One of the keys to getting something from your study time is staying engaged. This is easier said than done with some passages. I have a good friend who is a pro when it comes to Bible study, but she has absolutely no interest in the tabernacle, and will read over those descriptions. Genealogies, lists, building details, battles all present challenges in keeping focused. However, I find one of the toughest kinds of passages to study are the very familiar.
Two weeks ago, I had to teach David and Goliath for Sunday school. I’ve been in church since I was a kid and I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say I’ve heard or read this story thirty or forty times. Here are some ideas to keep the story (or any story) fresh.

1. Read it out loud – We have a tendency to read ‘over’ things we think we know. (This is what makes me a terrible proofreader for my own stuff.) Reading out loud forces us to slow down and pay attention to each word. You also get the added benefit of hearing the words as well as reading them. If you’re in a class, try reading in parts rather than verse by verse. Have someone read David’s dialogue, someone for Goliath’s, Saul’s and any of the other people and then have a narrator fill in.
2. Details – David makes a point of describing his efforts to protect his father’s sheep. Then Scripture tells us he takes his shepherd’s staff and put 5 stones in his shepherd’s bag. What’s the connection? I think David was going out to protect his Father’s sheep- Israel- from an attacker. Oh and some folks believe the reason he picked up 5 stones was because Goliath had 4 brothers. David may have figured he’d have to whip them too before the battle was done. (2 Samuel mentions the deaths of Goliath’s brothers in battle.)
3. Other characters – We have a fair idea what the battle was like from David’s and from Goliath’s perspectives, but what about Saul’s? Or David’s brothers? Or the foot soldiers on either side? Do you think the witnesses told that story for the next 30 or 40 years? I bet they did.
4. My teacher’s materials had an exercise that went through the story identifying whose power each person was relying on. (The only person who gained a victory was the only person relying on God’s power and not his own. Hmmm.)

God’s word is living, and it is a limitless well of wisdom and insight. Ask Him what new angle He can give you on some of these old, familiar stories.

I apologize for being a day late with the tip. I had some computer issues yesterday morning, but I think I have everything straightened out now. Truth be told, I was so aggravated yesterday, I wouldn’t have had any advice to pass on that was worthwhile. However, the way God redeems things, even that has turned out to have some wisdom in it.

When I study, I don’t always come away with new insight or information. Occasionally, I get a reminder of something I already knew. Some days, I just enjoy the time spent in God’s word. If I go for more than a couple of days without “getting” anything from my study time though, that’s a sure sign of deeper issue between me and God.

Yesterday, my studying was hampered by my own irritation and distraction. Today was better. If your study time is empty, take that as a hint that God has something else He wants to deal with in your life, and ask Him about it.