Have you ever listened to someone talking on a phone? You can only hear one side of a conversation but if you listen closely you might be able to figure out the other side of the conversation. You might hear something like this:
“Hello?”
(Pause for reply)
“Oh, hello. How are you doing?”
(Pause for reply)
“I doing well. Good to hear from you. We missed you at Bible study last week. Is everything alright?”
(Pause for reply)
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. I hope she feels better soon. My daughter was sick last week and she had to stay home from school too.”
(Pause)
“Oh, that sounds like fun! I think I can make it on Friday. What time does the party start?”
(Pause)
“Sounds good. Should I bring anything?”
(Pause)
“Will do. Looking forward to it.”
(Pause)
“See you then. Bye!”
I bet you have a pretty good idea about what the person on the other side of this conversation said. By paying attention to the details of the conversation you can surmise that this individual was chatting with a friend who has a sick daughter. Her daughter had to stay home from school which caused her to miss Bible study last week. It seems that the friend is planning to host a party on Friday and has invited this individual to attend and she’s asked her to bring something (not sure what exactly). All this information was gleaned from overhearing just a few sentences of the conversation.
We can do the same thing when we read the Bible. We can eavesdrop on the biblical authors. We can look for the clues that tell us what was going on behind the scenes. This is especially true when reading the letters in the New Testament since they are one side of a conversation that the author had with his audience. By listening closely to what the author says in his letter we can discover what was happening in the church that he addresses or the struggles of the individual that he addresses. This means that we don’t necessarily need a Bible dictionary or commentary to tell us what we need to know about the historical background. We can discover it for ourselves! It is in this process of discovery that the Bible comes alive. We begin to see the people. We begin to relate to them and their struggles. And the words of the biblical author begin to make sense.
If you want to try this for yourself, start with a short letter in the New Testament. Read through Paul’s letter to Philemon or his letter to Titus. Look for the clues that tell you what was going on in the background. Pay attention to people addressed or mentioned, problems that the author highlights or concerns he expresses, places mentioned, or questions posed. Find out why the author wrote his letter. What was on his mind? Why?
Once you’ve gathered the clues, retell the story of what was going on. Write it down so that the next time you read the letter you can refresh your memory. By doing this, you will discover the historical background for yourself from the Bible itself. You will become more familiar with the Bible and continue to build on your understanding of the ancient world and its people. The result: The Bible will come alive and you will have the satisfaction and joy of discovering it for yourself. Boredom with the Bible will be a thing of the past because you’ll be too busy looking for those clues that help you understand the Bible in a deeper way.