God’s instruction to His people about when they would come into the land that He had promised to give them (Deut. 17:14) and seek to set a king over them concluded with vital teaching (17:18-20). In these three verses, He declared and explained the necessity of the king’s daily interaction with His words.

The king would have to “write him a copy of [God’s] law in a book” (17:18). He then would have to have the copy with him and read in it “all the days of his life” (17:19a-b).

Through such lifelong daily interaction with God’s own words, the king would learn to fear God, as he should, “to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them” (17:19c-d). His reverence and awe for God developed in him by reading God’s words every day of his life would direct him to obey God comprehensively.

Such comprehensive obedience would serve vital purposes in his life: it would keep his heart from becoming “lifted up above his brethren” (17:20a); and it would ensure that he would not deviate from God’s commandments in any way (17:20b). Being humble with respect to his brethren and walking obediently along the straight way of God, he would prolong his reign and that of his children over Israel (17:20c).

From this teaching, we should learn the necessity of our feeding on God’s Word all the days of our lives. Only through such feasting on Scripture itself will be able to fear God, comprehensively obey Him, be humble, and walk in His ways, as we should.

For us to enjoy the quality and length of life that God intends for us, we must richly partake of His words every day and allow that partaking to accomplish all His purposes in our lives. Doing so, our descendants and we will be what God wants us to be: “A chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that [we] should show forth the praises of Him who hath called [us] out of darkness into His marvellous light” (1 Pet. 2:10)!

Let us read our Bibles all the days of our lives with these things in mind.

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

After 20 years of reading the Bible through every year, I am more convinced now than ever before that it is a trap to think that not understanding everything in my reading means I should stick to studying or reading a particular passage or book until I do understand everything and not worry about reading through the whole Bible. What’s more, I fully believe that we should expect throughout our lives that God would keep on showing us great and wondrous things out of His Word that we have never seen before.

I can attest to many times even in recent years that God has shown me significant truths out of passages that I have read and studied intensively for years. In light of my experience, I encourage every believer to focus on understanding what he can and not be overly troubled about what he does not understand in his reading of Scripture.

Yes, we should try to understand as much as we can, but seeking such understanding should not be at the expense of profiting from the entire Bible year after year.

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

On day 161 of 2011, I reached the halfway mark for reading through the LXX this year: 461 chapters/920 total! Lord willing, I may yet make it through the Bible in Greek this year!

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

I began this year with the intention of reading through the entire Bible in Greek this year. I hope also to finish reading again through the KJV this year.

Here is the progress (chapters read/total chapters) that God has allowed me to make so far!

As God directs, I would strongly encourage any of you who know Greek to consider reading extensively in the Septaguint. Having read nearly half of it this year, I can attest to the tremendous value of such immersion in biblical Greek.

My hope is that when I read the NT in Greek later this year, Lord willing, the growing familiarity with biblical Greek that I am developing from my reading the LXX will provide me with numerous valuable insights into the Greek NT. I have experienced that many times in the past, and I look forward to what God will give me this year through such study!

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.