How to Read the Bible? (Part 2)

TITLE: HOW TO READ THE BIBLE? (PART 2)
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 119:25-29
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: February 18th, 2015

"My soul cleaves to the dust; Revive me according to Thy Word. I have told of my ways, and Thou hast answered me. Teach me Thy statutes. Make me understand the way of Thy precepts, so I will meditate on Thy wonders. My soul weeps because of grief; Strengthen me according to Thy Word. Remove the false way from me, and graciously grant me Thy law." (Ps 119:27-29)

Last week, I began this series of articles on how to read the Bible, with a look at modern media usage as well as how people tend to browse/scan works rather than actual reading of it. Compared with hard copies, research has shown that people's level of comprehension and understanding deteriorates upon switching to a digital platform. This week, I want to begin with reading proper, assuming that you the reader has decided on the best possible platform you will use for good, undistracted, and focused Bible reading. If you have chosen paper, good for you. If you prefer digital, at least, know the limitations, ok?

This week, I want to talk about reading the Bible for the busy person on the run. Before I begin, let me offer some preliminaries.

A) Some Preliminaries

First, select a reading plan. For those of us who are really "on the ball" or highly motivated to read a lot, you can start with either a one to three years plan. There are pretty good Bible reading plans if you just do a search on the Internet. The ESV one is quite good. The two-year plan from TGC is also good. If you prefer to take it slow, choose the three-year reading plan. The one from Moody is rather good. Alternatively, if you follow the lectionary, you can adopt the Years A, B, C plans which helps you read through the Bible in three years. In the Revised Common Lectionary, there are verses each day from both the Old and New Testaments. Here is one way in which you can use both digital and paper together in unison. Use the digital medium to store your Bible reading plan. Then read the paper version.

1. For example, if you are using the lectionary, set your digital browser's HOME page to the RCL page here. 
2. Keeping this digital page open, flip to the passages on your printed Bible.
3. Read.

Second, choose a time and place. We live in a very distracted world. One of the most distracting things is the myth of multitasking. Granted, women "multitasked" better than men generally, it is still better for the soul to be singularly focused on letting the Word have priority over our time. It usually takes a while for the soul to be quietened down and ready for intentional Bible reading. I know of a colleague who would spend time each morning in his parked car, just reading and praying for an uninterrupted period of time. It could be as short as 10 minutes or longer. I recommend at least 15 minutes.

Third, read. If you are following a plan, take the time to read slowly. Do not rush. Initially you will feel a little strange. You will be tempted to check your phones or social media updates. Don't yield to the temptation. Let the phone chill while you focus on being still.

In spiritual formation, learning to read Bible passages slowly and with patience is crucial. We do not read the word to mine information. We read in a manner to let the Word mind us. This calls for biblical meditation. According to the Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms, "lectio divina" is defined as "Meditative reading of Scripture that leads to prayer." Others have also called it meditative reading. The key point is such reading enables us to focus on God rather than on the needs of men. It enables us to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. It allows us to let the Word be the Word and let us be under the Word. Eugene Peterson expresses it well:

"It means not only reading the text but also meditating on the text, praying the text, and living the text."

B) Meditative Reading For People on the Run

Rather than to provide meditation examples for people with lots of time, I want to consider the way meditative reading can be done for busy people. We cannot run away from a busy life. As long as we are connected and contactable, it is not easy to escape the reaches of the world. Who on earth is not busy? Surely, Jesus himself was busy. He had so many people to heal, so many teachings to share, and so many miraculous works to do. Moreover, he had twelve disciples to spend time with. If there is any one person who needed a break more than anyone of us, it had to be Jesus. One thing is for sure. Jesus did not wait for free time to come. He carved out time to be with God. He made time. He kept to his time.

Jesus' ministry was powered by God's Word. We note how quick He was able to support His actions with the backing of Holy Scriptures. We see how Jesus was able to resist the world and to make sure the world did not interfere with his plans.

"And when day came, He departed and went to a lonely place; and the multitudes were searching for Him, and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from going away from them.

But He said to them, 'I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.'"

Jesus is one person who is busy but remembers His priorities. If it is the work of God, surely it is more important to receive instructions and convictions first from God. Without the clear instructions from God, what then should He preach? Without the empowering of the Holy Spirit, how then should He work? Without the sensitivity to the timing of God, how then would He know when to move forth and when to retreat? Spiritual discernment is borne out of meditative reading.

