Historical background study of the Bible is important because it helps to reveal

why the text was written, helps you understand why it was written, and why the
text was significant to the original audience, thus, increasing the likelihood of you
interpreting the Bible correctly. Because the biblical documents were written in
ancient times, in different cultures, and to different peoples, a historical approach
to the interpretation of the Bible is deemed necessary. The only way the word of
God, both in the Old and New Testament writings and in the person of Jesus can
make sense to us today is by studying within the historical background. Along with
learning the who, what, when, where, and how of the New Testament, the study of
the culture of the period and region will offer insights into the whys of the behavior
pictured in the Bible. By ignoring the historical background of the original
audience, we can miss out on the true meaning of the scriptures.
Every culture has its own belief systems that influence their everyday lives. The
Bible is not only full of history, but it is a part of history. It informs us what was
going on historically and culturally at the time the stories were recorded. God’s
people were affected by history, and history was affected by God’s people. As we
read God’s Word, we see that the development of mankind, civilization, and
kingdoms through the centuries bleed onto the pages of Scripture.
The historical context of any verse, book, or passage you read needs to be a factor
in how you interpret what you are reading. Every word of the Bible was written at
a certain point in history, during a certain set of circumstances.
Often, this outside information will give you a lot of insight as to the purpose of
what has been written. The why, when, and where details of the passage will be
connected to the historical context. If you allow the historical context to set the
scene for you, the words on the page will become much more real and meaningful
to you because you will know why it was significant to its original audience.

Understanding the historical context will allow you to garner new insights and
therefore a deeper understanding. As you study, ask yourself questions like these:
Who is the author of this passage, and what is known about him?
Who is the audience, and what circumstances did they find themselves in?
At what point in history were these people living?
What was going on politically, economically, culturally, and religiously at the
time?
Having just a basic understanding of the cultural and historical atmosphere will
help you immensely, and you can choose from there how much further to study it.
It also helps guide us in proper boundaries for interpreting Scripture so that we can
reveal the intended meaning of the text. Without this, we run the risk of imposing
our own ideas on the text, therefore misinterpreting. Misinterpreting can cause us to
miss theological truths, administer the wrong application, and neglect or overlook
the meaning of the text which weakens the impact of God’s truth in our personal
lives as well as others we are teaching. The Bible isn’t an easy book. It was written
by God in ancient times through people of different languages and cultures than
our own, whose immediate audiences were different from us in many ways. It’s
also a book written by God about God and the work he’s doing in the world. A
work by such a divine Author, on such an immense topic, should be difficult to
fully comprehend. So, we’ll need to study and wrestle with God’s words but it’s
worth it.

The events in the bible from the Old Testament to the New Testament have a
connection and therefore a study of the historical events will make an individual aware
of these historical events and therefore help in the interpretation and teaching of the
bible. The prophets in the Old Testament talked of a king who was to come and deliver
humankind long before Jesus himself was born. The prophecy came to be fulfilled in
the New Testament when Jesus was born. Jesus himself talked of the many events that
were to occur to him before he was killed. All these events took place including his
resurrection and ascension to heaven. This only appears as history today and therefore
the knowledge of such history is very important in the interpretation of the bible and
the teachings of the church. When teaching in the church, such knowledge helps the
teacher make his or her followers see reality in the bible.

The history of the events that took place in ancient times when the Bible was being
written can help in teaching the church about the interpretation of the Bible. The Bible
talks of God's inspiration to the individual who wrote the bible. The inspiration of
many prophets and individuals who appear in the Old Testament is proof of the history
of inspiration by God, but they have no proof for it, the only way the church
confidently about the information some of the writers is by referring to the events that
occurred in the history of the bible, especially in the old testament, God spoke to many
people and used them as vessels to pass his information to the public. In most cases,
these individuals were used to demonstrate the inspiration of God in their lives.
Historical awareness is one of the most important aspects that make positive
contributions to the interpretation of the bible and the teachings of the church. It affects
the way that different individuals interpret the bible and is very effective in making the
events that occur today realistic.