Some books on how to read the Bible are academically informative, but their rationality can make God seem distant. Other books are spiritually vibrant but provide few tools that truly help God's people read the Bible better. Readers need a guide that combines the academic with the spiritual―that integrates textual analysis with the illuminating and transformational work of the Holy Spirit.
Drawing from his experience training students to study the Bible, Andrew Abernethy provides a holistic method that helps readers listen carefully to what God was saying to the original audience and what God is saying to us today. Using clear examples, he lays out six steps:
- Posture
- Flow
- Context
- Whole Bible
- Savor God
- Faithful response
Chapters provide guidance on interpreting biblical genres, factoring in historical backgrounds, reading each passage in context, tracing the redemptive storyline of Scripture, and more. Then, building on a strong grasp of Scripture's meaning, readers engage the traditional practice of lectio divina and consider how to respond faithfully to the text. The goal, Abernethy says, is to encounter God and to be shaped by the Word as we savor its richness.
Filled with practical features such as illustrations, maps, timelines, and discussion questions, Savoring Scripture is a valuable guide for students and anyone who wants to study the Bible more effectively. God has given us a Bible that is for the hungry―for those willing both to depend on God for provision and to put in the mental effort to enjoy the feast.
Andrew T. Abernethy (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College. He has written several books, including Eating in Isaiah (Brill, 2014), The Book of Isaiah and God's Kingdom (IVP, 2016), God's Messiah in the Old Testament, with Greg Goswell (Baker, 2020), Discovering Isaiah (Eerdmans, 2021), and Savoring Scripture (IVP, 2022).
Charlie E. Dates (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is the senior pastor of Salem and Progressive Baptist Churches of Chicago. A sought-after speaker, he is widely invited to preach at churches, conferences, and universities throughout the United States and abroad. He is an affiliate professor at Baylor University's George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Anderson University, and Wheaton College. He is a contributing author to the Handbook of Contemporary Preaching and Letters to a Birmingham Jail. He and his wife, Kirstie, and their children, Charlie II and Claire, live in Chicago.
