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Reading the Bible
Acts 8:30-35 says, “30And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? 31And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. 32The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: 33In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. 34And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? 35Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.”
2 Timothy 2:15 says, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
It is very important that Christians study to show themselves approved, but when it comes to knowing the Word of God, it is important to read the Bible. It is more than just hearing a preacher preach on Sunday morning or taking a parent’s word for it, but it is about studying the Word ourselves. When learning and understanding the Bible, the central focus of believers should not be to read as many chapters of the Bible as they can everyday. Instead, it should be to read maybe a chapter or two a day, and then break each chapter down verse by verse, studying on the historical and literary context of each verse. When reading in bulk at a time, a lot can be missed from the Word of God that the LORD would love for us to grasp in our way of thinking. However, by reading a chapter at a time and taking down notes of each verse when possible, then a reader can take something from the Word of God that can become part of his or her way of life!
In the text, God had led Philip from a major, soul-winning revival to go and reach out to this one soul, an Ethiopian eunuch. This man was reading some scripture, but he could not understand what he was reading. The text was in Isaiah 53:7-8, which is referring to the trial and death of Jesus Christ. Since he could not comprehend these verses, he did not read any further until he got some answers, and Philip had those answers, as he preached unto this Ethiopian eunuch Jesus Christ. He could have easily breezed over these verses as though it contained no spiritual significance, but he realized he needed to know the truth, and he found it that day!
In the same manner, we must not breeze over verses of scripture, but we should study and even ask until we get the right answers. If we have to find some good commentary or ask a great man or woman of God, then so be it. In order for us to defend our faith, we must know the Word of God, which means we must understand what we are reading. We should be able to quote more and more verses, and what we read should become a part of us as we pray the Word of God and live it out by faith. Only then can we be true Christian who becomes a mirror reflection of who Jesus really was, is, and is to come!