Earlier this year I found myself lamenting over the fact that too many Christians don’t really know what’s in the Bible. Then I realized I was the problem.
It didn’t happen overnight, but at some point, I had stopped reading the Bible entirely. I still went to church. Still attending church, yes, but not biblically literate. My prayer life had broken down considerably as well. It was a mess. And worse yet, I wasn’t leading my family as a spiritual husband.
Biblical literacy starts with me. And with that thought in mind, I started reading my Bible in early August. I don’t remember the exact date I started reading, but it was around that time and within the first few days I was already seeing a change in myself. I began with the Psalms because I find comfort there.
Wow. Has my life changed. Already things are opening up, and my prayer life has gotten remarkably better.
Let me give you an example of what I’ve been up to since starting to read the Psalms in early August. I want you to see that it isn’t difficult to begin your Biblical literacy journey. Remember, if you’re able to read this newsletter, you’re already reading well enough to read the Bible.
In Psalm 17, which I read on August 22nd, verse 14 caught my eye:
With Your hand, LORD, save me from men,
from men of the world
whose portion is in this life:
You fill their bellies with what You have in store;
their sons are satisfied,
and they leave their surplus to their children.
This struck me in a particular way as David seems to make the case that he keeps his mind on God while those who want to destroy him seem only to have their minds on destruction and building things (empires, names, prestige, territory, etc) for their posterity. I made the following note in my Olive Tree journal:
I find it so interesting that David separates himself from the men of the world. Whose portion is in the world. It’s as if he’s saying that’s all they have. And if what they have is only what they get during their living years, then it makes them desperate. He’s asking God, who gives him his portion after this life, to protect him from those who only know what they will experience while living. It’s as if to say that he’ll keep his eyes on eternity if God will take care of those trying to destroy him now.
Once I had read the Bible, then journaled my own thoughts on the verse, I went to an old commentary a great aunt and uncle gave me probably close to 20 years ago. Yes, having a commentary is a good thing. It’s never bad to have help. It’s just vital, for my own Biblical Literacy, if I focus more on what the actual Bible says as opposed to what other people write about the Bible. I will write more in the future on this, I hope. At any rate, here’s what Matthew Henry’s Commentary had to say on the verse:
“They are entirely devoted to the world, and care not for thee or thy favor…they look upon the good things of this world as the best things…these things are their consolation.”
Matthew Henry has much more to say about the verse. Much of it agreed with how I saw the verse and that provided a nice feeling. I could understand scripture. Not all of it, I suppose, but I could understand plenty.
You can too. Give this a go. Pick a starting day (doesn’t have to be a Monday or the first day of the month or year) and just start reading. Jot down your notes so you can look back on what you’re doing and see your progress. You’ll be surprised at how quickly you start to understand the Bible better, not to mention the world around you.
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