Eat the Word
Deeper study into God’s Word.
Inductive Bible study is an investigative way of studying Scripture that can be used by both new and seasoned students alike. It’s a powerful tool for those who want to learn how to study Scripture well.
Purpose: “Eating the Word” is a simple set of filters that we use to dig deeper into God's Word. These filters then allow us to make multiple observations about a single text. This in turn, allows the scripture to speak what the scripture was intended to speak.
Scriptures:
Ezekiel 3:3 - “Eating the Word”
Jeremiah 15:16 - Joy of His Word
Psalm 34:8
John 6:35-40 - The Word is the Bread of Life
Teach:
Say: Bible study in the life of a Jesus Follower is more than simply reading God’s Word and moving along with life. There are times in our lives when we need to dive deeper into the Scriptures and “Eat” what it is saying. The Eat the Word tool is 10 grammatical filters that we can use to understand more of what God’s Word is saying. When we apply these filters we then make multiple observations about the text we are reading and allow it to speak deeply in our lives.
The Ten Filters include the following and can be further explained by clicking the “Eat the Word Filters” Button to the Left:
Repetition of Words
Contrast
Comparison
Lists
Cause and Effect
Conjunctions
Verbs
Pronouns
Word Meanings
Another great tool that we can introduce here is BibleHub.com or the Blue Letter Bible App. These reference tools allow the individuals in your group to take a deeper dive into the meaning of words and cross references for the scriptures they are reading.
Group Action Steps:
Share with your group the importance of diving deep into God’s Word. The more we know of His Word the more we can grow to be like Him and understand His will for our lives.
Using the “Eat the Word Filters” guide take your group through each of the filters and example Scriptures. After this, have your group choose and “breakdown” a section of Scripture together and see if you can pinpoint any of these contextual filters together.
Remind your group that sometimes they may have to “zoom out” from one verse to find the answer to what they are looking for.
Questions to ask:
Why is it important that we do more than simply read Scripture?
What are some current methods you use to study God’s Word?
How could your Bible study be deepened by using some of these filters?