Lesson 4: Understanding the Context
You Turned to God from Idols
Prayer
You are not a god who dwells in snow-capped mountains. You are the God who carved those mountains, who stretched out the heavens and set the boundaries of the seas. The gods of man’s imagination are no rival to you—except in our hearts. And so grant us tangible reminders of the futility of idolatry so that all our hope is in you.
In the name of Jesus our Redeemer we pray,
Primary Principle
The Bible expects us to interpret it within its historical-cultural context.
Lesson Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to...
...explain how the historical context of a passage should inform our interpretation.
...identify areas of biblical knowledge in which they need to grow.
...interpret a biblical passage within its historical-cultural context.
Workload Reminder
As we indicated in lesson 1, the expected workload increases in lessons 4–10, such that most students will find that these lessons will take three to four hours to complete.