What should you ask first whenever you read something in the Scriptures?
Whenever reading anything in the Scriptures, first ask yourself, 'To whom was this addressed?' That question must be asked first. It directs the reader to identify the intended audience of a passage before drawing conclusions about what the text means or how it should be understood.
Les teaches that a preacher he admired—a man with a tremendous knowledge of the Scriptures—was the first to give him this rule, and Les passed it on repeatedly. Whenever you read something in the Scriptures, always ask yourself first, 'To whom was this addressed?' That question comes first. In the surrounding context, Les is discussing Paul, showing how Paul was brought down to nothing and was no longer esteemed as Gamaliel's student. The rule keeps the reader focused on the intended audience of a passage.