The LORD also said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and they are indeed a stiff-necked people. Exodus 39:2

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 2 Timothy 3:16

On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. Joshua 10:12-14.

Let His Perfect Love

You cannot out sin God’s patience.
You cannot reach the end of His love.
You can always depend on God’s mercy
God will never say He’s had enough
He will protect you no matter your sin
He will cover you with endless grace
His love will endure, He will never give up.
He’ll walk beside you no matter your pace.

When you fear that God is done with you.
It’s a sign that the enemy is near.
God is not in the business of forsaking.
 Let His perfect love drive out your fear.

Sometimes we forget who God is.
That His ways are different from man’s.
So, when we can’t understand Him
We try to make a better plan.
But leaning on our own understanding
Usually, doesn’t turn out too well.
Isn’t that exactly what the devil did
Just before he was cast into Hell?

When you think that you cannot trust God
It’s a sign that the enemy is near
God is not in the business of forsaking
Let His perfect love drive out your fear.

Do you fear you have pushed God too far,
And you’re the one He will finally forsake?
After all that God has forgiven mankind
What is so different about your mistake?
So please stop walking on eggshell
Stop waiting for the other shoe to drop.
If God has been patient for 4,000 years,
Why would your sins make Him stop?

When you fear God has forsaken you
It’s a sign that the enemy is near.
God is not in the business of forsaking.
Let His perfect love drive out your fear.
Linda Troxell © 11/03/2021

There is no reason for us to ever be surprised by what God does. He has shown us many times over what He can, and will do to bring about His will. But don’t mistake that to mean we have seen everything He can do. 

Oh, no, in the nearly 6,000 years since He was forced to expel Adam and Eve from the garden, God has shown only a fraction of what He can do in His effort to be reconciled to man. 

So, what could possibly prevent this omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent deity from accomplishing His goal? Well, ironically, it is the very people God wants to save who are obstructing His plan. 

God, Himself, was the first to label His people as stiff-necked, haughty, and stubborn. The LORD also said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and they are indeed a stiff-necked people. Exodus 39:2

And we Christians seem to have carried those characteristics forward with us to the present. Because like the Israelites, we insist on making the simple process of redemption into a mysterious, elusive, and difficult pursuit. But it’s all there in the Bible if we only read it.

I know we’ve all heard numerous times, maybe even said it ourselves, “The Bible is too hard to read.” And if one is trying to plow through the original King James version, there might be some merit to that complaint. 

But no one can legitimately make that complaint in the present day. Over the years, there have been dozens of different Bible versions introduced, each of them easier to read than the last. 

I own several of these versions myself. I normally read from the NKJV but when I come across a verse that stumps me, and that can be frequently, I use one of the more modern English language versions to help me to decipher the verse. 

For really tough passages, I go to the Message version which is written like a novel. I actually like this version because, somehow, the translator was able to make it read like a novel without losing any of the meaning or eloquence of more traditional versions.

And if I still can’t find clarity from one of the versions of the Bible, I turn to the commentaries. Commentaries here are like Bible instructions written by Bible scholars to help the rest of us understand the Bible more clearly and more deeply.

There are thousands of commentaries to choose from. Some explain the entire Bible, book by book, chapter by verse. Others concentrate only on the Old or the New Testament. Still, others concentrate on just one book in depth. All of them seek to explain the meanings in the Bible that you and I usually can’t see.

Some of these commentaries are written strictly for academics and may serve only to confuse us
lay-people more. But most were written for the average reader who simply wants more understanding of a certain passage or chapter. There are several that you can get as apps for your phone. My favorite is called Enduring Word.

And then, for those of us who need pictures to engage or bright graphics to hold our attention, we may want to try the Bible in a graphic novel version. (comic books for us old people) I suppose we should welcome anything that draws any of us to God’s Word. God’s Word in a graphic novel is still God’s Word and it still teaches the same story of redemption. 

Whatever it takes to get us to spend time in the Word is beneficial. And of course, there are numerous apps that will read the Bible to us as we sit back and simply relax. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 2 Timothy 3:16

Second, to the complaint that the Bible is too hard to read, is the complaint, “The Old Testament is so boring.” I really can’t argue with this complaint. The Old Testament can be boring.

Still, it’s important that we have at least a cursory understanding of the parts that seem boring. Without that, we will be confused by things we read about later. 

Once we get past all the laws and rules, censuses and genealogies, about halfway through Numbers, it becomes more interesting, even exciting. So if we just hang in there we will get to the place where all the fighting begins. 

It is then we will come upon fascinating and shocking stories such as a man being swallowed alive by a giant fish, a talking donkey, a terrible flood that destroys the earth, and the sun standing still. On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. Joshua 10:12-14.

Now, tell me, how can that stuff be boring? We will have no time to be bored. These stories will have us too busy scratching our heads and wondering the how, the what, and the why of the stories. Because, sometimes, the stories seem out of the realm of possibility, making it difficult to discern God’s purpose.

But let me give you a hint that will allow for a deeper understanding of God’s purpose. While reading, we need to always remember two things. First, the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, stories and prophecies alike is God’s story of His continuous efforts to rescue and redeem His people. And second, what happens in the Old Testament is foreshadowing what will happen in the New Testament. 

