Synopsis

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We can summarize what the Bible says about itself with six words: write, read, respond, celebrate, remember, and repeat. 

 

After the Israelites defeat the Amalekites, God commands Moses to write down the events as a memorial of what he had done for them. This is the first mention of Scripture-writing in the Bible. Then, before establishing the covenant with God on Mt. Sinai, Moses writes down the 10 Commandments and other ordinances. Before ratifying the covenant, he reads the Book of the Covenant to the assembled people who then respond that they will obey all that they have heard. They then celebrate the covenant with a meal to express the newly formed communion of life between God and Israel. This liturgical ceremony expresses the reality of what has just happened.

 

God then commands the Israelites to remember all that he had done for them so that they won’t lose their identity as his chosen people. For this purpose, they are to assemble every seven years to hear the book of the law read to them. The first time they do this is when they are about to enter into the Promised Land, after having spent 40 years in the desert. Joshua assembles the people and reads the law to them. 

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Unfortunately, we have no evidence in the Bible that they ever do this again until king Josiah (640–609 BC). The fact that the people continually forget their identity and sin against God suggests that they did not. King Josiah ordered a renovation of the temple, and during the works, the book of the law is found. So, the king orders another public reading of the law and then renews the covenant. Unfortunately, his religious reform is too little and too late and can’t prevent the destruction of Jerusalem and the Babylonian exile. But 70 years later, when the people return from exile, there is another public reading. This time, they not only read the Scriptures but the Levites explain the readings to the people. This is the earliest evidence of the homily in the Bible. 

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Every time we go to mass we fulfill what God has commanded. We participate in the public reading of the Scriptures which is often accompanied by a homily. This helps us remember our identity by recalling what God has done for us in the past. Then, after the Liturgy of the Word, we respond to God by celebrating and renewing our covenantal relationship with him in the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

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Introduction

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Why should we read the Bible? Whenever I teach on the Bible, one of the most frequent questions I am asked is why God did things this way. Our common experience is that it is very difficult to read. How many people actually succeed in reading it completely, from beginning to end? Not many. And even for those who do manage to do so, I wonder how much they really understood.

 

 St. Paul tells us that:

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All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Tim 3:16–17)

 

How can this be true if it is so difficult to read and understand? Wouldn’t it be better if God had given us a simple handbook that clearly stated what he expects from us? Instead, he has given us a 1000+ page book that consists mostly of stories; stories that often seem extraneous to our lives and aren’t very helpful in building a relationship with him. 

 

For example, the original Hebrew version of the book of Esther gives us a rousing tale of a Jewish woman who marries the Persian king and then uses her beauty to save her people from genocide. But it doesn’t even mention God once. We read, in the book of Numbers, about a talking donkey who complains because his master, a prophet named Balaam, is beating him. And in Judges 19 we find probably the most grotesque story of all. It is about a Levite’s concubine who is gang raped to death, and then cut up “limb by limb, into twelve pieces, and sent … throughout all the territory of Israel” (Jdg 19:29). These are just three of hundreds of similar stories found throughout the Bible. In what way are they profitable for teaching as Paul claims them to be?

 

Other parts of the Bible consist of poems. In fact, about a quarter of it is poetry. The Song of Solomon, for example, is a collection of love songs. Although they may be literary masterpieces, it is difficult to understand why they are in the Bible. Like the book of Esther, they don’t mention God, neither are they concerned with his law or his covenant with us, nor do they contain moral teachings to guide us. When was the last time you found this book to be profitable for your training in righteousness?

 

The book of Lamentations is another good example. It consists of five laments over the destruction of Jerusalem, but it is unclear how we should apply them in our lives. How do these stories equip us for every good work?

 

It is my experience that most people who pick up the Bible looking for guidance end up putting it down with more questions than they had before. So, Paul must be mistaken, unless God really did intend to give us the Bible as it is. In this lesson, we will try to answer these questions by looking at what the Bible says about itself and how the Jews approached their sacred writings. This will help us understand its place and role within the life of the Church today and in our own personal lives. Many of the ideas expressed here have been taken from a podcast series on how to read the Bible produced by Tim Mackie and Jon Collins of the BibleProject.

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Write!

 

People normally don’t think about how the Bible was written and put together. They often just take it for granted, thinking that the Bible was always the Bible. Yet, if it is a human book, as we discussed in a previous lesson, then it must have gone through an editing process, just like any other book that has ever been published.  

 

We find the first mention of the writing of the Bible in Exodus chapter 17. But before reading it, let’s consider its context. The first part of the book of Exodus describes how God saved the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. He called Moses and commanded him to tell Pharaoh to let his people go. When Pharaoh refused, God intervened directly. The text presents God and Pharaoh as rivals, competing for the hearts of Israelites.

