Great Books on How to Study the Bible

Have you ever wanted more of a desire for God and His Word like we read in some of the Psalms?

We were discussing in women’s ministry the other day how we can cultivate more of a desire and longing for God and His Word. The times I have longed for God the most have been when I’ve been outside admiring His beautiful creation, or singing worship songs to Him, or when I have read books that inspire me to love Him more.

Desiring God’s Word

Desiring His Word doesn’t come to me as easily. I think when I’ve been reminded of how much we need to read it and how it helps us then that gives me more of a desire for it. For example this verse shows how useful it is to know scripture:

But more than anything what has made me desire God’s Word has been when I’ve taken time to really study and search the Bible. The more I get into it, the more I want to study! If you have only ever read the Bible and never studied it in more depth, you’re missing out on great treasures!

I still remember how 10 years ago I was studying a verse in 2 Timothy and had taken it to pieces and looked at its progression and meaning, and an amazing wonder and joy filled me as it came to life.

Self-Study Books

Two series of books which I highly recommend for Bible study, are by Kay Arthur and Irving Jensen. My serious Bible study started when I found a copy of Irving Jensen’s self-study guide on Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi in a second hand bookshop.

He takes you through the book carefully; giving you background and insight, but making you do most of the work yourself. And it was so exciting to discover hidden depths and understand God’s word more!

Kay Arthur has also written lots of books to help you study books and topics of the Bible, but again with the emphasis on you studying yourself, with help and guidance.

How-To Books

There are numerous books written to help you study the Bible for yourself, and they usually highlight the different ways you can approach it such as studying a book, a chapter, a verse, a topic, a character, or a word.

Here are some great books on how to study the Bible for yourself:

• Enjoy Your Bible by Irving L. Jensen – my favourite!
• How To Study Your Bible by Kay Arthur – similar to the above, just with a slightly different approach.
• How to Study the Bible for Yourself by Tim la Haye – this has a really good first section on how to improve your reading of the Bible by keeping a journal, then goes on to more in depth Bible study.
• Living by the Book by Howard Hendricks – more simple if you want an easier read!
• What To Do on Thursday by Jay Adams – the emphasis in this one is on using Bible study to solve everyday problems and decisions, written by a Biblical counsellor.

D.L. Moody has written a book called ‘Pleasure and Profit in Bible Study’ and Torrey has one called ‘How To Study the Bible for greatest Profit.’  I have second-hand copies of these and they are both excellent, just a bit older.

I’ve just looked online and noticed that John Macarthur has written a book on how to study the Bible as well, so maybe that will be my next buy 🙂 He is a very thorough teacher of the Bible so I am sure his book is also excellent.

I am planning to start going through Irving Jensen’s self-study guide on Proverbs soon to help me with my memorising, if I can get my act together! So I may post some of what I learn on here as and when I do it.

I would really encourage you to get one of these books and make some time for studying. Tim la Haye recommends setting apart 15 mins a day for in depth Bible study. It’s not that much time if you think about it, and the rewards you will reap will be well worth it. If you lack motivation… get one of the ‘How To’ books and start reading it, and it will probably motivate you 🙂

If you’re struggling just to have a basic time of reading your Bible and praying then you should probably get that established first! You might like to read my 10 Tips for Devotional Times for some help.