By Scott Wetzel
“Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” Joshua 1:8 (NIV)
I bought a small truck a few years ago so I can do manly things like haul wood and gravel. After I had it for a few weeks I needed to do some upkeep on it, so I went to the glove compartment to grab the owner’s manual. I was surprised to find that it wasn’t there. I bought the truck without a manual. The owner’s manual was so unimportant to me that I didn’t even think to look. So I went into the house and looked up what I needed online. Now anytime I need to fix something, I just head to the computer and look it up first. There are how-to tutorials everywhere online. I can make any minor repair without ever looking at the owner’s manual.
My wife’s car has the owner’s manual. I look in it every once in awhile. But I’ve never sat and read it. I’ve never pondered it. I’ve never memorized parts of it. In fact, the only time I open it up is if there is some sort of trouble with the car or I need to know how to fix something. And then I have to kind of stare at pictures until I get it figured out.
I’ve heard the Word of God being referred to as an “owner’s manual”. I used to think that was clever. Now I think it’s shallow. I don’t mean to be rude, but calling the Bible an “owner’s manual” reduces it to list of fix-its and a way to diagnose trouble. I don’t believe that’s what it is. Yes, there is comfort. Yes, there are commandments intended to keep our lives pure. Yes, it teaches us the way to eternity. But it’s so much more than that. It’s an entire story. It’s poetry. It’s art. It has morality and warnings and hope. If our faith becomes a series of bullet points to righteousness we miss all the stuff in between. I can read the rules and follow the rules, but I’m not going to study the rules that I don’t get until I understand it. When was the last time you spent a week on a Bible verse you didn’t understand? The Scriptures teach us to meditate on it. Chew on it. Digest it. Don’t let it get away. It’s in there, so it’s important. Don’t use ellipses to get past the hard parts. Stay on it so you don’t miss the point.
I get really good about picking and choosing what I’m going to read; finding out what the Bible says about whatever I’m dealing with. That’s okay to a point but if I don’t go beyond that, I begin to think the Earth revolves around me. I miss the challenges and corrections and only use it to endorse my decisions. It’s wrong to scan through verses just to get to the “good stuff” like heaven. That’s why the path to eternity isn’t laid out in any particular order. It’s because our faith is a journey and the Bible isn’t the map; it’s the path.
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