326
THE K I N G ’S BUS I NE S S
[pH«'»“-
Do You Memorize— O r Do You By IONE LOWMAN*
Learn?
W E SAY, in effect, “Thy Word h a v e I hid in my head; that is, I have memorized the words.” The Bible says, “Thy Word have I hifl in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psa. 119:11). 3 What is the relation of memorizing to learning? A study of the word “heart” as used in Scripture reveals the fact that this word stands for the inner con sciousness which we usually designate as the self, the ego, or as Leander S. Keyset speaks of it, the “Ihood." Heart also is used for the entire personality. Memory is a function of mentality. Mind and heart are not synonymous in Scripture because the smaller, while Included in the larger, is not one with it. We have not hid the Word in the heart until it has become a part of our experience of spiritual truth. When it has become a vital, practical tool in the whole conscious life, then, and then only, we have learned the Word. Remembering and Meditating What can we say about memory? We know that it begins to function almost as soon as a child is bom. Habit results from the remembrance of experiences—experiences so often repeated as to eliminate necessity for conscious guidance. Memory as used commonly does not include thinking, understanding, reasoning. Rote memory, as it is called to distinguish this phase or type from logical or reasoned memory, consists of the repetition of words in sequence until the ex perience has had sufficient repetition to reproduce without conscious direc tion. * Member of the Faculty, Bible Institute of Los Angeles, and Institute Librarian. The sub - Jcct ^ introduced by this article may be viewed from many angles; THE KING’S BUSINESS will welcome discussion of the matter.
memory, are few. Therefore, most Bible verses are non-understandable and the child doesn’t try to remember the words. He is too busy remember ing things and names of things. . It is a mistake to ask children to memorize that which is beyond their understanding, spiritually. But the Beginner remembers s t o r i e s and pictures and, when properly «taught, learns the teaching of the Word in relation-to his own behavior. Because he cannot repeat given words in sequence does not mean he has a poor memory. It means he is using his memory for that which he under stands, the love of God as Father and his own relationship to Him as His child. The Primary child gives more at tention to words and their meanings, because the increase in number of percepts of things is less rapid (the child is by this time acquainted with his environment). Increase in con cepts means increase in association of ideas and greater ease in linking words together. (Almost all Sunday school teachers judge memory by ability to remember Bible verses.) Often the child most able in rote memory is poorest in logical memory and therefore seems to be gaining knowledge which he is really missing. The child who is beginning to use logical memory may not be able to recite Bible verses, and yet may be" storing away an understanding of Scripture which is much more valu able than the mere repetition of words. Is It the Golden Age? The Junior group has discovered a growing ability for “memorizing without learning.” Juniors like to “show off” knowledge. Ability to re peat, verses verbatim is erroneously [Continued on Page 350]
This kind of memorizing is of little -value in the use of Scripture, or any thing else, unless it has been preced ed by logical memorizing. The beginning of hiding the Word in the heart is meditation thereon. By this we mean the study of a given passage to note its relation to the individual need and to the in dividual call from God, that there may be application to the individual life. Logical memory uses the associa tion of ideas by means of this analysis of the teachings, the rela tions of words, phrases, clauses, the position of the chosen passage in connection With its context, and its application to present living. Logical memory holds the meaning of the Word so that the individual may make personal application of the truth. This application, by its repeti tion in the words of Scripture, fixes the words in sequence; and lo, the passage may be repeated without recourse to the printed page! Thus the passage learned has been almost automatically memorized. Your Age and Your Memory As we consider the various age groups in relation to memory and Bible study, we find some ideas challenging our thinking. The usual age groups are: Beginner (3-5 years), Primary (6-8 years), Junior (9-11 years), Intermediate (12-14), Senior High, College age, and the Adult. What is the Beginner’s ability in memorizing or in learning the Word? The Beginner does not have a poor memory; his experiences add more new images in point of numbers than at any other period in his life, and these new images are retained by memory. The Beginner’s vocabulary is limit ed. His percepts, the raw material of
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker