Some Reflections on the Bible as a Whole

Last week, my church finished reading through the Bible; it was a three-year plan that all of us were encouraged to follow. Through an online messaging app, we were also able to share our insights into God’s Word. This was my fourth time reading through the Bible, but it had been many years since I had done it, so I was grateful to have the opportunity to do so with my brothers and sisters. I have been reflecting on this plan in terms of what I have learned about the Bible as a whole.

First of all, I discovered the difference between reading and studying God’s Word. As I mentioned, it was a three-year plan, which is one-two chapters a day, rather than the three-four chapters I read daily my first time through many years ago. Reading at a more leisurely pace allowed me more time to see what commentators had to say about various passages that I didn’t understand well. This allowed me to check any interpretations I had thought of along the way. This was especially important since I am a Sunday-school teacher (of adults), and week by week I was writing brief summaries of the chapters our church had been reading through during the previous week or two. In this class, we always have discussions, as well, which allow us to share insights and questions.

When we discuss and investigate what others have said or written, it helps prevent us from making wild conjectures. Several years ago at a church my wife and I were part of at the time, we heard a sermon in which the preacher said that the prophet Jonah was suicidal. I had never heard or read that interpretation before (or since, for that matter), so I had some e-mail exchanges with the preacher; among other things, I encouraged him to look at what commentators had to say about a given passage before sharing it with the congregation. This time of reading through the Bible, I am more convinced than ever that Jonah was most definitely not suicidal!

One thing I noticed as never before is the repetition, or redundancy, of Scripture. In Exodus 25-30, for example, the Lord gives Moses meticulous instructions for building the tabernacle (including measurements and materials) as well as other items associated with it, including garments for the priest. In Exodus 35-39, we are told, again very meticulously, and in many cases almost identical words, how Bezalel, Oholiab, and other skilled Israelites constructed the tabernacle and made the other things associated with it. I should add here that in Hebrews 8:5, we are told why these specifications were so very important: “They [the priests] serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: ‘See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.’” Imagine: there is a tabernacle in heaven that is the “original” of the one that the Israelites made; this is literally jaw-dropping to me.

Here’s another example of repetition; in fact, in the NIV, the words are exactly the same in Proverbs 21:9 and Proverbs 25:24: “Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.” (I’m thankful that although my wife and I certainly don’t agree on everything, she is not quarrelsome!) Jesus Himself frequently quoted Old Testament passages, usually to point out the fulfillment of specific prophecies. And sometimes we are given multiple accounts of the same event to give us a richness of detail that one account simply doesn’t; we see this, for example, in the four Gospel accounts of Jesus’ resurrection. I could give many more examples, but here’s one of my favorites: In the second part of Revelation 21:6, we read: “To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.” Then in the second part of Revelation 22:17, we read: “Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.”

One thing that I reconfirmed this time through the Bible is its consistency and coherence as a whole. In the third chapter of Genesis, after Adam and Eve sin, the Lord gives us the promise of a deliverer. In the first book of the New Testament, we find out that His Name is Jesus. In Revelation, we find out more about His second coming and the glorious future He has promised to His people. No wonder that in the second-to-last verse of the Bible, John (the author of Revelation) writes, “Come, Lord Jesus.” I have often echoed those words, sometimes out loud, as I see our society decaying more and more.

On a related note: I would be remiss if I didn’t mention something else I noticed once again reading through the Bible: the prevalence of warning and judgment. We see this early on, in Deuteronomy 28, which has 14 verses devoted to promises of the Lord’s blessing for obedience and 54 verses about curses for disobedience. When we were going through Deuteronomy in my Sunday-school class, I asked why there was such a big difference between the two in this chapter. A young gal replied that maybe it’s because the Lord knows how prone His people are to disobedience; well-said! In fact, there comes a point where these warnings against disobedience in Deuteronomy 28 change to prophecy. Speaking of: when we read through the 17 Old Testament books devoted to prophecy, we see that warning and judgment predominate, particularly up to the time that the ten northern tribes of Israel are taken into captivity by Assyria, and the two southern tribes by Babylon. (And of course, we read in much more detail about Israel’s history of disobedience in the books of the Bible devoted to it.) Interspersed throughout these prophecies are words of hope and restoration for the Israelites. Lest we think that the New Testament is free of words of warning and judgment, we have books like 1 Corinthians to remind us that we Christians are also still prone to sin. We also have the book of Revelation, which although focused primarily on the judgment of unbelievers, is still a warning to all. And of course, we have a large host of specific commands throughout the New Testament, focused not just on actions, but on our words and even our thoughts, where sin starts.

There has been a decided shift in the preaching I heard when I was growing up in the 1960s and 1970s compared to now. Pastors in the U.S. (and I’ve heard many of them in various contexts) now seem much more reluctant to preach about sin, warnings, and judgment, instead focusing on the love of God and His blessings for His people. And how about suffering? 2 Timothy 3:12 says, “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” I haven’t heard a lot of sermons about persecution! I believe it would have been good to hear more about God’s love when I was a child; maybe I would have become a Christian before age 20. However, I believe people need to hear more than they currently do about God’s warnings against disobedience as well as His promise of persecution for living in obedience. “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” (John 14:15) Is striking a balance really too much to expect?

In conclusion, as we continue to read and study God’s Word, may He continue to teach us and guide us, especially in how we are to express our love for Him by living in obedience.