 

The ten plagues can be understood as a showdown or clash between the two. Each of them was a strategic attack against the Egyptian gods that eventually forced Pharaoh to relent and let the people leave Egypt. However, after the people did leave, he changed his mind and sent his army to bring them back.

 

The situation for the Israelites appeared to be hopeless as they were no match for Pharaoh’s army of six hundred picked chariots. But God miraculously intervened once more, destroying the army and dividing the waters of the Red Sea so that the Israelites could escape. On the other side, as they were travelling through the desert, they were attacked by the Amalekites, who considered them to be easy booty. But God, once again, intervened on their behalf. We read:

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So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Am′alek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed; and whenever he lowered his hand, Am′alek prevailed. But Moses’ hands grew weary; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat upon it, and Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; so his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua mowed down Am′alek and his people with the edge of the sword. (Ex 17:10-13)

 

After the Israelites defeated the Amalekites, God said to Moses:

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Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua. (Ex 17:14)

 

This is the first mention of Scripture-writing in the Bible. Notice that God didn’t command Moses to write down things that are “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Tim 3:16–17). Instead, he told him to write the story of how God had saved the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and continued to protect them as they journeyed through the desert.

 

We are not told how Moses went about this task. Most modern scholars don’t even think that he wrote anything down. Instead, they claim that the biblical books were written down centuries later, based on oral traditions which had formed and been transmitted from generation to generation. This discussion is too technical for this introductory course. Whatever the case, we can ask why God commanded Moses to do this. God’s purpose wasn’t just to establish an historical archive of the events which had happened. Instead, the book was supposed to serve as a memorial, that is, it was to be recited to Joshua so that he would remember how God had repeatedly intervened on behalf of the Israelites. This was its purpose.

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Then we read how after their battle with the Amalekites, Moses and the Israelites travelled on to Mount Sinai. There, God offered to make a covenant with them, promising, “if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my own possession among all peoples; for all the earth is mine, and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Ex 19:5–6).

 

The people agreed to this so Moses went up the mountain and God gave him the Ten Commandments we are all familiar with as well as a short collection of other laws. These fill out the Ten commandments in more detail. They consist of social and religious rules that help structure and govern society. They define, for example, the treatment of slaves, cases for capital punishment, the Law of talion (“eye for eye”, “tooth for tooth”), defense of the weak, etc. They also define the main feasts to be celebrated.

 

In chapter 24 we read that, “Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice, and said, ‘All the words which the Lord has spoken we will do’” (Ex 24:3). And then, “Moses wrote all the words of the Lord” (Ex 24:4). This is called the Book of the Covenant. So, the very first version of the Bible, what we could call the Bible version 1.0, consisted of the stories of Israel’s liberation and the Book of the Covenant.

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Read!

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Before ratifying the covenant, Moses:

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Took the book of the covenant, and read it in the hearing of the people. (Ex 24:7)

 

This shows us that the Bible is to be read aloud to God’s people when they are assembled together. The purpose of this was to remind them of who they are. Sociologists call this process identity formation. The Bible was read aloud to God’s gathered people to help them remember their unique identity as a minority group living among other nations who have different identities and live by different stories.

 

This applies to us today as well. When Christians come together, especially at mass, and read the stories in the Bible, this reminds us of what God has done on our behalf. This helps us grow in our identity as children of God and live our vocation in a world which has a different identity and lives by other values.

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Respond!

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When we continue reading the story of the Exodus, we find out that after this first reading of the Bible, there on Mount Sinai, the people said:

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“All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” (Ex 24:7)

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That is, the people responded to the word of God they had just heard. Likewise, the public reading of the Scriptures should also provoke a response in us. There are many possible responses. One of these could be to find practical applications. We often do this. We read the Bible looking how to apply its teachings to our lives. Bible reading should provoke a response in us, but finding practical applications is only one type among many possible responses. And, in many cases, it will not even be the best option. For example, it would be difficult to find practical applications from the laments over the destruction of Jerusalem, but reading them might move us to tears. This would be a more appropriate response.

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In the end, the Bible often isn’t what we would like or expect it to be, and that is why reading it can be so challenging. People tend to think God has given us a handbook full of practical indications that we can easily understand and apply to their lives. But the Bible doesn’t fit into our categories. Remember, we saw in a previous lesson that only 24% of it is written in the prose-discourse style similar to that of handbooks. The rest of it is formed by stories and poems.

