July 24, 2025
Who Was The Bible Written To?
Who was the Bible really written to? In today’s episode, hosts Richelle and Chris Alessi invite us to explore an often-overlooked question: who was the Bible originally meant for, and what does that mean for us today? Together, we’ll discover how understanding the Bible’s intended audience can help us apply scripture more faithfully to our own lives, drawing out one meaning with many applications.
Let’s look deeper into how God intended every word to reach through time, encouraging each of us—while reminding ourselves that context keeps our faith grounded and our hearts open to truth.
Join our community today in prayer and devotion as we open God’s word together, applying it with fresh confidence and hope.
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WEBVTT
00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:03.520
You're listening to my Morning Devotional podcast, episode 1319.
00:00:04.000 --> 00:00:07.120
Today's TiVo is called who the Bible Was Written To.
00:00:08.160 --> 00:00:26.050
Hey there. We're the Alessies, a ministry family working together in our church in Miami, Florida. And if you're like us, when days get busy and to do lists get longer, it can be hard to find devotional time. That's why we've partnered with our friend Allison to produce a five minute daily dose of heaven.
00:00:26.600 --> 00:00:37.240
This is the My Morning Devotional Podcast. Good morning, everybody, and happy Thursday. We're almost at the end of the week, but we still have two great days to continue to learn about the Bible.
00:00:37.560 --> 00:00:55.859
And today we're going to be talking about who the Bible was written to. And this was one of my favorite points, so I'm excited for you to share. And before we move forward, my name is Rochelle, and I'm with my husband today, Chris Alessi. Actually, good to be here. All week you've been with me. Yeah.
00:00:55.859 --> 00:01:10.579
And tomorrow you'll finish it off as well. Hopefully the people aren't too annoyed by me at this point. No. Some of the commenters don't like when I'm on. Yeah. And we're trying to keep this to five minutes, so I'm talking as fast as I can.
00:01:10.579 --> 00:01:17.780
We did get a comment that our. Our podcast sometimes is five minutes or six minutes or seven minutes or eight minutes. And, you know, you're right.
00:01:17.780 --> 00:01:20.799
You're actually not wrong. Yeah, we're not finding you on that.
00:01:21.519 --> 00:01:46.980
When Alan told me this, I'm like, oh, you're. You know, we do go over sometimes, so we apologize for going over, but we hope that even in the going over, there is some value that you can find in this podcast. Yeah. Well, the point for today is the Bible was written for you, but not to you. And what I mean by that is if anyone right now was to write a nice letter to a friend. Right. That letter has an intended purpose.
00:01:47.859 --> 00:01:51.299
We wouldn't like if other people came in and read our mail.
00:01:51.620 --> 00:02:02.500
How crazy would it be if I wrote a letter saying I love you so much to my wife and that letter ended up on somebody else's desk? You know, that's not how that works. I wrote it to you.
00:02:02.900 --> 00:02:43.689
Now, the crazy thing about scripture is that, like I was just saying yesterday, Moses was writing to the Israelites wandering in the desert, but he didn't know that he was also writing for all the other Christians that would one day come and have questions about the origins of the universe. You know, it's Important to recognize that when Paul was writing to Timothy, he was writing very specifically to a person, but he didn't know he was writing for me and for you and for the people. And that's important because it kind of speaks to a huge aspect of interpreting Scripture.
00:02:43.770 --> 00:03:00.569
And I'm going to dive into the next one. But you know, the reality is that the Bible has one meaning and multiple applications. What helps us understand the meaning of a verse is its context. And part of its context is who it was written to.
00:03:01.289 --> 00:03:23.310
And let me just say to everybody, hearing you do not need to know every detail of, of the Israelites history or the Bible to get the meaning of a verse. But the context definitely keeps us from ever living in a world where we somehow have misinterpreted a verse. And that's what it, the context.
00:03:24.030 --> 00:03:39.120
It doesn't, it doesn't really help every single person know the meaning. It helps us make sure we don't have the wrong one. And that's a big deal because the Bible has one meaning but multiple applications.
00:03:39.599 --> 00:04:41.720
So we call this, you know, my morning devotional. I've had issues with devotionals in the past because they ask you this question, what does it mean to you? And that's not a bad question, except that over time we might start thinking I'm the one that assigns meaning to Scripture. But no, the authors and the Spirit that moved in those authors, that they had a particular meaning. The right way to answer the question, what does it mean to me? Is how will I apply it? So, you know, let's go back to Genesis. You know, we, we read that God made the earth, right? And we, we hear how he did it. One of the things you pull away from that is man. God is a God of order. God is a God of order. So that tells me that my life should be in order. I have this one area. Maybe it's my finances or my relationships that aren't in order. So I apply that to say, I'm going to take that, to apply it to finances. I'm going to take that to apply it to my relationships.
