Value in reading the Bible in a year?

[wturri78]

I've been more or less trying to read through the Bible in a year. In fact I've tried several approaches. I've found often that if I miss a day here or there, I end up speed-reading to make up lost ground and keep to a schedule. Lately I've just been working my way through one OT and one NT book together, reading more chapters in the OT. Obviously speed and number of pages are far less important than being transformed by the Scriptures, but my question primarily is this:

Can anybody besides those with encyclopedic knowledge and photographic memories truly benefit from reading 3-4 chapters of certain books every day? Some OT history books, for example, move along and are easy to follow over many chapters. The same isn't the case for prophetic books. I can read 3 chapters in Isaiah and have absolutely no idea what I've just read. The number of references, direct or indirect, to geography, history, important people, etc. can be large and even then interpreting prophecies obviously isn't a simple task. So what benefit can a person derive from reading Scriptures without taking the time to meticulously track down references and be sure one understands and retains what was read?

Is it better to just pick one book and take as long as necessary to really work through it? Realizing of course that at that rate one may never touch some parts of the Bible...

Thoughts?

 

[Joseph Scibbe]

I am not a fan of this. It usually becomes a ritual and we tend not to savor the scriptures as well. Plus if you are reading 4 chapters of 3 books a day, you tend to miss a lot. Often times I spend a whole day reading and meditating on a single verse or paragraph.

 

[christiana]

I'm not exact to keep within the boundary of a year but am pretty close, depending on how long I dwell and ponder over certain areas.
I do believe it to be a discipline and without that boundary of extensive daily reading we can grow sluggish and cover little ground! Every trip through is different and brings new knowledge, new blessings, new challenges to life!!

 

[Grymir]

Hi Wturri78. I was converted by reading the Bible from beginning to end. Reading that way helps alot. Most of the reading programs hop around the Bible.

 

[wturri78]

I'm not exact to keep within the boundary of a year but am pretty close, depending on how long I dwell and ponder over certain areas.
I do believe it to be a discipline and without that boundary of extensive daily reading we can grow sluggish and cover little ground! Every trip through is different and brings new knowledge, new blessings, new challenges to life!!

I think I'd agree that we need the boundary of daily reading, and that without it we do certainly become sluggish. What are your reasons for spending that daily "boundary" reading time going through multiple chapters/books, rather than spending it on smaller sections?

 

[Christian Soldier]

"I can read 3 chapters in Isaiah and have absolutely no idea what I've just read." Well, I wish it wasn't the case, but that can be the case for me as well. I personally tend to get more out of my reading if I take my time and sometimes read through a book multiple times before moving on. I wish I could become better at retaining what I have read and I would also like to be able to read faster. I don't know if I can train myself to do this or if its just something that has to come naturally.

 

[nasa30]

I think that it can be profitable if that is not your only study. It will give you a better "big picture" view and pull it together but I would not recommend that this is your only reading. Do it in addition to what you do now. Continue to focus on a book and dig deep into it and then do the daily reading in a year stuff.

 

[jaybird0827]

We have been using the M'Cheyne calendar for over 20 years. It has been a blessing. And it seems that in recent years we have been reaping the benefits of the long-term repetition of reading each book of the Bible.

The plan calls for reading through part of it privately and part of it in family.

The original version takes you through the OT once and the NT and Psalms twice in 1 year. We did that for several years and found that we had to keep ahead in order to stay on schedule.

TBS publishes a modified form that takes 2 years to read through the OT, with the NT and Psalms being read yearly. Since switching over, we've been able to include additional readings towards the end of each year.

 

[galactic reformer]

I'm not exact to keep within the boundary of a year but am pretty close, depending on how long I dwell and ponder over certain areas.
I do believe it to be a discipline and without that boundary of extensive daily reading we can grow sluggish and cover little ground! Every trip through is different and brings new knowledge, new blessings, new challenges to life!!

Sometimes it has taken me 16 months...but I keep going.

