The Danger of Selective Readingby Dale Harcombe | More from this Blogger 18 Aug 2009 02:46 PM Recently it occurred to me that there are distinct similarities between crossword puzzles and reading the bible. Let me explain. Often in a crossword, the clue doesn't seem to make sense. You can't think of the word you need to fill in the squares. Then you work on a couple of the clues going the other way. That fills in some of the letters and suddenly, you have enough clues to figure out the missing word. It's like a light making everything clear. It's like that when we're reading the bible. We need to look at what is going on around the passage. One of the main problems people have is plucking one verse out of the bible and using it as a basis for their actions. There is the story told of a woman who was tempted to steal. She opened the bible at random in what I call 'bible roulette' and her eyes alighted on part of this verse. 'Go and do the same,' Luke 10:37. She saw that it was about robbers in verse 36 and then used it as a license to steal herself. Of course that ignores the rest of verse 37 which is about the man who showed mercy to the man who had been robbed and she totally ignored the context of what Jesus was teaching of love and mercy in this passage about the Good Samaritan. She is not alone in doing this. Some Christians do it. They pluck a verse or even a couple of verses out of context. This is not the way the bible is meant to be used. The bible is not meant to be read as a series of unrelated verses. We need to read the verse in context. We need to look at the verses and the passages that come before that verse as well as those that come afterwards. We need to see what is happening in the events in the bible. Who is being addressed? What is the problem? Where is this is the story of God's people or in Jesus' route to the cross or the spread of the gospel? We need to look at it in historical context before we start asking how that passage, not just that verse, applies to us and what we should do. I've had plenty of time to crosswords as Mick and I have waited in hospitals and Drs. surgeries these past ten days. The second thing that occurs to me with crossword puzzles is that you can often tell the way the person who created the crossword is thinking. For example one recently had the clue, 'A French house or castle.' It is château. Another clue further along was a Swiss house, which is a chalet. A little while later I came across two other clues about fleeing. It's obvious the creator of the crosswords had certain themes in mind as he constructed the crosswords. Often the same clues pop up in other crosswords. We need to keep that in mind when reading the Bible. As we read God is revealing Himself to us. He repeatedly reveals certain themes. God never gives us a command in isolation but reiterates them throughout the bible and the story of His Son. Let's try and seek His mind as we read His word and then let it change our behavior. Related blogs 10 Ways to Change Your Attitude Practical Help for Christian Living Learn more about Dale Harcombe  Dale has a passion for books and writing. She writes in various forms, from articles to poetry to fiction for children and adults. Relevantchristian tags User Comments No comments on this article yet. Be the first to comment! Community Tags crossword puzzles and reading th, certain themes, God revealing Himself, out of context, reading the bible Discuss this article
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