Book Review: NIV Journal the Word Bible

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Bible Reading, Book Review, Christian, Journal the Word Bible, NIV, Zondervan

Title: NIV Journal the Word Bible

Published by: Zondervan (November 1, 2016)

Page Count: 1,408 Pages

Blurb:  The NIV Journal the Word^TM Bible allows you to creatively express yourself every day with plenty of room for notes or verse art journaling next to your treasured verses. With unique and sophisticated covers, this single-column edition features thick cream-colored paper with lightly ruled lines in the extra-wide margins, perfect to reflect on God’s Word and enhance your study.

Excellent for a gift or for personal use, it can also be a cherished heirloom to pass on to future generations with your personal writings inside! This exquisitely designed floral cloth over board edition is likely to become a lifelong treasure.

Features of this treasured Bible include:

• Lined, wide margins for notes and reflections
• Thicker cream paper for enduring note-taking
• Full text of the most read, most trusted modern-English Bible – the New International Version (NIV)
• Easy-to-read black-letter text
• Lays flat in your hand or on your desk
• Ribbon marker

My Take: This is a good looking Bible with a solid, sturdy cover and nice pages inside. The decoration on the cover is definitely designed more for my wife’s enjoyment than my own, but I can still appreciate the look of this Bible as much as I appreciate the feel of it. My wife has always been geared more toward journaling her thoughts as she reads the Bible, so I wanted to make sure I snagged this for my wife’s enjoyment after I had a chance to flip through and review this version of the Bible.

There isn’t much to this version, containing the text of Scripture along with the standard notations you’d expect to find for cross-referencing verses when they are quoted, etc. This is actually to be desired, as lengthy footnotes would detract from the real benefit to journaling, which is capturing your own thoughts and God’s promptings to you about that portion of Scripture. Which leads in to the real highlight: the lined margins on every page of the book. Those are wide and provide ample space to make notes so long as you don’t write in a large, flowing script. The pages are nice and thick and hold up well to use, as well as the highlighting and writing that the reader may do.

One of my wife’s biggest complaints was this being a hardcover, which isn’t as bendy and flexible as she’d like, but I am sure the hardcover will provide great durability and protection for this Bible.

Overall this is an excellent product and something that I am certain we’ll keep in our household for many years to come. My wife wanted a journaling Bible years ago, before they took off, and I am grateful that they have become popular enough that she could finally get the Bible she originally wanted.

**Note: I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

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Scripture Study: Joshua 1:1-9

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Bible Reading, Bible Study, Christian, Commentary, Historical Text, Joshua

Welcome to the first week of what will hopefully prove to be a long adventure. About two weeks ago I found myself considering going through a book of the Bible, taking a small section at a time and really digging into the text. The more I considered the idea, the more I was drawn to going through the Book of Joshua because it has always been one of my favorites. Yet the great stuff doesn’t end with Joshua, but continues along through the entire historical narrative through the book of Esther. So the task I am hoping to accomplish is to provide reading and commentary from Joshua through Esther, regardless of how long it takes to reach the end point. That will take me through each and every book grouped together as being a Historical text in the Bible. It is a large task and an ambitious goal, but I hope that you will join me each week as we dive into these books that form such a large portion of the Old Testament. Any Scripture used throughout this series will be from the ESV unless noted otherwise.

Scripture Study Home

¹After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, ² “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. ³ Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. ⁴ From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. ⁵ No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. ⁶ Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. ⁷ Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. ⁸ This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. ⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Verse 1: The mantle of leadership is shifting from Moses, who led God’s people out of Egypt and led them through the wilderness for 40 years, to Joshua. This was not an unexpected change for the Israelites, as Joshua had been groomed for this position for quite some time with Moses. He was the commander of the men who fought against the Amalek (See Exodus 17:8-16), he was one of the twelve men whom Moses sent to scout through the land of Canaan (see Numbers 13:1-24) and was one of only two men (along with Caleb) who gave a true report of what they found in the land of Canaan and therefore God chose Joshua and Caleb to be the only men alive with the group to be able to enter the land of Canaan (see Numbers 14:26-31). And when Moses asked God to “appoint a man over the congregation who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be as sheep that have no shepherd.” (Numbers 27:16-17) it was God who appointed Joshua to step in and be the leader of the Israelites after Moses and he was anointed before the entire people (See Numbers 27:18-23). So the transition of leadership here should be seamless.

Verses 2-4: Joshua is set to lead the Israelites into the land promised to Abraham (See Genesis 12:1-8, 17:8), Isaac (See Genesis 26:1-5), Jacob (See Genesis 35:6-15) and to Moses (See Exodus 5:22-6:8). The fulfillment of this promise is one of many demonstrations that God always keeps His promises, even if He does not set the parameters on how soon that promise will be fulfilled.

