Memorizing Scripture: A Key to Biblical Meditation Contributions by: Randall Schexnayder Although we live in an age where the Bible is so readily available in print, there are still many benefits from memorizing scripture.
D o you know the phone numbers of your closest friends and family? Most of us probably don’t, but we used to. Before modern cell phones were invented, we memorized all sorts of numbers. Before GPS, we mem - orized how to get to where we were going. Prior to spell check, we memorized how to spell thousands of words. We also committed to our memories the rules for words like “i before e except after c.” Today, we are more apt to look things up on the internet rather than memorize. Some studies have even shown that the speed of googling something is faster than the speed of memory, This only reaffirms the idea of there being no need to memorize anything. God’s word is something that people used to memorize to a great degree. Before the 18th century, very few people had their own copy of the Bible. People memo- rized large sections of scripture, including some mem - orizing the entire New Testament. We probably have several Bibles not to mention digital access to multiple Bible translations. Does this mean there is no longer a need to memorize scripture? MEMORIZE The word “memorize” does not appear in the New King James version of the Bible, nor does it appear in the Old King James, the Revised Standard, the NIV, nor others. That does not make the concept void. The first Psalm tells us that the man who delights in God’s law meditates on it day and night. At the time it was written, virtually no one had their own copy of the Bi- ble. In order to meditate on it day and night, one would need to have it in their mind - their memory. Deuteronomy 6 is the beginning of a passage where God instructed Israel to teach His words diligently to
their children and speak of them “when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise up.” Deuteronomy 6:7 states, “ And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. ” But how could they do this without their own copy of the Book of the Law? People did not have their own copy of the Torah. Each person needed to commit some of the words to memory to have them in their heart. When Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness for 40 days, He quoted scripture to counter Satan’s temptations. Christ did not bring temple scrolls with Him; He was able to quote those verses because He already had them in His mind. Memorizing scripture make God’s word continually available to us THE BENEFITS Recall the words of Christ, “ man should not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. ” (Luke 4:4). Jesus was implying that God’s Word should be like food to us, nourishing us and sustaining us. Jeremiah understood this when he was inspired to record how he found nourishment in God’s truth, “ Your words were found, and I ate them ,” (Jeremiah 15:16). We could have the best steak, baked potato, and salad
18
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator