Shalem IPC NJ

Observation – What do I see?

• Observation is the art of examining things around and studies their relationship.
• Good observations are the key to good inductive Bible study.
• You must be a good observer of the facts in a passage.
• While observing, we must be interested only in what the text says, and not what we think.

Few things to follow in observation:

1. Observe the entire passage and get an overview. 

1. Read the text carefully – You should read the text until it becomes so familiar that parts of it are committed to memory.     

1. Record your first impressions. 

1. Record the major facts – Who/What/Where/When/Why 

1. Observe the structure of the passage – Make a basic outline of the text 

1. Observe the details of the passage – Look at the major facts and ask questions about the text.

The questions we must ask:

Who? Who are the people mentioned in the text? What is their relationship to each other?

What? What are the key truths or happenings?

Where? Where did it happen? Where is it said? – The geography and location of the events in the passage are important.

When? When did it happen? - The time sequence of the events

How? How it happened? – The way by which things happened.

Assignment # 1