Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path- Psalm 119:105
Well, it’s the start of a new year again, although we are all ready half way through January. Wow! Can you believe it? I was recently watching a video posted on YouTube and this was one of the questions that came to mind from watching.
The topic was the story of Jesus and how many of us really know the true story of Jesus, or of the entirety of the Bible. The video involved three people; two interviewers and one interviewee who had just written a book about Jesus. An overarching theme began to surface that demonstrated that most people, including the interviewers, found the Bible difficult to understand and had never read it, and only knew a few “stories” from the Bible, you know them too, the Good Samaritan, Noah’s Ark, the Flood, that is I’m making an assumption here that many are familiar with some of these.
For many people the new year brings about the desire to change and develop new, often healthier habits. Some start a new exercise or eating plan, and others want to grow deeper in their faith, or take care of their mental health or focus on self- care.
Some who are looking for the answers to meaning and purpose often look to religious texts to inspire them and give meaning. For those seeking Christian answers and wondering is God real? Can He be trusted? What is the Bible about? Is it true and can it be trusted? Well, the well intentioned seeker will pick up the Bible and begin from the beginning (literally) in Genesis, and everything goes well until they find themselves at Leviticus , or Numbers or Deuteronomy and get bogged down with pronouncing names or the long list of don’ts and do’s.
While, I do believe this is the place to start to understand the basic premise of Christianity: God created everything, even mankind, giving them- the first people- instructions for their good, while along comes the Devil, and plays mind games with the woman and man until they willfully disobey one of the boundaries set by God and this act sets into motion the whole rest of the story, the meta narrative of the Bible- God’s plan to restore His broken relationship with mankind. From Genesis, it is a good idea to jump ahead and read the New Testament Gospels. And jump back to the Old Testament. It might also be helpful to consider a Bible in a year reading plan, one that selects passages from both the Old and New Testaments. When you find a passage that is confusing I find searching online can yield some good results or consider investing in a good Bible commentary, in which scholars have broken down passages and chapter within contexts (what it meant to the audience it was written for and how we can apply it to our time). Additionally, a Bible dictionary is helpful as well. It can take the mystery out of places, traditions, rituals and the history of the world at the time the book of the Bible was written.
Taken all together, the entirety of the Bible is the most amazing story of love and faithfulness. The love and faithfulness of God toward an obstinate group of humans- that means us too, not just those from ancient times. Most scholars of the Bible acknowledge that we are currently living in the time of the Bible. The already, not yet, the future is laid out in the ending pages of the Bible and we are right in an era before the end of the ages. We are living the Bible now, the story is not finished yet and it is a real page turner.
If you’re still unsure about reading and understanding start in the Psalms, or Proverbs, or the Gospel of John. They provide wisdom, comfort, and an insight into God’s plan of redemption through Jesus. Really, anywhere is a place to start and you will grow as you read. Don’t sweat the difficult passages, we Bible scholars don’t sometimes know what they mean either! We can only research and discuss with others, that makes the whole endeavor of reading the Bible interesting and gives you a place to reflect and try to understand your place in this world. Hope you will try it! It is a life giving place to start and it might change your new year. God bless you – Nancy
Moving Forward 