Bible Rumination and Digestion: getting the Bible into your heart

Key Practices

• Thinking
• Carving out time and space for thinking

According to Webster's, rumination is "The act or process of ruminating, or chewing the cud; the habit of chewing the cud." [1] Rumination is a repeated, intentional process. In the physical process, the cow exercises her will to bring up the cud, re-chew, swallow, re-chew, etc. In the spiritual process, we also exercise our will by bringing a passage to mind, thinking and rethinking, and repeating the process. Rumination is hard work, but it is the only way to send the nutrition of God's word into our hearts where the Spirit can use it to transform us and make us more like Christ. Rumination must also be intentional. As several said yesterday at Collegium, we are always ruminating on something--for good or ill; whatever we ruminate on shapes our hearts. This is a sobering thought.

Digestion is another matter. While we can do things to make proper digestion more likely, the process itself is autonomic--it happens on its own. The most important thing we can do is chewing and rumination; this sends properly prepared food into the digestive tract. We can also carve out time in our day when we set aside the stresses and concerns of everyday life, enter the throne room of God, and worship him.


In rumination and digestion, we cooperate with God in confronting our hearts with his truth and submitting to his will. Do your part; God will most certainly do his.

The course outline and take home practice for Bible Chewing and Beyond is located on the Collegium blog.


[1] Those interested in more detail should read the Wikipedia article: Cud.

Bible Chewing and Beyond--getting a handle on the details

Weekly lesson post is available at Sanctify Collegium: Bible Chewing and Beyond

Three Key questions

• What did the passage meant?
• What does it mean?
• How we might respond?

Getting the Details

An important piece of the first question is getting a handle on the details of the passage. The basic reporters' questions (How? Who? What? When? Where? Why?) are a great tool here. Read through the passage several times. As you read, be curious. Pause at each phrase and write down your questions. At this point, do not stop and search for answers (although, do write down any that occur), keep reading and asking. Next, read over your questions and determine which questions are most important for understanding the text. Beginning at the passage (e.g., Revelation 5) and moving on to the book (e.g., Revelation), the testament (e.g., New Testament), and the whole bible, search for answers. Also helpful here are Bible Dictionaries and Introductions. Some online and book resources are listed below.

Online Resources: Answering Questions

• Bible dictionaries at Crosswalk
• Online study bible at Crosswalk
• Holman Bible Dictionary at StudyLight
• NIV Study Bible Introductions at International Bible Society
• BibleArc - graphical bible study
• Online bibles at biblegateway.com
  

Online Resources: The Process of Study

• The Method of a Good Interpreter: lists the literary devices that help us discover the author's intended meaning [website]
  
• How to Study the Bible: For Beginners: a more complete explanation of in-depth bible study [website]
• The Exegetical Process: What does it mean to you?: good graphic overview of the process from study to preaching/teaching [website]

Book Resources

• The Books of the Bible: short overview and whole-bible insight into each book of the bible, from Old Testament scholar, Dr. John H. Sailhamer. [book]
• The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament and New Testament; Zondervan illustrated Bible backgrounds commentary; and Bible Reader's Companion: good sources for historical and cultural backgrounds [books]

Why go beyond bible reading?

by Laura Springer, M.Div., Th.M.

Why go beyond Bible reading? Because even the structure of the Old Testament tells us that mere reading is not enough. Allow me to explain.

The Old Testament, as arranged in the Christian Bible, is rather like a library (History Poetry, and Prophets), with the prophetic books arranged by size, largest to smallest. In the Jewish Bible, called the TaNaKh (having the same content as the Old Testament), the books are arranged to make a point: success in following God comes through meditating on God’s instructions.

The TaNaKh is arranged in three sections. The first is Torah, meaning “instruction,” the second is Nevi’im, meaning “prophets,” and the third is Ketuvim, meaning “writings.” So far, this may seem very similar. Ah, but wait; there is more. The first book of the Nevi’im is Joshua. Joshua 1:8 says,

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

God tells Joshua that his success in following God is directly tied to his meditating on God’s instructions. The first book of the Ketuvim is Psalms. Psalm 1:2-3 says

but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.

God says, through the psalmist, that success in following God is directly tied to meditating on God’s instructions.

Now, lest we think this is merely “Old Testament,” let us flip forward to James’ letter to the Dispersion, written around AD 49-50 and one of the first New Testament books written. James 1:25 says

the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

God says, through James, that Christians’ success in following God is directly tied to meditating on God’s instructions.

The message of Scripture is clear: success in following God is a direct result of chewing, ruminating, and digesting God’s Word. Start now. The reward is great and well worth the time and discipline.


“Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.” http://www.esv.org/

Beyond Bible Chewing

by Laura Springer, M.Div., Th.M.

I hope that by now, you have chewed a passage or two and have tasted the goodness. This is a good start. However, just like eating food, chewing is only step one; if you stop here, the food is not only useless, but also quite harmful.

Like food, Scripture must be ingested to be of any good use; two word pictures—rumination and digestion—will help us understand.

The Metaphors

Rumination is what cattle do when they chew their cud. After the first chew, food moves to a holding chamber. Cattle bring the stored food back up for a second chew that extracts more nutrients.

Digestion is next. Food is disassembled and the parts are sent out into the body for integration and reassembly. The body takes grass and makes cow.

Unpacking the Metaphors

These same two steps are crucial for a deep understanding of Scripture. After we have chewed the Word and understand what it meant and means, we must ruminate and digest.
Bible rumination is muttering and pondering the Word as you go through daily life.* This extracts more truth and makes it available for digestion.

Bible digestion is thought; it is discovering how a passage fits into the whole Bible, into what you already know, and into your feelings and behaviors. Digestion disassembles biblical truth, integrates the parts into your heart, and reassembles them into you. God’s truth becomes part of your beliefs, feelings, and behaviors.

Conclusion

If we stop at chewing, we are in the danger Jesus talks about in the parable of the four soils (Matthew 13:3-23). Merely chewing the Word leaves it on or near the surface, where Satan can snatch it, troubles can scorch it, or distractions can choke it. Biblical truth is only fruitful when planted deeply in a well-prepared soul. Rumination and digestion are tools for preparing and planting.

* Rumination can also take place in times of quiet, intentional reflection.

BIBLE CHEWING

by Laura Springer, M.Div., Th.M.

How would you feel if, for every meal, you were offered pre-chewed food? Unless you are an infant—in which case it is amazing that you are reading this article :-)—you would not be pleased. So why do so many of us survive on pre-chewed Bible? [1] If you want to chew and enjoy the Bible for yourself, try these three questions.

What did it mean?

The first step in chewing the Bible for yourself is figuring out what the writer intended to communicate to the original readers. This can be complex, but only one thing is crucial: read and reread the text. Before looking at cross-references, Bible dictionaries, commentaries, or even section headings in your Bible, read the text.

The biblical authors were good writers who wrote so that their readers might understand. Look for repeated words and ideas, cause and effect, claims and evidence, and summary statements. Ask who, what, where, when, how, and why. Read the passage in several translations.
Once you have an opinion about what it meant, check with other believers—whether in person or in books—and then argue your case or adjust your conclusions. Write down the meaning in a few sentences.

What does the passage mean?

Once you have a handle on what the passage meant to the original readers, rewrite the statement in terms that are more general so it will be clear to people in your church and community. This rewrite is a “biblical principle” and it will always match the original meaning of the text. We must not and cannot make Scripture mean anything we choose. Check your rewrite with other believers to be sure you are on the right track.

How is this passage significant for us in our time and culture?

This is where perspective and creativity come in. While the text always means what it meant, the details of our obedience change with culture and circumstance. Allow the biblical meaning to confront you in three areas: knowledge, desires, and behavior.

1. Do I/we have ignorance to be remedied, false belief to be corrected, or true belief to be strengthened?
2. Do I/we have desires to be restrained or reinforced?
3. Do I/we have behaviors to be stopped, corrected, started, or encouraged?

If you are tired of eating pre-chewed Bible, I challenge you to chew it for yourself. Take advantage of the habits we are developing in the TFB Summer Reading Program, choose one passage (at least a paragraph) per week (or per month) and chew it yourself. Then gather with fellow believers and share the wealth.

------------------------------
Recommended Resources

• The Method of a Good Interpreter: lists the literary devices that help us discover the author's intended meaning [website]
  
• How to Study the Bible: For Beginners: a more complete explanation of in-depth bible study [website]
• The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament and New Testament; Zondervan illustrated Bible backgrounds commentary; and Bible Reader's Companion: good sources for historical and cultural backgrounds [books]
  
• The Exegetical Process: What does it mean to you?: good graphic overview of the process from study to preaching/teaching [website]
• The Books of the Bible: short overview and whole-bible insight into each book of the bible, from Old Testament scholar, Dr. John H. Sailhamer. [book]

------------------------------
[1] Chewing illustration courtesy of Dr. Shelly Cunningham, Biola University (see Who Gets to Chew the Cracker? in the Christian Education Journal).