Be Thou Not Afraid (of the Bible)

Let’s face it.  The Bible can be an intimidating book.  Forget about the fact that it speaks of itself in these ominous tones:

“…the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”  Hebrews 4:12

It’s as if the Holy Spirit is promising spiritual surgery to everyone who reads it.  That is, in fact, God’s guarantee!  Who among us can stand up to the discerning truths of Scripture?  No one.  But God promises forgiveness and salvation to all who believe the words of our sacred text.  So why do we shy away from reading it for ourselves??

Maybe we think there’s not much in the Bible except for boring stuff and names we can’t pronounce? 

“The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.  The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Diphath, and Togarmah. The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshishah, Kittim, and Rodanim.”  (1 Chronicles 1:5-7)

So yes, there ARE names we struggle to pronounce, but if you knew that at least one of the names listed is your direct ancestor, would you be MORE interested?  (Because that is almost certainly true.)  Trust me when I say that there is an abundance of riches found in the different chronologies and in the “person A begat person B” sections of Scripture.  Why in the world is all that stuff there?  Because there is a story behind each name and life lived, sometimes for God and sometimes not.  Those who followed God deserve the recognition and attention; those who failed serve as a warning to us.  Your life, no matter whether you follow Christ or not, will do the same for someone who follows you.

Do you have trouble understanding the words you read because the language used in the King James version is different from 21^st century English?  Compare these two passages from Philippians 2:2-4:

Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.  Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.  Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.  (King James Version)

Fulfill my joy by thinking the same way, having the same love, sharing the same feelings, focusing on one goal.  Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.  Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.  (Holman Christian Study Bible)

If you’d like to read different translations online or before buying a specific translation, try this website:  https://www.biblegateway.com/.  You can even look at two or three versions side-by-side in parallel translation if that helps you.

What’s most important?  READ YOUR BIBLE!  God penned a love-letter to you so you would know Him better.  If the Creator of the universe thought it was worth the time to write down what He believed was important, what is it that YOU think is MORE important? 

Jacob