Part of Bible study is reading your Bible. That’s pretty obvious. But I’m not just talking about plowing through it like a bull pushing through some underbrush. We should not read the Word with the intent to say, “I’ve read it. Now I can say that I’ve read it, check it off the list, and be done with it.” Scripture should not just be a chore to check off once we’re done. Matthew wrote about not speeding through your bible (check it out here: www.northheightscoc.org/a-bible-resolution/ ). When we speed read through Scripture, we might have a general idea of things, but we miss so much of what really makes the Word of God special.
Years ago, when my older brother was in the Navy, he was being relocated from San Diego, CA to Jacksonville, FL. Being the awesome and better looking brother that I am, I flew out to San Diego to help him drive his Jeep Wrangler across the country. Other than quick stops at gas stations, we drove non-stop with the exception of a few hours in Arizona. We made great time! But I can only remember a few small excerpts from all of those miles and hours on the road. The vast majority of the trip is gone from my memory. Thus it is when we try to make good time reading through the Bible.
However, I’m going to going a little further with it. Proper Bible study requires that you read a part of the Bible at a pace that you can marinate on it, but also reading it over and over and over again. Our inclination once we have read something, is to move on. I mean, we’ve read it and understood it; why read it again? The answer is because the Word of God was not made to be fully understood at first glance. It is a well of living water and every time you lower your bucket, There’s always more to fill up your bucket.
Here’s an example: I’m studying Esther right now, reading it over and over. I’ve read it before, on several occasions, but never back to back reading and rereading and rereading, while also reading commentaries about it. I could easily tell you the general story line, but only by reading it over and over have I noticed the timeline of this story. We often read these stories as though the events happen one after another in quick succession. But among other interesting details (a Persian-Greek war happens in the middle of the book and is not even mentioned) we find that it was 3 months from when Haman ordered the slaughter of all Jews until the decree that they could defend themselves. 3 Months! The Jews didn’t have just a few days of thinking all was lost, they lived for months under the burden of a death sentence. Imagine what those months were like. And then the joy they felt after months of anxiety that there was hope. The story takes on new life (like when the Wizard of Oz switched from black and white to color) when we take time to wring the proverbial juices out the stories.
Let me encourage you to find a passage or book of the Bible and spend time getting to know it well. Read it through multiple times. Read commentaries about it. Find on a map where the things took place. Look at the story/teaching with different perspectives; put an emphasis on a different word in the sentences.
Read, and reread, and reread your Bible.