Why every great Bible study begins with CONTEXT - and how our new Jonah Bible study journal walks you through it step by step

Have you ever jumped into a Bible study only to find yourself lost a few verses in - unsure who the people are, what's happening around them, or why any of it matters to you?  

The solution isn't to study harder.  It's to start smarter!

A book study is simply a big picture overview of a book of the Bible before you dive into the details.  It's the practice of asking some general but foundational questions - about the author, the time period, the major events - so that when you open to chapter one, verse one, you already have a framework in place to hang everything on.  

It's one of the most underused and most transformative habits in Bible study. (I do a book study with every book of the Bible I study, even the seemingly familiar ones, like Jonah ... because you can never know everything about the Bible!) And once you start doing it, you won't want to skip it.

Let's walk through how to do one, using the book of Jonah as our example. (And check out a BONUS study suggestion that I also find helpful!  There are also resource suggestions at the end of the post too!)

The Bible wasn't written in a vacuum.  Every book was written by a real person, in a real place, to real people, all of who were facing real circumstances.  The more you understand those circumstances, the more clearly you can begin to understand what God is desiring to show His people then and now.  

Take Jonah. If we merely go off of what we remember from flannel graph stories we heard as a kid, we'll think only of that guy that was swallowed by a great fish.  But when you begin to study the people who lived in the city Jonah was called to, we can start to connect with refusal.  His disobedience begins to make a little more sense.  And God's compassion for those people starts to feel a lot more radical ... and also beautiful. 

I love this quote.  It's so appropriate here as we look at how to begin a BOOK STUDY. 

A book study doesn't have to be complicated or take hours.  What you put into it, is what you get out! You're simply working through a handful of questions you probably answered as a student in school. (Think ... who, what, when, where, why) 

1. Who wrote the book?  What do we know about them? In Jonah's case, people aren't sure exactly who the author is, but it's interesting to review the differing opinions!  No matter the author, Jonah's story is included in Scripture and we can certainly learn SO MUCH!  (Another who could be who the book was written to, who are the key people ... there are SO MANY OPTIONS of things to include!)
2. What are the major events of the story? What was happening during this time? (Another what could be ... what does the name of the book mean?  
3. When did the events take place or when was the book written?  Some things we can't fully know, but again, this type of research yields new considerations for our hearts and minds to think about Jonah's life as a prophet for the LORD.
4. Where did the story take place?  What are the settings?  What is known about these places and the people that lived there?  (We'll definitely dive into that more deeply as we continue our study ... we're just getting started!)
5. Why was Jonah's story shared?  What can we learn from the life of Jonah?  What themes are woven into his story that God could use to draw us into deeper, challenging our hearts and thoughts?  

You don't have to fill in every question perfectly before you begin.  You're just creating a framework!  A book study is meant to open your eyes, not overwhelm you.  Write down what you find, leave space for what you'll discover later, and let the study itself keep teaching you as you go! 

(This BOOK STUDY page is from our Verse Mapping Bible Study Journal!)

Besides creating a framework with a book study, there's one more practice that can take your understanding even deeper: building a historical timeline.  

A timeline isn't about memorizing dates.  It's about placing a book of the Bible into it's larger story - seeing what was happening in Israel, in surrounding nations, and in the world prior to, during and after the events of the book, where it falls in God's timeline of redeeming His people for His glory.  It's the difference between reading a letter and reading that letter while knowing everything the writer and the recipient were living through at the time.  

With Jonah it helps to:

• anchor the book in time
• look at what's happening in Israel and with God's people
• identify what has happened in history with Israel and with the Assyrians who lived in Nineveh at this time
• map out major events, before and after the book the book of Jonah (at some point review Nahum ... WOW!)
• identify the key people including the characters within the story, other prophets, national leaders

And though it may seem unnecessary to do this when you could just read it in a book, hand writing it out on paper sticks with you far better than simple reading.  You don't need to be perfect.  You need it to be yours.

So if you're excited to get started and you're not sure where to begin, here are a few resource suggestions:

• study Bible (If you don't have one, borrow one from a friend, your church or your public library!)
• Bible dictionary (You can borrow one or utilize an online one from places like Bible Hub or Blue Letter Bible. These are BOTH free apps and websites!)
• Bible commentaries (You can also borrow these or use one of the suggested apps/websites)
• Bible Project videos are GREAT introductions to books of the Bible.  Check out their Jonah guide

If you haven't grabbed your Jonah Bible Study Journal yet, the study is available NOW!  If you're ready to DIVE IN with Jonah, click here: Jonah Bible Study Journal. Use discount code JONAHLAUNCH at checkout to receive our 2026 Sermon Notes & Planner FREE (for the first 20 customers!).