We are blessed to live at a time when we have access to a great number of resources for Bible study, both electronic and in print. I would like to share here some of the resources that I have found to be particularly useful.
Let me begin by recommending The Believer’s Library, by David Newell, published in 2001 by John Ritchie Ltd. These were originally published as articles in The Believer’s Magazine, and subsequently complied as a booklet. In the opening article, he offers the following points:
- Don’t despise books
- Don’t idolise books
- Don’t expect too much from books
In the second article, he writes:
One of the queries which uncomprehending visitors invariably put to the owner of a sizeable library is, “Have you read all those books?” This hoary old question reveals a fundamental misunderstanding as to the true function of books. The Bible student purchases valuable volumes of commentary and exegesis not to devour them instantly but to store them against the time when he will need them, They provide him with stimulus and information at his fingertips. Many of the best he will return to again and again, finding in them new delights and relearning old lessons. God’s own infallible library of sixty-six books cannot be assimilated at one sitting, but no one, I hope, would recommend that believers buy the Word on the instalment plan and simply invest in Genesis until they have exhausted that and can move on to Exodus.
David Newell, The Believer’s Library, (c) 2001 John Ritchie Ltd.
So here are some of the books that I have found helpful in my Bible studies. Perhaps they might be of help to you also.
Bible software
There are numerous options available in Bible software today. My personal preference is to use software that operates across various platforms, so that whether I am working at home on my PC or out and about with either my phone or tablet, I have access to my library.
One of the downsides of Bible software is that you cannot loan material to a friend like you can with a physical book or Bible. Another is that should the company ever go out of business, your investment is potentially gone.