 

[christiana]

I think I'd agree that we need the boundary of daily reading, and that without it we do certainly become sluggish. What are your reasons for spending that daily "boundary" reading time going through multiple chapters/books, rather than spending it on smaller sections?[

I'm retired and am usually up reading by 4a.m., often even much earlier. Each year I begin in Genesis and read as much as is comfortable, with pondering, cross referencing and such depending on whether I have something scheduled for the day. I usually read an hour or two in the chonological reading and read selectively at other times during the day if and when possible.
This year has been the first exception since beginning that schedule and I had decided to read at random. I've not felt comfortable with this and will return to chronological read through. I've spent a lot of time this year doing repititious reading of different books, 1 John, Psalms, Proverbs.
I have a CD of Romans and another of James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1,2,3 John and Jude which I listen to in the car, as read by Max McLean. I'm trying to memorize much of Romans while listening to the CD.
I think the reason for the read through is that it is so hard to remember all the little details of the OT unless I do it this way and keep hammering it in!
I've done the yearly, or nearly yearly read throughs for years and it only seems to get better as I repeat it.
I have never cared for the programs that divide the daily reading between OT and NT and prefer to go straight through.

 

[galactic reformer]

I think that it can be profitable if that is not your only study. It will give you a better "big picture" view and pull it together but I would not recommend that this is your only reading. Do it in addition to what you do now. Continue to focus on a book and dig deep into it and then do the daily reading in a year stuff.

Exactly. No study method will result in perfect knowledge. Sometimes I am studying single words...sometimes passages...sometimes books...but the one thing I definitely need is repitition which results in a grand overview.

Not everybody uses the same approach. We even change methods as we journey. However, I'd recomend every new Christian to read through the Bible once, beginning to end. Not that this would be enough...but we gotta start somewhere.

 

[christiana]

"I can read 3 chapters in Isaiah and have absolutely no idea what I've just read." Well, I wish it wasn't the case, but that can be the case for me as well. I personally tend to get more out of my reading if I take my time and sometimes read through a book multiple times before moving on. I wish I could become better at retaining what I have read and I would also like to be able to read faster. I don't know if I can train myself to do this or if its just something that has to come naturally.

I really know what that feels like! I've had to stop reading at times and pray that my heart and eyes will be opened and that my focus will be intent on what is being read! Its so easy to drift of to the schedule of the day, meal planning or whatever. So, when I hit a wall now I change over to read the same passages for a while in a good commentary. This seems to challenge my focus and I'm more in tune with what I'm reading. Doing the cross references and reading in a commentary seem to open up the meaning and significance! So much of it is just deep and hard and takes so much determination to 'get it'!

 

[wturri78]

I think that it can be profitable if that is not your only study. It will give you a better "big picture" view and pull it together but I would not recommend that this is your only reading. Do it in addition to what you do now. Continue to focus on a book and dig deep into it and then do the daily reading in a year stuff.

I think reading broadly and even somewhat superficially can give a lay of the land, so to speak, and help us to recall other passages as we study more thoroughly.

It would be wonderful to do the daily in-a-year readings, then study another book in detail, and then have lots of time for prayer, and then read some Puritans or church fathers or something...some days it seems all I have time to do is smack myself with a Bible and hope something sticks!

 

[ClayPot]

The advantage of reading through the Bible in a year are:
1. You are exposed to all of God's counsel
2. It is easier to see relationships between books when you read them closely together
3. It keeps you disciplined in consistently reading the Word

Or course there are the downsides of:
1. It can become ritualistic
2. It is more difficult to digest the word
3. You may be tempted to keep reading "from the schedule" when there is a more important area of truth that you should be focusing.

Reading only small chunks of the Bible often has the opposite problems:
1. People read only their favorite stuff. Why are there so few Christians who have read the Bible from cover to cover?
2. Arguments and thoughts in Scriptures can be somewhat lengthy. If we only read a few verses or a chapter, it may be difficult to get the big picture about what is going on in the book.
3. It can be easy to just read a few verses and move on.

I think both are good. I think it is great to read through the entire Bible on a regular basis (whether it is a year or not) but important to dig deep and allow God to transform us as we read and meditate on his word.

 

[Berean]

If you are going to do it in a year, one of these in your favorite translation may help. You'll not be locked in just the OT or NT for months. Each day's readings include chapters from the OT, the NT, and then a portion from Proverbs and Psalms. Sometimes the balance and variety can help.

