The Four-H’s Method of Bible Study

Like most youth workers, you’ve probably spent a lot of time encouraging students to read their Bibles regularly. I’m sure you’ve also seen the looks of discouragement on student’s faces when they’ve tried reading their Bibles but the experience was less than they’d hoped. They wanted to read God’s word and see the glories within it, but it ended up feeling dry and unapplicable. Afterall, how is Leviticus, 1 Chronicles, or Ezekiel supposed to apply to me today? 

There is an old method of reading the Bible where people looked for the “Four-Fold Sense” of scripture, but at first glance it doesn’t seem like the answer to our Bible reading dilemma. The four senses are the “literal,” “allegorical,” “tropological,” and “anagogic” senses. See what I mean about not seeming like the answer? Most of our Latin is a little rusty. You cannot exactly trot these words out in front of most (or any) people and expect anything other than blank stares and unread bibles. So how can these four esoteric, weird words help us? 

Though, there are four questions you can get your students to ask of the text that can get at the same content without the Latin! I call it “The Four H’s.” These simple questions or ideas can be one way to help your students always find meaning, application, and Jesus in every text of the Bible—in a way that is easy and accessible to everyone.

The 4-H’s Method of Bible Study

1. History

What is the history of the text? This question gets at the literal sense of scripture. It will help show students the history of the text by unveiling the setting, characters, and literal story that is unfolding. This is getting at the same background info most inductive Bible studies want you to find. The literal-ness of the text is important to all meaning, but if we stop there we’ll be left with an incomplete reading of the text. 

2. How

How do I do what the text says? Every text in the Bible is teaching us some kind of moral lesson. This is what is traditionally meant by the word “tropological.” Sometimes texts tell us explicitly what to do. Other times they give us a negative example. Some even just give us moral commands via implication, but every text can give us a “how.”

3. Him

Does the text teach me about him? Jesus says in Luke 24 that all of the Bible is about him, so part of our interpretive task must be uncovering how he shows up in every text. This is what is meant by allegorical. This question can help a student look forward or backward to Jesus in every text!

4. Hope

Where does this text give me hope? This question shows us the anagogic sense. That is just a big Latin word talking about the afterlife. It uncovers the “eschatology” of the text. Eschatology is not just your view on the millennium, but everything you believe about Heaven, Hell, and the life to come. This question can help your student look beyond today to the future hope scripture points us to!

A Case Study in Leviticus

I asked some of my students which text we should use as an example for this method. They chose Leviticus 3:16. This is no doubt because it includes one of their favorite “funny” verses in the Bible: 

“And the priest shall burn them on the altar as a food offering with a pleasing aroma. All fat is the LORD's.”
Leviticus 3:16

Leviticus 3 is a chapter where God details how the priest is supposed to perform the fellowship or peace offerings. This isn’t exactly the most popular devotional material. Here’s how the 4 H’s could help you break down this text for devotional use. I recommend opening up your Bible and looking at the text with me.

1. History

The setting of the text is law. The characters are God, Moses, Aaron, his sons, and the animals for the sacrifice. So, we immediately know this is some kind of law that God gave through Moses to Aaron and his sons. The sacrifice or offering would be performed with an animal from the herd. This isn’t a bad reading—we need to know all of this, but if we stopped here we wouldn’t have found anything to walk away with other than some history about a law. 

2. How

What does God tell us to do in this passage? In a law this is easy enough to find, He says to find an animal from the herd and slaughter it. Afterwards, you should burn it before the Lord. Then there are some specifics on how to slaughter and burn the animal. 

I’m doubting this is the message we’re wanting students to take home, otherwise you may have some extremely disturbing parent calls to deal with in the aftermath - especially from students who live on farms! We have to dig a little deeper. 

Students can learn in this text that God takes his worship seriously, and that we need to take it seriously as well if we’re going to approach him with an acceptable sacrifice. After all, this is why the law was given! This text also shows that God does require sacrifice. An unblemished lamb? That sounds costly for a poorer Israelite. 

Some practical takeaways could be, “I need to take God seriously when I approach him.” It may even mean, “What am I holding onto that I really need to offer up to God in his service?” But it doesn’t even stop there. This text has more to give us—maybe even the most important thing. 

3. Him

How does it point us to Jesus? Well Jesus is the true and greater sacrifice that brings us peace and fellowship with God. We no longer need the sacrificial system because he was the unblemished sacrifice given one and for all. Jesus is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). If that is true (and it is) then it should lead us to one last great truth: hope.

4. Hope

Leviticus and eschatology may not seem to fit naturally together. We know that sin disrupted our peace with God in the Garden. Adam and Eve fellowshipped with God and sin destroyed that peace. The peace and fellowship offerings were a way that God’s people, mediated by a priest, could enjoy that peace and fellowship again - in part. Christ ended the sacrificial system by fulfilling it himself and bringing us peace with God – as both the priest and the sacrifice. 

But we do not fully feel that peace yet, do we? No, because we’re still sinners. Someday Christ will return and we’ll dwell in peace and fellowship with him again. That should give us all hope.

If a random text in Leviticus can be understood, applied, gospelized, and hoped-in then any text can. Try these questions for yourself and with your students.

Maybe the Four H’s can help lead you and your students into fuller and richer readings of the text that will point you all to the Hero of every story!