There is a difference between reading information and reading texts. Reading information is concerned with the content. Reading texts is different. Reading texts like Shakespeare requires more effort. You aren't reading for information. The manner in which he states things can stun the reader. Most people read today for information, not for pleasure or for the way the author artistically uses words. Most people read for content not because of the skillfulness in the author's writing. Reding for amusement is different, too.
Today's preachers generally read Scripture to gain content. They don't generally ask how the passage was constructed. Thus, when they read a particular passage and see a theological truth, it merely causes their mind to turn to a truth they already know (old thoughts). They don't gain any particular new insights from the particular texts they are looking at. There is no close examination to gain nuances or fresh thinking on a subject matter. They don't realize that the text calls them to think about certain things in different ways. Therefore, their sermons are not stimulating to their hearers.
Poor preachers are only looking for overt context. In doing so, they can miss what the text is really about.
Culturally, we are no longer careful readers of sacred or secular texts. Many today read Scripture simply to confirm what they already believe. They aren't trying to enter the author's mind in order to understand what he's communicating and how he's communicating from his vantage point. We might be "using" God's Word but not "receiving" God's Word.
Our media-dominated society is shaping us to think superficially and with brevity and no deep analysis of anything. When reading poetry, you cannot just scan for truth. You must slow down and contemplate and reflect on what the author is saying and how it is being said.
We must cultivate the ability to look longer at texts to draw out its significance.
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