1. Three Levels of Context
Cultural Context – Incorporating the text into your personal setting
Historical Context – Author, Recipient, Date, Situation.
Literary Context (Text Surrounding a Passage)
Purpose of the book
Structure:Genre & Plan
Immediate Context

2. Dangers to Context Memorizing individual verses
Attitude of quasi magical formula of verses (power verses worn as amulets)
Concordance Work
Claiming promises or commands not made to you.
Axiom #2: Context is King (of interpretation)

3. Identifying the Purpose of a Book
Sometimes it’s clearly stated (Jn 20:31; Lk 1:1-4; 1 Jn 5:13; Prov 1:1-6; Eccl 12:13)
Occasion for writing: Jeremiah; Amos; Philemon, etc.
Sometimes it is implied:
Selection or placement of details
Hortatory or parenthetical comments

4. Various Structural Arrangements
Chronological: Gen., Exod., Josh., 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chron., Ezra, Esther; or Geographical : Neh. , Jonah, Acts
Biographical: Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
Legal: Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy.
Cyclical: Judges, Job, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs
Letters: Romans, 1 & 2 Cor, Gal., Eph., Phil., Col., 1 & 2 Thess.,
1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, 1 & 2 Peter, 1—3 John, Jude
Wisdom/Poetry: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes
Visionary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Revelation

5. Literary Devices Acrostic: Prov 31:10-31; Psa 119; Lam 2 Chiasm: Mt 13
Parallelism: Luke - Acts
Inclusio: Genesis 37-39; Mk 11:12-25

6. Outlining is the best way to see the structure of your book:
Don’t strictly follow verse divisions. They come from the 13th century and don’t always work well (e.g. Acts 8:1; Eph 5:21; Isa 53:1)
Poor examples: Acts 8:1; Eph 5:21; Isa 53:1; 2 Cor 2:1

7. Circles of Context Author Book Section Paragraph Text Pericope chapter
Covenant

8. Project #3
Discover the purpose/theme of your book, the author, the date, the destination and any occasion that might have prompted the writing of that book.