A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education.” Theodore Roosevelt

“Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face.” Ronald Reagan

Studying, not just reading Scriptures, has changed the course of my life forever.

Anyone who knows me intimately understands that I approach reading the Bible a little differently. For example, in the 26 years since becoming a Christian, I have never followed a “read the bible in one year” reading plan. I also don’t read long stretches of scriptures. I take the bible in bite-sizes, chapter by chapter, with different study bibles open to the chapter I am reading, dictionaries, or the Logos software open to various commentaries.

I began this habit shortly after becoming a Christian and when I received my first study bible. The Life Application Bible that my (then boyfriend) gave me upon my first visit to America opened my eyes to understanding and applying the truths of God’s Word to my everyday life. I was a fairly new Christian and, even though I had been an ESL teacher for many years when we got married and I moved to the US, these study bibles have been instrumental in helping me better understand certain passages of Scripture in my second language.

What started with a way of better applying biblical principles to my life became a passion to unravel Scriptures. By understanding the historical background, correlations between the Old and New Testament, my faith has been strengthened, renewed, and God has helped me navigate life’s difficult trials in victory by the power of His Word.

So when BibleGateway invited certain #BibleGatewayPartners to review newly published study bibles, I was glad to sign up. Since then, I have had the privilege to receive free copies of bibles such as Zonderman’s new Life Application Bible (NIV version), The Jesus Bible, The Quest Bible, and the NIV Journal the Word Bible for girls. You can find my reviews by clicking on the bible titles in this paragraph.

This past month, I received a free copy of the new Halley’s Study Bible for review.

Henry H. Halley was an author, minister, and Bible lecturer who lived from 1874 to 1965 and is best known for the Halley’s Bible Handbook – a resource that has become a favorite for many believers through the years.

His handbook was born from a belief that we both share: everyone can and should be not just a reader, but a student of God’s Word. Henry began memorizing scriptures after starting a contractor career and spending hours commuting on a train. It was during one of those trips that God gave him the idea to start memorizing Scriptures. He started with the Sermon of the Mount. Next he memorized the book of James. As it stated in the foreword of the Halley Study Bible: “Over a period of about ten years, the preacher-builder spent at least ten thousand hours in achieving probably one of the greatest feats of memorization of Scripture know to humankind.” Eventually, he was able to recite 25 hours of Scripture!

In 1922, God directed him to put together a leaflet titled: “Suggestions Concerning Bible Study”. This booklet was the first draft of what later became the Halley’s Pocket Bible Handbook. In 1960, Henry granted Zondervan Publishing the rights to the handbook. It became one of the most influential and bestselling resources Zondervan ever printed. in 1962, Billy Graham’s crusade started giving away that resource to all those who accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior during their events. Today, there are over 6 million copies to print.

I received my free copy of the NIV Halley’s Study Bible half-way through my current study of the book of Jeremiah. Even though it is not printed in my translation of choice (NASB), the resources inside this bible added much-appreciated insights to my study. Here are some of the added resources for the reader:

• Insightful introduction about the author and these of each book of the bible, which some historical and scholarly knowledge concerning the era.

• Beautiful, colorful illustration of places and objects as found in archeological sites, tying these to the passages of Scriptures.

• A short introduction and explanation before certain chapters, always with an application of the meaning to Israel (or to the reader) – a much-needed feature when studying prophetic books.

• On the footnotes, this bible adds not only the life-application principles but also highlights words and their subjective meaning in the original Hebrew and Greek, whenever applicable. This is a feature I really appreciate!

• An explanation of contemporary characters (in Jeremiah’s case, contemporary prophets), which ties historical books to the prophetic books of the bible – a much-needed resource to better understand prophecy.

I have to say – of all the study bibles I have reviewed so far, the Halley’s Study bible has been my favorite, in great part because it offers resources that the other ones did not have. It has not returned to my bookshelf. Rather, it is now another resource that my husband and I started using daily as we spend time with the Lord in our prayer room.

You can find this bible at Amazon and nationwide retailers online and in-store. If you have personal experience with the Halley’s Bible Handbook, I would love to hear about it. Please share in the comments below!

The post Digging Deep – A New Study Bible Review appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

Why would children have to pay for the sins of their ancestors?

Why did Moab have to be destroyed?

Why would Egyptians speak Hebrew, the language of Cannan?

The longer I dig into the insightful tools of the new NIV Quest Study Bible, the more excited I get.

I received an email from BibleGateway, inviting me and several other bloggers who are part of the BibleGateway blogger grid to review Zondevan’s new Study Bible.

I read the email, and thought, “Why not?” A study Bible nerd, I could not say no to getting a FREE copy of a study bible that promised to answer many common questions about the texts.

Now, the Quest Study Bible is not a new concept. In 1989 Zondervan and Christianity Today International worked together to develop a bible that would answer challenging questions that arose as people would read Scriptures. Focus groups around the United States evaluated the resources that would eventually be included in this Bible. Users loved it so much and the two publishers continued to update this bible throughout the years. This new edition includes the most updated questions and resources, as well as a copyrighted print that makes reading it very enjoyable and easy.

I received my copy shortly after signing up and could not wait to dig in. I laid it down on my prayer room – the place where I go to read Scriptures and pray every morning.

I take a long time to finish a book in Scriptures because of how I read them. I never just read the Bible. I stop after each chapter and get some of my favorite study tools to explore the text.

I’ve been studying the book of Isaiah again for the past several weeks.

Now, if you have ever studied Isaiah, you know that the writings of the most prominent prophet of the Old Testament contained certain prophecies which were fulfilled during his lifetime, some which came to pass shortly after his death, others in the first coming of Christ, as well as prophecies yet to be fulfilled during the millennium reign of Christ.

It’s a complex book. Mainly because, as much as one can derive strength and peace in prophecies that are timeless for the believer, such as the words of Isaiah 40 and 41, among others, one must understand the historical context in which many of the prophecies were given in order to realize their fulfillment.

I could not have been studying a better book when I started reviewing the Quest Study Bible. As I read through it, this resourceful book has answered certain questions that I’ve never even thought of while studying Isaiah. The study bible brings back history and connects dots as complex commentaries do, however in a much simpler, straightforward manner.

In a nutshell, the NIV Quest Study Bible is a God-sent to the believer who wants to “study to present himself approved” (2 Timothy 2:15) but does not wish to go to seminary to do so.

As you read the text, you will find yourselves asking questions which will naturally be addressed in the margins of this bible, together with applicable explanatory texts at the bottom of the pages.

It’s a must-have and a new favorite for my daily readings.

Practical. Insightful. Easy-to-ready.

Five Stars, indeed!

#BibleGatewayPartner

Buy it on Amazon: NIV Quest Study Bible

The post Book Review: The Quest Study Bible – Five Stars! appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.