Ezekiel and the valley of dry bones. Moses and the burning bush. Hosea’s marriage to Gomer. These are not obscure stories hidden in out of the way books of the Bible. Yet each of them I have recently found were pure mysteries to those who should know better. No, I don’t mean that the people I was speaking with didn’t have a sound understanding of these things. I mean they’d never heard of them. And in each instance they were utterly unknown to adults who profess to be Christians.
Ligonier Ministries here recently released their most recent theological survey, just in time for Halloween. It’s enough to make anyone scream. As critical as sound theology is, however, it is one step removed from its source, the Bible. And we don’t know that. We will never be sound in our thinking about the things of God if His Word is just a blur to us.
Our famine of basic Bible knowledge is not the fruit of a famine of Bibles. We are not ignorant in that we lack teachers. The information is readily available, at our fingertips. It is not in our minds, much less our hearts because we have given our hearts to mindless entertainment. We have room and time for that which doesn’t matter, but none for the very substance of our lives. We’re starving on a diet of twinkies, with a feast set before us.
The solution isn’t a program at church. It isn’t one more translation or paraphrase. It isn’t the perfect app. No, the solution requires no technology, no money, no man hours from others. The solution is reading the Bible. Slowly, like you mean it. Not to give yourself a checkmark for doing your spiritual duty. But to give yourself food for your soul.
I suspect that most of you reading this are somewhat familiar with Ezekiel and the valley of dry bones, with Moses and the burning bush and Hosea’s marriage to Gomer. If, however, you are patting yourself on the back while tsk tsking those who are not familiar, you haven’t read the Bible enough. Not one of us can safely conclude that we already know the Bible well enough that we don’t need to continually immerse ourselves in it.
All of us wish we would walk more faithfully. We aspire to greater spiritual maturity, to attain the measure of a man, to be complete. A workman not ashamed. Few of us are willing to take this simple step to get there, to feed on God’s Word. I often tell people, “I’d do anything to be able to play the electric guitar… except learn and practice how to play the electric guitar.” Sounds like how we treat learning God’s Word.
I have, however, read enough to know what to do. The solution is the solution to every problem- we have to repent, and believe the gospel. We repent for our failure, and we believe in His grace. And then we hunger for more. We do not, after all, live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
Ain’t this the truth. Thank you for posting this. I often wish I knew the Bible better. It’s hard to repel the devil’s arrows with flagging armour. Too easy to fall into the trap of thinking I have enough sustenance from previous forays into Bible study and prayer. Those 3 biblical stories you mention are incredibly interesting and instructive.
When my son Samual was born, I began to read the Bible to him twice a day, morning and evening. I started with Genesis one and ended with Revelation 22:21. By the time he was 9 or 10, I had read the entire Bible to him over three times, every word, including the hard to pronounce names found throughout the Bible. And some parts many times.
When he was three he could recite all 66 books. And though he couldn’t read yet, he could find any book, chapter, or verse when you asked him.
For our family devotions, we read in order, the New testament, and when done do it again and again. At times we read through some of the Old testament books. I also explain and teach, not just read the word.
When you think about that, how hard is it to spend 45 minutes each day with God? Every once in a while, something may come up that we have to cut short our time with God, but still, we do the best we can, whatever comes our way.
Your post reminds me of what I read one time. A man complemented a celebrated pianist, on how beautiful he played. He said “I’d give my life to play like that.” The pianist replied, “I did.”