Reading the Bible

[mlbrokish]

I have participated in bible studies which discusses a summary of portions of the bible. 

If I would plan to set a goal to read the bible completely, an suggestions?  Certain version preferred. Read straight from front to back or follow a reading plan for a method?

[marvelloustime]

Hi @mlbrokish

I did that. I started in around 2015, and finished about two years later. 

But, did it all sink in? No.

Sometimes just reading a small passage is far better than reading 20 pages all in one go.

I now use bible plans. bible.com is a good one. You can choose your plan by what topic you want to study.

God bless,

Becky.

Xxx

[mlbrokish]

7 minutes ago, Rebecca Pickles said:

Hi @mlbrokish

I did that. I started in around 2015, and finished about two years later. 

But, did it all sink in? No.

Sometimes just reading a small passage is far better than reading 20 pages all in one go.

I now use bible plans. bible.com is a good one. You can choose your plan by what topic you want to study.

God bless,

Becky.

Xxx

Great advice! Thank you, Becky!

xo

[GandalfTheWise]

11 minutes ago, mlbrokish said:

I have participated in bible studies which discusses a summary of portions of the bible. 

If I would plan to set a goal to read the bible completely, an suggestions?  Certain version preferred. Read straight from front to back or follow a reading plan for a method?

--------Reading Efficiency -----------

Something that no one ever talks about but is very important is how good of a reader are you?  The reality is that people emerge from formal education with vastly different levels of reading skills.  Some people have learned to be efficient readers and others have not.  This is not related to intelligence or education (except for vocabulary).  Efficient reading consists of effective eye movements to take in information.  We can only see something clearly when our eye pauses and fixates for a split second.  We cannot see a page as our eyes are moving.   Inefficient reading consists of looking at one word at a time.  Efficient reading consists of reading pairs or triplets of words.  Our eyes can only move so quickly, if we stop at each word, there is an inherent limit to reading speed on the order of perhaps a few hundred words per minute.  However, if we are reading two or three words per eye fixation, we can read at 2 to 3 times the rate of one word per eye fix.   I'll put asterisks and parentheses into a couple sentences to illustrate what I mean.  The stars are where inefficient readers and more efficient readers would be looking.

The Lord is my shepherd.  I shall not want.

(T*he) (Lo*rd) (i*s) (m*y) (shep*herd). ( I*)  (sh*all) (n*ot) (wa*nt).   (9 eye fixes)

(The * Lord)  (is * my)  (shep*herd).  (I * shall)  (not * want).   (5 eye fixes)

(The Lo*rd is) (my shep*herd).  (I shall * not want).          (3 eye fixes)

As one practices reading efficiently, one gains the ability to take in multiple words and short phrases at once.  It's easier to comprehend because you don't have to hold a number of words in memory to put together into a sentence later.  You take in a short sentence in perhaps 1 or 2 eye fixes as you've practiced this.  I've heard inefficient readers comment about sometimes having to re-read a sentence a few times to understand it because they forgot what the beginning was by the time they reached the end.  Efficient reading is not about trying to be fast.  It is about being efficient and using as few eyes fixes as possible to understand what is being read.  Increased speed and increased comprehension is merely a byproduct of efficiency.

The Bible is a long book.  Having good reading skills is a huge help when reading it.

------Pick a version that will work best for you ---------

My opinion is to pick a version that you find easy and comfortable to read.  The purpose of reading the entire Bible through is not to master each verse but to see the entire forest rather than focusing on the bark on one branch on one tree.  Being able to comfortably read some number of pages per day will make it easier to read the entire Bible than if you are somewhat frustrated and struggling with a particular translation.  Often a less literal translation is a better choice for reading the Bible through than a very literal version.  Most people can read 10 pages of a version such as the NIV more quickly and with more comprehension than a more literal version with more archaic English usage such the KJV.

 

--------Decide what to do with tedious sections ---------

One thing to note is some sections of the Bible are tedious and boring to read.  For example, the first nine chapters of I Chronicles is mostly genealogies and names.  You'll find a few interesting things such as that Joab and his brothers were David's cousins, but for the most part, it's a bunch of names that never appear anywhere else.  You have to decide if you are going to feel guilty for skipping those parts.  Some people feel strongly that they will not skip a single word in the Bible.  Others are more concerned with getting through the entire Bible for an overview.  I've read the genealogies in various OT books multiple times and there is little there that applies anywhere else.  Depending on your personal interests, some sections of the law and the several chapters in Exodus describing the tabernacle can get somewhat tedious to read as well.

