Biblical Foundationsਨਮੂਨਾ

I’m not much of a sit-and-read type. I’ve often teased, saying I’d sooner write a book than pause to read one. Audiobooks have been a game changer for me. In recent years, I’ve found myself wading through two or three books a month by listening in my car, while curling my hair, or even at night as I’m trying to clear my head and fall asleep. While I unashamedly extol the virtues of audiobooks, I’ve secretly wondered if it is “cheating” to listen to the sacred text of Scripture on my phone. Sure, I follow along visually, but I rely heavily on the voiced oration of the passage I’m reading.

In Mark 4, an account is chronicled of Jesus’ teaching to a crowd and sharing the Parable of the Sower. Jesus began by admonishing the crowd to “listen.” At the conclusion of the parable, Mark records these words of Christ: “he who has ears to hear, let him hear” (4:9). I no longer doubt my sincerity in listening to sacred texts of Scripture. After all, before its completion or replication, most people heard the words of God audibly, from temple leaders reading scrolls or passed down by oral tradition.

That’s not to say we shouldn’t read, too. Early Jews often wore leather cases containing written Scriptures known as phylacteries, in keeping with texts in Deuteronomy that speak of binding God’s words in our hearts and on our hands. In fact, beyond listening or reading, we are called to meditate on Scripture. The sacred nature of the Bible requires we intentionally engage and connect with it differently than other books.

If you’ve read today’s Scripture, then you know the Bible is not just “another book.” Its sacred nature, by definition, is connected to God. Isaiah 40:8 says, “The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” This verse is comforting to us for many reasons, not the least of which is its eternality. Whether we read it, listen to it, study it, meditate on it, memorize it, bind it to our literal bodies or recite it from a pulpit, God’s words remain. Scripture is eternal. It is truth to which we can cling and adhere all of our days.

PRAYER:

Lord Jesus, please reveal to me the ways in which I need to grow into a better image bearer of God.