Bible Study Methods: Commonly Missed Steps

Bible study method :Pitfall/Passover =we normally neglect these important steps.

1#One first steps in doing a Bible study is to find out whether a given passage comes under old covenenet or the new covenent.
2# Check whether the passage is a descriptive passage or a prescriptive passage or mixed
3#Check the genre of literature - Is is poetry , narration , sermon/exhortation , wisdom literature , prophecy , epistle etc . Every genre has different rules of interpretation. We should not interpret all the passage the same way. Poetic language should not treated like prose. This has led to a lot of wrong conclusions
4# Don't apply the messianic passages ,which are the old testament passages about Jesus from the Psalms and prophets to yourselves . It can amount to blasphemy.
5#Assuming the 'we' , 'us' , 'you' seen in epistles to ourselves will lead to a different meaning to the biblical passage than what was intended.
6#Identify the flow of thought in a particular book.
7#Every passage has a 'theme' and a 'thrust'. Theme is the main idea which the author intended and thrust is the aspect of the theme which is stressed or taught in that passage
8#Bible study must include Macroscopic study(the study of a whole book) and Microscopic study(study of a part/verse of a book) . Both are essential to get to the truth taught there accurately. Don't miss the forest(macroscopic) for the trees (microscopic)or the tree for the forest.
Observation , interpretation and application method is incomplete in that you will miss the forest for the trees. This three step is only the microscopic part with the application awaiting corelation with the macroscopic part.
9#Refer to study aids if you really want to know the truth about a passage. Refer to multiple commentaries, greek /hebrew lexicon.
10#All these are not substitutes for prayer and obedience or vice versa.