Anyone who has read Words for the Day for any length of time knows that I love to read, peruse, and study the Bible. I’ve often encouraged people to take the time to read it using a Living Translation version. Begin by reading Romans, proceed to Matthew, and then on through the New Testament, then read the Old Testament right on through the New Testament again. I got an e-mail from a lady who is attempting to do just that and she just finished Romans. She wrote that she did not actually think she could ever read the Bible, but it was going great and she is happy as a clam as she turns to Matthew.
Onward!
I have some other tips about reading the Bible that should make it all the more fascinating. For one thing it is important to know that the Bible was written for people of different times. It was after all written in ancient times and had to be written in such a manner that people of that day could understand it and yet carry forward to today when we have astronauts comfortably resting in outer space looking down on earth, and in the future when who knows what civilizations will be reading it. Therefore if you do not understand every jot and tittle, don’t be discouraged, perhaps it was not intended for you to understand that portion at this particular juncture.
I used to stumble over the weird names of ancient people mentioned in the Bible, (Canaanites, Carthaginians, Hittites, Amorites, etc.); however the people of that day knew exactly who they were. Back then the names of those countries that are so often mentioned in the Bible, (that seem weird to me), were as common as the names of present day countries are to us including the United States, Russia, China, etc.
When Molech was mentioned in the Bible, people of that day were immediately terrified and filled with fear and dread. When I was reading that section of the Bible I could barely pronounce it and had no idea who or what Molech was and really could have cared less. Later I learned that Molech was the Canaanite sun god worshiped throughout the ancient Near East by several tribes including even the Israelites. This religion was centered on the human sacrifice of children, (although some religious sects also sacrificed virgins, as well as full grown men and women, along with animals of every manner).
It involved the creation of a giant bronze statue of Molech, which had the head of a bull and was hollowed out to contain a fire. The ritual included the beating of drums and playing of flutes to drown out the anguished cries of the victims. Sometimes the arms of the idol would be heated to glowing red and then children would be placed on them and scalded to death. Amazingly it was considered an honorable and necessary deed to offer one’s children to the demanding god.
Quite naturally this was anathema to the true God that we know and love and to put it mildly, He was angry about this. He spared nothing in condemning and punishing the people who practiced it and other forms of idolatry. In fact the Lord detests it so much that refraining from practicing idolatry is first on the “big ten”, (Ten Commandments).
Hmmm…Do you think that may be why there are no Canaanites around today?
When I first read the Bible I was frustrated with all of the genealogy; this guy begat this guy, begat that one, this one, that one, jeez… Enough already! In due time I began to understand that these prophecies were vitally important and essential concerning establishing to the Jews and the world that Jesus Christ is indeed the Messiah and fulfilled all lineage prophecies made centuries before His birth.
Ah!
To put it mildly I was confused by Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Revelation, and other prophetic books of the Bible. Yikes that stuff is deep! Of course when I began to understand that symbolism is used to the nth degree and also that some of it happened long ago, some of it is happening today, and other events are yet to come, it made slightly more sense to me.
When I look at it in its entirety, it is obvious that both the Old and New Testament are centered on Jesus Christ. Throughout the Bible God defines His spiritual nature and perfect Holiness as best as our limited intellect can comprehend. He details His Holy laws, establishes the futility of our efforts to follow them to perfection, (which is what He demands). After establishing that perfection is unattainable on our own, He prepares us for His solution to the problem, the arrival of His Son, the Messiah, and our Savior who would provide the perfect sacrifice for sin. He gives us prophecies galore in order that there could be no misunderstanding that Jesus Christ is indeed the Messiah.
As we read passages like the Jews putting lamb’s blood on their doorposts in order that the angel of death would pass over that house, (Passover), and not destroy their first born, we should be reminded how it correlates to the blood of Christ that enables us to escape death and pass over spiritual death, (or eternal separation from God).
I could go on and on for hours, but you would be bored silly and probably already are. We cannot ever fully understand almighty God but the Bible is a great start. Read it and love it…
John 21:25
Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.