Why I Keep Rereading the Bible

I don't know if anybody is asking this question, but today I got to thinking about why I keep reading.  My answers aren't all that deep, but it helped me to think about it, and maybe it will help you, too.

1.       I find God there

When I am seeking to hear from God, I can hear him in the stories of the Bible.  I can hear him talking to Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, Job, Jonah, and the prophets in the Old Testaments.  I can hear him in the words of Jesus in the Gospels.  In some parts of the Bible it is harder to hear, but I keep reading those, too, because sometimes they speak to me in different ways, or I learn things that help me to understand other parts of the Bible better.

2.       I find other cultures there

When I am reading the stories in the Bible, I am reading about people who lived in different times and places from me.  Their values were similar to mine in some ways, but very different from mine in other ways.  As I work to see from their perspectives, I am also learning to be respectful of different perspectives in people in my current world.

3.       I find challenge there

I struggle with many of the same things about which people in the Bible struggled.  At the core, our human failings are no different than they were 2000 years ago.  Reading the Bible helps me to see and understand my failings, and challenges me to let God help me overcome those failings and do better.

Because we're supposed to

Throughout the Old Testament, God tells people to remember what he has said, and to keep repeating his words to help others remember.  Jesus tells us to remember his words, and at the empty tomb the angels encourage the women to remember what Jesus has said (Luke 24:6-8).  One of the best ways to remember is to keep rereading the Bible.

I keep finding new things

Every time I do another read through, I find things I didn't see before.  I understand things I didn't understand before.  I am reminded of things I had forgotten.  The words don't change, but I do and my life does, and so do my perspectives.

This year I'm reading through using the NRSV Daily Bible which is set up in 365 sections, each with a focus verse on which to meditate, some words on which to reflect from various authors, and a prayer prompt.

“But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul." (Deuteronomy 4:29 NKJV)

Word Power

Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, but he will be a joy to many others. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.” (Luke 2:34-35)

As I was reading this passage from Luke this morning, in which Simeon tells Mary about the amazing future of the baby Jesus, I remembered another passage from Hebrews about the power of God’s word:

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable. (Hebrews 4:12-13)

As I pondered these passages, I realized that it’s no wonder, considering what Simeon and Hebrews say, that the people of Galilee hearing the Sermon on the Mount[1] were saying this:

When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, for he taught with real authority—quite unlike their teachers of religious law. (Matthew 7:28-29 et al)

That “real authority” was the word of God in the flesh speaking to them.  Every word Jesus spoke was God speaking, so of course it would go straight to the hearts of all those who listened like a sword . . . or a laser, to use a more modern analogy.  And some who heard wouldn’t like to have what was in their hearts exposed, and others would be encouraged and comforted to have these words touch their hearts, maybe because some would hear grace, and some would hear truth.

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

The grace would bring joy, but the truth would be difficult. 

It’s amazing to me how the same words can be so different depending on how we hear them.  This is one of the reasons I love having the opportunity to talk about the Bible with people.  We all hear and see God’s word a little differently, depending on what’s in our hearts and minds at the time.  That timeliness is another reason why the words of the Bible are so alive and powerful and timeless.  This is the mysterious and wonderful work of the Holy Spirit living in us.

Maybe I am fascinated by this idea of the piercing potential of Jesus’ words because I am a reader and a writer, one who seeks to find and share the power of words.  Even though I read and write prose, I love how words can point to a beauty that transcends the words themselves like poetry, just like how individual notes of music put together create something that transcends the notes themselves.  This I think is in essence what it means to be spiritual--being open to the experience of this transcendence, and appreciating its beauty.  If this happens with words and notes of human making, how much more powerful it must be when this happens with words of divine origin.  Surely this is what Dietrich Bonhoeffer was thinking about when he said that the “proclaimed word is not a medium of expression about something else, something which lies behind it, but rather it is the Christ himself walking through his congregation as the Word.”[2] 

Maybe this is what Cornelia Funke was thinking about when she wrote Inkheart,[3] a story in which some people have the power to truly bring words to life.  When the people in the book with this gift read a story aloud, the characters in the story come out of the story and are stuck in the real world until another reading puts them back.  You can imagine the complications that result.   I wonder if any of us have read Jesus to life out of the Bible and then wished we could quickly put him back rather than deal with his grace and truth.  But oh how he lives on and on as those words echo through our hearts and minds and lives.

May you hear and see Jesus as you hear and read his words today and every day, and know the power of his word to bless and comfort and heal and reveal, and find in them grace and peace.

 

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[1] Have you ever wondered about the location and the acoustics that day?  Me, too.  Here’s what I found: http://www.israeljerusalem.com/sermon-on-the-mount-location.htm

[2] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Worldly Preaching,, ed. Clyde E. Fant (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1975), 129.

