Today in church I asked the question, “What would you do if you only had a bible?”
We get so much spiritual input from Google, TV and radio, devotional books, bible study books, study bibles, well-meaning friends and family, and our own experiences. All those things are helpful, blessings and important to our understanding of God’s word. But what if we didn’t have any of those things. What if all we had were a bible? Continue reading “What if all you had was a bible?”
“Pastor, is it OK if I use my phone/tablet to access the Bible during church/the sermon/bible class?”
That is a question that excites me! You see, in our Lutheran tradition, few worshipers bring a Bible to church. I'm guessing less than 10%. I'm not entirely sure why. Maybe it's because we print the readings in our worship folder. Maybe you just never got used to doing it. But if you are asking if it's OK to have God's Word in front of you during the sermon or class, I'm all for it.
Now of course, you are going to have to ward off some serious temptations. Like texting your friend to let her know you really like her dress. Or checking Facebook to learn what some of those who aren't in worship are doing with their Sunday morning. Or reading the Sunday paper.
But there are also some amazing possibilities at your fingertips. Check another translation to see how words and phrases are expressed. Check the definition of a word you don't understand. Bring up a map of a place you've never heard of. Text a question to the pastor. (I'll answer as soon as I can.) Message your friend and tell them, “You should have come to church this morning. We talked about ______.” Or Shazaam one of the worship songs or hymns to download later. Take some notes.
Seven years ago, we wouldn't have even asked this question. Six years ago the first iPhone was released. God has kept up with the technology quite well. Many of my confirmation students are using their phones to access bible in class. On Thursday mornings, about half of the men in bible class use a tablet.
Whatever gets you into the word. (Just make sure your phone is on silent.)
A good basic resource to help you understand God’s Word is a study bible. The one I’m currently using is the Lutheran Study Bible from Concordia Publishing House. There are other worthy study bibles out there to consider, especially if you want a translation other than the English Standard Version.
A study bible has a few pages at the beginning of each book explaining who wrote that book, when, and what the historical context is. It will sum up some of the main themes of the book, and give you a heads up for what to look for as you are reading. It often provides a basic outline of the book, too.
When you open to a book of the bible and begin reading, a study bible will contain notes for each verse, usually at the bottom of each page. These notes will give information about names, places, words and cultural references in each verse. You’ll be directed to other verses that address similar events or ideas. You may also find a summary of a passage, an application, devotional thought or a prayer.
If you didn’t know, for example, that the prophet Haggai was around in the post-exilic temple reconstruction period of Israel’s history, much of the book will be puzzling. But once you have that info, the book makes a lot more sense. Or, if you don’t know who a Pharisee is, or where Capernaum is, or what crucifixion is, just glance down at the bottom of the page, and you’ll find that information.
Now while the biblical text is inspired, or “God-breathed,” remember that the study Bible notes are not. They are written by human authors, so you will want to pay attention to the publisher or editors of a study bible. For example, you may not find much about infant baptism in some study bibles from reformed publishers, but you definitely will in the Lutheran Study Bible.
From time to time I have to remind people “he who lives by the study bible, dies by the study bible.” IOW, don’t quote study notes as gospel. While they may be scholarly, they may also contain some opinion.
You’ll also find a plethora of maps, charts, reading plans, articles and indexes in a study bible. It can be overwhelming sometimes. But don’t be intimidated. Just use what you need, and see what a blessing this resource can be.
At the beginning of any new year, you’ll see lots of read through the Bible in a year or two plans promoted. Be sure to check out this blog that talks about what to do when you’ve already fallen behind in your resolve to read the Bible.
Here’s my question: how did Christians read their bibles and do their personal devotions before there were bibles you could own and read? Printed bibles have only been around for about 500 years. Before that, there were hand-copied bibles in churches and universities, but virtually no one had one at home. Before that, there was just the Old Testament, and they kept and read those scrolls in the synagogues. Get this: Jesus didn’t even own a Bible!
I’m guessing that the answer is, for the most part, they didn’t. If you were a monk in the middle ages, I guess you could go to the prayer hours (matins, vespers, etc.) and hear the Word read there. Otherwise, the Word was read at mass each week. In the earliest days of the church, you got your teaching live from an apostle who recounted the things they had heard from Jesus and seen Him do. That must have been very cool. And before that, you got your daily dose of the Word from the Word Himself, Jesus. And before that you would have gotten the Word from the prophets, who spoke for God, but hardly anyone listened to them anyway.
I’m not sure where I’m going with all this, but I believe it’s important to remember that the current emphasis on bible reading and study, which really drives a lot of our programs, is a fairly recent one in the history of the church. And since we do have bibles coming out our ears (and electronic devices), we should take advantage of them. There doesn’t seem to be much excuse to not know what’s in the Bible or what God says about something. But I read somewhere that biblical illiteracy is disturbingly high among self-proclaimed Christians. You know what that means: job security for me.
I am constantly reading through my bible from cover to cover. I began this some seven or eight years ago, reading through a different translation each time. So far I’ve been through the New International Version, God’s Word, English Standard Version, Today’s New International Version, New Living Translation, and am about halfway through the NET Bible from bible.org. It usually takes me more than a year to do this, so I don’t always start on January 1.
Even though this is a good habit, there are pitfalls to reading the bible in this way. Typically, Genesis and about half of Exodus are pretty interesting. As soon as you get into the specs for the tabernacle, though, it gets tedious. Leviticus isn’t much fun, either. Most people usually give up by then. The other problem is that you will spend a long time in the Old Testament before you get to the New. And if you don’t have a good handle on the whole story of scripture and how the books fit together, you can soon get lost in genealogies, laws, and Hebrew poetry.
Are there some good ways to approach reading your bible in 2010? Absolutely.
Each day I also read five Psalms and one chapter of Proverbs. I start with the Psalm that corresponds to the day of the month, and add multiples of 30. So today I read Psalm 1, 31, 61. 91. and 121, along with Proverbs 1. Tomorrow will be Psalm 2,32,62, 92, and 122. Psalm 119 (the longie) is only read on the 31st of the month when it occurs. A pretty nice way to read through the bible’s hymnbook often.
I’d be interested in learning about some ways that you’ve read through the bible.
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