 

The online Miriam-Webster Dictionary defines “response” as “something constituting a reply or a reaction.” Reading the Bible should produce a reaction in us but this doesn’t have to be an application, understood as “an act of putting something to use” or “the capacity for practical use.”

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Responding to the Word of God means allowing it to produce something in us. As you can see, an application is a type of response but not all responses will be applications. God doesn’t expect us to find practical applications for everything in the Bible, but he does want us to respond to it. In this way, we can compare the Bible to the great works of art in museums. They also produce something in us. 

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The letter to the Hebrews says:

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For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hb 4:12)

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God’s word is an active reality that produces something to us. In this way, as we read the Bible, it slowly changes us. How have you reacted to God’s word? What has it produced in you? For example, what is your reaction to the story of the raping of the Levite’s concubine?

 

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Celebrate!

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Coming back to the book of Exodus, after the people respond the way they do, we read that:

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Moses took the blood and threw it upon the people, and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.” (Ex 24:8)

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That is, they established a covenant with God. In the ancient cultures of the biblical world, families were formed through covenants. By doing this, Israel became the first nation to enter into a covenantal relationship with God and thus began to form part of his family.

 

After this, we read:

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Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abi′hu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, and they saw the God of Israel; and there was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank. (Ex 24:9–11)

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One of the most typical ways in which families express their unity is by eating together. This is also true for God’s family. The newly formed communion of life between God and Israel, established through this covenant was celebrated with a banquet. This liturgical ceremony expressed the reality of what had just happened.

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Remember!

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Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for the Israelites to break the covenant. Moses went up Mount Sinai to meet with the Lord and the people turned away from God by creating and worshiping the golden calf. Moses saved the people from God’s wrath by interceding on their behalf. 

 

God renewed the covenant as we read in chapter 34. However, as a result of this sin, he changed the conditions of the covenant. God’s presence among his people became more distant, and the people lost their identity as a kingdom of priests. Before, all Israelite males were priests, but now only the Levites were ordained for this. Finally, God’s law became more demanding as he added the Book of Leviticus to the covenant. It consists mostly of rules and regulations God established so that his people, despite their sinfulness, could enter and maintain their communion with him.

 

Unfortunately, the people break the covenant a second time. We read in the books of Numbers (see Nm 31) and Revelation (see Rv 2:14) how the prophet Balaam—who happens to be the owner of the talking donkey—helped the Midianites lead the Israelites astray by enticing them to sexual immorality and eating food sacrificed to idols.

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We are told in the book of Deuteronomy how the covenant was established for a third time. The language used for this, however, is quite obscure and difficult to understand. The book is called this way because it consists mostly of the laws Moses established for this renewed covenant. The name “Deuteronomy” means “second law”. Some of these laws refer to a future king. In chapter 17 we read: 

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And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, from that which is in charge of the Levitical priests;  and it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God. (Dt 17:18–19)

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That is, the future king should read from the Scriptures every day of his life. The purpose for this was to teach him to fear God. The fear of the Lord is another type of response the Bible can produce in us. But remember, fear of the Lord doesn’t mean being afraid of him. According to Pope Francis:

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We know well that God is Father, that he loves us and wants our salvation, and he always forgives, always; thus, there is no reason to be scared of him! Fear of the Lord, instead, is the gift of the Holy Spirit through whom we are reminded of how small we are before God and of his love and that our good lies in humble, respectful and trusting self-abandonment into his hands. This is fear of the Lord: abandonment in the goodness of our Father who loves us so much. (Pope Francis, General Audience, 11/06/2014)

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Deuteronomy also adds an additional step to the process we have been describing when it calls the people to remember their story. This is repeated over a dozen times. The following are several examples of this.

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You shall remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out thence with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the sabbath day. (Dt 5:15)

 

You shall not be afraid of them [the nations greater than Israel], but you shall remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt, the great trials which your eyes saw, the signs, the wonders, the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, by which the Lord your God brought you out… (Dt 7:18–19)

 

And you shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness… (Dt 8:2)

 

You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth… (Dt 8:18)

 

Remember and do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to wrath in the wilderness; from the day you came out of the land of Egypt, until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the Lord. (Dt 9:7)

 

Remember thy servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (Dt 9:27)

 

Remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam on the way as you came forth out of Egypt. (Dt 24:9)

 

Remember what Am′alek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt. (Dt 25:17)

 

Remembering the story is another valid response. Deuteronomy also commands the Israelites to teach their story to their children and their children’s children.

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Only take heed, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children’s children. (Dt 4:9)

 

Why is this important? Bible reading will remind the people who they are and to what they have committed themselves by covenant. The Jews have mastered this technique. Despite the passing of the millennia, despite living in so many distant places, despite the constant change in society, and despite the persecution they have suffered, they have been able to maintain their identity because they have not forgotten their story.