My opinion is that reading the Bible through is (as phrased above) a chance to see the entire forest rather than worrying about studying the leaves and bark of a particular tree.  If there are sections (perhaps such as I Chronicles 1-9) that are slowing you down and sapping your enthusiasm, my advice is to just skim them.  For example, in Genesis 36, only verses 6-8 really have much bearing on the larger story.

This is where efficient reading skills can help immensely.  If you can comfortably switch between a more detailed reading mode and skimming, using skimming on sections such as genealogies can help you get through them quickly but allow you to catch the general gist of things as well as notice special names such as "David" when going through them.

--------Learn what works for you -----------

It is important to note that everyone is different and we all are at different seasons in our lives.  What is good for one of us at one point in our lives may or may not be at other times or for other people.  There've been times I've read the Bible through in a month (which was when I could dedicate a couple hours of reading every night).  This gave me a great overview of the Bible.  For example, reading I and II Kings through in a day brings a unity and coherence to understanding that you wouldn't get reading them a few chapters at a time over the course of a few months.  There are times I've read the Bible through in a year and on 6 month types of schedules.  I've also at times separated my OT and NT reading onto parallel schedules where I did the OT on a one year basis and the NT on a 4 month basis which was about the same number of pages in each per day.  There are times when I've focused on a single book (reading it through once per day for about a month).

It is very important to note that there is not a "right" way and a "wrong" way.  There is a way "which is working good for you right now" and a way "which is not working so good for you right now."  This can very well change over time.   At one time in my life, I read the Bible through in a month for 3 months in a row and got a lot out of it.  Indeed, much of my current Bible knowledge is rooted in the foundations of that 3 months.  However, on the 4th month, I crashed and burned and gave up trying to get through the Bible about 6 months later perhaps about 1/3 of the way through the OT.  What I did not realize is that there was a season in my life where once per month was fruitful and that I needed to move to a different season.  I've since learned that I need to adapt to what is working for me.  I'm simply a person who can throw unsustainable amounts of effort at something for a limited time and gain much from it.  After that, I need a break and then need to find the next thing to throw myself into.  

I had a pastor who for close to 20 years has read the one-year Bible like clockwork.  Every morning he gets up, makes a cup of coffee, and reads the daily readings to being his prayers and devotions.  It has worked great for him.  Something like that has rarely worked for me.  I have definite seasons in life that change that I've learned to adapt to.  Each of us is different and we need to learn what works best for us rather than forcing ourselves into someone else's patterns.

A reasonable starting point for you might just be to start in Genesis, pick some amount of time per day (perhaps 30 minutes) at the same time each day, and just read and put in a book marker when the 30 minutes is up.  Repeat the next day.  After a few weeks, you will probably have a good idea if this is working.  If you are excited and cannot wait to start reading the next day, this is a good plan for you.  If you are starting to have to force yourself to do it, it's probably not a good reading plan and something else might be better.   Some Bible reading schedules mix readings from various books and sections (which some people just love and other people like me find frustrating).  

The main thing is to monitor how it is working for you.  If it becomes something you have to force yourself to do (and your predominant feelings are frustration and guilt), you need to find a different plan that is fruitful for you.  You might hit something great the first time.  You might have a few false starts trying to find a good plan.   This is not a reflection of you being a good Christian or not, it is simply learning how to best walk with God as the unique person He created you to be. 

 

 

 

 

[dr3032]

I would advise a set amount of time each day to read, but how long and how far depends on the person. Some people can read the Bible for hours and hours, and some just find reading a bit tiresome.

For me, I can read for a while, but then I get tired and set it down. I normally try to do 2.5 to 3 pages each day, or read the whole book if it's just an itty bitty baby book, or in the case of psalms, I had a 10 psalms each day rule.

I picked up the NIV first. As they say, the more you read and reread, the more you learn. I look back at my first readthrough and I don't know how I missed so much. I did not read every day, so this took me about 2 years to finish from front to back. I purchased a KJV and have found reading it far easier - I just got through the OT yesterday, plus a section detailing the history between the testiments, and it's taken me somewhere around 7 months to get this far, i'd like to say. That's what my advice would be though is to look up scripture online and see what version it comes from, so you can decide for yourself which version might suit your taste. I think the NIV flew over my head because it was too simplified.

