To begin reading a proverb a day, download the PDF Bible.
There is a tradition amongst Bible believing Christians to read at least one chapter of the Bible a day. Because the book of Proverbs has thirty-one chapters it’s possible to read one chapter a day and complete the book every month and begin again. Today is the 13th so the tradition is that you should read the 13th chapter of the book of Proverbs today and the 14th tomorrow. On the months that have only 29 or 30 days simply read two or three chapters on that last day in order to begin again on the 1st with the 1st chapter. That might sound like a lot of reading if you are not accustomed to it, but think of those days as leap days, a time of celebration.
The book of Proverbs imparts wisdom to the reader and is a great way to begin a day. If you don’t read often I highly recommend you begin forcing yourself to follow the practice of reading a Proverb a Day. It will discipline your mind towards focus. If you need to read the words aloud in order to focus please do so. If you are able to read the chapter aloud with your family please, please do so.
If you are not accustomed to group reading it’s simple. Begin with a simple prayer for the day such as “Father, we need your guidance today. Teach us wisdom from your book. In Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.”
Now have the father read the first verse and the mother the second and then the eldest child the next and then the younger child and so on in rotation until the chapter is complete. Following this order helps instill a Biblical authoritarian structure by placing God first, father second, mother third, and children in order of birth.
In all family matters this order is to be encouraged for the family is sovereign and the foundation of what we call society. No outside authority should be appealed to except God.
We need to teach our children that the government and the “church” should never be involved in anything that a family can address themselves. The father is the head of the household and he is subject to God alone. The wife is submissive to the husband, but over the children. And unless the child despises his birthright, the children are honoured in the order in which God created them.
As a former Sunday School teacher I can tell you that group reading has tremendous benefits for children. I could tell a major difference in the academic and behavioral abilities of children accustomed to group reading as found in Christian homes and Sunday School. By learning to read aloud the children learn humility first in that it’s difficult for them. They learn confidence in that it becomes easier. They learn poise, diction, and public speaking skills, in that they must read clearly and be well heard. They build vocabulary in that they are exposed to words they have never seen nor heard. They learn grammar in that they are exposed to language. They gain self control by learning to focus and remain still until the reading is complete. They learn wisdom from reading God’s word and the spiritual benefits are too great to be listed now, but guess what? You’ll gain those benefits yourself also. Even if you don’t have a family you can practice group reading with friends in person or over the phone and even reading aloud alone can help you with a lot of things mentioned.
All of the benefits I just listed are greatly enhanced by the King James Bible because it has difficult words not found in books given to children at school. The grammar of the King James Bible is also perfect as is the spelling. That’s why we refer to proper English as “The King’s English” for it is found in the King James Bible commissioned for translation by King James I of England. It is perfect English. Americans don’t speak, read, or write properly and the education system in America encourages improper English. The new rules of grammar are contradictory and not enforced by union teachers even when they are not.
We simply do not expect enough from our children. The children that I taught that were raised around the King James Bible, the group reading of it, and regular church attendance were vastly, I mean VASTLY, more well behaved then those who were not, and their grade levels, both in terms of reading skill and in academic performance, were light-years beyond their peers.
Some tips for reading alone and for group reading:
1. If your child or another adult is struggling with a word give them some time to sound it out. Only right before the child becomes frustrated say the word for them. By allowing the reader to have a few victories of their own every time they read they will want to read some more. Giving the child the answer immediately encourages laziness but letting them struggle too long wears them down.
2. Keep a dictionary handy. You are sure to find words in the Bible you have never seen before. Remember that modern spellings are a bit different. One example is the word “show” which used to be spelled “shew.” The “ow” spelling was reserved for words that contain an “o-u” sound like in the word “showers” so the word “show” back then was spelled “shew” and remained that way until after the late 1700s. The proper pronunciation of the word “shew” is like “shoe” as in the word “running-shoe.” The modern spelling of “show” does not appear in the Bible, but the meaning is the same. You can always tell what the Bible means from the context, but for the exact definitions of individual words get a good dictionary or use the internet in a pinch (the internet should be your last resort for reliable information however). Older dictionaries are better than modern ones in a lot of ways that we’ll explore in another post.
3. If you are having trouble with a certain word or a verse, either with the pronunciation or in the understanding of it, simply read it as best as you can and move on. You’ll understand the word and verse better another time, but you need to finish the chapter or you’ll become frustrated.
4. If you are reading in a group, especially with children, somebody will invariably ask you, “What does that mean?” In fact you will ask this question yourself every time you read so don’t be afraid! If you don’t know what the verse means simply say to that person or to yourself, “I don’t know what it means, but it sure sounds interesting!” All verses in the Bible relate to other ones so you have to read more to understand more.
I hope this has encouraged to the start the practice of daily Bible reading, especially a Proverb a day, especially reading aloud, especially with family and friends. Enjoy the 13th Proverb!