 

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Repeat!

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We, too, will retain our identity as Christians despite the difficulties and changing conditions if we remember our story. And to do this, it is not enough to have heard the story once. We must hear it over and over again. And the best time to do this is when we come together as an assembly during mass. The reading of the Bible is therefore a part of public liturgy.

 

Deuteronomy 31 tells us that:

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Moses wrote this law, and gave it to the priests the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel. (Dt 31:9)

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At this point in the story, Moses was about to die and so he needs to pass the leadership on to Joshua. We are told that before doing so, he wrote down the laws found in the book of Deuteronomy and so this book became a part of the Torah. He then gave it to the priests and the elders. Perhaps we could call this version of the Torah the Bible 1.1.

 

Notice how Moses didn’t distinguish between the priests and the laity. He gave it to both of them. From now one, everyone was supposed to read the Bible. After this, we read:

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And Moses commanded them, “At the end of every seven years, at the set time of the year of release, at the feast of booths, when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place which he will choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law, and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as you live in the land which you are going over the Jordan to possess.” (Dt 31:10–13)

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This was to ensure that future generations would also remember their story and learn to fear the Lord and fulfill his law. The Torah commanded that the Scriptures be publicly read every seven years, during the feast of booths. In this way, the people would be able to relive the encounter with God that happened on Mount Sinai and renew their covenant with him.

 

All ancient cultures had oral traditions and this story telling helped them form their identity. What is unique about Israel is that they wrote their stories down and encouraged everyone to read them in community. Certainly, they were also transmitted orally but every seven years the people were to assemble to hear them again. By doing this, they would remember how God had acted on their behalf and rescued them from slavery to Pharaoh. And they would remember that they had entered into a covenant relationship with God, taking on the obligation to fulfill his laws. 

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We find the next important mention of the public reading of the Bible in chapter 8 of the book of Joshua. After the Israelites had conquered the cities of Jericho and AI, we are told that:

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Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal to the Lord, the God of Israel… And there, in the presence of the people of Israel, he wrote upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written… And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the book of the law. There was not a word of all that Moses commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones, and the sojourners who lived among them. (Jo 8:30-35)

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This was an important moment because the people were entering a new stage in their lives. They had just entered into the Promised Land, leaving the desert behind them. This was the beginning of a new chapter in their lives. So, before doing continuing, they took a break from their battles to remember their identity, that is, who they were, where they came from, and why they had entered this land.

 

After this renewal, they continued with the conquest of the Land and established themselves in it. Eventually, they became a kingdom. We read about the kingdom in the Books of Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, and 1 and 2 Kings.

 

What is interesting is that the Bible never tells us whether during all this time—we are talking of a period of about 600 years—they actually did what the law commanded them to do. There is no mention of them ever coming together every seven years to read the Bible. However, if we look at the spiritual and cultural situation of Israel, especially during the period of the divided kingdom, then it seems unlikely that they ever held these public readings.

 

What we do know is that the people quickly forgot their story and lost their identity.

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And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of one hundred and ten years. And they buried him within the bounds of his inheritance in Tim′nath-he′res, in the hill country of E′phraim, north of the mountain of Ga′ash. And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them, who did not know the Lord or the work which he had done for Israel. (Jgs 2:8-10)

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This suggests that they did not hold these public readings. This happened within one generation! The rest of the story of the Old Testament tells us how the people constantly abandoned the ways of God, falling into idolatry.

 

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King Josiah’s Reform

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The next public reading we find in the Bible takes place during the reign of king Josiah. He reigned from 640–609 BC. Josiah was one of the few good kings. He became king when he was eight years old and ruled for 31 years. We read that he “he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and walked in all the way of David his father, and he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left” (2 Kgs 22:2).

 

The book of the law was found during a renovation of the temple. “And when the king heard the words of the book of the law, he rent his clothes” (2 Kgs 22:11). The tearing of one’s clothes is another type of response to the hearing of the Scriptures. The king did this as he was so grieved “because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us” (2 Kgs 22:13).

 

We saw how Joshua had the people listen to the public reading of the law so that they would remember their identity as they started a new chapter in their history when they left the desert behind them and moved into the Promised Land. Now king Josiah ordered a public reading of the law when he realized that the people had forgotten their story and been unfaithful to God. They looked back to remember and recover their lost identity.

