What question should I ask myself when I come to a thought in a sentence while reading the Bible?
When reading Scripture, upon encountering a thought in a sentence, stop and ask what it is talking about and what He is driving at. This practice helps the reader discern the meaning and intent of the passage rather than merely reading words.
Les teaches that as you read, every time you come to a thought in a sentence, you should stop and ask yourself a question: “Now what is this talking about? What is He driving at?” He gives Galatians chapter 3, verse 14 as an example, where the wording might suggest the blessing of Abraham comes to the Gentiles through the nation of Israel. Les warns against saying that, because Israel fell out of the picture when she rejected the Messiah and thereby rejected her opportunity to be a Kingdom of Priests to the Gentile world. He recalls Exodus chapter 19, where God told Israel that if they were obedient He would make them a Kingdom of Priests, so every Jew could have been a go-between between the Gentile world and their God. They blew it, but God did not stop; now Paul can write that Gentiles have received the blessing of Abraham not through Israel but directly through the Lord Jesus Christ. They do not have to wait for Israel to get her act together or for a Jew to come to their community. God went straight to the pagan world with the message of salvation without Israel as a go-between.