Reading the Bible
written by Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”
Reading the Bible requires all of you. If God instructed you, I could hear the divine voice saying, “I want your intellect. But that is not enough. I want your empathy. But that is not enough. I want your discipline. But that is not enough. I want all of you, and only that will be enough.” Reading the Bible is a complex task vastly different from reading a thriller or your favorite rom-com.
When you read the Bible, you should study the historical backgrounds, narrative form, and other forms of higher critical interpretation. Yet, you can have all the intellectual understanding available and still not know the Biblical meaning. You must also embrace your empathy while you read. The more you picture yourself as Sarai being told she will give birth to a baby in old age, the more the story will come to life in your heart. The more you can feel your knees buckle as you stand before Goliath with only a slingshot, the more confident you can hit your target, and the more the passage will come to life.
My generation of mainline Protestants rebelled against the expectation that, as adolescents, we would memorize scripture lessons. Memorizing Scripture to impress parents and church leaders is of little value. Yet, memorizing Scripture can benefit when the person allows the stories, poems, and other language to soak into the marrow of their being. Memorization helps make the Scripture your own. Most of us, at some point, memorized the 23rd Psalm. When sick or scared, people often want to hear the psalm 23. The words are comforting, and a few other passages feel intimate. They are not just the psalmist’s or God’s words. The 23 psalm is ours, deep in our soul.
Today, put aside 15 minutes and read a specific passage of Scripture. It doesn’t matter if you already know the passage or if it is unfamiliar. Read it through at regular speed the first time. The second time, read it slowly, considering what the author and God want you to learn. The third time you read the passage, read it one word, reflect, and read the next word. Before you read it the fourth time, stop and pray for illumination. Read it one last time, thinking about its interpretation in different ways. In the process, the Holy Spirit will weave new meaning into your heart and mind.
