Family Bible Reading

Reflections on 2 Timothy 3:14-15

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 3:14-15

Timothy learned the Scriptures from his mother and grandmother at home. They began teaching him when he was quite young. We don't know how they taught him the Scripture, but I would like to share a little about the way we read Scripture to our children.

1. Sharon read to our small children every weekday from Bible story books to teach them to sit quietly and listen. Most stories took just a couple of minutes. Sometimes they begged for more stories.
2. We began reading directly from the Bible about the time our children entered kindergarten. We chose a simple version and read the same stories from it that we read in the Bible story book. The stories were more detailed and longer, but we kept the reading time to about five minutes.
3. After a couple of years, we began reading the entire Bible story, but we tried to read no more than 10 minutes per day. Daily reading was hard enough without making it wearisome. By reading 10 minutes on weekdays, we could read the entire Bible story in a year. Here is the entire Bible story: Genesis, first half of Exodus, Numbers, Joshua through 2 Kings, Ezra through Esther, first half of Daniel, one of the Gospels, and Acts.
4. We added a bit of variety from time to time. Occasionally we read a psalm or a proverb. We had the children take turns reading aloud.
5. As our children grew older, we added other portions of Scripture to the Bible story. We never added much comment to our reading though sometimes we asked a few questions. Each time of reading ended with a short prayer.

What is gratifying to us as parents is that our children are reading Scripture daily to our grandchildren.

Reading and Listening

Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.
-- Rev 1:3 NIV

The first of seven blessings in Revelation is directed to two sets of people. First, the blessing is for the person who reads the words of this prophecy aloud to others. Reading in ancient times was almost always done aloud. Manuscripts were rare, and there were almost always those who would like to hear what was written. Today, Bibles are common, but still many don’t know what is written between the covers. It would still be good today if those who read the Scriptures always did so with the intent of sharing what they read with others. The one who reads and shares the message of Revelation is blessed in his deed.

Second, the blessing is for those who hear and “take to heart” what is written. While certainly taking the message to heart is important, this translation does not capture fully the response required for blessing. The ones who are fully blessed hold on to what they hear; that is, they remember it. They do even more. They are also moved to obey its exhortations, commands, and warnings. The blessed one who hears Revelation says with the Psalmist,

I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
-- Psalm 119:11 NIV

Do you read Revelation with intent to share? Do you listen to its words intending to remember and obey them? If so, you will be blessed.