Do you have a favorite book of the Bible?
I know that’s a hard question to answer. I asked it on my Facebook page and one person responded, “This question is like asking me to pick my favorite ice cream . . . I love them all.”
Yet he did answer the question (Ephesians). And others did, too — the books of Jeremiah, Colossians, Romans and James were mentioned.
How about you?
Perhaps a better question would be, “What book of the Bible do you read most often?” Isthere a book that you find yourself returning to more than others?
For me, it would the book of Psalms. Lately, it is also my favorite book to write about. I’m finishing up a book entitled How to Pray Like David: A Bible Study on Psalms 1-41, which should be published next month, Lord willing.
Which leads me to another question . . . Do you have a favorite psalm? (or 2 or 3)?
If so, let me know via email. I’d love to hear what Psalm has become precious to you, and why.
As far as Jesus is concerned, I’m reluctant to speculate as to how he would answer the question, “What is your favorite book in the Bible?”
But we do know how many times he quoted the Old Testament in the four gospels. And we know which books he quoted. That is a topic worthy of our consideration.
For example, when Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness, Jesus quoted Scripture three times. And all three quotations were from the book of Deuteronomy. Isn’t that intriguing?
“It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’ “ (Deuteronomy 8:3).
“It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test’ ” (Deuteronomy 6:16).
“It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only’ ” (Deuteronomy 6:13).
Jesus also quoted several other Old Testament books, including Genesis, Exodus, Isaiah, Hosea, and Malachi. And what about the Psalms? Yes, Jesus quoted the Psalms, too.
When he was on the cross, what prayer did Jesus pray?
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
This is a quote of Psalm 22:1, which David wrote. In a sense, then, we could say that Jesus prayed like David. These words, along with several other verses from Psalm 22, provide arguably the most graphic description of the physical and emotional sufferings of Christ found in Scripture.
Why did he pray this prayer? Because when Jesus was on the cross, “he (the Father) made him (the Son) to be sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21). The Father was pouring out his wrath on the Son, the wrath that you and I deserve as fair punishment for our sin. This demonstration of God’s grace came at a great cost to the Father and the Son, for they had enjoyed blissful union from eternity past. Now, for the first time, this unity was severed so that we could be restored to a right relationship with both Father and Son.
Yes, Jesus prayed like David because, 1,000 years before Christ died, David, in a prophetic sense, prayed like Jesus.
Oh, what glory is revealed in this prayer! Both the justice and mercy of God are on display here. And who are the beneficiaries of this deluge of kindness and righteousness? The Father and the Son did this . . . “for our sake” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Aren’t you glad they did? I pray that you do. Rejoice, my friend, rejoice!
And if you find anything in this post helpful, please let me know by leaving a comment below.
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