How Can Normal People Really Read the Bible?

It seems like the only way to be able to read it and really apply it is to be a scholar, an academic, a PhD. And I think fortunately, somewhat true, that it's hard to understand parts of the Bible apart from some sort of at least you read a lot. You don't have to go to school, but you have to read a lot and think about things. But they're legitimate ways of reading the Bible that are not fixated solely on historical things.