Book Review: ESV Daily Reading Bible

In case you missed it in my previous New Year Resolutions posts, it's been a goal of mine to read through the Bible in a year.  After failing (miserably) in 2011 and 2012 through a variety of different methods, I acquired the ESV Daily Reading Bible for Christmas 2012.  I started on January 1st with the greatest of intentions, fell behind in March, but I am now elated to report that I have accomplished my goal - and with a day to spare.

Not only does the book guide you through each section by date, I also enjoyed the minimalistic approach of the passages themselves.  To start, just open the book to the date and start reading.  There are still footnotes on the bottom for alternative translations, measurement conversations, etc., however the section headings that are usually presented in study Bibles have been removed.  Admittedly, I can understand others may not be thrilled with it - especially because you are reading four sections a day (more on that later) - but personally, it encouraged me to slow down and understand what I am reading

Whereas other daily reading plans focuses on working through the Bible straight-through or chronologically, this book uses the M'Cheyne reading plan, which, to quickly summarize, has the reader complete the Old Testament once per year, and the New Testament and the Book of Psalms twice per year.  If that is too much reading, a simple compromise is to remove the fourth reading section of each day and you will still read through the entirety of the Bible.

A major strength of the book lies just with the shear amount of Scripture read through in a year.  At our church, our pastor has been preaching the Gospel of Mark verse-by-verse.  It's been invaluable and insightful to understand the context and meaning of OT passages during the sermon, or, honestly, just reading through the NT.  Also, it's worth mentioning that because Scripture is so interconnected to each other, reading four different sections yields a unique perspective God's character, Biblical figures, major events, and how genre of different sections compare and contrast with each other throughout the entirety of time.

One other aspect worth mentioning is that the reading plan doesn't split chapters.  In other Bible reading plans I have researched, some present parts of a single chapter to only read another part or the remainder of the chapter at a later place in time.  This guide is devoted to keeping the fluency of the chapter intact; I like this approach as considering that reading and thinking of the Bible in chapters is particularly valuable when reading OT narratives as well as the Psalms - although not so much regarding the NT epistles.

It took a lot of discipline for me to read through this.  Not because I'm disinterested, but simply because of it being a daily commitment.  But in reflection, it only takes about 10-15 minutes a day to read through all four sections.  If you are a slow reader, or really trying to get the most out of the passages, maybe it pushes up to 20-30 minutes.  But thinking about how much time I can waste in a day, dedicating 10-15 minutes to sit down and read my Bible made my spiritual life richer.  I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in trying to reading their Bible in a year.

I usually only provide the physical book in my links, but I do want to make it known that if you have a digital book reader, there is a digital copy of this book and an app available too.

Bacon Rating: 5 out of 5

Bible Questions: Mark 12:41-44

I have written these questions based on the sermon A Widow Devoured - A Victim of False Teaching by Matt Kennedy.

Text: Mark 12:41-44

1. [App] There are many sections where the Bible upholds the causes of the widow, the fatherless and the sojourner (immigrant) in Israel.  Why does God have a special type of love and compassion for these people?

2. [Malachi 3:5] Read the Malachi verse.  How can the righteousness of a nation be reflected by the status of their widows, orphans, immigrants and poor?

3. [App] How are widows, orphans and immigrants seen and treated today by the population at large?

4. [v.41-42] The rich were quick to give and gave often, but their giving is for their own righteousness.  The poor were giving too much out of a desperation and false hope of salvation and forgiveness.  How can we ourselves give to the church or other worthy causes, but do so under the wrong circumstances?

5. [v.41-42] Assuming that you are in a position to give financially, and you are right with Jesus, where is the line between healthy and unhealthy giving?

6. [v.43-44] If Jesus is lamenting the woman’s circumstance, why doesn’t he do anything about it here?

7. [App] As Christians, how do we support those who have suffered tragic family or personal loss? Specifically, how should we engage the widow, the orphan and the immigrant in our culture?