More than once I have caught myself going into a Bible study predisposed to a certain idea / slant / opinion. If there is a great desire to support what I am already thinking, it becomes less of a Bible study and more of a proof text fishing expedition. By the time the “study” is complete there are a stack of scriptures which (not surprisingly) dovetail nicely with what was already fomenting in my brain. The Bible becomes a cajoled witness testifying to the “rightness” of my view. Sloppy or bad Bible study can be an unwitting tool in divisiveness.

Proverbs 18:2 says, “A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions.” The fool is not out to gain understanding from the Bible. His mind is made up. He is convinced that his opinion should be everyone’s conviction. He is sure that because he is right, everyone else must be wrong. His opinions are right and everyone must know them and comply or a line in the sand will be drawn. Sometimes this surety is mistakenly seen as great faith or conviction and others follow.

Notice the techniques of Satan in Mathew 4:5-11. He uses the scriptures to attempt to undermine Jesus’ determination. The Devil’s propositions are directly from Old Testament passages but are without context and miss the original intent. To the uninformed, Beelzebub’s challenges seem reasonable, but a little good Bible study thwarts sloppy Bible usage. (For a similar tactic used by Satan see Genesis 3:1-4.)