Psalm 119 is a classic psalm that is dedicated to meditative reading on the Word. It is the A-Z of how one loves the Word of God. Eight verses are dedicated to each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. With 22 alphabets, there is a total of 176 verses in all. Some commentators have even subdivided the entire Psalm into five parts, which parallels with the Pentateuch. For me, each time I look at Ps 119, I cannot help but be amazed at how the Psalm evokes inner responses.

Ps 119:25 reminds me of my true nature. That I am mortal. That my flesh is bound for the dust. The day will come when I would have to say goodbye to this world. Death will come if not sooner, then later. We need revival to things that are out of this plain world. We need to be reminded of the promise of God toward eternity. We need God's Word to point us forward, to revive us inward, and to encourage us onward. Ps 119:26 is surprising, as it is about the psalmist's confession followed by an acknowledgement from God. How wonderful it is to know that God answers even as we confesses. How does God communicate with us? Primarily through the Word. If that is God's primary channel, should we not spend more time in the Word? If our hearts long for God, we need to be generous with our time to read. Like a fish that is out of water, we long for the living waters of Word after a day out in the desert plains.

C) Three Suggestions for Meditative Reading

Many of us have good intentions and great plans to serve God. That is good. What is necessary is to be able to let the Word of God lead and empower us. Reading the Bible well does not mean we need to be experts in theology. It simply means we let the love for the Word guide us. It is this love that would find ways for us to improve on our reading. There are three ways I can suggest for a better reading of the Word.

1) Memorization

People on the run can be too tired at the end of the day to even bother to read. They may be too anxious to begin the day at the morning rush. Whatever available time slot, they can only read a small portion of Scripture. That's ok. Just read what you can. It's better to read and remember one verse than to read a passage and forget whatever you have read. I believe memory verses will serve us very well. In keeping the Word of God in our hearts, we can let the Spirit teach us through the day.

2) Repetition

Another way to develop meditative reading for people on the run is to read the same verses/passages over and over again. Maybe, for a certain week, just keep reading the same passage. Repetition increases familiarity. Familiarity enables us to detect nuances of the verses. With repetition, we not only develop a familiarity with the Word, we can improve our memorization skills too.

3) Slowly

One of the tendencies of a busy person on the run is the desire for efficiency and speed. Do more things in less time. Accomplish double the things with half the resources. Faster, bigger, better, are all symptoms of such a lifestyle. When it comes to meditative reading, short and slow is best.

THOUGHT: "Serious meditation as the goldsmith with his metal, he heats it and beats it, turns it on this side and then on that, fashions it on both that he might frame it to his mind. Meditation is hammering of a truth or point propounded." (Thomas Hooker)

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Copyright by SabbathWalk. This devotional is sent to you free of charge. If you feel blessed or ministered to by SabbathWalk weekly devotionals, feel free to forward to friends, or to invite them to subscribe online at http://blog.sabbathwalk.org . You can also send me an email at cyap@sabbathwalk.org for comments or inquiries. Note that views expressed are personal opinions of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of any person(s) or organization(s).

How to Read the Bible? (Part 1)

TITLE: HOW TO READ THE BIBLE? (PART 1)
SCRIPTURE: James 1:22-25
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: February 12th, 2015

22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. (James 1:22-25)

KEY POINT: Before we can read the Bible well, we need to ensure we are in a place where distractions are minimized. Plus, there is a difference between scanning/browsing versus actual reading of the Bible. Knowing the difference will help us read our Bibles better.

VivoCity Singapore

I was at VivoCity the other day checking out the sprawling shopping mall. People told me that it is considered "old," especially when compared to many of the newer malls and shopping plazas all over the city. For me, everything looked new simply because it was my first time there. I felt like a stranger in a country I grew up in. There were plenty of food selections from restaurants to hawker fare, all within a comfortable air-conditioned environment. From retail stores to multiple supermarkets, the whole place was packed with people. I tried to look for a bookshop. There was none to be found. I checked the Internet and the two listed on the web were long gone. Instead of bookshops, there were plenty of stores selling electronic wares, especially cell phones and accessories. It is a global phenomenon that as more people take to eBooks, less people buy real hard copies. Selling books is no longer a viable business for many. The same goes for our traditional Bibles. With the easy availability of eBibles on the Android and Apple stores, it is far easier to download bibles into our phones and take them with us everywhere we go, than to go look for a bookshop, at least at VivoCity. For the modern truth is this. More people are taking their cellphones with Bibles loaded on them and leaving their printed bibles at home. On transit, it is easy to find people with their attention glued to their hand-held devices than to find someone reading an actual book. Even in churches, I see more and more people looking at bright screens in a Church sanctuary.

