Why is it important to read the Bible to others?

Deuteronomy 6:1-2, 7“These are the commands, decrees, and regulations that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you. You must obey them in the land you are about to enter and occupy, and you and your children and grandchildren must fear the Lord your God as long as you live. If you obey all his decrees and commands, you will enjoy a long life. . . . Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.”

God’s people are commanded to be familiar enough with God’s Word not only to obey it but also to teach it to and discuss it with their families during all the daily routines of life. The way we treat and respond to God’s Word reveals how deeply we actually love God.

Deuteronomy 31:9-13Moses wrote this entire body of instruction in a book and gave it to the priests, who carried the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant, and to the elders of Israel. Then Moses gave them this command: “At the end of every seventh year, the Year of Release, during the Festival of Shelters, you must read this Book of Instruction to all the people of Israel when they assemble before the Lord your God at the place he chooses. Call them all together—men, women, children, and the foreigners living in your towns—so they may hear this Book of Instruction and learn to fear the Lord your God and carefully obey all the terms of these instructions. Do this so that your children who have not known these instructions will hear them and will learn to fear the Lord your God. Do this as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy.”

God commands his people to read his Word to one another publicly. This practice helps us hear God speak, develop an awe of God, and learn to obey him. For these reasons, direct exposure to God’s Word is a basic spiritual discipline.

Deuteronomy 32:46Take to heart all the words of warning I have given you today. Pass them on as a command to your children so they will obey every word of these instructions.

Warnings always point to positive or negative consequences, depending on whether those who are warned pay attention to them. Parents are instructed to model their attentiveness to God’s warnings so that generations will avoid the consequences of disobedience.

Isaiah 8:16Preserve the teaching of God; entrust his instructions to those who follow me.

God wants you to accurately pass his Word on to others, teaching them as you have been taught. As our culture drifts further from the truths revealed in Scripture, it is ever more critical that those who claim to follow God understand what he requires of us!

Nehemiah 8:2-3On October 8 Ezra the priest brought the Book of the Law before the assembly, which included the men and women and all the children old enough to understand. He faced the square just inside the Water Gate from early morning until noon and read aloud to everyone who could understand. All the people listened closely to the Book of the Law.

After years in exile, the people who returned to the Promised Land needed to hear from God. It’s not that they didn’t have God’s Word during their captivity; rather, hearing it surrounded by evidence that God was keeping his promises surely made a deep impact.

Acts 8:34-35The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, was the prophet talking about himself or someone else?” So beginning with this same Scripture, Philip told him the Good News about Jesus.

Curiosity about Scripture is one of the strategies the Holy Spirit uses to bring people to the Kingdom’s gate. Philip was prepared to use any part of God’s Word as a starting point to talk about Jesus (see Luke 24:27).

1 Timothy 4:12-13Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. Until I get there, focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them.

Timothy’s life was supposed to be a visible example of genuine discipleship. His life of faithfulness would complement his public reading and teaching of God’s Word.

Revelation 1:3God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says, for the time is near.

The public reading of God’s Word leads to God’s blessing when it is accompanied by obedient listening.