Amazon.com: The One Year Bible: The Entire New American Standard Bible Arranged in 365 Daily Readings: Books

 

[Edward]

A few years ago, our church gave each family a one year Bible. While there are pluses and minuses to a one year reading program, I consider it to have been, overall, beneficial to me. I would recommend that everyone read through all the Scriptures (one year or two year doesn't really matter) at least once.

 

[Irish Presbyterian]

May I recommend an approach I use (after it was recommended to me) that helps you to retain the Scriptures you read. After you have read a passage, pray it back to God. Thank him for what he has revealed to you, ask him how this passage fits into the big picture and work out as you pray the application of passage to your own context. This really helps if you're systematically reading 3 or 4 passages from different books.

Also, its important to remember that God has provided the means of the Church to teach you the deeper things of the word. If you get expositional preaching ever Lord's Day than you will hear God's word expounded in more detail on a single passage. If you take 3 or 4 passages for you daily readings and try to see how these fit into the big picture, the Word preached on Sunday will take on a new life.

 

[DTK]

So what benefit can a person derive from reading Scriptures without taking the time to meticulously track down references and be sure one understands and retains what was read?

Thoughts?

Dear Bill,

While I would affirm that there is no automatic blessing conveyed by the reading of Scripture in the manner you've described, there is something to be said for the discipline of it. I know it can become nothing more than a "going through the motions," but I do think that the disciplining of the mind to engage the word of God is something that God will be pleased to bless. To paraphrase John Owen in his treatise, On the Mortification of Sin, he noted that the more spiritual the discipline is, in which one seeks to engage, the more violent the opposition will be of remaining corruption and sin. Then, the temptation comes often in the form of..."Well, what good can come from this any way? Given the dullness of mind that I feel that comes over me when I begin to read the word of God, why bother???"

I have found in my own experience that such a temptation proceeds from my own remaining corruption and sin, which then, seemingly, provides me with a justifiable reason (if not a genuine feeling of nobility that I'm respecting God's word - Why should I read God's word in such a state of mind???) to excuse myself and to disengage from the discipline. And as ole Bunyan would put it, I realize then that "I am not yet out of the gun-shot of the devil!"

Any spiritual discipline will be resisted by our three-fold enemy, the world, the flesh, and the devil...and the more spiritual the discipline, the more violent the opposition is of those three enemies of our souls.

And more often than not, I think that the benefits and blessings derived from the engagement of the text can often be more than that which we realize at the time, and can in the providence of God manifest themselves at a later date or time. As one from a by-gone day put it...

Caesarius, bishop of Arles (470-543): Therefore consider at once, brethren, and carefully notice that the man who frequently reads or listens to sacred Scripture speaks with God. See, then, whether the Devil can overtake him when he perceives him in constant conversation with God. However, if a man neglects to do this, with what boldness or with what feelings does he believe God will grant him an eternal reward, when he refuses to speak with Him in this world through the divine text? FC, Vol. 31, Saint Caesarius of Arles, Sermons (1-80), Sermon 8.3 (New York: Fathers of the Church, Inc., 1956), p. 52.

Caesarius, bishop of Arles (470-543): For this reason I beseech you with fatherly solicitude, equally admonishing and exhorting you, as was already said, to endeavor continually to read the sacred lessons yourselves or willingly to listen to others read them. By thus always thinking over in the treasury of your heart what is just and holy, you may prepare for your souls an eternal spiritual food that will bring you endless bliss. FC, Vol. 31, Saint Caesarius of Arles, Sermons (1-80), Sermon 8.4 (New York: Fathers of the Church, Inc., 1956), p. 54.

Let us seek to recover the spirituality of the word of God!
DTK

 

[LeeJUk]

Well I agree completely with the idea that reading 4-5 chapters a day just gets so superficial for me. I read it all and even with a commentary out but i think its just too much.

I remember hearing about a bible teacher who apart from all other studies in the day, sat down and read and meditated upon just a chapter of the bible for at least 30 minutes per day. It brings the food out of it. I have started doing this.

Maybe a technique would be : read 4 chapters like normal, but choose one in that day to meditate upon for 30 minutes and really get down to studying.


I remember going through Romans 1, analyzing every word and seriously, things I never noticed start to appear.

