Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert. So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.” So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. Acts 8:26–31
Have you ever watched a child who is just learning to read? For some children, the process is so frustrating that they want to just give up. But then comes the moment when all of those strange characters that have surrounded them their whole lives suddenly take on meaning for the first time. They read the word “STOP” on a big red sign and understand that it means you have to stop the car before you move on. Soon they find that they can read an entire page out of a story book that has never been read to them. It is when those mysterious words find meaning that reading starts to become both useful and enjoyable.
We have talked a good bit lately about the importance of Bible reading, but if we do not understand what we are reading, we won’t get the nourishment that God intended. Furthermore, a lack of understanding is one of the main reasons that people give up on Bible reading. Fortunately there are some steps that you can take to improve your understanding and thus improve the quality of your experience of reading God’s word.
First, if you are struggling to understand what you are reading, you might consider reading from a different translation. Like me, you probably grew up with the majestic sounds and cadences of the King James Version, but you should know that there is nothing sacred about 17th-century English. If you don’t have any trouble at all with the KJV, by all means stick with it, but if you find there are words you don’t quite understand,[1] give the New King James or the English Standard a try. This single decision will probably make a big difference in your level of understanding right away.
The next step might seem counterproductive, but I think you will find it sound advice: slow down! If you are struggling just to check off the box each day and you are constantly falling behind and having to catch back up, you are going to miss a lot of the gems that are only found by spending quality time with the text and meditating on it. If you choose to take a slower pace, you might not make it all the way through the Bible this year, but you will be able to focus on the portion that you do read, perhaps in a way that you never have before. If your goal is to just get the big picture, a quick read might be in order,[2] but if you want to dig a little deeper this time through, slow down and spend some time with the Scriptures. If you have already signed up for an aggressive reading plan and you are having second thoughts now, it isn’t too late to change your mind.
In the next article we will consider some other things you can do to help you better understand what you read from God’s word. If you follow these tips, I think you will find the process easier, more enjoyable, and more profitable.
[1] Beware of trying to look up words from the KJV in your modern English dictionary. Remember that the meanings of words often change over time. Just think of how the meaning of the word “gay” has changed in the last few decades!
[2] I once decided to read through a new translation of the Bible in 90 days, and it was a very beneficial exercise.
