Well, it has been a long time since I've written anything on this blog. I suspect nobody reads or checks on it anymore!
I thought I'd give an update on my Bible reading project. In an earlier post I had mentioned that I had a goal of reading through the Bible in six months. Along with some friends of mine we decided to go with a translation that was a little off the beaten path (for us). So we chose the New Living Translation (NLT). First of all, the actual Bible reading has gone very well. In about another two weeks or so, I will have read through the entire Bible. For me this will actually mark the first time I have actually systematically done this. I do have some random thoughts that emerge from reading through the scriptures : First, I recently read through the four gospels. One of the things that I always enjoy about the gospels is that the Lord Jesus is right there, i.e. the text is directly telling us what He did and said while here on earth. Of course the whole Bible is ultimately about Him, but in the gospels you are faced with the truth of who He is directly. Another thing that leaped out at me as I read through the Bible is the faithfulness of God. Especially all the passages in the OT where He reitirates that He will fulfill all of the promises that He made to Israel. Time and time again I was reminded that God has not cast away His ancient people whom He foreknew. I was also reminded that its all about the goodness of God, not the goodness of human beings. In other words, God will keep His promises to Israel because He is good, not because they are. My reading through the Bible convinced me that Israel still has a place in the plans and purposes of God. What that is exactly is a discussion for another post.
Lastly, some thoughts on using the NLT for my Bible reading. It was eminently readable, which is a positive when you are trying to read through the whole Bible. Overall I was satisfied with the accuracy of the translation insofar as it put across the main teaching of the Bible in what I considered to be an orthodox way. I suppose I am well enough grounded in my faith not to be overly concerned with some inadequately translated passages. But that does bring me to a couple of criticisms; namely, in its attempt to be a contemporary translation, the NLT can be too familiar. It lacks a certain depth or majesty of language that I feel scripture has. (Of course, my thoughts on this point probably arise from the fact that I have read the KJV for most of my life, and that I prefer reading the Bible in what is essentially, Elizabethan English.) Also, some passages with which I have been familiar with for many years seemed to me to be translated inaccurately. I suppose this irritated me when I read them. However, I most certainly am not a "KJV only" proponent. The NLT I believe is fine for reading, probably not so great for more in depth study.
As a final thought - the reading of scripture should not be done as simply an exercise or task to be completed, but to encounter the living God through His inspired word...
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I check this blog very frequently, bro.
I've found the cover-to-cover reading has been invaluable for getting the context of Scripture. Not just the context of those familiar passages and verses, but the context of each verse, chapter, and book.
One time through, I referred constantly to the maps in the back of my little Darby. It was extremely helpful to have some geographical context for what was happening.
I also found the historical context was very helpful: reading the Pentatuech through Esther before the prophets made it a lot easier to catch the references to their history as I was reading.
I grew up (like you) with a deep knowledge of Scripture, but it wasn't so broad as it should have been. Reading cover-to-cover made it much easier to catch those broad connections: family histories, tribal histories, geographical histories... they all helped in fleshing out my view of all the verses I thought I knew.
This might be the most helpful exercise I've ever been through.
As far as Christ being right here, I whole-heartedly agree. They are books to answer the question of what it would look like if the Son of God actually walked on the earth.
It was huge for me to realize that John only contains a handful of days' worth of history: it's like a play in seven or so acts. But Luke seems to give the most complete synopsis of Christ's life.
And reading the Epistles after Acts sheds a lot of light on what each Epistle says.
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