As we begin another year and view the millions of words ahead of us to be read in the Old and New Testament, it can boggle one’s mind. Most of us have read it before, some many times. To many, much is familiar, yet no one knows it all. We once told a brother at the Bible School how much we appreciated the things he had been telling us that we had not noticed before and he said, ”Fine, but when you discover for yourself, therein is true delight. We were reminded of David who told us to “delight yourself in God’s law.”
David Loved God’s Law and Meditated Upon It
A survey of Christadelphians has revealed that a surprising number of brothers and sisters do not read the Bible regularly. Why? Some gave the excuse that they did not have time. This is hard to believe for we all have the same amount of time each day, it all depends in how we choose to use it. By getting up 20 minutes earlier or staying up 20 minutes later we will be able to do our Bible readings according to the Bible Comion. Some may give the excuse that they are too tired at night and too sleepy in the morning and we can all understand the feeling but it’s better to do it in that condition than not at all. Even though there is much we do not understand, we should keep right on reading. Our computer like brains are recording all these words in our memory bank to be retrieved and used at some future time. David exclaimed, “0 how I love thy law, it is my meditation all the day,” but how can we meditate if these words and thoughts are not stored in our brain and memory?
The Bible has been compared to a vast ocean of knowledge and wisdom. Along the shore, even a child may wade and enjoy it, yet the most intelligent scholar has riot plumbed the depths of understanding it contains. James tells us that “if any lack wisdom, let him ask of God.” It is important that we pray for God’s blessing as we read His word.
There is a saying “Happiness is a list checked off,” but this does not need to be, when it comes to our daily Bible readings. The best antidote to a careless and curiosity reading of the Scriptures is to read with a purpose or goal in mind. Here are some practical suggestions. Keep a note book and pencil with your Bible, ready to jot down verses or thoughts as you read. As you sit down with your cup of tea or coffee, concentrate on finding one verse that you want to take with you and think about later in the day, or “sleep on it” as the case may be. Record these verses in your notebook and re-read them frequently. What a treasury of scripture you will have at the end of the year!
Reading with a purpose can involve finding an answer to a question. Why not take a word or idea and look for it each day. You may be surprised and thrilled by what you discover. Some examples: promise, mercy, judgment, faith or lack of it, prayer, sacrifice, etc. or even more mundane things like trees, water, rocks, etc. It is amazing how simply having a definite purpose in mind increases your attention. We have been looking for references to Judah and Israel and have noticed many instances we had not seen before.
Try Summarizing A Book of the Bible
Another idea would be to choose a book to summarize, very briefly, of course. Just write two or three sentences in your notebook as you finish each chapter and re-read when you get to the end of the book. This will help keep your mind in gear while reading the more difficult books. You may consider it a feeble effort but it will help.
Read from different versions and compare with your KJV or RSV. Don’t depend solely on modern translations or paraphrases as they are not reliable, but reading from them will sharpen your perception and cause you to think about what you are reading.
Write down questions in your notebook, verses you don’t understand and later talk with someone about them. “They that feared the Lord spake often to one another: and the Lord hearkened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon His Name.” Mal. 3:16.
It is helpful if you will take the time to look up the references in the margin of your Bible. Do we thank God for the work done by the compilers of concordances and reference books? Where would most of us be without them? Do we truly appreciate the fact that we have God’s word so readily available to us? If we really do, we will never neglect an opportunity to read it.
There is an old slogan, trite but true, “Read yourself rich.” This is especially true of Bible reading. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
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