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And the king went up to the house of the Lord, and with him all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests and the prophets, all the people, both small and great; and he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant which had been found in the house of the Lord. And the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book; and all the people joined in the covenant. (2 Kgs 23:2–3)

 

Bible reading is very important because it reminds you who you are. It gives you anchors to ground your identity. This is important, especially when moving into new territory or starting a new stage in life. But Bible reading can also help those who have lost their way. The public reading of Scripture reminds us of where we have come from and where we should be going. As the people had done in the times of Moses and Joshua, the king and the people respond to the word of God by renewing their covenant with him. And they also celebrated.

 

Unfortunately, king Josiah’s religious reform was too little and too late to prevent the destruction of Jerusalem and the Babylonian exile. But 70 years later, God allowed the people to return and rebuild and then we find another mention of the public reading of Scripture. It occurs in Nehemiah, chapter 8. The people came back from their exile with great joy and expectation, but life was hard.

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And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the Lord had given to Israel. And Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could hear with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month. And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law. And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden pulpit which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithi′ah, Shema, Anai′ah, Uri′ah, Hilki′ah, and Ma-asei′ah on his right hand; and Pedai′ah, Mish′a-el, Malchi′jah, Hashum, Hash-bad′danah, Zechari′ah, and Meshul′lam on his left hand. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people; and when he opened it all the people stood. And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God; and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands; and they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebi′ah, Jamin, Akkub, Shab′bethai, Hodi′ah, Ma-asei′ah, Keli′ta, Azari′ah, Jo′zabad, Hanan, Pelai′ah, the Levites, helped the people to understand the law, while the people remained in their places. And they read from the book, from the law of God, clearly; and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.

 

And Nehemi′ah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.” And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them. (Neh 8:1–12)

 

This was the first time, after the return from the exile, that the people came together to hear the Scripture read to them. But something new also happened. We read that the Levites not only read to them, but they also explained the law so that they could understand it. This is the first homily mentioned in the Bible.

 

How did the people respond to the word of God? We are first told that they wept. Then “the Israelites separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers” (Neh 9:2). Finally, they blessed God and renewed the covenant.

 

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Conclusion

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In this lesson, we have studied what the Bible says about itself and how the Jews approached their sacred writings. As we did this, we saw a pattern emerge. When the Scriptures are read to the People of God assembled in his name, they respond by confessing their sins, blessing God, and renewing their covenant with him. Perhaps in our times, when it seems that we have lost our identity, we need to do the same. Christians should read the Bible to remember who they are and where they have come from.

 

But, according to the Bible, the Word of God must be read in public, not only in private. This is what happens during every Mass. When we go to Mass, we hear the public reading of our history with God. This is usually accompanied by a homily that should explain what we have just heard. That way, we can remember what God has done for us. The community then responds to the Word of God by praying the Creed together. By doing this, we are reaffirming our faith. We then ask God to continue intervening on our behalf through the Prayer of the Faithful. The celebration reaches it climax with the Liturgy of the Eucharist, in which we renew our covenant with God.

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But, according to the Bible, the Word of God is to be read in public, not just in private. This is what happens at mass. Every time we go to mass, we participate in the public reading of the Scriptures. This is often accompanied by a homily that should explain the readings to us. By doing this, we recall what God has done for us in the past. After the Liturgy of the Word, we respond to God by renewing our covenantal relationship with him in the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

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This study has increased my awareness of the importance of the responsorial psalm during mass. We use Scripture itself to inspire our response, as a community, to the public reading of God’s word.  

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Going back to our original question: Why read the Bible? We might think that it would be easier if God had just given us a simple handbook, one which listed all the rules we need to follow. But, after having read the Bible, I don’t think this is true. And the reason for this is because God tried this once and it didn’t work out. He gave Adam and Eve a really clear and simple handbook. It consisted of just one instruction: don’t eat from this tree. But unfortunately they weren’t able to follow it. Are we capable of doing better? 

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This teaches us that we need more than a rule book. As the People of God, we need be constantly reminded of our identity. That is, who are we, where have we come from, and where are we going. This happens when we read the Scriptures, especially when we read them publicly in our assemblies.

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When we read stories in the Bible such as the story of the Levite’s concubine, they should shock us. That’s the response they are supposed to produce in us. But they should also remind us that this was not just something that happened once a few thousand years ago. It happens over and over again in our lives. Maybe we haven’t done that, but who are we to judge.  “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone” (Jn 8:7).  

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The story of the Bible also speaks of God’s faithful love. Despite everything we might do, if we repent, God will always remain faithful to his covenant with us. It is this experience of this love, which we discover by reading the story, that will change our hearts and lead us to back to him. That is why God commanded Moses and others to write the story down. And that is why this story should be read to us out loud, when we assemble together as a community.

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