Our kids just wrapped up their exams.

If you live in India, you know exams are a big deal. Or, at least, we make a big deal about them.

Since the kidlings are still doing online school, the hubbers and I have the opportunity to pray with them before they write their papers.

And then we launch them to their laptops with a bunch of reminders:

Read through the questions carefully.

Think through your answers.

Check your work.

Check it twice.

(Yeah, while we aren’t exactly Tiger mom and dad, I’d be really surprised if our kids described us as “chill” parents).

While they’re hardworking kids, they have the habit of skimming through the questions, forgetting about part B of a two-part question, and dashing off answers so they can submit their papers quickly and get on with life.

The exam dynamic got me thinking about how we approach the Word of God.

Often it feels like we’re in scanning mode when it comes to Bible reading. We tend to skim through the words with the aim of getting morsels of encouragement that can get us through our day. We tend to skip over the boring parts or the bits that make us a little uncomfortable. We want the quick fix, the snap answers, the little nugget that we can tape to the mirror.

I wonder if we’ve become more proficient at Bible skimming than Bible studying.

In the book of 2 Chronicles, we meet Josiah, one among the long line of kings of Judah. He was one of the good guys who followed God’s ways.

But what really stands out in Josiah’s life is how he engaged with the Book of the Law once he discovered it.

When the High Priest unexpectedly finds the Book of the Law while repairing the temple, he sends it over to King Josiah.

Josiah’s reaction to the Book of the Law is—well, let’s just say it’s not quite the usual.

When he hears the words from this misplaced Book, he actually tears his clothes in repentance.

He is deeply convicted about how his ancestors and his people have disregarded the law of God.

King Josiah then digs deeper —he humbles himself and wants to be teachable. He sends for the High Priest and says: “Go and inquire of the LORD for me and for the remnant in Israel and Judah about what is written in this book that has been found.” (2 Chronicles 34: 21),

Josiah responds in obedience to the Book of the Law. He searches for the truth. Even if the truth is inconvenient and disruptive.

There was no skimming, no scanning, no mining for Instagrammable verses.

Later in the chapter, we see that the king gathers all the people of the land and he reads to them from the Book of the Law. And in that gathering, Scripture says that Josiah “renewed the covenant in the presence of the LORD—to follow the LORD and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, and to obey the words of the covenant written in this book.”

King Josiah was a good guy. He was already rebuilding and repairing the temple of the Lord. He was already engaged in good work. But when the Book of the Law makes its way into his hands, he approaches it with startling reverence. He repents of his old ways, he responds in obedience, and he renews his covenant with God.

Josiah sets an example of how we, too, can approach the Word of God.

Let’s ask ourselves these questions:

– Do I approach the Word and my time with God with reverence?
– Do I allow the Spirit to convict me and do a deep work of repentance?
– Do I respond to God’s Word in obedience?
– Do I renew my walk with God through His Word?

Those questions are worth reading through and carefully considering.

As for the kids’ exams, with each set of tests, both of them seem to be getting better at actually reading the questions rather than skimming through them. About actually answering the questions, well, we’ll have to wait and see how that goes.

 

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