The Importance of Expectations in Reading

The Bible is made up of various forms of literature representing various ways of engaging that literature. The literary forms in Scripture, I believe, serve as an invitation to experience with the life of Scripture. Each one is going to have a different effect on you, though they contain the same information. When you flip through the pages of the Bible, you need to know which type of book you're picking up in order to bring the right set of expectations and the right interaction with the material.