00:04:41.959 --> 00:05:04.490
R.C. sproul said, no part of Scripture can ever be interpreted in such a way as to render it in conflict with what is clearly taught elsewhere in Scripture. You see, the Bible has a accurate meaning. There are people that would get very discouraged because they think that they get to be the ones that decide what Scripture means.
00:05:04.490 --> 00:05:16.089
But no, it has a meaning. I get to apply the one meaning in multiple ways, multiple applications of my life. And that stems from understanding that the Bible was not written to me.
00:05:16.410 --> 00:05:20.250
The Bible was not written with 2025America in mind.
00:05:20.889 --> 00:05:43.850
The Bible was written at the time that individual books were written to intended audience. The authors did not know that they would be writing for future generations, but the Spirit did. And so even in this, you see the best of man and the best of God. And the Bible has one meaning. One meaning, but it has multiple ways that I can apply it to my life.
00:05:43.850 --> 00:05:55.420
And so that's really important because it just keeps us safeguarded. Yeah, I. I think even this description finally puts in towards what I. I think in my mind when I even think of this podcast.
00:05:55.740 --> 00:07:08.019
Because every single time we come, all, all of us, four girls, we know, and internally, we say we're not doing this podcast to tell people what we think, because that would not be a good podcast. But our point is to go over Bible verses and the ways that we can apply them in our everyday life. We're not coming here to interpret or to tell you what we think, but in genuinely, how can we use the Scripture and apply it? Because that's what truly brings life change in our life, applying scripture to our life, not just reading it, but applying it. So I love that you're. You're even helping us understand that when we are reading it. And it's beautiful because you said this once in your sermon that maybe Paul, when he was writing to Timothy, wasn't thinking. He was thinking of Timothy, but God was thinking of us. Yeah. And so it wasn't written to me, but it was written for me. Yeah. And so let that encourage you today that the Bible is for you. So open it, read it, and see what God says. Right. I love that. And, and again, the main point of context is not to like.
00:07:09.060 --> 00:08:14.170
Like, I need to go and get a history degree so I can understand the Bible, the context, and all of that. It just helps us from ever getting something wrong. Yeah. And when I say us, I do mean the big C church. I mean all Christians. When it comes from what we're teaching, the context is what helps us all stay on board. So, Rachelle, I've prayed the last three days. Why don't you pray today? Really? Okay. I can pray. Dear Father God, thank you for another great day. Thank you for the Bible that you use, men and your spirit that you made for us and for thinking of us from the beginning of time. Let this give us the confidence to open up your word and to just grow our relationship with you. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Amen. So there you have it. Your 5 minute daily dose of heaven. Thank you so much for tuning in today. We pray these devotionals empower you to take take on your day. If you found value in this devotional, share it with a friend, leave a comment or review for us on the app you're using right now. Until tomorrow. We pray that your latte is strong, but your love for Jesus is stronger.
00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:03.520
You're listening to my Morning Devotional podcast, episode 1319.
00:00:04.000 --> 00:00:07.120
Today's TiVo is called who the Bible Was Written To.
00:00:08.160 --> 00:00:26.050
Hey there. We're the Alessies, a ministry family working together in our church in Miami, Florida. And if you're like us, when days get busy and to do lists get longer, it can be hard to find devotional time. That's why we've partnered with our friend Allison to produce a five minute daily dose of heaven.
00:00:26.600 --> 00:00:37.240
This is the My Morning Devotional Podcast. Good morning, everybody, and happy Thursday. We're almost at the end of the week, but we still have two great days to continue to learn about the Bible.
00:00:37.560 --> 00:00:55.859
And today we're going to be talking about who the Bible was written to. And this was one of my favorite points, so I'm excited for you to share. And before we move forward, my name is Rochelle, and I'm with my husband today, Chris Alessi. Actually, good to be here. All week you've been with me. Yeah.
00:00:55.859 --> 00:01:10.579
And tomorrow you'll finish it off as well. Hopefully the people aren't too annoyed by me at this point. No. Some of the commenters don't like when I'm on. Yeah. And we're trying to keep this to five minutes, so I'm talking as fast as I can.
00:01:10.579 --> 00:01:17.780
We did get a comment that our. Our podcast sometimes is five minutes or six minutes or seven minutes or eight minutes. And, you know, you're right.
00:01:17.780 --> 00:01:20.799
You're actually not wrong. Yeah, we're not finding you on that.
00:01:21.519 --> 00:01:46.980
When Alan told me this, I'm like, oh, you're. You know, we do go over sometimes, so we apologize for going over, but we hope that even in the going over, there is some value that you can find in this podcast. Yeah. Well, the point for today is the Bible was written for you, but not to you. And what I mean by that is if anyone right now was to write a nice letter to a friend. Right. That letter has an intended purpose.
00:01:47.859 --> 00:01:51.299
We wouldn't like if other people came in and read our mail.
00:01:51.620 --> 00:02:02.500
How crazy would it be if I wrote a letter saying I love you so much to my wife and that letter ended up on somebody else's desk? You know, that's not how that works. I wrote it to you.
