When it comes to reading the Bible, I’m practically medieval.
An ancient, and medieval, way of reading the Scriptures, and a method that I have personally benefitted from, is what I call “reading the Bible in layers.” There was an ancient Medieval Christian rhyme, intended to teach children to read the Bible,
“The letter shows us what God and our fathers did,
the spirit shows us where our faith is hid,
the moral shows us how to live our life,
the anagogy [future hope] shows us where we end our strife.”
Here is how it works:
The “Letter,” or the “Literal” Sense
In this first layer, we try to get our thoughts around what is actually literally on the page. What’s happening in the story? What is being said? Who is speaking? What words are repeated? What is this story about?
2. The “spirit,” or the “Spiritual Sense”
In this second layer, a wildly exciting stage, a series of questions emerge. These emerge from the literal sense, and include, but are not limited to:
“What does this text show us about God? About the life of faith?”
“If, I only had this text, what might I think about God’s character?”
“What other parts of Scripture remind me of this scene?”
“How does this text contribute to a fuller picture about our God that will be revealed elsewhere in the Bible?”
“How will the work of Christ more fully reveal the part of God’s character revealed in this passage?”
3. The “Moral” Sense
In this layer, we ask, “What can I obey from this? How should I live in light of this? How might this passage lead me to love others? What could expressing the truths of this text, in concrete ways, look like in my life?”
4. The “Anagogy” or the “Future-Hope” Sense
In this final layer, we ask, “Where does this text aim my hopes? How will this passage be brought to fulfillment when Christ returns? How can I rejoice in my future hope in Jesus? How does the tension in the passage find resolution in the return of Christ?”
_______
Example: Israel Crosses Red Sea (Exodus 14)
Literal: The People of Israel cross the Red Sea. The Lord rescues them in dramatic fashion.
Spiritual: God rescues people when they are their most desperate. And usually only when they are most desperate. This seems to be the Lord’s modus operandi. He often brings us to desperation, on purpose. His work on the cross for us is an example of his most dramatic rescue.
Moral: If God is mighty to save and able to rescue, maybe I should cry out to him. Trust him with ________ in my life. In general, I should cede control in _______ area of my life to his providential care.
Future Hope: One day, we will be fully free and finally rescued from all our struggles and every enemy. I will have been made complete in Christ. I will have made it through, and made it home. There is great hope in this for me.