amount of wasted time – time spent in traveling, time spent in waiting for people with whom they have appointments, time spent in waiting for meals, etc. Most of this can be used for the study of the Bible, if you carry with you a pocket Bible or pocket New Testament. You can also use this time to meditate upon texts stored away in your memory. Many of my sermons and speeches are worked out in this way.