Verse 5: What a promise God makes here to Joshua: “Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you”. Recall that Moses encountered God as the burning bush (See Exodus 3), led Moses and the Israelites with pillars of cloud and fire (See Exodus 13:17-22), spoke with God on Mount Sinai (See Exodus 19, 24:12-18), and many other intimate and encouraging encounters. It is also remarkable to note that God promises Joshua that no man shall be able to stand before him for his entire lifetime, a promise that we’ll see in action time and again in the book of Joshua. So long as God’s commands are followed, victory is pre-established every step of the way.

Verse 6: Here appears the phrase “Be strong and courageous” for the first time in the Book of Joshua. It will appear two more times in just this short segment (Joshua 1:7, 9) which should cause any reader to take special note of the phrase. After all, anything repeated three times in the span of five verses must be very important. Whereas Moses argued with God over his ability to lead (See Exodus 4), Joshua is reminded several times that he should be both strong and courageous. After all, he has been promised that God will be with him, that no man will be able to stand before him, and that he will lead these people into a land that God promised them generations ago. See notes on verses 7 & 8 for more on what Joshua needed to do in order to live up to God’s expectations, and how those can apply to our lives today.

Verse 7: God tells Joshua what he should do, “being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.” All of the commandments that God passed down to His people, outlined in Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy should be followed. The weight of perfection that the law demands is great, but God made it clear in Deuteronomy 28 what would happen to the Israelites if they did, or did not, follow the law carefully. God dedicated 14 verses to the blessings that would come from obedience, including being blessed in city and field (28:3), in the fruit of the womb and ground and cattle (28:4), basket and kneading bowl (28:5), and both when coming and going (28:6), and that all who come against them would be defeated (28:7). But then come 53 verses outlining the curses that would rain down upon a nation that strays from the laws, including but not limited to the opposites of each blessing previously promised. This is an important chapter to look at and consider in context of much that will follow in the Historical books, particularly once we arrive in Kings and Chronicles.

Verse 8: This was among one of the first verses I memorized as a Christian, and with good reason. While Christians today are no longer burdened by trying to keep every letter of the law, it is still important to know and understand both God’s Commandments as well as God’s Word as a whole. Reading the Bible daily leads us on a path that will see us growing in our knowledge of God’s Word and learning passages of scripture even without active attempts at memorization. The more we know and understand the entire Bible, the more we will be in tune with what God desires from His people and the Holy Spirit will chip away at us, prodding us toward becoming more like Christ and less like our fleshly selves. I’ve come to understand this verse in a whole new way since my last encounter with it, an understanding that the Pharisees of old could have benefitted from. The first part says that the Book of Law will not depart from your mouth, followed by a command to meditate upon the Book of Law night and day so that you will do all it says. My interpretation: don’t just cherry-pick verses to learn and be able to spout, but rather immerse yourself in the fullness of God’s Word so that you know and understand the contexts surrounding God’s Word instead of just the right verse to suit your needs. Don’t use God’s Word as just a weapon to win battles but rather use it as a lamp to light your path (See Psalm 119:105) so that it becomes a part of who you are and influences what you say and do.

Verse 9: The main message found here has been repeated already by God in some manner, apart from the question (which directs back to everything just said anyway). Serving as a complement to the thrice-repeated command to be strong and courageous comes the command to also not be frightened or dismayed. The reason underlying all of those commands? Because God will be with you wherever you go. We have that same open connection with God through prayer, a part of our lives that is oftentimes rated with “it could be better” or “I should pray more” by Christians. Imagine what we could do if, instead of being afraid or discouraged we told God about those concerns and trusted Him to handle them? God fulfilled promises to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and many others even if it was not always in the timing expected. How might our lives change if we stopped kind-of believing that God hears our prayers and kind-of believing that He may answer them and start living secure in the knowledge that God hears and God will fulfill His end of any promises He has made? Be strong. Be courageous. Do not be frightened. Do not be dismayed. Your God is with you wherever you go.

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Reading the Bible Every Day

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Bible Reading, Reading Plan, Scripture Saturday, Technology, the Bible

We live in a world that is blessed beyond measure by the amount of information that is readily available to us. Today, in 2016, there are over 40,000 searches on Google every second (http://www.internetlivestats.com/google-search-statistics/) which equates roughly 3.5 billion searches per day and 1.2 trillion searches per year. We no longer need to wait for a daily newspaper, or even the regularly-scheduled news broadcasts in order to hear the latest news stories. Searches in a library’s catalog are done digitally rather than through a card catalog. We can map out our road trips online, complete with step-by-step instructions, alternate routes, estimated travel time, and indications of construction, tolls, and other things we’ll encounter along the way. There are more books in print than a person could read in a lifetime, and a wealth of audio and video content that can be accessed for free.

For Christians, we have dozens of English translations of the Bible available. We can read and listen to the complete Bible for free online. We can look up a verse or passage, change between translations, and read a complete commentary to go with it without ever opening the page of a book, much less needing to own a Bible or commentary. There are sermons by the thousands available to listen to, or watch, for free online. There are podcasts that dive into deep apologetics matters. Yet this only scratches the surface of the tools and resources that are present for a Christian in our modern, technology-driven world.

