Why Pastors Should Be Good Readers

Reading Literature for Better Understanding of the Bible

One of the things pastors can do that shouldn’t be underestimated is to read a lot of literature. Have a little book of poetry by your bedside or read some novels. When we do the right kind of reading, it heightens our sensitivities to the literary forms of the Bible. There are a lot of intangible ways it helps, and there’s a nice crossover there.

ESV Literary Study Bible

Combining 1,200+ study notes related to the literary features of the Bible, the ESV Literary Study Bible helps readers understand God’s Word more fully, in all its richness and beauty.

Connecting Literature of the Bible to People’s Experiences

It’s also important for pastors to always ask themselves the questions, “What kind of literature is this part of the Bible? What do I know about it from reading that kind of literature? What kind of slowing down do I need to do for poetry? What am I looking for in a story?” Then indicating to a congregation, “This is a story and here’s how stories work.” Do a little bit of that kind of teaching.

When we do the right kind of reading, it heightens our sensitivities to the literary forms of the Bible.

One of the things that I find really helpful for pastors to do is to connect the literature of the Bible to the literary experiences of the people in their congregation. It helped me a lot as I was reading through the Psalms of Ascent—which are psalms that were composed for pilgrims on their way from various places around Israel up to Jerusalem—is to think of that as the playlist for Israel’s road trip to Jerusalem. When you see that, immediately people know what that’s like; they know songs that are familiar that you associate with a journey, how those songs play into your life and become part of the soundtrack of your experience.

When I thought about the love songs in the Song of Solomon as the lyrics you would find in the liner notes to your favorite album or maybe romantic pop songs, that made them come alive for me. That’s the kind of connection that makes the Bible come alive for a congregation. What they do know about how to read literature can also help them in their understanding of Scripture.

Phil Ryken is a general editor of the ESV Literary Study Bible.

Philip Graham Ryken (DPhil, University of Oxford) is the eighth president of Wheaton College. He preached at Philadelphia’s Tenth Presbyterian Church from 1995 until his appointment at Wheaton in 2010. Ryken has published more than fifty books, including When Trouble Comes and expository commentaries on Exodus, Ecclesiastes, and Jeremiah. He serves as a board member for the Gospel Coalition and the Lausanne Movement.

Podcast: How to Become a Better Bible Reader (Phil Ryken)

March 23, 2020

What are the literary qualities of Scripture and why should we not just read the Bible for what it says, but for how it says it?

5 Fallacies about a Literary Approach to the Bible

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When the Bible gives us literary subject matter, that subject matter is present through the agency of divine inspiration. The same is true of the genres and forms of the Bible.

Pastor, Are You Growing in Submission to Scripture?

Tim Patrick, Andrew Reid

March 27, 2020

God’s leaders are to be people who are growing in submission to Scripture. Their daily lives are to reflect and exemplify the scriptures that they teach.