A Sample Biblical Narrative: The Story of Ruth

2. Scan it. This is a superficial reading. Observe the text. Get a glimpse of the setting and characters. Look at the beginning, ending and some parts of the body. For a narrative like The Book of Ruth, this exercise can take about five minutes.

3. Understand it. This is a more thorough reading of the text. It would help if you have a notebook at hand. Take note of changes (in character, action, time and place). Identify the main parts of the story (for the story of Ruth, the outline above can help). See how the parts develop the main story line. Bible footnotes and marginal notes should be used sparingly (that is, only when one cannot understand a passage.). This will take longer than the first. (The first time I read the Book of Ruth, it took me an hour to understand the story line. Subsequent rereadings allowed me to get a deeper insight into the narrative. ) Do not let difficult passages inhibit you from the next step...

4. Be Open To Encounter God. A biblical narrative is always a proclamation about the God who reveals Himself in human history. What is understood as clear after the second reading should be used as an opportunity for prayer. Whatever is yet unclear should be laid aside for revision at a later time. What is grasped by the mind should be pondered in the heart and allowed to stay there.

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