Jump start # 3691
2 Kings 25:30 “and for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king, a portion for each day, all the days of his life.”
Our verse today ends the book of 2 Kings, or simply, Kings, as it is referred to in older translations. It tells of Jehoiachin’s prison time. Jerusalem had been conquered by Babylon and Judah’s king was put in prison. In exile for 37 years, a new Babylonian king granted kindness and favor to him. A better place to stay. He was allowed to dine with the king on a regular basis and given the comfort of better clothes and conditions.
And, with our verse, second Kings ends. There is a momentum that builds as one reads through different books of the Bible. It’s not just checking off a box that one has finished that book, but there is the satisfaction that comes from staying with it, even though Satan throws all kinds of distractions and excuses to not read today.
With that, let us consider a few thoughts:
First, there is something to be said about having read the entire Bible. I have my sweet dad’s Bible. When I open it, it smells like his house, which I miss. Penciled throughout the pages are dates. Those are the dates that he was reading that section of Scripture. Many places will have two dates. Different dates. He was reading through a second time.
In these days, many have given up reading. The majority of college grads never read a book again the rest of their lives. Videos have replaced reading. People are told what to think. What an amazing thing to say that you have read the Bible cover to cover.
Second, reading the Bible changes a person. One learns history and sees human nature, the good and the ugly, repeated over and over in the Bible story. But more than that, a person comes to learn God. And, what they see is that God is engaged in the history of our world. One sees that God really longs for us to know Him and walk with Him. And, the more time spent in the Bible, the more our character is shaped and formed. Our words get toned down. Our attitudes straighten up. Our hearts become more compassionate. The more that the word of God runs through our hearts, the less we worry. The more we stand upon the word of God, the more assured and confident we become, not in ourselves, but in the God who can do all things.
Third, as one finishes one book of the Bible, there is the drive to read on to the next book of the Bible. Looking at the table of contents, Genesis through Nehemiah is the straight history of the O.T. All the books after Nehemiah fit in between somewhere. Understanding where and how the books fit helps as one reads the Bible. Some books of the Bible were written the same times as others. Some books refer to others. Like giant puzzle pieces, they each have their own place and story, but connecting to the other books, they tell one big story of Jesus coming to redeem us to God. Each book has it’s place. Each book is essential.
For those who are not familiar with the Bible, it can seem overwhelming. So many pages. So big. So many names, places and things that seem so different from our world. You can help someone new to the Bible by guiding them. Recommend a starting place. Helping them to see how all the books fit together.
Spending a few moments each day in God’s word, little as it seems, in time that book is read. It reminds me of Jimi, the man who simply read the Bible through while on death row. He became a Christian by just doing what the Bible says. No preacher. No classes. No tracts. Just, the word of God. He was baptized by prison guards. He requested that because of what he read in the Bible. It worked then and it works today. Jimi was executed last year. But Jimi’s heart was changed by the power of God’s word.
God’s word still holds that power and it can still bring each of us to the Lord. The last page. The last page of a book. And, as one concludes the final page in God’s book, he will realize that we do not have a final page to our story. The promises of God ring true about eternal life in Jesus Christ.
Get into that book—spend some time there. Keep reading. Underline words as you read. Think about what you read. And, staying with it, you’ll soon finish that book. Read the Bible cover to cover. What a wonderful blessing that is.
How many times have you read the Bible through? Some do it every year.
Roger