Striking the Waters: A Very Good Place to Start

Tony Wolfe

Tony Wolfe

Tony Wolfe is executive director-treasurer of the South Carolina Baptist Convention

When Maria (Julie Andrews) began to teach the von Trapp children the musical alphabet in The Sound of Music, she decided to “start at the very beginning.” Remember why? Because it’s “a very good place to start.” It’s often difficult to start anywhere else. I am not a huge fan of reading fiction, but one of my favorites is the four-book Gilead series from Marilynne Robinson. The first book sets the tone and frames the story (in a unique and captivating way, I might add). The next three books highlight certain characters inside that larger story arc, adding depth and color to the chronological narrative set in motion by the first. I can’t imagine jumping into that series by reading Lila before reading Gilead. It just wouldn’t make any sense.

When reading the Bible as narrative, can the same be said? The obvious answer is “no.” Every word from God is complete and authoritative on its own. Many places in Scripture you can see the entire narrative encapsulated in a single phrase or verse, such as Genesis 3:15, John 3:16, or Romans 8:29-30. Nancy Pearcey explains, in her 2012 book Total Truth, that the Bible is a longform gospel narrative told through the quadripartite worldview paradigm of Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration. Whether you agree with her paradigm or not, it is obvious that from page one, verse one, the biblical narrative is headed somewhere. It is telling the story of God, humanity, and the relationship between the two.

The Bible is a stimulating read: origin stories, betrayal, murder, affairs, coverup, war, military strategy, governmental structures, law codes, philanthropy, poetry, wisdom, sacrifice, redemption, leadership, miracles, prophecies, and much more. But unlike any other collection of books, the entire biblical narrative is drawn together in one single story line because it has one single author — the Holy Spirit. God the Holy Spirit speaks to us when we read the Bible. He reveals eternal truths and illuminates contemporary application. As has been said before, if you want to hear God speak to you, read your Bible; if you want to hear God speak to you audibly, read your Bible out loud.

But where do you begin, when reading through the Bible? Genesis 1:1 is, of course, a “very good place to start.” But even chronologically, an excellent case can also be made to begin with Job, or the Gospel of John or the Gospel of Mark if you want to begin in the New Testament. So, you want to read through the Bible in 2024. Where should you begin? Allow me to make a case for Psalm 119.

Like everyone else, I sometimes go through seasons of life when I find it difficult to be consistent in daily Bible reading. When those seasons of life have dawned on me, I have often reengaged daily Bible reading by turning to Psalm 119. The Psalm is an acrostic — each line beginning with one of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet, in succession. The first line begins: “How happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk according to the Lord’s instruction.” The first (Hebrew) letter of that sentence is Aleph which, other than being the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, carries the meaning of one or oneness. If you need to start at the beginning, at “one,” you can start with Aleph in Psalm 119. And if you do, in a matter of seconds you will be reminded, as I often am, of the immeasurable value of daily Bible reading.

In the first eight verses alone, the Christian reader is reminded of the surpassing value of knowing and living in accordance with God’s Word. Fulfillment (vv. 1-2) belongs to those who “keep his decrees” and “seek him with all their heart.” Confidence (vv. 3-4) is the posture of all who “walk in his ways.” Shamelessness (vv. 5-6) distinguishes the one who is “committed to keeping his statutes.” Endurance (vv. 7-8) sets the course for all who are determined to “learn his righteous judgments” and embody a lifestyle of praise “with an upright heart.”

Imagine a Palmetto State populated by a host of Christ followers who are daily filled to the brim with the Word of God. Fulfillment. Confidence. Shamelessness. Endurance. When the Holy Spirit speaks to us through the pages of the Bible, and when we set our affection on Him and walk in obedience to His commands, our feet are set on the right path and the course of our lives is set in the right direction. I’d say that’s a “very good place to start.”