This week, I ponder at the issue of Bible reading. I believe that there is a difference between reading the printed Word and the electronic version. When we know the difference, we can make an informed choice about what medium to use when reading our Bibles.

Were You There? (A Good Friday Meditation)

TITLE: WERE YOU THERE?
SCRIPTURE: Luke 23:33-34
Written by: Dr Conrade Yap
Date: 29 March 2013

32Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. (Luke 23:32-34)

TV Commercials are full of special sales, displaying and publicizing their Easter bunnies and the chocolate eggs. Community centers (and even Churches) put the play and fun into special Easter egg hunts and children's events to simply have a good time. Many around the world are more than happy to have a long weekend, so that they can take a break from work and routine. I ask myself, "What is so good about Good Friday?"

Is it the extra holiday we can get? Is it about the resurrection of Christ? Is it about fun jumping with the bunnies, hunting the hidden eggs, and gobbling up all the candies we can find? Certainly not. Just like Jesus who needs to suffer and crucified before he can rise from the dead, we cannot fast-forward the painful events leading up to "Good Friday" and replace them with happy and joyous celebration of Easter Sunday. Just like there is not much meaning in simply watching the last half hour of any movie, we cannot skip Good Friday and go straight to Easter Sunday. For the road to Easter must go through Good Friday. There is no short cut. There is no quick fix. For if Christ has not died, how can he rise again from the dead?

A) What's So 'Good' About Good Friday?

If you have seen the movie, the Passion of the Cross, there is little that is 'good' when you see blood and gore, sweat and tears, whippings and tormenting, suffering and pain, all inflicted upon a totally innocent man. The man is good, but the punishment is cruel. How can we say that it is good?

We see how Jesus got betrayed by Judas Iscariot, a disciple trusted with financial matters. We note how disappointed Jesus had been as he looks at the disciples who slept as he prayed, ran away as he got arrested, and retreated back to their former occupations when he died. Nearly everyone doubted what he had said. The disciples, the women, and literally everyone, lived on as if what Jesus had prophesied, were mere tales, not reality.

Can we really say that it is "good?" Scotty Smith, founding pastor of Christ Community Church in Franklin, Tennessee, describes this accurately in his prayer.

"I've always felt conflicted about calling the day of your crucifixion 'good.' It seems quite a bit insensitive and self-serving. That there had to be a day when you, the God who made us for yourself, would be made sin for us is no good at all." (Scotty Smith, Everyday Prayers, Baker Books, 2011, p110)

Perhaps, there is another way to look at it. Instead of seeing it as "insensitive and self-serving," although confession is a good thing already, we can look at the goodness of self-sacrifice, how Jesus exemplifies humility and innocence, purpose amid the pain, endurance all because he seeks to obey God the Father's will. Good Friday is good not because of good feelings or worldly celebrating. It is good simply because it is a complete act of obedience to God the Father. It is good because Jesus considers his own life nothing to be gained, and everything to lose. In doing so, he has saved the whole world, and at the cross, he has completed the race, fought the good fight, and kept the faith. For the road to Easter Sunday must pass through Good Friday.

B) The Road to Easter

One hymn that has often captivated my attention is this: "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?" It comes in three stanzas that describe the crucifixion, the death, and the burying.

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?

Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?

You can watch the moving rendition here.

The words of the hymn describe very aptly the whole mood of Good Friday. It is a negro spiritual with three simple stanzas, each describing and helping people remember the excruciating pain and suffering of our Lord.  It causes us to wonder at the amazing love of God. It makes us pause as we are invited back to the last moments as Jesus breathes his last. Slowly, surely, and soberly, we let the words grip our hearts, and our hearts grab upon emotions evoked as we ponder at the cross of Christ. From crucifixion to the cruel nails; from the bleeding to the dying; and from the dying to the burying; the world pauses as Good Friday approaches. I like for us today to ponder upon this: "The Road to Easter Must Go Through Good Friday."

