Loving the Law…Even When It’s Tough to Read It
For the past several years, I’ve read through the entire Bible over the course of the year. I’m doing it with a little bit different reading plan this year that includes readings from the Old and New Testaments and either Psalms or Proverbs every day.
Right now the Old Testament part is tough because I’m in — you guessed it — Leviticus.
I tried to do a little research on if the old saying is true that most people give up on reading through the Bible when they get to Leviticus. I didn’t find anything compelling, but the idea is apparently enough of a legend that there are plenty of articles on how and why not to give up on Leviticus.
It’s difficult to read Leviticus, with the complex and seemingly repetitive sacrificial regulations and the disgusting descriptions of what to do about skin diseases and bodily discharges.
Leviticus isn’t the fun, uplifting experience we expect when we think about reading all the way through God’s Word.
And yet the Psalmist talks about the concept of loving and being excited about studying God’s Word in Psalm 119:
With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth. In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.
Psalm 119:13-16 (ESV)
or
With my lips I’ve recounted all the rulings of your mouth. In the way of your affirmations I’ve rejoiced as over all riches. I shall talk about the things you have determined and look to your paths. In your decrees I will take pleasure; I will not put out of mind your words.
Psalm 119:13-16 (The Bible for Everyone)
It’s not “I take delight in the parts of Your Word that are fun to read” or “I’ll never forget the things in Your law that aren’t gross or difficult.”
The delight comes in the totality of God’s Word, even the parts about bodily emissions or white discolorations on the skin. We should be able to appreciate the excruciatingly detailed descriptions of the temple just as much as we do the stories that have captured our attention since we were kids.
Reading, studying, and loving God’s Word isn’t always meant to be easy. But the rewards come when we can read something difficult and appreciate it just as much as the things that area easy to delight in.
So don’t give up on difficult or boring passages. Give them a try — soldier through them if you have to — and see what God has to say in HIs powerful Word.
Photo by Taylor Wilcox on Unsplash