In this Bible study method, we are going to pose a series of questions to the text to pull out certain answers that are helpful for practical applications. Use as many of these questions as fit the text. I will list the questions and give answers based on Matthew 1:18-25. If you read the passage yourself, you might find other answers than those given here.
1. Is there an example for me to follow?
v. 20 Joseph thought carefully about what he should do instead of acting rashly.
2. Is there a sin to avoid?
No sins are mentioned., though Joseph was thinking of putting away his betrothed.
3. Is there a promise to claim?
v. 21 “He will save His people from their sins.” (You can crop the passage to memorize the important part of a verse.)
4. Is there a prayer to repeat?
There is no prayer to God recorded here. (Unless you count v. 19 as though that Joseph was praying along with thinking.)
5. Is there a command to obey?
v. 20 “Do not be afraid.”
6. Is there a condition to meet?
v. 21 Joseph needs to name the baby “Jesus” as a condition to fulfill the prophecy in v. 23.
7. Is there a verse to memorize?
v. 21 “You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
8. Is there a challenge to face?
v. 19 Joseph, a just man, was faced with a difficult decision regarding his betrothed.
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The problem with this method is that it can degenerate into merely answering a quiz… “I found the answer!” … and jotting it down, “Assignment finished!” So with the following notes, we’ll add some more layers to make the study more meaningful.
When you are finished, use the answers as a prayer list, accepting by faith that the Lord has communicated these answers to you.
For instance, you might realize you should pray about #1 because you have a problem with making rash decisions. You don’t think things through. You don’t consider what the Bible may have to say about your situation. So you pray. But in general, any good example you uncover should show you something more of Jesus and what He is like; the example is a model of how you should act or respond to become more like Him.
Perhaps you should pray about #3, that Jesus will save His people from their sins. You have been struggling with a sin for a while and it should give you hope that Jesus can help you overcome it. With prayer, you may even get that insight into a logjam that keeps that sin firmly rooted, and be set free.
Perhaps the #5 command to obey, “do not be afraid,” strikes a chord in you because you have fears you are not addressing in your life, and they are keeping you restless. Fears can prompt you to take action, such as prayer for guidance and strength to take active steps.
If you do this practice daily, your prayer life will change daily, so this method can add variety to your prayer life (or even start a prayer life). Assuming you are recording your answers, you may want to put an asterisk (*) next to the day’s answers that have significance to you. Then pray for those more often. Ideally, you should find that these issues that were raised by the questions are issues you haven’t thought about or were powerless to handle. Then you see your need of prayer and dependence on God.
Then your prayer life will lengthen because it has become more meaningful to you—even more when you realize that the Lord has been speaking to your heart with this method of listening to Him. In addition, you should find peace with God when you are being obedient with what He showed you. Through these prayers you are co-laboring with God in His work of making you more like His Son.
This method is an excellent way to add detail to the material you picked up in the Bible study methods discussed earlier, or to your own Bible study approach you currently use.
