Why We Avoid the Bible

We do not avoid the Bible because it is dull. We avoid it because it is exact. It points at the place we do not want to look. It challenges the devil within. We crave the good. We fear the cost.

A clean mirror.

Isaiah says it clearly. Eyes heavy. Hearts far. A sealed book. Lips that honor while the core resists. When the mirror is clean you cannot negotiate with it. You face what is there or you turn away.

The devil we know.

Each of us makes quiet deals with the self. I will keep this habit. I will keep this grudge. I will keep this screen a little longer. The Bible breaks those deals. Choose life. Choose truth. Choose discipline. Beautiful in public. Hard in private. Part of me must end so a better part can live.

Fear of the good.

Good is not soft. Good has weight. Good changes speech and money and time. Good may end a friendship. Good makes you return what is not yours. We say we want it while we design days that keep it far away.

Scripture and the yetzer.

The evil urge can be turned. Rachel shows how. She gave the signs to Leah to guard her from shame. Cunning became mercy. Later she removed the teraphim to cut idolatry at its root. The same fire that tempts can also light the altar.

A model of honest faith.

Abraham walks toward change. He leaves comfort. He speaks to God about Sodom with humility and courage. Shall the Judge of all the earth not do justice. He does not hide from the standard. He steps into it.

Craving without practice drains the soul.

We collect wisdom and avoid work. We like ideas and resist duties. The Bible ties belief to behavior. Love God and love people. Guard the tongue. Lift the fallen. Sanctify time. When text becomes task, resistance wakes up.

Pride at the door.

Study makes you a beginner again. It corrects your speech. It sets limits. It ends the fantasy that you are the center. Pride prefers commentary without obedience. Humility reads and then adjusts life to match.

The world profits from your drift.

Devices harvest attention. Markets sell appetite. Outrage is a product. None of this is neutral. The Bible asks for stillness and focus. A weekly stop. Blessings before eating. Honest weights in business. Expect friction.

How to start.

Choose one book. Choose one time. Choose one place. Read a small portion daily. Close the book and take one act.

If you learned about speech, upgrade one hard conversation today.

If you learned about giving, move some money before sunset.

If you learned about Shabbat, protect one hour this week.

Precision beats promise.

Expect pushback and name it.

When delay appears, say its name. When boredom appears, say its name. When shame appears, say its name. Then return to the line you were on and continue. Holiness is repetition with purpose.

Why this matters.

Life is not rehearsal. Homes need wise hearts. Cities need honest people. Bodies need gentleness. Speech needs restraint. The image of God in you is a charge. The Bible will not make you perfect. It will make you real. Real beats safe.

We avoid study because the text exposes the devil within and we are comfortable with that devil. We also fear the good that could be. Study anyway. Move with the fear. Turn the inner fire toward service. Give your craving for good a shape and a schedule. Start today.