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inkheart

Outnumbered

In my previous post I posed a question:  What changed over the course of the 400 years the Israelites were in Egypt that made them go from favored guests to oppressed slaves?  You may already know the answer, or maybe you looked it up.  I didn’t have to read far into Exodus to find the answer. The reason the Israelites ended up as slaves in Egypt is that they were being so productive at having children that the Egyptians became afraid of them (Exodus 1:8-10).  The Egyptians were afraid of being outnumbered.  This might seem silly if we’re thinking in terms of hundreds.  They started at 70, so a few hundred or maybe even a few thousand seems reasonable.  But as first two chapters of the book of Numbers make tediously clear, there were 603,550 adult male Israelites.  Add women and children to that and the number climbs into the millions.  That’s a lot of people.  No wonder the Egyptians were concerned.

This got me to thinking about our own fears.  What are the sorts of things that threaten to outnumber us?  Maybe it’s a quantity of people, or maybe it’s a quantity of tasks, or a quantity of hurdles.   I think it’s notable that God commanded Moses to count the Israelites.  I’m sure any one of them could have guessed just by looking that there were a whole bunch of people.  Were they surprised by the final count?  Did knowing the number help them to find strength in their great size?  You’d think so, but then when they got their first peek into the Promised Land, they saw themselves as small, not large.  “We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes” (Numbers 13:33). 

God knows us well.  He knows how easily our eyes deceive us, and how often we misjudge our own ability to succeed if we rely on God.  He shows us this through several of the Old Testament stories.  Perhaps the most notable is the story of Gideon in Judges 7.  God has Gideon leave most of his army behind and fight the Midians with only 300 men so that there will be no question that they won because of God’s strength and might.

We, like the Egyptians, easily fall prey to our fear of many, but it is the power of the One that really matters.  One man, the Son of Man, God in the flesh, conquered our greatest enemy.  Jesus Christ is the one we need to reach for and hold on to when we are feeling outnumbered.  It defies logic.  It seems impossible.  The troubles of this world seem so great.  But Jesus reminds us that he has overcome the world.  And he promises us peace—a peace that transcends our understanding, despite our fears.

Count your troubles, if that helps.  Make a record, like Moses did of each of the tribes of Israel.  Whatever number you reach is divisible by one.  Ask Jesus, the One, for help, and be ready to cross things off your list.  Then those troubles have become blessings instead.

May you be outnumbered by His blessings.

Blindness and the Unseen

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

It amazes me…and maybe it shouldn’t, but it does…how easily we lose track of this truth from 2 Corinthians, that “what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal,” and become focused on the “seen,” the physical. We get bogged down in the issues of our bodies and the world around us, as if that which we cannot see does not exist. In reality, so much more is going on in the realm of the unseen than we can possibly fathom, but we forget how to use anything but our eyes.

Mine aren’t always my friends. They have often been the source of trouble and great expense because I am severely myopic and my glasses always cost a fortune. I’ve been blessed to have parents who graciously help me with this, and, although I hate being a burden on them at this age, I am extremely thankful for their help.

I once had what I thought might be a little prophecy, a glimpse of a future in which I could no longer see well enough to read charts and sheet music. I thought that maybe God was telling me to learn to memorize and play more by ear and feel, so that I wouldn’t have to stop playing altogether when I became blind. In reality, I’ve had issues reading music for years, and, although I know some of that is rustiness from lack of practice, I know that if I’d heeded the warning and worked more on memorizing, I would have, in the process, achieved the proficiency I’ve always wished I had. Now I seldom play because I’m too busy studying. My eyes are constantly fixed on the “seen” pages of books, websites, and emails, and distracted by the condition of my house, my clothes, etc. These are the things that drag me down and take my eyes off of God and the unseen. Thankfully, He doesn’t need me to be watching to do His work.

I learned recently that I am a visual/tactile learner. Now I joke with myself that the tactile will be especially handy when I go blind and have to learn Braille. Seriously, though, I think another kind of blindness is more my issue—spiritual blindness. Often I am totally oblivious to it, but sometimes it’s as vivid to me as the blind spots that come with my visual migraines. With a visual migraine, no matter how hard you try to see through the blind spot, you can’t. It moves when my eyes move, so it’s always covering the spot I’m trying to see. Similarly, in those times when I have a sense of spiritual blindness, I cannot see through the blind spot, and in both cases I have no choice but to relax and stop trying, and trust that, in time, the spot will clear and I’ll be able to see again. Meanwhile, I take some Advil in the hopes of avoiding the headache that often follows the visual migraine and find something to do that doesn’t require detailed vision.

Unfortunately, Advil does nothing to relieve the pain that sometimes comes when spiritual blindness clears. But I think prayer does. And praise. And thankfulness. A good dose of scripture couldn’t hurt either, because it reminds me that God is good. Reading the Bible also reminds me about how He works, and that He’s always there, even when I cannot see. In fact, it was reading the verse at the top today that reminded me that even obedient Christians sometimes need help remembering that there is more to life than what we can physically see with our eyes…like love and relationships, and Jesus.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)

Ephesians 3 Again

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Eph. 3:16-20 NIV)

Apparently this is the theme for my week. Yesterday morning my teacher started class by reading us this passage. I had already used it as the introduction to my paper for her class, written a journal entry prompted by it, and referred to it in at least two conversations and one email about several different situations. Today it gives me hope about the possibilities of finding insights into a question I’ve been batting around for a couple of years. Is it possible, useful, Biblical to understand the thought processes of people who don’t think like I do? According to this verse, with God in the picture, it ought to be possible because "he is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine." So, assuming it’s possible, then what is to be gained? Is this a valid pursuit?