(From: NIV Quick View Bible)

C) Three Thoughts for Good Friday

Let me offer three thoughts for Good Friday. Firstly, it is a Friday, just before the day of the Jewish Sabbath.   It is a remarkable look back at the creation week, where God rested after all the work have been done in the past six days. Just like the seventh day completes the entire work of creation, Good Friday completes the task of Jesus, as we remember Jesus emphatically saying in John 19:30 that, "It is finished." All the work, and all the ministry, culminates in this one historical event, the Cross of Christ. It is the Cross of Christ that finishes the necessary work of saving the world from sin. At the cross, Jesus paid it all. At the cross, Jesus carried all the burdens of the world. At the cross, Jesus offered forgiveness for the world, for all the wrongs the world had committed in thought, word, or deed. For it is on Good Friday, Jesus rested completely, for his work on earth has been done.

Secondly, the old rugged cross represents the centrality of the gospel of Christ. When we celebrate something, we need to ask ourselves what are we celebrating from? As we think about Resurrection Sunday, we ask ourselves what is Christ rising from? When we think about victory, we need to remind ourselves what we are winning from? Without Good Friday, there is no meaning in Easter Sunday. The late John Stott has written passionately about the three central things accomplished at the cross, namely, to save sinners, to reveal God, and to conquer evil. In one sweep, all three things are accomplished to perfection and to God's complete satisfaction. Stott also notes that the Acts of the Apostles are less about the resurrection of Christ, but more on the centrality of the cross of Christ. From Peter to John, Stephen to Paul, it is the cross that gives the early disciples the power and the reason to live. For if the cross is the existential reason for our work and ministry as Christians, the resurrection builds upon this as our faith and hope for the future.

Thirdly, Good Friday is the culmination of the horizontal and vertical relationships of mankind and creation. The Cross is a visual symbol of a vertical reconciliation with God. It is also a horizontal reconciliation with fellow people. At the cross, Christ embodies the essence of love, and the greatest commandment of God. Stott says that "the cross enforces three truths - about ourselves, about God and about Jesus Christ." These three truths essentially nail down the reality of man, the divinity of God, and the humility of Jesus. The Cross represents so many things that it can be easily misunderstood. That is why I think it is an apt summary of what reconciliation is all about. Only through the cross, we can be saved from our sins. Only through the cross, God is revealed through the greatest act of love. Only through the cross we get to overcome evil. Only through the cross, we understand the significance of the Resurrection.

D) Don't Rush

The Cross Reconciles God - People and People - People

In conclusion, let me urge my readers not to rush. Everyone knows that Today's Friday, and Sunday is coming. It teaches us to be patient, just as Christ is patient. Can you imagine Jesus skipping Holy Week, and goes from Palm Sunday straight to Easter, just like the "Get Out of Jail" card in the game of Monopoly? No. I cannot imagine Jesus ever wanting to take the short cut? If he has taken the short cut, where is the meaning behind Jesus' coming? How are we going to appreciate a God who has not taken on human form and endured human suffering? What are we going to make sense of the cross in the first place?

Without Good Friday, there will be no cross. Without the cross, there will be no resurrection. Without the resurrection, there will be no Christianity. Without Christ, there will be no faith.

Thanks be to God for Good Friday. The Cross is the reason for Good Friday. As we reflect on these thoughts, and how Jesus died, go back after service. Keep a low profile. Pray silently. I know Sunday is coming, but the road to Easter must first go through Good Friday.

THOUGHT: "I could never myself believe in God, if it were not for the cross. The only God I believe in is the One Nietzsche ridiculed as 'God on the cross.' In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it? I have entered many Buddhist temples in different Asian countries and stood respectfully before the statue of the Buddha, his legs crossed, arms folded, eyes closed, the ghost of a smile playing round his mouth, a remote look on his face, detached from the agonies of the world. But each time after a while I have had to turn away. And in imagination I have turned instead to that lonely, twisted, tortured figure on the cross, nails through hands and feet, back lacerated, limbs wrenched, brow bleeding from thorn-pricks, mouth dry and intolerably thirsty, plunged in Godforsaken darkness. That is the God for me! He laid aside his immunity to pain. He entered our world of flesh and blood, tears and death. He suffered for us. Our sufferings become more manageable in the light of his. There is still a question mark against human suffering, but over it we boldly stamp another mark, the cross that symbolizes divine suffering. 'The cross of Christ . . . is God’s only self-justification in such a world' as ours. . . . " (John Stott, The Cross of Christ, Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books, 2006, p326-7)

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Copyright by SabbathWalk. This devotional is sent to you free of charge. If you feel blessed or ministered to by SabbathWalk weekly devotionals, feel free to forward to friends, or to invite them to subscribe online at http://blog.sabbathwalk.org . You can also send me an email at cyap@sabbathwalk.org for comments or enquiries. Note that views expressed are personal opinions of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of any organization.