the new esv study bible

    I am loving the new esv study bible! My uncle bought me one as a graduation gift and came in the mail last Monday. I especially like the maps because I'm not very familiar with the areas of the bible and often have no idea why an area is being mentioned. I also like how the comments are from many different men (and women? I don't know.).

    Study bibles can also be dangerous though. I think often its easy to put our brains aside and just let other people think for us, or let them be the Holy Spirit for us. But we have to be like the Bereans even with the new esv study bible and check everything against scripture. Since several men have contributed, it's good to hear similar passages from different perspectives.

    This past Monday, Felipe and I went to my local Starbucks and I carried my new esv study bible. During the course of the evening, Felipe asked me about the passages that command us to love the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. He wondered if I thought the order was of any relevance because it is listed in that order - in Deuteronomy, in Matthew, in Mark, in Luke (but Deuteronomy and Matthew leave out "strength" and Luke has the last two reversed). I thought there must be because the bible isn't coincidental or incidental. So, we looked at the Matthew first, and the commentator (Michael Wilkins of Biola) specifically says that each is not a compartment, but rather that refer to the entire person. Luke's commentator, either Wayne Grudem of Phoenix Seminary or Thomas Schreiner of the Southern Baptist Theo Seminary, does provide each a specific compartment: heart - emotions, will, and depest convictions; soul - the immaterial part of a person; mind - reason; strength - using one's ability and powers. Mark's commentator, Hans Bayer of Covenant Theo Seminary, ignores that part of the verse and just says that we love God completely. Back in Deuteronomy, comments from Paul Barker of Holy Trinity Doncaster, Barker says that in early Hebrew, "heart" included what we call the "mind" and "might" indicates energy and ability.

    We didn't get to all that then though. But some other cool things happened. At one point a man came up to us and asked if we were doing a Bible study together since he could clearly see the opened esv study bible. We weren't. He wondered if we went to a local church. Well, the church we go to isn't local to the Starbucks we were at. If we were doing a group Bible study, I bet he would have wanted to join us. We should have Bible studies at Starbucks. He asked us for prayer. He knows that he should be going to church and that he should be involved with a local congregation. It seems like there's always an excuse to not go to church. He asked that God would move in him to motivate him and get him to church.

    When we first went into the Sb*s, the other barista (not the one helping us) saw my new esv study bible and asked if it was the new esv study bible. It was. He said, "It must be pretty new." I told him that it just came in the mail the previous Monday. I think it encouraged him to have other Christians come into his store.

    That same evening, a couple came up to us from Argentina. They were visiting Gateway Church. They just wanted to shake our hands. They seemed so excited that they had met young "believers" with an open [new esv study] bible.

    The idea to carry around the new esv study bible came from another friend of mine. He always carries his bible out in the open for people to see. He always gets comments and questions. It's like a big sign that says, "please ask me about this." but without anything so weird. Is it weird to carry a bible around? maybe. but it serves a purpose. I have a tiny pocket size esv bible that fits in my...pocket. But then people can't see it. And by carrying it out in the open, people see it and are either encouraged or curious. Maybe I'll meet a hostile person, but an opportunity is an opportunity. And it seems that the Lord readily answers the request for more opportunities when I display his word the new esv study bible.