I think it will be some time before I can really answer those questions in practice, but in thinking about them now I am reminded of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians, “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some” (1 Cor 9:22). Without seeking to understand another’s thought processes, I don’t think we can be as effective as we ought to be in truly communicating with each other, and especially in effectively communicating the love of Christ.

I realize that understanding is not achieved quickly. It requires spending time, asking questions, observing. Too often I find myself speaking instead of listening, and missing opportunities to ask questions that would lead to understanding. Often I wish I could go back and “do over” those conversations, but I know I can’t, so I pray that when the next opportunity arises, I will be a better listener. I hope and pray and have to trust that through the work of the Holy Spirit, God is teaching me how to “make the most of every opportunity” (Col 4:5).

Meanwhile, I also pray for those people I have already met that I didn't understand, to whom I didn't quite know what to say and so I just talked past them, about whom I later wondered why they would say the things they did. I suppose it's unrealistic to expect to understand them all, but at least I'd like to have done a better job at trying, and pray that in the future I wouldn't shrink from a discussion with those who like to argue, or work so hard to fill the empty spaces in the conversation with anecdotes and quips.

Some might say there's danger in this pursuit because in understanding their perspectives, I may lose sight of my own. I suppose that's a valid concern, especially since I think it is part of the reason I have not pursued certain conversations in the past. I think I was afraid of losing my religion in the process of understanding theirs. Would that really happen? Is there really anything anyone could say that would stop me from believing what I already know? And if the conversation raised troubling questions, wouldn't I go back to God for those answers and in the process find greater strength and breadth and depth in my faith? That's how it's supposed to work, isn't it? I think it is. God promises to give wisdom, unfailing love, and to be there no matter what. So what am I afraid of?

"What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31)

Bible in 90 Days - Day 2

It's only the second day and already I've learned some important lessons. One is that I can't lollygag around about getting to this reading! The first day I took my time about starting into quiet time, read my usual devotional books and then started on the 90-day reading plan, only to be interrupted because my time was up and my walking partner was ready to hit the track. When I got back, I tried to go back to the reading and was interrupted again and again because now the world was awake. So today, day 2, I got up early and started with the 90-day reading first instead of last. It's 8:15 and I'm done, yay!

As I read today, I found myself wanting to write about some of what I was reading, which was something I had stopped doing over time but hadn't understood why. I think the reason is that I used to read with the intention of reading until something struck me, but over time I had fallen into a pattern of just reading one chapter a day. Now, reading more, I realize that I need to remember to expect more from my reading and not just settle for a chapter and no response.

These are some of the passages that struck me today:

1. Genesis 17 & Circumcision--How odd that must have seemed to them. They were all adults! Can you imagine Abraham telling these men to do this? "Here, cut this skin off me, will you?"
2. Genesis 19 & Sodom--The Sodomite men wanted to have sex with the two angels and Lot considers that worse than offering them his virgin daughters. Hmmm.... Also, it seems this is what prompts the angels to make up their minds about destroying the city.
3. Genesis 25 & Wife #2--I never realized that Abraham remarried after Sarah died and had 6 more sons!
4. Genesis 21 & 25 & Ishmael--God promised to bless Ishmael because Abraham asked him to, even though God made him send Ishmael away, and then Ishmael had 12 sons, just like Isaac did, and those sons became 12 tribes, also just like Isaac's sons. I think that's the last we hear of them, though.

Bible in 90 Days

I first saw the challenge on Bible Gateway. The banner ad said, "Do what 75 million people dream about: Take the Bible in 90 days challenge, June 1 - August 29." (You can check it out here.) I'm not sure why that caught my eye. Maybe because that is almost exactly how much time I have before I start grad school? Maybe because having just finished a degree in literature, I want to try reading the Bible fast enough to get a better sense of the broader themes?

Since I became more serious about my faith 7 years ago, I have read through the Bible twice. I read a little each day, sometimes a chapter or two, or sometimes considerably less if I'm struck by something and decide to stop and pray about it. I have learned a lot about God in the process, but by the time I get to the end, I've long forgotten the beginning because of the great amount of time that has passed. So I am curious to see if my perspective and understanding change as a result of a faster read-through.

I'm also intrigued by the prospect of a 90-day read-through because this semester I read Kant's essay, "What is Enlightenment" and strongly agree with his suggestion that we need to develop our own understanding without having to rely entirely on someone else's guidance. Similarly, I think Kant would agree that we need to know the Bible for ourselves, not just through what others have told us about it. And knowing the Bible enables us to know God more directly, which is ultimately what we're all seeking. I'm hoping the faster read will help me to know the Bible better, and, as a result, to know God better, as well.