Dear Anu,
I’m encouraged by the fact that you have decided to once again attempt to read all the books of the Bible. I remember that – the last time you tried this – your steam was extinguished when you got to Leviticus, coupled with the emergency travel and illness. I’m also grateful that you have recovered with all the scars to show for your healing. Thank GOD.
I have a few things to share with you.
As you begin your reading, have no favourite verses in scripture. I say this because the Bible was not originally written in verses. Verses come to us for our ease, but the books of the Bible were written as a whole. One sentence after the other, each forming a block that might make sense if isolated but should be held as a whole. Verses are good for memorisation, but I beg you not to fall into the habit of exalting the functionality of one verse above another. Why? Because scripture is like the body in some way: every artery and muscle, every organ is just as important. To treat scripture or the body otherwise would be like preferring your biceps to your triceps—which is not how a body works, and not how Scripture works either.
Remember that the Bible is made up of books written to people in the past—not directly to you—but they are written for your benefit and remain deeply relevant to you today. There is a primary audience, and understanding their minds or seeing through their cultures would help you a great deal. To evaluate who Abraham is in the Mesopotamia of his days is helpful to understand the significance of GOD making a covenant in the way that it is made. To pay attention to the cultural climate of Corinth, Laodicea, or Galatia helps us understand why Paul writes to them in the way that HE does. In some ways, we may share struggles; in others, their travails may be just as alien to us.
The Bible has one Eternal and Divine author whispering HIS design and plan by inspiration into the ears and fingers of devoted human authors and scribes. Between the words and lines are trails of GOD’s dusty hands and ink-stained fingertips. This is why we see connections like webs so intricate that they transcend decades and kingdoms.
When you read scripture, you are not alone. To understand scripture, you will not be alone. It is a meet-and-greet moment every time. The One who wrote the words is also the One who gives you meaning from the words. Reading scripture is how we never feel alone or walk alone. It is the way to familiarise ourselves with the One we worship and adore. It is how we come to understand why we are who and what we are by Divine Design.
Lastly, you will find pieces of detail which are so light they could go over your head, and if you look at them long enough, they raise more questions. I could tell you to skip them and trust that they hold up the house though their resolution is unseen or not clear at face value; however, I encourage you to know why they exist. Ask for and seek their answers. The awkward-looking spaces that seem unfilled—take note of them and dig out their depths. This is important so that when you are asked how Cain bore sons and had a wife if all the humans in his time were siblings, you can explain that the rules and norms of human interaction have changed. What was permissible and necessary in the earliest generations of humanity is not how we live today. Consider it an evolution of sorts.
If you need to reference other sources to understand, remember too that GOD’s Hands are upon science, discovery, philosophy, and the pursuit of GODly knowledge for the glory of HIS Name.
I do not feel weary when you write to me. I do not fret at your calls, so be free to always write or call. We all learn to be strong when we serve as mirrors of each other’s weaknesses.
With care,
Olatunde
P.s if you could help someone else walk confidently on their journey to reading scripture, what would you say, and what would you want them to prepare for?
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