Take care, God bless.

 

[Rangerus]

Here is something that was recommended by someone on this board. I started this a little over 3 months ago. (now on day 94). And I'm here to say, it has made an amazing change in my life. I can't begin to describe the incredible benefits but I highly recommend it. 10 Chapters a day. And not just any 10. It has to be in the order Professor Horner recommends. You'll read through the Bible roughly 4 to 5 times per year.

I use it as big part of my daily devotion and continue to pray and meditate. This just helps get me focused.

Dr Horners Bible Reading System

TRY IT FOR A MONTH. Then tell me what is happening!

Join if you wish to try it; stay if you keep it up for one month! And make posts about your struggles, the effects it is having on your biblical understanding and discernment, and to encourage others.

HERE IT IS:

* PROFESSOR GRANT HORNER'S 'TEN LISTS BIBLE READING SYSTEM'*

Each day you will read one chapter from each list, in order. THAT'S RIGHT -- *TEN CHAPTERS PER DAY*!!! Use ten bookmarks or sticky notes with the individual lists on them to keep track of your locations. (LOOK BELOW at the Wall for several posts on Feb 1 2009 and you will find links to handy bookmarks made by users.) On day one, you read Matthew 1, Genesis 1, Romans 1, and so forth. On day 2, read Matthew 2, Genesis 2, etc. On day 29, you will have just finished Matthew, so go to Mark 1 on the Gospel list; you’ll also be almost to the end of 2nd Corinthians and Proverbs, you’ll be reading Psalm 29 and Genesis 29, and so forth. When you reach the last chapter of the last book in a list – start over again. Rotate all the way through all the Scriptures constantly. Since the lists vary in length, the readings begin interweaving in constantly changing ways. You will NEVER read the same set of ten chapters together again! Every year you’ll read through all the Gospels four times, the Pentateuch twice, Paul’s letters 4-5 times each, the OT wisdom literature six times, all the Psalms at least twice, all the Proverbs as well as Acts a dozen times, and all the way through the OT History and prophetic books about 1 ½ times. Since the interweaving is constantly changing, you will experience the Bible commenting *on itself* in constantly changing ways -- the Reformer's principle of 'scriptura interpretans scripturam' -- 'scripture interpreting scripture' IN ACTION!

After you’ve read any particular book once or twice, your speed in that book usually *doubles or triples* because you’re familiar with it and can move quickly and confidently -- because you are no longer merely decoding the text but thinking it through in the context of all of the scripture! Acts 20:27. Even an ‘average’ reader, if focusing on moving through the text, rather than trying to figure everything out, can usually do this in about an hour a day – 5-6 minutes per chapter. If it is taking you longer, then you are ‘reading wrong’ – stay relaxed, focus, and just keep it moving. Moderate but consistent speed is the key. This is "gross anatomy" -- looking at the whole body; you're *not* closely studying organs or systems or tissues or cells -- it is *not* microbiology. BUT
-- microbiology and the study or organs makes more sense when you know what the *whole* structure of the human body is like, and how all the parts, large and small, relate in perfect interdependence. After just a few days the reading gets *much* easier; in a month it will be a habit, and in six months you’ll wonder how you ever survived before on such a slim diet of the WORD. And then -- you'll tell others to start the system!

I began in 1983 as a new Christian and have now read (most of) the Bible hundreds and hundreds of times. You also need to get ONE Bible, keep it, and do all your reading in it, so you learn where everything is. I’ve had the same Bible since 1983 and I know it intimately. If you keep switching Bibles, you ‘lose’ this intimacy with the text. Find a translation and format you like and stick with it. THIS IS CRUCIAL.

When I was flown out by Masters for a 3-day interview/theological-grilling process, the culmination was of course being ushered in to Dr. John MacArthur's private study, which is where he asked me this one question: "Can I see your Bible?" I thought he would be horrified, because it looked like it had been through a typhoon -- it looked unloved and neglected. Something from a dumpster. It was unbound, with stringy mess and paper debris hanging out. I was so embarrassed. I thought he would chastise me and recommend I get a new study Bible if I was serious about the Word. (No doubt which study Bible he would recommend!!!) He flipped through it and handed it to his wife and said "If your Bible is falling apart, you probably aren't." I was basically hired on the spot.