00:02:02.900 --> 00:02:43.689
Now, the crazy thing about scripture is that, like I was just saying yesterday, Moses was writing to the Israelites wandering in the desert, but he didn't know that he was also writing for all the other Christians that would one day come and have questions about the origins of the universe. You know, it's Important to recognize that when Paul was writing to Timothy, he was writing very specifically to a person, but he didn't know he was writing for me and for you and for the people. And that's important because it kind of speaks to a huge aspect of interpreting Scripture.
00:02:43.770 --> 00:03:00.569
And I'm going to dive into the next one. But you know, the reality is that the Bible has one meaning and multiple applications. What helps us understand the meaning of a verse is its context. And part of its context is who it was written to.
00:03:01.289 --> 00:03:23.310
And let me just say to everybody, hearing you do not need to know every detail of, of the Israelites history or the Bible to get the meaning of a verse. But the context definitely keeps us from ever living in a world where we somehow have misinterpreted a verse. And that's what it, the context.
00:03:24.030 --> 00:03:39.120
It doesn't, it doesn't really help every single person know the meaning. It helps us make sure we don't have the wrong one. And that's a big deal because the Bible has one meaning but multiple applications.
00:03:39.599 --> 00:04:41.720
So we call this, you know, my morning devotional. I've had issues with devotionals in the past because they ask you this question, what does it mean to you? And that's not a bad question, except that over time we might start thinking I'm the one that assigns meaning to Scripture. But no, the authors and the Spirit that moved in those authors, that they had a particular meaning. The right way to answer the question, what does it mean to me? Is how will I apply it? So, you know, let's go back to Genesis. You know, we, we read that God made the earth, right? And we, we hear how he did it. One of the things you pull away from that is man. God is a God of order. God is a God of order. So that tells me that my life should be in order. I have this one area. Maybe it's my finances or my relationships that aren't in order. So I apply that to say, I'm going to take that, to apply it to finances. I'm going to take that to apply it to my relationships.
00:04:41.959 --> 00:05:04.490
R.C. sproul said, no part of Scripture can ever be interpreted in such a way as to render it in conflict with what is clearly taught elsewhere in Scripture. You see, the Bible has a accurate meaning. There are people that would get very discouraged because they think that they get to be the ones that decide what Scripture means.
00:05:04.490 --> 00:05:16.089
But no, it has a meaning. I get to apply the one meaning in multiple ways, multiple applications of my life. And that stems from understanding that the Bible was not written to me.
00:05:16.410 --> 00:05:20.250
The Bible was not written with 2025America in mind.
00:05:20.889 --> 00:05:43.850
The Bible was written at the time that individual books were written to intended audience. The authors did not know that they would be writing for future generations, but the Spirit did. And so even in this, you see the best of man and the best of God. And the Bible has one meaning. One meaning, but it has multiple ways that I can apply it to my life.
00:05:43.850 --> 00:05:55.420
And so that's really important because it just keeps us safeguarded. Yeah, I. I think even this description finally puts in towards what I. I think in my mind when I even think of this podcast.
00:05:55.740 --> 00:07:08.019
Because every single time we come, all, all of us, four girls, we know, and internally, we say we're not doing this podcast to tell people what we think, because that would not be a good podcast. But our point is to go over Bible verses and the ways that we can apply them in our everyday life. We're not coming here to interpret or to tell you what we think, but in genuinely, how can we use the Scripture and apply it? Because that's what truly brings life change in our life, applying scripture to our life, not just reading it, but applying it. So I love that you're. You're even helping us understand that when we are reading it. And it's beautiful because you said this once in your sermon that maybe Paul, when he was writing to Timothy, wasn't thinking. He was thinking of Timothy, but God was thinking of us. Yeah. And so it wasn't written to me, but it was written for me. Yeah. And so let that encourage you today that the Bible is for you. So open it, read it, and see what God says. Right. I love that. And, and again, the main point of context is not to like.
00:07:09.060 --> 00:08:14.170
Like, I need to go and get a history degree so I can understand the Bible, the context, and all of that. It just helps us from ever getting something wrong. Yeah. And when I say us, I do mean the big C church. I mean all Christians. When it comes from what we're teaching, the context is what helps us all stay on board. So, Rachelle, I've prayed the last three days. Why don't you pray today? Really? Okay. I can pray. Dear Father God, thank you for another great day. Thank you for the Bible that you use, men and your spirit that you made for us and for thinking of us from the beginning of time. Let this give us the confidence to open up your word and to just grow our relationship with you. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Amen. So there you have it. Your 5 minute daily dose of heaven. Thank you so much for tuning in today. We pray these devotionals empower you to take take on your day. If you found value in this devotional, share it with a friend, leave a comment or review for us on the app you're using right now. Until tomorrow. We pray that your latte is strong, but your love for Jesus is stronger.