Scripture: Hebrews 4:12:  “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

Something to think about: Does it hurt to study the Bible?  It should do, occasionally!  Hebrews 4:12 makes it clear that one of the primary reasons the word of God is given to us is as an effective “Sword of the Spirit” (see also Ephesians 6:17) which cuts deep within us. The word of God is a source of encouragement and help at all times, but if we are reading the Bible purely for comfort or inspiration, we are missing one of its great purposes. The word is also a sword which is intended to be wielded (on both errant doctrines and on ourselves where we err). If we are not seeking to be corrected as well as encouraged as we study, we are essentially just polishing the sword.  Study tactically!

“We see so much more when we are willing to change our point of view.”

Reading an email,  letter or other message is psychologically simple – we know that someone is addressing us and we “hear” the words of the message as though the person were speaking directly to us. But there is an interesting psychological phenomenon that occurs when we read anything written in the “third person.”  Whether it is a novel,  a story, a news report or even much of the Bible itself, our minds change gear and we look at the story from a different perspective. 

Just as ancient Greek plays had a protagonist (the hero) and one or more “antagonists” – those with whom the hero interacts or struggles – third person writing engages the mind in such a way that, without thinking about it, we automatically “identify with the hero.”  In reading this type of writing it is not that we see ourselves as the hero so much as we accept the hero’s cause, we see things from his or her perspective and what the hero says to others usually carries our approval – we are thoroughly on the hero’s side.

What does this have to do with Bible reading and study?  When we read a biblical story – for example, a description of one of the prophets delivering a message to ancient Israel – it’s easy to identify ourselves with the speaker and agree with his message,  but do we identify with those to whom the message was sent? Ultimately, the depth of our understanding of much of the Bible – and our ability to be moved by it – lies in putting ourselves in the place of the original hearers, not the speakers.  Does Paul write to the Corinthians? Put yourself in the place of the Corinthians – how does what Paul says apply to you personally?  It’s as we think over and  meditate on what the message of the Bible says to its recipients that it can have an impact on us. 

Naturally, when we read the psalms of David or other prayers and hymns in the Bible we can identify with the speaker and it is often helpful to do so, but in those cases it is not “third person” literature – it is more like when we pray or write to someone. But in the case of biblical stories and narratives we need to remember which side of the events we should picture ourselves on, otherwise we are just reading a story.

It’s the simplest principle to apply, but in most cases we shouldn’t identify with our biblical heroes nearly so much as we should strive to identify with those to whom our heroes spoke.

The Book of Ecclesiastes is profound at many points, but it’s not exactly my first choice as an upbeat inspirational book. Solomon (presuming he was the author) tends to look at the “vanity” and meaningless aspects of life quite a bit in order to make his very valid points.

But my perception of Ecclesiastes was adjusted recently while studying the book in the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) version. I usually use the ESV or NIV in my personal study, but in this case I was reading Ecclesiastes 11 in the HCSB on the BibleGateway site which provides free access to dozens of translations. 

What particularly tweaked my interest was the title that the Holman Bible gave to this chapter.  While chapter titles are not part of the inspired word, of course, they can sometimes help summarize what the text is saying. In this case, the HCSB titles Ecclesiastes 11 “Invest in Life” and I was almost surprised, when I thought about it, at the very positive theme of the chapter.  I realized that my perceptions of  Ecclesiastes itself had led me not to expect such a positive theme to run throughout a whole chapter of the book, but the HCSB translators are correct.  Take a look at these verses from the chapter:

Ecclesiastes 11 -  Invest in Life

“Send your bread on the surface of the waters,
for after many days you may find it.
Give a portion to seven or even to eight …
In the morning sow your seed,
and at evening do not let your hand rest,
because you don’t know which will succeed,
whether one or the other,
or if both of them will be equally good.
Light is sweet, and it is pleasing for the eyes to see the sun.
Indeed, if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all …”

Certainly the chapter concludes with a sober assessment, as does the whole book of Ecclesiastes, but looking at it from the perspective of the title “Invest in Life,” I could not fail to see the “carpe diem” aspect of the chapter and its stress on using life’s opportunities. It’s a physical principle, but it applies spiritually, of course. How are we investing in spiritual life? (See the “Parable of the Ten Minas” in Luke 19:11-27.)

For example, seeing something in Ecclesiastes that I had not expected to find there made me think how often we can find  “investment returns” in unexpected places in God’s word.  Often in our personal study we tend to gravitate to those books and chapters where we know we will find encouragement or a positive message.  Ecclesiastes 11 reminded me that I need to diversify my investment in my study of God’s word  - just as the chapter reminds us we should diversify our investments in life.

(For more information on Bible translations, see our articles: “Choosing a Bible Translation” and “Try a New Translation.“)