Yes, the Bible is an interesting book. Which is why nine out of ten American households own at least one copy, according to a 2005 update from the Barna Research Group. It’s why six out of ten Americans confess to reading the Bible every once in a while, according to a 2000 Gallup poll. Yet most of us readers don’t know Ezra from Esther or Zephaniah from Zechariah. Few of us can list all four Gospels or recite half of the Ten Commandments. A majority of us can’t even identify who delivered the Sermon on the Mount.*

That’s why you need this book – A handy, easy-to=read, occasionally amusing guide to the Bible and its characters, events, translations, and history. Why? Because the Bible is the all-time best-selling book, one that most people own but apparently don’t read, that lots of people read but apparently don’t understand, that lots of people allegedly understand but in a way that makes them jerks. Let’s see what the Pocket Guide can do about that.

As a youth minister, I am constantly on the lookout for new resources that can help me introduce my students to the Bible. With each passing day I have found that it is becoming increasingly more difficult to get students excited about reading the Word. The reasons are many and varied:

1) The Word seems dusty and unapproachable. When you force kids to read the New King james Version what do you expect.
2) We try forcing the Bible on our kids. That’s like trying to eat 8 saltines in under a minute. It’s unbearable and it ain’t gonna work!
3) We are more concerned with our kids getting a scholarship than we are with them spending time with the Savior. Scholarships for knowing the Torah and the history of the Northern kingdom are hard to come by.
4) When adults have trouble understanding something, we often let it slide. It falls off our radar and we don’t make it a priority. Our kids see that and learn a lesson (not a valuable lesson, but a lesson nonetheless).
5) Students don’t see adults all that excited about the Bible.

Parent: Where did you learn this?
Johnny: (through tears) I learned it from you, ok! I learned it from you!!!

Whatever the reason we have to find an approach to living with Scripture that glorifies God, gets people into the Word, and gets everyone excited about learning and sharing the greatest book of all-time.

A new resource that I have come across is Jason Boyett’s Pocket Guide to the Bible. This little book is both side-splittingly hilarious and deep-in-the-trenches informative (Yes, you can be both). I want to spend this weekend and the first part of next week introducing you to this “little book about the Big Book.”

Boyett divides the book into 5 sections: Biblicabulary, Cast of Characters, What Happens, History of the Written Word, and Biblical Miscellany. Today, I only want to discuss the first section.

The first section is titled Biblicabulary. Here he takes the reader through a list of difficult Bible words or confusing concepts that often derail many a man, woman, or child who attempt to read the Good Book. Boyett first defines the word or concept for the reader. Then he gives an example of how it is used in Scripture. By using concise, solid Biblical examples Boyett helps readers understand the differences between the Pharisees and Sadducees, Old Testament and New, and everything in between. By using references from everyday life and pop culture Boyett helps make the Word accessible for both first time readers and valedictorians at Hebrew Union. 2 Examples:

Ark of the Covenant: A sacred, gold-covered box made of acaia wood. It houses the stone tablets on which God chiseled the Ten Commandments, plus a jar of manna and Aaron’s miraculous walking stick. It’s kept in the holy of holies in the Tabernacle and later gets moved to Solomon’s temple. Why? Because it is a reminder to the Israelites of God’s presence.
Also Known As: Ark of the Testimony, Ark of the Agreement, Ark of the Lord
Not Also Known As: The Ark of Noah, which holds a bunch of animals rather than stone tablets and is made of gopher wood instead of acaia wood. Also, it’s a boat.
Please Use It In a Sentance: Archeologically inclined Nazis will want to avoid opening the Ark of the Covenant, as it will melt their faces off.
Biblical Example: Now the people of Beth Shemesh were harvesting their wheat in the valley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they rejoiced at the sight. (1Samuel 6:13)

Prophet: A human messenger speaking on behalf of God, for the purpose of (1) calling God’s people to repentance for doing something wrong, or (2) predicting future calamity or coming judgement because of all the wrongdoing. Such prophesies make up a sizable chunk of the Old Testament, from Isaiah to Malachi. Other biblical big-timers like Samuel and Elijah are identified as prophets.
Not To Be Confused With: False prophets, seemingly religious heavyweights who claim to receive visions and messages and other sorts of instructions from God, but who are pretty much full of crap. On account of how the stuff God’s apparently telling these guys to do is more or less evil, and that’s not how God rolls. Example A: Jim Jomes. Example B: David Koresh.
Biblical Example: “But the prophet who prophesies peace will be recognized as one truly sent by the LORD only if his prediction comes true.” (Jeremiah 28:9)

See, who says the Bible is out-of-date and irrelevant? Not me. I love reading, learning, and living with God’s Word. I want my students and their families to get just as excited and motivated about spending time in Bible study as they do about yelling at the refs in the NBA for allowing Miami to walk away with that trophy.

If someone you know is having difficult time understanding the Bible or connecting all the dots, pick them up a copy of Pocket Guide to the Bible. In fact, get two copies and start reading it with them. Start making Bible study a priority with your friends, family, and yourself.

*George Gallup Jr., The Role of the Bible in American Society, 1990