Bible study tools / Introduction to Matthew 6:33
What does the passage of Matthew 6:33 really means and how can it be explained? Before I dissect the famous quote of Jesus, I would like to share a quick secret to study the Bible in a better way: 'when studying the Bible, it is always handy to have a dictionary and an online app like Google which can assist in defining words and translating them from their original languages. The New Testament was originally written in ancient Greek and the google search engines has the ability to bring the original words used when the New Testament was written. With such tools, our understanding will deepen. The second tool is to define the 'Bible with the Bible' by studying various texts mentioning the same words. For example, if we study the 'Kingdom of God', which other texts make mentions of it in the Bible? The third tool which will help you both understand and teach better is called: 'context'. When using the context of a Bible passage, we refer to the time or era in which the passage was written and we also analyze the surrounding texts preceding and/ or following the passage. When studying a Bible passage contextually, we prevent our selves from falling in the trap of selecting our 'likeable' passages and we read the passage in its entirety. For example believers get very excited when they hear their preachers say: 'No weapons forged against you shall prosper...!' ( And everybody in the building screams excited...) The above passage is a great blessing but it is incomplete in its context. The full passage in Bible says: 'No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the Lord. (Isaiah 54:17) Yes, the Lord said that 'no weapon against you shall prosper BUT the promise is for those who serve the Lord. The promise is not for everyone, therefore if someone does not serve the Lord, he/she will have NO part in this inheritance. This explains why so many churchgoers (who don't serve God) are constantly tormented by attacks from witches, sorcercers,enemies,banks,etc...They (believers) assume that 'Isaiah 54:17' is an automatic promise. Do you serve the Lord? 'Attending' church does not equate to 'serving'. Here is another popular example where we hear a preacher says: 'God will open the windows of Heaven upon you!' (and everybody in the building screams excited). Though the above popular passage contains elements of truth, the same passage is incompletely spoken when referring to context. The full passage in the Bible says: 'Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do," says the LORD of Heaven's Armies, "I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!' (Malachi 3:10) According to the Bible, God has a storehouse in the heavens (reference Deuteronomy 28:12) and when we tithe, He opens the windows of Heaven on us. The promise is in Malachi 3:10 is for Tithers. An incomplete practice caused by 'a quick study' of the Bible is root for deception. Many attend churches and yet do not see any changes because the Word of God is not properly studied and incompletely taught. It's not enough to just sing the promise in Isaiah 54:17, but we also need to practice it through serving the Lord. It is not enough to claim the promise in 'Malachi 3:10' but we also need to practice it through Tithing. To conlcude this section, I will quote James 1:22 'But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. ' At times, when we hear every year, every Sunday or when we read on social media posts the promises of God and yet we fail to see their realizations, we ought to ask ourselves certain questions. Why is it not working? There are mechanisms that can only be understood when we take the time to read the promise in its full context without selecting what we want. A good tip: 'the next time someone speak a popular Biblical promise without quoting its Biblical source, after he/she has finished speaking, take them aside and ask them to show you the text in the Bible or go home and search on google where the promise is located in the Bible. Once you find the 'popular quote', read the entire passage in its full context to ensure that you do miss its practical application. In my next post, we will apply to study the passage of Matthew 6:33 by using the three tools mentioned in this article. Once we do that exercise, you will be able to improve your Bible study methods. So stay tuned.