Your Bible is the only thing on Earth that, as you wear it out, will actually work better and better.

THE TEN LISTS:
List 1 (89 days)
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John

List 2 (187 days)
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy

List 3 (78 days)
Romans, I&II Cor, Gal, Eph, Phil, Col, Hebrews

List 4 (65 days)
I&II Thess, I&II Tim, Titus, Philemon, James, I&II Peter, I,II&III John, Jude, Revelation

List 5 (62 days)
Job, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon

List 6 (150 days)
Psalms

List 7 (31 days)
Proverbs

List 8 (249 days)
Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I&II Samuel, I&II Kings, I&II Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther

List 9 (250 days)
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah,
Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

List 10 (28 days)
Acts

If you are wondering why you should read Acts (or Proverbs) all the way through *every single month* then
-- you've just shown that you NEED to read them that much!

*Put these instructions in your Bible and review them from time to time*

SECRETS TO SUCCESS WITH THIS SYTEM:

• Read one chapter from each list each day, in one sitting or two. At the end of a book, go to the next book. At the end of the list – start it again. Do it in the order given above.
• Read quickly (without “speedreading”) in order to get the overall sense. Read as fast as you comfortably can with moderate retention. You’re not studying deeply or memorizing; shoot for 5-6 minutes per chapter. At the end of a chapter, move immediately to the next list.
• GET THROUGH THE TEXT – no dawdling, back-reading, looking up cross-references!
• There are different ‘kinds’ of reading: super-quick skimming, careful moderate-paced, studying the text, deep meditation. You should be between the first and second kind.
• Most people decrease their time spent and increase their retention after just two-three weeks! I now read and retain the entire text of Matthew in 35 minutes, Romans in 20, Genesis in *one hour*!
• Don’t look up anything you ‘don’t get’ – real understanding will come through contextualizing by reading a LOT of scripture over time. Get through the text!
• If you miss a day or two – ok, get over it, then keep going. Don’t cover yourself in sackcloth and ashes and quit! Move the bookmarks along, to find your place(s) quickly next day.
Heb 4:12&5:11-14; Eph 5:26&6:17; Col 3:16; 2 Tim 3:16; Ps 119; Ezra 8; Prov 3: 1-2, 10:14; Dan 1

*PLEASE* INVITE ALL THE CHRISTIANS YOU KNOW TO LOOK AT THIS GROUP -- AS WELL AS ANYONE ELSE WHO'S THINKING ABOUT READING THE BIBLE, EVEN FOR THE FIRST TIME!

The goal of this sytem is simple, and twofold: To know scripture, and to love and obey God more!

SOLI DEO GLORIA

 

[eqdj]

For those who don't read the bible systematically, you should consider two approaches for two reasons.

Is your purpose to know what's in the bible? then read through the bible in a year. Keep doing it every year. After a while, you'll notice that you'll gain discernment.
Note: Do Not Be legalistic about this. If you miss a day, do not try to catch up. You will only get dissappointed. Keep going forward.

Is your purpose to study the bible? Then take your time. maybe get a three-year reading plan. Use commentaries/devotionals. take your time.

Do not confuse these two methods.

I prefer the chronological approach to the "random" methods of M'Cheyne and others.
My one and three-year reading plans are in the same order, the difference is one chapter a day versus three chapers a day.

See here.

 

[VictorBravo]

Dear Bill,

While I would affirm that there is no automatic blessing conveyed by the reading of Scripture in the manner you've described, there is something to be said for the discipline of it. I know it can become nothing more than a "going through the motions," but I do think that the disciplining of the mind to engage the word of God is something that God will be pleased to bless. To paraphrase John Owen in his treatise, On the Mortification of Sin, he noted that the more spiritual the discipline is, in which one seeks to engage, the more violent the opposition will be of remaining corruption and sin. Then, the temptation comes often in the form of..."Well, what good can come from this any way? Given the dullness of mind that I feel that comes over me when I begin to read the word of God, why bother???"

I was going to write something on the advantages of discipline, but I see you've done it far better.

I would add that the diligent dry spells often pay off months later, when you least expect it.