IT’S LIKE EATING AN ELEPHANT
Preachers like me are always telling people to read their
Bibles. Personally, I think that even non-believers should read the entire
Bible, if only for the sake of cultural literacy. Of course there is a small
danger that reading the Bible might make believers of them. On the other hand,
there is probably an equal danger that actually reading the Bible could cause a
believer to lose faith. In spite of these dangers, I would encourage everyone
to read the Bible.
I personally read the Bible through about once a year.
I know that the idea of reading the entire Bible is daunting
for many people. It is a thick book and parts of it are difficult. I also know
that there are many people who have tried to read the Bible beginning at
Genesis 1:1 and given up by the time they hit one of those long lists of
“begats” (e.g. Genesis 5) or the arcane Levitical laws dealing with the
diagnosis and treatment of leprosy (see Leviticus 13 and 14).
Readers should probably know that both testaments of the
Bible are front loaded with good stories and get progressively weirder as they
go along.
With all of that in mind, if you would like to read the
Bible from cover to cover, here are some suggestions that might help you reach
Revelation 22:21.
Take it in small pieces. The only way to eat
an elephant is one bite at a time. Reading for 15 or 20 minutes a day should
easily get most readers through the entire Bible (even with the Apocrypha) in
less than a year. You don’t have to be legalistic about this. It is even OK to
skip a day every now and then. Just keep in mind that the way to reach any goal
is by taking incremental steps.
It’s OK to skim some parts. Really, it is.
Those genealogies, for instance. If it says “Joe was the father of Fred and
Fred was the father of Percy and Percy was the father of Jack,” the pertinent
information is “Joe...Fred...Percy...Jack.” You don’t have to read every word.
This goes for passages like Numbers 7 as well. In that chapter
the leaders of the 12 tribes of Israel offer identical sacrifices one after the
other. This is boilerplate. The only things that change from paragraph to
paragraph are the number of the day and the name of the leader. It’s OK to skim
this stuff.
Use a readable translation. My friend Matt says that
there are more than 500 English versions of the Bible. Some of them are easier
to read than others. I like the New Revised Standard Version that we use in
church but I know that there are many easier-to-read translations for example,
the Contemporary English Version, the New Living Translation, and the Common
English Bible. The point is, if you find one translation difficult, there is
probably another that will suit you better.
A caveat: Don’t read a paraphrase. Paraphrased Bibles
like Ken Taylor’s The Living Bible and Eugene Peterson’s The Message
have their place. If, however, you tell me that you have read the entire Bible
from one of these paraphrases, I will snort derisively in your general
direction. I’m a snob like that.
Seriously, there are many good, readable translations of the
Bible. There is no need to resort to a paraphrase. The time to read a
paraphrase is after you’ve read a good translation.
Get some help.
A good study Bible can be a big aid to understanding the Bible.
Introductions to the individual books of the Bible will set them in their
historical context and make their message clearer. Footnotes help to clarify
obscure passages. I still recommend Augsburg Fortress’s Lutheran StudyBible.
You don’t have to read it in order. If the idea of
reading four Gospels in a row doesn’t thrill you, break them up with other
books of the Bible. There are many Bible reading plans available that might be
helpful.
Do whatever it takes. When I read difficult
portions of any text, I sometimes find that it helps if I read out loud. I
don’t know why. I just know that it aids my understanding. If you find that
standing on your head and whistling show tunes helps you read, then stand on
your head and whistle show tunes.
Finally, enjoy it. Reading the Bible can be both
pleasurable and rewarding. If you think it will be a chore, then it probably
will. If you go into it with a positive attitude, you may find that reading the
Bible is a lot of fun.
Martin Luther read through the Bible twice each year,
probably including the Apocrypha, and probably in Latin, if not Hebrew and
Greek. Martin Luther makes me feel like a piker, but then again, he didn’t have
the internet to distract him. The painting of the woman reading a Bible is by
17th c. Dutch painter Gerrit Dou.
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