The devil has us convinced that Leviticus is for the scholars, Numbers is boring, Isaiah is confusing, and Ecclesiastes– down right depressive. “Meaningless. All is meaningless.” As my oldest would say. So we made peace with knowing little, crutching on Psalms and Proverbs for our devotional time.
Each January we feel charged to read the Bible in one year. Possibly even chronologically. We complete Genesis, then hurry to Exodus. While the Egyptians still mourn over the tenth plague in chapter 11, we start wondering like the Israelites in the wilderness. “If Leviticus only read more like Genesis!” And we grumble over the stylistic shift in the third book of the Torah. Do we expect the Romanian Legislation to read like Jane Eyre? Or the American Constitution like Moby Dick?
It’s what makes the Scriptures fascinating. Poetry, history, biographies, military records, priestly rules, moral law, dietary regulations. Numbers. Colors. Texture. Adrenaline. Always on the move. No dull moments. The Bible’s not stingy with details. That should not upset us, nor intimidate us. It should stir curiosity, and prompt us to be detectives.
What keeps us from creating charts, maps, connections, observations, drawings, genealogies?
Deuteronomy 6:6-9 gives much room for creativity. “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”
Looking at the phrase “impress them” or “teach diligently”, Malachi shares in his blog, “The root Hebrew verb here (šānan) is associated with the word ‘sharp’ – it essentially means to ‘engrave’ or ‘teach incisively.’ In other words, etch and write God’s commands onto the hearts of your bēn.”
Be creative. Use your gift and engrave the things you observe in your memory. We must journal online, or offline. We consume more than we can digest. If we don’t engrave it, we forget it.
Here are some practical ways of etching our observations.
Accountants, observe numbers and create spreadsheets. Aren’t you curious how many years Adam told the story of creation to Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Malalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, and Lamech (Noah’s dad)? How many good kings did Judah have, or Israel?
Doctors, aren’t you curious what was the first recorded infertility? Or, how doctor Luke writes his gospel from a doctor’s view, and how blessed was Paul to have Luke travel with him?
Teachers, have you observed the techniques of Jesus’ teaching in Luke 6 “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns…” As he’s teaching in the field, don’t you think he’s pointing to the lilies and the flying birds? Jesus is teaching in the lab, not the classroom.
Artists, what if you designed phone wallpapers, mirror notes, personalized t-shirts, booklets, canva-designed posters, verse songs, a painting, mind maps?
Farmers, aren’t you curious of Jacob’s skills in breeding sheep and goats? And who said, farmers can’t be writers? Look at David getting inspired to write Psalm 23 from a shepherds heart.
Care-takers, moms and those who care for sick ones. What if you noticed how David flourished under unnoticeable season? If he had a fridge, I bet he’d have a magnet with “Preparation meets opportunity”. He took the monotony of shepherding and turned it into a marvelous opportunity to grow new skills.
- Context: David’s family didn’t see him as king material. When Samuel came to anoint one of the sons of Jesse, they forgot that he was with the sheep. 1 Samuel 16:10-11 “Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, ‘The Lord has not chosen these.’ So he asked Jesse, ‘Are these all the sons you have?’ ‘There is still the youngest,’ Jesse answered. ‘He is tending the sheep.’ Samuel said, ‘Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.’ ”
- Do you believe that his perfect aim to kill Goliath was a pure miracle? Or is it possible he honed his skill like the Benjamites 1 Chronicles 12:2 “they … were able to shoot arrows or to sling stones right-handed or left-handed; they were relatives of Saul from the tribe of Benjamin) or Judges 20:16 “Among all these soldiers there were seven hundred select troops who were left-handed, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.“
- He hates boredom. And it’s in the mundane he itches for more, and starts to create songs, plays the lyre, learns new dance moves probably, and practices slinging a stone to a blade of grass (hopefully not the sheep).
- How do you think he had a reputation of great musician? “So Saul said to his attendants, “Find someone who plays well and bring him to me. ‘One of the servants answered, ‘I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the lyre. He is a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the Lord is with him.’ ” 1 Samuel 16
As we struggle through first few pages of a book we don’t get… what if giving up is not an option!? Instead, giving into the depth of the narrative is our response. Boredom should stir curiosity and prompt us to pick the shovel to dig the book we read. We are too pleased with raking at surface level.
John Piper would tell his boys when they’d complain about a book being too difficult to read. “Raking is easy, but all you get is leaves; digging is hard, but you might find diamonds.” (page 10) Future Grace, John Piper
David Mathis says that we need the raking to understand the landscape of where to dig. He continues “…we need a diet of both breadth and depth. There’s a place for reading the Bible in a year and a place for going deep in half a verse.”
May we consistently rake and shovel the fascinating and life-applicable Scriptures. Not as mental gymnastics, but as a heart-transforming tool.
Don’t Give Up. Give Into. Boredom can be a gift to dig for diamonds and not be satisfied with leaves. Let’s shift from passive consumption to active exploration.
How do you make books like Leviticus or Numbers come alive? What tools or practices do you have that might help others?