I recently read something in Gleason Archer’s A Survey of Old Testament Introduction that you might find helpful. He lists a series of steps to take when you find a passage or verse in the Bible that is difficult to reconcile with another verse, or with history. This is adapted from pp. 26-27, 36 of the revised and expanded edition of the book:

1. Be convinced that there is a solution to the difficulty. Many difficulties have already been cleared up by archaeology and other studies. The Bible’s track record is good here. It’s never been proven wrong on anything.
2. Trust that the Bible had no errors when it was first recorded. Inerrancy applies to the first draft, so to speak. Our translations are incredibly accurate. Sometimes, though, you’ll see a footnote in your Bibles that says some ancient manuscripts say one thing, while others say another. Choosing one manuscript over another sometimes solves the problem. Don’t let this erode your faith in your English Bible, though. A whole team of translators spent years working on it and proofreading it!
3. Determine the author’s intent. You need to study the immediate context (the verses around the verse in question) and the context of the book as a whole. If the author didn’t mean something that would contradict another verse, then no contradiction exists. Meaning is found in the author’s intent.
4. Do the hard work of good interpretation. This is connected with point #3. Make sure your word studies are done well. Look at parallel passages to provide insight.
5. Look at good Bible commentaries or dictionaries. Talking with other well-informed believers about the passage will also help.
6. Remember that no other ancient work has as much manuscript support as the Bible. We have 20 copies of Plato’s Tetralogies. We have hundreds of witnesses to the Old Testament text and over 20,000 witnesses to the New Testament text. Not all of these witnesses are the full text of the OT or the NT, of course. That is still a very high number when you compare it to other works we have from ancient history.

Also, when I encounter a verse in the Old Testament that gives me trouble, I remember that Jesus treated the Old Testament as God’s authoritative and inerrant Word (Matthew 5:18; John 10:35). If Jesus trusted it, so can I.

I’d recommend listening to Mark Dever’s message on The Authority of Scripture from New Attitude 2008. This is intended to help you develop a greater confidence in Scripture and to help you defend the faith when others ask (1 Peter 3:15).

“In the way of your testimonies I delight
as much as in all riches.
I will meditate on your precepts
and fix my eyes on your ways.
I will delight in your statutes;
I will not forget your word.”

Psalm 119:14-16

God’s testimonies are worth more than all the riches of the world. If you had to choose between a comfortable life where all your wants were met, and owning a Bible, you would be better off with the Bible! God’s words are of infinite worth. They are life (Deuteronomy 32:47; John 6:68). Care for your soul as your highest priority. Give heed to God’s words and how valuable they are.

The psalmist doesn’t just delight in God’s testimonies. He delights in the way of God’s testimonies. The words are valuable, but so is living them out. He commits to:

1. meditate on God’s precepts
2. fix his eyes on god’s ways
3. delight in God’s statues
4. remember God’s word

I tend to remember, meditate on, fix my eyes on, and delight in things that are valuable to me. God’s words are valuable in themselves, and so is obeying God, but I often meditate on and value other things more. God’s words and obeying God need to be valuable to me.

• Resolved: pick one Scripture to memorize or recite every day. Today: Ephesians 1:15
• Resolved: pick one way I want to obey God every day and strive to do so. Today: be thankful (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

A good first step is asking for God’s help. The psalmist repeatedly asks for God to teach him His rules (Psalm 119:12, 26, 29, 33, 64, 68, 108, 124, 135, 171). That’s 10 times in this one psalm! We would do well to imitate the psalmist here. God is ready to help us learn His word and obey Him. Often, all we need to do is ask.

Here’s my New Year’s resolution: finish reading the Bible by the end of 2009. Why not make this your resolution, too? I’ve heard you can read the Bible out loud in around 72 hours. Most of us read much faster than that. But even if we don’t, that’s just 15 minutes of reading a day. That’s less time than it takes me to drive to work!

If you’re interested, here’s a reading plan you can try. You can download it in Excel format. If this plan doesn’t work for you, you can check out a chronological Bible reading plan.