My last bit of advice? It's going to take a while. Seriously, you got like 1300 pages with 4 columns of teeny tiny print. Be prepared to be patient with it.

[Jostler]

man, I am reluctant  to add anything to Gandalfs's post.  IMO that's a rich  guide....I kinda got a nudge to share how He's led me and might later...but wow...just the bit of technical understanding about how the eye and brain function together to enhance speed and comprehension will really  help a generation whose attention span and comprehension ability has been stunted by  technology.  Please don't hear that as a criticism if you perceive yourself to be  slow reader who doesn't enjoy  it.  It's not meant to be at all.  But fact is technology  HAS trained us and limited us in ways that can be overcome with a little understanding and effort.  The brain is capable of "flash comprehension" of segments of text far larger than  single word...and just a bit of practice encouraging it to will bear fruit rapidly.  

I do believe some things we have to do by discipline until we do it by nature, so goals can be very helpful and help us push through some of the fleshy barriers we all face.  But the minute failure to reach a goal results in self-condemnation....something has gone wrong.  Keep goals reasonable and really check up with Him to see what He thinks of the  goal.  Setting grandiose goals can be just as fleshy  as the  internal resistance to reading any at all can be.  It can be a trap designed to try to get you relying on your strength instead of His to do "good works" so He'll approve us....doomed to fail and intended to get us into that shame based, self-c0ndemnation loop that will try to just drive us completely away from Him and His Book.

Cultivate an awareness of His presence.  Recognize and truly believe that one of the  Spirit's main ministries to us is that of Teacher.  Sent to guide us into all truth  and reveal the  things of Jesus to us.  Expect Him to interact with your  reading and explain  things.   He will.  Listen and read simultaneously.  He will show you  great and mighty things you  do  not know.  He's always with us   It's our awareness of that fact that waxes and wanes. 

So much for short....

HE has a plan for your reading...it's personalized and powerfully effective in teaching YOU...as He designed you to learn   Don't get caught up in rigid rules and systems unless HE says that kind of discipline is part of His training for you at this time.

Reading the Bible through is such a wonderful thing and so very  helpful in getting the big picture.  I personally like reading  it in  chronological order...in the order they were written and recorded.

Detailed study is such a wonderful thing and so important :).  Both are needed and He'll be faithful to show you how  to get  both done.  One particularly blessed personal experience was a season when He had me camped out in just a few verses of John 17 for a solid three months.

Go with His  seasons....and be blessed   And do it with Him, not for Him.

Edited July 8, 2019 by Jostler

[mlbrokish]

What a blessing to have all of these great ideas!  I LOVE the support you have all shown and I look forward to trying out a couple methods to see what is most comfortable.  

[Guest]

I just will not do that. My style is pick parts i am drawn to. Dwell on those. Build up knowledge gradually. I read books explaining scripture, inspiring me. Read hymns as prayers. Grow my faith naturally and freely instead of in a structured rigid fashion. 

[mlbrokish]

@GandalfTheWise I appreciate all of the detailed information you have outlined, which can help most anyone looking for ideas in accomplishing a great undertaking of reading the bible completely. 

I consider myself an average to above average reader as I the subject of English (writing, reading, proofreading, etc.) was a something with which I did quite well when in school, some years ago.  I have to say, though, comprehension of the bible seems a bit overwhelming when I am trying to "decipher" the meaning of a passage, so I feel it is not as easy to skim over too many words. -at least it is that way for me. (perhaps a different version will help??)

I've always been comfortable with the NIV version, but that's not to say that I may find a new version to be more comprehensive, so I will explore other versions online.

Also, I'm glad you mentioned about skipping some parts, esp genealogies, as I found myself rambling through the list of names incoherently when I realized I probably would never be able to remember it all.  The main idea I got from those sections is that I know where to reference when I am wondering about descendants of a certain family member or whatnot.   

-- mlb

[johnthebaptist]

4 hours ago, mlbrokish said:

I have participated in bible studies which discusses a summary of portions of the bible. 

If I would plan to set a goal to read the bible completely, an suggestions?  Certain version preferred. Read straight from front to back or follow a reading plan for a method?

I think you should start at the beginning and read straight through. If you have very little time to do this, you might start with Matthew, Mark, Luke,and John instead. I didn't understand if you were asking what version we preferred - I was given a Revised Standard Version as a child and still use it. I would be comfortable reading the New King James Version, also.