In defense of the boring Old Testament Books

Let's face it, they exist...books of the Bible that make us rethink our goal of reading through the entirety of the Bible. People quote "Blessed are the poor in spirit..." and "Love is patient..." but I haven't yet heard someone say their favorite verse is "The cities of the tribe of the Judahites in the extreme southern district toward Edom were: Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah...[etc. etc. etc. for like 40 more verses and how do all these cities fit into that small of a land for just one tribe is Israel bigger than I thought holy smokes...]."

I had a wise FOCUS missionary who told our Bible study group that every word of the inspired Word of God was important, and proceeded to make us read through a genealogy of Jesus. Though it's hard to remember this when reading through lists of cities that belonged to the tribes of Israel when they finally entered and took the Promised Land, it's equally as true for the historical books of the Bible. And so I put on my big girl pants and have been reading them...slowly. Super slowly.

So what are we supposed to take from these lists and minute details? As I finished up the book of Joshua this past week, I found my answer in this verse: "And so the LORD gave Israel the entire land he had sworn to their ancestors he would give them (Joshua 21:43)."

We may not care that much about every city and every boundary mentioned in Joshua, but the Israelites did, because it was all proof of God's unconditional love and unwavering promise.

When I tell the story of my journey with infertility, I remember every detail...what meds I have been put on and dosages, what blood draws I've had, the details and levels of those hormone tests, what my charting means, and what is yet to come. These details may not mean much to anybody else, but when it comes to my story of God's work in my life, it matters. At the end, whether I have been blessed with biological children or God has a different plan, all the small details will point to His master plan and glorification.

So bask in the details of Scripture. They are part of the beauty that brings the story of salvation history together.