How to enjoy the boring parts of the Bible

Yes, the Bible does have boring passages. Many people, when they hit their first boring passage (usually somewhere in Leviticus), feel defeated by it and quit altogether. But if your aim is to grow rather than conquer, you shouldn't let one boring passage stop you from reading through the rest of the Bible. When you hit a boring passage, get help, and skim the passage or even skip it, knowing that you can always come back and study it more closely some other time.

Below are some tips for reading particular types of boring passages:

• Parallel passages. These are passages which describe the same account, but from different points of view. They are not boring in themselves, but they will be if you try to read them back-to-back. A better approach is either to space them apart, or to read them in parallel so you can see the particular viewpoint of each. A parallel version (called a "harmony" or "synopsis") is helpful for this.
  • Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are all parallel accounts of the life of Jesus.
  • 2 Samuel—2 Kings and 1-2 Chronicles are parallel accounts of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah.
• Laws. These start in Exodus 21-23 and form the bulk of Leviticus and Deuteronomy, and some of Numbers. When reading these passages, it's important to keep in mind:
  • The hierarchy of laws. Much of the Law can be seen as an elaboration of the Ten Commandments (Ex 20; Deut 5). Moreover the New Testament sums up the Law in just two commandments: love God and love neighbor (Mt 22.37-40; cf. Rom 13.8-10). When you read the Law, try to see how they fit together.
  • The relationship of the Law to the New Testament. The Law points to Christ (Gal 3.24). Sometimes we need to read the Law as not directly pertaining to us but as foreshadowings of the work of Christ (animal sacrifice, for example).
• Genealogies and other lists of people. You will encounter lots of these in Genesis and later here and there, but the mother of all genealogies is in 1 Chronicles 1-9. It may be useful to draw or consult a family tree for these passages.
• Descriptions of buildings or territories. Exodus 25-40 and Joshua 13-21 are two major examples. For these passages a drawing or map is indispensable! A picture is worth a thousand words.

David Chiangdchiang at cis.upenn.edu
Modified 15 Jun 2001