Everything will make more sense and will take on new meaning with those two items in mind. And one last thing. While reading pay attention to not only what happens but why it happens and the order in which it happens. 

I will illustrate that last point, to show you what I mean by recounting an Old Testament story. First, we will look at the overall story then we will look at its parts. 

Let me tell you about a man named Jonah who was eaten by a giant fish. Jonah was a prophet of God and in his time Nineveh, a city in Assyria, had become exceedingly sinful. 

God asked Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach repentance and redemption so the people might change their ways and be saved. Jonah, however,  thought the people of Nineveh were irredeemable and that they shouldn’t be forgiven.

Jonah decided he did not want to go. So, instead, Jonah headed in the opposite direction as he tried to hide from God. 

Jonah found a ship heading away from Nineveh and he jumped on. But we know that no one can successfully run from God. God created a big storm to threaten the boat and all of its passengers. Jonah’s shipmates blamed Johan and his God for the storm and threw Jonah overboard.

Of course, God had planned for just this event. He had placed a giant fish right where Jonah went overboard and the fish swallowed Jonah.

While in the belly of the fish Jonah realized it was a mistake to run from God. He still didn’t want to help Nineveh but He knew he had to repent of his sin and then obey God. 

After Jonah had spent 3 days in the fish’s belly, God arranged for the fish to burp him out on the shore of Nineveh. Jonah preached to the evil people of Nineveh and the righteous repented and they were saved.

Now let’s look at the bare bones of the story and what happened when. 

1. God wanted to save His sinful and unrepentant people of Nineveh. 

2. Jonah defied God and sailed the opposite way. But God had him thrown overboard, eaten by a giant fish, and burped out on the beach at Nineveh

(Detail to notice: Jonah was buried in the belly of the fish for three days. Hmmm, Jesus was buried for 3 days too. Then Jonah escaped the fish’s belly still alive. Hey, Jesus escaped the grave still alive.) 

3. Jonah preached God’s message of redemption, the righteous Ninevites repented and God showed them grace. 

Jonah’s story is one of redemption that foreshadows the story of Jesus in the New Testament. 1. Humanity was rebelling against God. 2. God created a miraculous way to restore righteousness. 3. God gave grace to those who believed.

The Old Testament is full of stories that follow this same basic 1,2,3 pattern that foreshadows the story of Jesus in the New Testament. 

Did you know that Jesus as savior was first mentioned in Genesis 12:3? I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

I was unaware of the role Jesus plays in this scripture until recently when I was researching this story. 

In order to fully understand Jesus’ place in God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:3, we must read the New Testament. For it is clarified in Matthew 1:1-16  when Matthew recounts the genealogy of Jesus through Abraham. 

Matthew 1:1. Begins, This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the Son of David the Son of Abraham.  1:2 begins the genealogy, Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. Verses 3-15 recounts the genealogy through the generations. Then, Matthew 1:16 finishes the genealogy this way: and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.

As noted above, we could not understand Genesis 12:3 without reading the New Testament. Conversely, if we read only the New Testament we would not be aware of Jesus’ part in the Old Testament. Nor, would we know, that the entire Bible is the story of God’s redemption of man.  

I know this is a lot of information, I hope it’s not too much. I hope it is just enough to make you curious enough to fact-check me by reading the Bible yourself.

So, now, search out the other stories on your own. With a whole new way of looking at the Old Testament, it should no longer seem boring to you. And don’t forget about the different Bible versions and the commentaries when you need help.

And please remember, reading the Bible is important, even when the reading becomes difficult. It isn’t just words on a page. It is alive and it’s a consistent way for God to speak to us.  For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

Let’s Pray

Father thank you for Your Word written by your inspiration and lovingly guarded through the ages. Some people want to think of it as a book of laws and rules. Others want to see it as a history book. But we Christians know that it is Your Word and that it is alive. We thank you that we can turn to Your Word at any time and find just what we need for that time, every time. Sadly, Father, there are too many Christians that don’t realize that the entire Bible is an expression of your love through your efforts to rescue, redeem and reconcile us to our Heavenly Father. What an outrageous love story! Let us sing our praise to you, Lord. You are the only God who is alive, the only God who shows His love to His people and doesn’t only demand love from them. Of course, we know that you are the only real God and we are so blessed that you have called us to be your children. Help us, Lord, to have a hunger for your Word and a desire to spend time in it daily. Help us to understand that we can receive blessings just from spending time in Your Word. We thank you, Lord, for your love, your mercy, and your grace. We pray this in the name of Jesus, Amen. 

Points for Pondering or for Prayer

Or

Perhaps for Putting Pen to Paper

Do you find the Bible difficult to read?  

If you do, have you tried using other easier-to-read versions?    If not, why not?   

Have you ever consulted a Commentary for help? Again, if not, Why not?

If you don’t find it difficult to read, have you read the entire Bible? If you haven’t, do you plan to?        Why or Why not?

Have you ever considered using a reading plan to help you to read the entire Bible? It’s a good way to hold yourself accountable. 

Were you aware that the Bible is one continuous story of God’s plan of redemption for you and me?

If you were, where did you learn this?     If you weren’t, what is your reaction to learning that it is?