Reading well is an essential to effective Bible study. You need to learn how to read repeatedly. Don’t worry. You will not exhaust the Word of God if you read it over and over again. Unlike other literature which you can understand with one reading, the Word of God can never be drained of its application. You may read a passage today and come back to it later and still find more to glean.
Paul alludes to the inexhaustibility of God’s Word in Romans 11:33, “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!”
In his book, Living by the Book, Howard Hendricks gives several ideas to help you read the Bible over and over again:
1. Read entire books of the Bible in one sitting. Reading a book in its entirety in one sitting will better equip you to understand its message.
2. Start at the beginning of the book. You would never pick up a novel and start reading in the middle of the story. It would not make sense unless you understood the context. The same consideration must be given to the Bible. Start at the beginning.
3. Read the Bible in various translations.
4. Listen to audio versions of the Bible. It is amazing what you will grasp when someone else reads the Word of God.
5. Read the Bible out loud. Words can mean a lot more when you hear yourself speaking them.
6. Read through the Bible in a year. There are many resources that can help you read through the Bible from front to back. Start now!
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