Through The Bible | Week 23 Inductive Bible Study

Inductive Bible study is a method for interpreting scripture that focuses on specific details to discover the author's intended meaning, using three main steps: observation, interpretation, and application. It emphasizes digging into a particular passage to understand what it meant to its original audience and then how to apply those truths to one's own life. 

Inductive Bible Study

A Bible study method that helps us interpret scripture. It helps us understand intended meaning of the text. The truths are extracted in an exegetical way. We study what the text would have meant to the original audience. We then apply those truths to ourselves.

Inductive is bottom up or exegetical (Proof to Position)

Deductive is eisegetical or top down (Position to placement)

Step 1: Observation

Important people, events, places

Who

What

When

Where

How

Analyzation

Key Words, Key phrases, repetition

Step 2: Interpretation

Make the meaning plain

What did it mean to the intended audience?

Explore historical context

What type of book? Historical, poetical etc?

Who is the author and the setting?

Use scripture to interpret scripture. Key word studies and cross references can unlock difficult passages.

Step 3: Application

I need to create a hermeneutical bridge

How does this passage or these principles apply to my life?

Map out how the truths uncovered can lead to personal change and spiritual formation

Live out the text

The Bronze Serpent: Numbers 21:4-9

Numbers 21:4–9 NKJV

4 Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way. 5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.” 6 So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died. 7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord that He take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

This is a sign of salvation

This was supposed to God to God alone 2 Kings 18:1-4

2 Kings 18:1–4 NKJV

1 Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea the son of Elah, king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. 3 And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done. 4 He removed the high places and broke the sacred pillars, cut down the wooden image and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it Nehushtan.

The instruction and obedience is a sign of belief and response by faith of someone who could not save themselves.

The Bronze serpent is a symbol of Christ. Scripture interprets scripture. See John 3:10-15

John 3:14–15 NKJV

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

The serpent was lifted up. Jesus was lifted up. Compare and Contrast (See John 12:32)

John 12:32 NKJV

32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”