Ordinary Eve
Reading the Bible
How do we approach reading the Bible? And more Why
do we read it?
When you become a Christian you sort of know that you are supposed to read the Bible every day - preferably with joy in your heart and a pious smile upon your lips. But how should you treat it, how can you approach it, (It is massive after all...) and what exactly are you supposed to get out of it? Mystical guidance? A set of rules for life? A bonkbuster? (check out 2 Samuel Chapter 11 )
The relationship of Christians with the Bible is complex. Some of us are sure it is the literal revelation, word by word, of God's truth; others are convinced it is a flawed revelation, filtered through men's eyes and hearts. But whatever approach Christian's take towards the Bible they are all clear that God did have something to do with it and it is the best written guide we have to what God is like.
So, there are 2 key reasons to read the Bible - to learn about the nature of God, to learn about his dream for the world and for us.
The Nature of God - Old Testament
God's relationship with humans stretches back to Abraham, the first man to recognise that there is one God not many. The Old Testament shows the developing and sometimes rocky interactions between the Jews and God as they become a small tribe, then a subject nation, then a powerful nation, then back to being a subject nation again. It takes them from idolatry and child sacrifice into a sophisticated system of laws and social arrangements that Western society is based on.
There are key aspects to God that emerge as you read through the Old Testament - he is just, constantly demanding that the Jews care for widows, orphans and refugees; he is forgiving, endlessly forgiving the Jews as a nation and individuals like David , even when they commit adultery and murder; he is not a God interested in offerings and he is constant, he doesn't decide to favour people on a whim.
The Nature of God - New Testament
The Old Testament God leads into the new in the form of Jesus. Jesus consistently points to the character of God in the Old Testament but also towards himself as the earthly model for what God wants man to be and what God is - friendly, powerful, loving of the poor and outcast, forgiving, just.
The more you read of the Old and New Testament the more you see a consistent person emerging with particular characteristics, recognisable behaviours. This is a good reason to read the Bible. It's easier to build a relationship with a person than a bunch of stories.
God's dream for us
The Bible is one of the key ways that God can speak directly to us. Firstly through the moral codes and principles outlined in the Old Testament and in Jesus's radical reinterpretation of them in the New but also to our hearts and situations. Through statements and examples, teachings and demonstrations God uses the writings contained within the Bible to help us become the people that he wants us to be.
So how can we read the Bible, I am going to suggest 2 ways.
Two ways of reading
1. Daily notes
These can be bought cheaply online or from christian bookshops. You might find that your church sells them too.
They usually offer a daily reading, the thoughts of a guide and a suggestion for prayer and sometimes action.
They are particularly useful because they suggest passages that you might never have thougth abotu and they often explain the social or religious issues raised. Often we miss a lot because things that are not unusual in our society were very unusual or had different meanings in Jesus's day.
Check out the link to Every Day with Jesus on the left.
2. Lectio Divina
This is a posh name for a simple exercise but a practise which is very old.
Make sure you are comfortable, that the temperature feels right and that you are in a quiet place. Whether you are praying with others or on your own it's very easy to get distracted.
Now simply choose a passage of scripture - choose it because you like it, or see if you feel moved to read it. Try not to think about why you might have chosen to read it.
Read it aloud to yourself and then once again, but this time paying attention to anything that really sticks out for you.
Some words might make you sad, make you really happy, bring to mind an issue you are thinking about.
Then you talk with God about that feeling. Acknowledge your anger, your sadness, your joy, something that you have learnt.
It's a good idea not to do this once with the passage you have chosen but perhaps three or four times, on different days. Gradually something may emerge that just one reading would not have revealed for you.
To find out more click here or check out the link on the right hand column.
Katie Streten
