A few weeks ago I took time to study the book of Leviticus for my Old Testament survey class. I concluded that if I did not choose to study it when required to, I would more than likely never be compelled to study it thoroughly.

I won’t tell you that the study of this book left me without questions, but I will tell you that being aware of this book has opened my eyes to the Old Testament concept of sin, and to the writings of scholars on the topics I had in question.

No question was more baffling to me than trying to understand the role of the “scapegoat” on the day of Atonement. Why drive a goat into wilderness? Well, I found the answer in the writings of the same scholar who created my Greek curriculum…and I must say that a proper understanding of it completely changes my perspective on the event. I hope this enhances your understanding of the book as well.  Enjoy the entire article from William Mounce by clicking here.

Rather than the traditional “scapegoat” translating la ‘^aza,zel here, we should read instead “to Azazel” (NRSV; NJB).¹ We know that ‘^aza,zel should be the proper name of a party capable of ownership because a lot ceremony designated one goat layhwh, “belonging to Yahweh,” and the other goat as la ‘^aza,zel , “belonging to Azazel” (16:8). However, we do not know what the name “Azazel” means.²

The fact that Yahweh, owner of the goat slain as a purification offering (16:9, 15), is supernatural suggests that Azazel, owner of the live goat, is also some kind of supernatural being. Because transporting a load of Israelite toxic waste, consisting of moral faults, to Azazel in the wilderness and abandoning it there by the command of Yahweh (16:10, 22; cf. Zech 5:5–11) is a singularly unfriendly gesture, it appears that Azazel is Yahweh’s enemy.⁷ Therefore, Azazel is most likely some kind of demon (so Jewish tradition recorded in 1 En. 10:4–5), who dwells in an uninhabited region (cf. Lev. 17:7; Isa. 13:21; 34:14; Luke 11:24; Rev. 18:2).⁸

Also, If you want to see the layout of the book of Leviticus, you can take a look at my book chart, in excel format, here.

Lessons to be gleaned from this experience:
1. If you find a book of the Bible boring, trying studying with more depth.
2. Seeing the structure of a book adds quite a bit of depth to your study. Trying creating a book chart (more on this later).

I cannot tell you how disappointed I am with the quality of the readily available Bible study resources that we have today. The proper interpretation of the Scriptures is a very difficult task, and one that often requires educated guidance and disciplined study…which is one reason why I believe we prefer to read the writings of Christian writers over reading Scripture at times. I don’t know about you, but I have read my daily devotions from the writings of Daily Bread, Max Lucado, Oswald Sanders, and others.

Unfortunately, every time I attempt to study the Word of God, I run into one of two dilemmas: (1) Inadequate resources, or (2) too many resources to sort through. Here are a few specific suggestions to assist you in avoiding this same dilemma.

Bible Software: (poor quality resources) I would suggest to you that you stay away from purchasing any Bible Study Software, as I find the translations available through them far outmatched by the free study sites available to us today. I have also spent a decent amount of money to purchase premium packages of books for software like Logos and Quickverse, but  am never impressed or assisted in interpretation by their commentary collections. (YouVersion.com,  bible.logos.com, and BibleGateway.com)

At the present time, I have not found an online Bible Study portal or electronic software that allows for the guided study of Scripture…but I am hopeful that this is forthcoming. Perhaps one of our readers will suggest a good one!

Church Libraries: (too many resources) If you have access to a library of study resources, but are not sure where to start, be sure to utilize www.bestcommentaries.com, which will give you a listing of the top two rated Commentaries for each book of the Bible, along with other suggested study tools for each book.

If your church does not have a good library, I suggest that you consider utilizing the library of a nearby church or Bible College (I’ve rarely seen a library refuse to allow an interested person to use their collection).

Further tools that can be utilized are online article databases like ATLA, which can be accessed through many secular libraries computer systems (sometimes even through the city library).

And, if you choose to purchase the books, please utilized the discounts of online retailers and search sites like AddAll.com and Christian Book Distributers (www.ChristianBook.com).

One Excellent Resource: On a final note, I constantly rely upon the expository outlines of Warren Wiersbe, which acts as an excellent Bible Study resource for understanding the meaning of a passage of Scripture. If there was one item I would suggest that your purchase for your personal library, it would likely be his outlines. See them here.

I recently completed a study of Joseph’s life for my class on Genesis, and I’m absolutely astounded at the insight it has provided me. The portrayal of the characters of the book of Genesis are incredible…especially for someone who wrote this story over four thousand years ago.

In light of the way this study has changed my perspective on the first book of the Bible, I want to provide both my paper, and the cliff notes for any interested parties. Below you will find the general notes that relate to a study of Joseph’s actions toward his brothers in Egypt as recorded in Genesis 42-44.

Download my paper here: https://blog.pathfinders.training/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/joseph_and_his_brothers.docx

Read the Cliffnotes… Read the rest of this entry »