It can become easier to read what someone else has to say about a topic, to indulge ourselves in their interpretations of a Biblical book, passage, or topic. The Christian bestsellers thrive on this demand for convenience. In a world where more and more things demand our time and attention, it can be easy to rely upon audiobooks and podcasts during our commutes. None of these resources are, in and of themselves, a negative thing. We should feel blessed that we have so much information that is so readily available.

But it cannot become our only source for our daily Christian walks.

Devotionals are a great tool to inspire us to spend a little time reading in the morning or evening, yet most of them contain only a verse or two from the Bible, and almost never with the context around those verses. Hearing or reading what preachers and pastors have to say can be enlightening and inspiring, but if you do not read the Bible itself you can never be sure if they are leading you astray. There are many Christian authors being published who have no formal credentials, and many deliver powerful messages through personal experiences and interpretations, but without your own knowledge of the Bible they can also lead you down false paths and provide you with misguided impressions of what God’s Word says or means. Without reading the Bible daily, how can you ever be sure that the information you are being given is truly what God said or meant?

I know that it can be a challenge to read the Bible every day. I have faced that challenge myself and there are still days when I fail to dive into the Word of God. I have had seasons in my own Christian walk where I do not get into the Bible, convincing myself that a podcast or a book is an adequate substitute. After all, it is still touching upon God’s Word or topics from the Bible. It does not take much persuasion to get there, yet I know that this trade is like eating dry bread when one could have Manna. Like drinking well water when one could have the life-giving water that Jesus gives.

And I am not the only one who struggles with reading the Bible. According to the 2016 State of the Bible Report by the Barna Group, only ⅓ of Americans read their Bible at least once a week. One out of three will read the Word of God this week. Even worse is the small number who do so daily, which tends to fall in right around the 10-15% mark from year to year. Yet the reassuring statistic from the study is that 62% of Americans want to read the Bible more often. (http://www.americanbible.org/features/state-of-the-bible).

And there are ways to help make that happen. The first impulse might be to look up a One-Year Bible Reading Plan. After all, they tell you what to read each and every day throughout the calendar year. Yet there are two things that I dislike about these reading plans. First, they tend to begin on January 1 and, unless you begin that date, you may find it difficult to jump in somewhere in the middle of the year. Second, they jump around . . . a lot. I understand the thought behind doing a little from the Old Testament, a little from the New Testament, and a Psalm and some Proverbs. I really do. But how many people do you know that like to read multiple novels at the same time? You’ll be reading two different narratives each and every day possess entirely different timeframes. There has to be a better way of approaching reading the Bible, and how many people actually could stick to a rigorous plan long enough to succeed at reading the Bible in a year?

I believe there is a more systematic approach that a person can take to get through the Bible. It is not a race to see who can get through it fastest, nor to see if you can do it for 365 straight days (although daily reading should be the goal, we’re flawed humans and we’ll inevitably miss days along the way). Instead we should approach things in a certain order, beginning with the end. Read the New Testament first in its completion. You’ll understand about who Jesus was, his life and miracles on the Earth (Matthew-John), the beginning of the early Church (Acts), the letters passed down that are dense with Gospel messages and personal daily application (Romans-3 John), and then a glimpse at the end of this world which will lead into the coming of a New Heaven and a New Earth (Revelation).

This lays the framework to go back and read through the Old Testament. You’ll have an idea of the latter events, so that when prophecies get mentioned or events happen that mirror things that will happen in Jesus’ lifetime, they will jump out and make more sense. The first five books of the Bible lay the groundwork for the fall of man (Genesis) and lead into the laws (Exodus-Deuteronomy) given to man. From there you can either follow the history of Israel from its conquest into new lands through to their exile (Joshua-Esther), jump into the Wisdom Literature (Job-Proverbs), dive into the Major Prophets (Isaiah-Daniel), or dabble in the shorter books of the Minor Prophets (Hosea-Malachi). While there is something to be said for reading them in the order they appear, because the timelines on many of the prophetic books overlap with those of the history books so knowing the chronology of the kings and other events can be helpful, it is certainly not necessary to get the main thrust of the prophecies. And while reading at least the story of David (1 & 2 Samuel) will help you to have a better grasp on Psalms, they can be read and enjoyed apart from the historical basis. So this is where the flexibility comes in, although I would recommend reading them in the full groupings rather than a book from this and then a book from that (unless you are lucky enough to possess a Chronological Bible).

    And then, after the trip through the Old Testament, a second journey through the New Testament would complete the tour. This will allow you to be able to put the things in those books into the context and reference of the Old Testament, which is a helpful thing to do. Don’t set a deadline on the journey, and don’t even try to set a goal for how much  you’ll read each time. The goal is to make some progress each day. Some days it may be 5 chapters, others it might be just 5 verses. But taking time to jump into the Word of God is important, and this will help you to set that foundation that future readings and studies can build upon.