The Bible is a pretty big book. It is really two books, split in the middle, the Old Testament, and the New Testament. And within those two books are 66 smaller books. Depending on your translation and what size of font you have, the Bible is roughly 1200 pages. That’s pretty big. But as big as the Bible is, it’s not the biggest book ever made. Not even close. The Blah Story by Nigel Tom claims the spot as the longest book ever published. And are you ready for this? It’s clocks in at mere 7,312 pages. That’s the size of 6 Bibles put together. It’s estimated weight is almost 20 lbs. Can you imagine carrying that book to the beach for an afternoon read?
When you start dealing with big books you run into some problems. How do you easily access what you have read? I just did my best to conquer a 900-page church history textbook and when it came time for the final, I could barely find what I had highlighted in it for study notes. And at 1200 pages, the Bible is not much easier. God has put so much in there how can you possibly hope to study and process it all? Well, how do you eat an elephant? Yep, one bite at a time. And maybe with a little salt.
When you set up a plan to read the Bible in its entirety, it has to be a manageable plan that has ample time built in. Don’t think you need to read the whole Bible in a year or less. Sure, that’s a great plan, but err on the side of quality not speed. Remember this is not just another random book for a follower of Christ. It is the very Holy Spirit breathed words of God. The Words of God breathed into the hearts of around 44 men as they wrote down what God spoke to them. Whatever Bible reading plan you adopt, make sure you give yourself ample time to be still and listen to God as you read, study, and take notes or journal. Remember, the goal isn’t to just read and check the box, but to study, process, and get the most out of what God’s Word has to speak to you.
This morning as I read and then reread 1 Chronicles 7, I am astonished at the factual information God gives us in the Bible. More names than you can shake a stick at and the majority of them are only named here in this one single chapter. And God’s accounting is miraculous. Do you want to know how many men of fighting age from the tribe of Issachar lived during the age of David? 22,600. What about the same tribe but now including its descendants of fighting age? 87,000. What about the same number but for the tribe of Asher? 26,000. The amount of factual information that God relays to us through His Word is amazing. And those facts lie in the smallest of places. They lie in the crevices and small confines. They lie in single sentences that are buried deep within the whole. They lie not easily exposed, but well protected for the explorer to unearth only with effort and perseverance. And the reward of searching the secrets of God’s Word is a reward that I pray every child of God will discover for themselves.
Today as I’m cruising through the lineage of Ephraim in chapter 7, I pause. Recall that Ephraim was the brother of Manasseh and they were both the sons of Joseph, born to him in Egypt. You might remember the story where Joseph presents his two sons to Jacob in a certain order to receive his official blessing, but Jacob reverses his hands and instead gives the birthright blessing to Ephraim. Well, as I’m scrolling through all the names I don’t recognize in the genealogy of Ephraim, I come to the very end and I see the son of Nun. Huh, I know the son of Nun. I know him well.
Like a needle in a haystack, there he is. One of the mightiest warriors in the Old Testament. He followed God with such a great faith that although it did not name him, it alluded to his exploits in the hallowed heroes of faith list in Hebrews 11. He was the God chosen disciple of Moses, he was a mighty and righteous leader of the people, and to say he was a valiant warrior is a major understatement. He personally led the charge to eradicate most of the evil peoples out of the Promised Land so that God’s people could claim what God had promised them. He charged in the face of giants, looming cities, and seemingly insurmountable odds. And even in the midst of the people turning to false gods and idol worship in the newly established land, it was him who uttered these powerfully challenging words to them. A great man of God leading people not just in words, but in his actions:
“But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." Jos 24:15
Joshua. The son of Nun. The grandson of Elishama. The great-grandson of Ammihud. The great-great grandson of Ladan. There he is, buried like a needle in the haystack of seemingly endless names in 1 Chronicles chapter 7 verse 27. That’s a lot of digging to find the lineage of this great man of God in the far recesses of the Bible, but here He is.
Today, I pray that you are enjoying a rewarding, prosperous, and enlightening deep study of God’s Word. That you are energized by digging deep into its recesses to find the little nuggets that await those that are willing to mine for them. For within the pages of God’s Word, buried in its far corners, lies wisdom, comfort, and joy to the believer in Christ Jesus.
Happy mining.
“The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.” Psalm 119:130
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