Beware of a Google Maps Mentality in Your Bible Study

Google Maps and Commentaries

Should Bible study participants be encouraged to use commentaries? If yes, at what point in their study should they reach for them? And which commentaries do you recommend?

I am asked these questions again and again when leading workshops for Bible teachers and Bible study leaders. I’m going to begin my answer with an illustration. Travel with me to Prince Edward Island, Canada . . .

Prince Edward Island is the smallest province of Canada (the setting of Anne of Green Gables), and it is magical. My husband and I traveled there during his sabbatical, and it marked us. In addition to the rolling green hills, serene beaches, the absence of freeways, and the hospitable people, we were delighted to receive map after map from locals as we vacationed on this island. Remember paper maps? I have distinct memories of childhood road trips where my mom would unfold a paper map, like the pull of an accordion, reminding my father of landmarks to look for and which direction to turn. As Wes and I drove all over Prince Edward Island, discovering lighthouses, fishing villages, and quiet beaches, we rediscovered the joy of using paper maps. And the awkwardness—I’ve never been able to figure out how to fold a map using the original creases. We only used Google Maps to confirm that we were on the right track and not way off course. It was delightful.

We felt engaged with one another and with people who eagerly gave us maps to their favorite destinations. I remembered how to return to certain beaches and coffee shops without any help. I remembered how to get there because my brain was engaged while navigating the first time. I began to recognize landmarks and rivers that wound their way throughout the island. What a refreshing change from our typical dependence on Google Maps!

The Stories of Women

Colleen D. Searcy

Part of the Meet Me in the Bible series, this inductive study uses a practical 5-step framework to observe and interpret stories of women in Scripture and apply them to everyday life.

A great deal of work has been done so that we can have the detailed and helpful information on Google Maps at our fingertips. And this popular app provides detailed information fast. When traveling to a new destination, there is no work required on the front end when using Google Maps. No need to call your friend and ask for directions to her new house. No need to pay attention to landmarks or rivers on the way to a new restaurant. If you make a wrong turn, the app will make the needed adjustments, and the disembodied voice will tell you which way to turn. No work needed on the front end, no need to talk to people, and no decisions required while you travel. Using the Google Maps app is certainly easier and faster than using paper maps.

Now, how do Prince Edward Island and Google Maps connect to Bible study and commentaries?

After years of studying the Bible, teaching it, and teaching others how to study and teach it, I am convinced that commentaries are best used like Google Maps. Commentaries are wonderful resources, offering detailed and helpful information from the experts, but don’t reach for your favorites too soon. Why? I’ll highlight three reasons.

Holding off on commentaries encourages engagement with God and with others.

When we open our Bibles, we are not reading only for information; we are meeting with a Person. While we are reading the word, we are to engage the One who breathed it out. Bible study should be a conversation, talking to God and asking him our hard questions. We are to delight in his words and delight in him as we read about his ways and his character in verse after verse, chapter after chapter, and book after book.

One of my favorite things about corporate Bible study is the opportunity to engage others about their time in the word. I never tire of hearing small group discussions around the study of the Bible. When we immediately reach for commentaries to answer our pressing questions, we will not be as eager to hear from our brothers and sisters in Christ and what they discovered during their study. When minds are engaged, listening and considering, important connections in the Scriptures are made, and important connections are made with people. When we hold off reaching for quick answers in a commentary, there is space for rich conversation with God and with others.

When we open our Bibles, we are not reading only for information; we are meeting with a Person.

Doing the work helps you remember.

I have lived in the Dallas area for over twenty-five years, and I still need Google Maps to get to many popular destinations. I have only been to Prince Edward Island once and for only a few days, yet I could drive to Greenwich beach and my favorite coffee shop with no apps, no problem. Why? Because I used my brain to get there, following little black lines on the cute paper map with tiny lighthouses dotted all over it. I asked the sweet college girl at the guest information center what to look for as I drove from Greenwich Beach to the coffee shop she recommended, listening carefully as she described what to look for and where to turn.

Do the work first and wait to reach for the quick answer in a commentary. Choose to read the cross-references and see how Scripture helps interpret Scripture. Read the difficult verse in a few other Bible translations. Look up words like propitiation in the dictionary and see what insight you gain. Ask God to help you, to open your eyes to understand the Scriptures (Luke 24:45). Be patient. When understanding does come, it will stick. You will remember what you discovered, even years later, because your brain was engaged. An answer from a commentary is faster, but forgetting the answer will also be faster. Like Google Maps, you will remain dependent on the commentary to get you there the next time the same question surfaces.

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You learn to recognize landmarks and patterns that are woven throughout the Scriptures.

Like the rivers woven through Prince Edward Island’s landscape, there are patterns woven throughout the Scriptures. The more familiar you become with the Bible, the quicker you recognize the “landmarks” of creation, covenant, exile, redemption, gardens, water (the flood, the Red Sea, the Jordan River), etc. Then you begin to look for the landmarks and the patterns, which adds to your insight. It’s thrilling!

Back to the questions at the beginning of this article: Should Bible study participants be encouraged to use commentaries? If yes, at what point in their study should they reach for them?

My answer to Bible-studiers: Commentaries are wonderful resources, just reach for the trusted commentary after you have engaged with God, engaged with others, and after having done the work first. Use commentaries like Wes and I used Google Maps in Prince Edward Island—to confirm you are on the right track and not way off course. And to learn even more after you’ve gained insight. What a joy it is to reach for a trusted commentary and find that your insights align with the commentator’s insights! You will grow in confidence that you can study the Bible and that God is delighted to meet you there.

I’ll answer the last question succinctly: How do I know which commentaries to choose? Start by asking a trusted pastor or Bible teacher for commentaries they recommend. My favorite resource for commentaries is Tim Challies’ list, Best Commentaries on Every Book of the Bible.¹ I have found his summaries and his recommendations to be super helpful.

Commentaries, and the Bible scholars who have written them, are a gift to the church. A great deal of work has been done so that we can have detailed and helpful information at our fingertips. I regularly use commentaries to prepare to teach, and I feel grateful when I reach for one. But I do the hard work of studying first. The Bible is not an easy read. It is an ancient text written in different languages, by different authors, and in different cultures. Big questions surface while reading it. The meaning can be hard to interpret. We will need help from the experts. But don’t let impatience be the motivation behind opening a commentary. Engage God while you read his word. Engage the people he made. Create connections and memories as you do the work. Learn the landmarks and patterns of the Scriptures as you do so. Enjoy God while you navigate the Scriptures. It will be a trip you’ll never forget!

Notes:

https://www.challies.com/best-commentaries/

Colleen Searcy is the author of The Stories of Women: An 8-Week Bible Study.

Colleen D. Searcy is a Bible teacher, speaker, and creator of the Meet Me in the Bible study series. She is on staff at the Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas, and leads workshops for churches across the country. Colleen and her husband, Wes, have two sons, Sam and Tate. You can learn more about Meet Me in the Bible books and workshops at colleensearcy.com.

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