Discussing Revelation in class the last few days and I'm stuck by how seamlessly we move into typological reading without thinking about it, or noticing that's what we're doing

Nothing forces this move so quickly as trying to "apply" the text to "our current circumstances." Yes Revelation is about the Roman empire, but for our sakes it's about "Empire as such"

"How can we resist empire in our day...?" etc etc

I am NOT saying this is illegitimate. I'm trying to note, though, that inasmuch as we expect the text to "speak" to us "now" it fundamentally necessitates a "spiritual" reading

Running into the same thing in a Bible study I'm leading on Samuel. The conviction that it is "saying something to us" often means we rush past the narrative itself. And I find the voice of the text is quickly lost in the "application" phase

"How does this speak to me, individually, personally right now in this very moment? If it is not immediately relevant to me, clearly and transparently, why am I even reading it?"