How to Enjoy the Boring Parts of the Bible

By Philip Rosenbaum

Book Overview

Philip Rosenbaum will guide you through the "boring parts" of the Bible to a complete understanding of the Word of God. He reveals that these "boring parts" are essential part of our spiritual diet.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1561210676
• ISBN13: 9781561210671
• Release Date: January 1991
• Publisher: Wolgemuth & Hyatt Pub
• Length: 227 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

A VERY HELPFUL BOOK FOR A VERY REAL PROBLEM

Okay, let's be honest: No one can make the "boring" parts of the Bible (in which Rosenbaum includes the long lists of numbers; the "begat" sections; the details of the Tabernacle; the descriptions of the sacrifices; the various lists of tribes, officers, etc.) fascinating reading; one will always prefer the Psalms to, say, Numbers 7 for one's "pleasure" reading. He states in the first chapter, "It is much harder for us to relate to lists of names, and to descriptions of objects and buildings and portions of land, and to laws and rituals of Old Testament worship." Rosenbaum says, "Exodus ends in a cloud of glory. The Lord is in His holy temple. Now things really ought to get interesting! Who knows what the Almighty will do next? Just when we hunger for excitement, we come to Leviticus, the most unremitting of the boring parts. Just when we hope to be delivered from tedium, we come to the dullest book in the Bible." He also admits humorously, "Why the Millennium, which generates so much Christian literature these days, is limited to one chapter in Revelation, while the boring parts, which generate next to none, pop up over and over again, I do not pretend to know." He also says, "I have studied the sacrifices but never mastered them. The longer I boil each one in my brain, the more they all seem to come out scrambled. What's waved and what's heaved? What's sprinkled, what's poured? Why a bull or a goat? Is it trespass or sin? With a preschooler's comprehension of these mysteries, why shouldn't I sound like a Dr. Seuss book?" But Rosenbaum does a marvelous job of showing us the significance of even the most "boring" parts. He writes, "The more I study the boring parts, the more good reasons I find for their existence. That God may have other reasons which I cannot comprehend does not trouble me at all."

Makes the "Boring Parts" of the Bible Interesting!

The author uses a lot of humor but is dead serious about gleaning profound insight and understanding from even the most boring parts of the Bible. As Rosenbaum says, "the central metaphor of this book is that the boring parts are the desert places of the Bible," and this book is a guide on how to find water, beauty and treasure in these desert places. This book is for anyone who knows that personal Bible study is crucial to spiritual growth, but has been intimidated or left wanting by Leviticus or lengthy lists of "begats" and temple measurements. If you have tried to read the Bible all the way through but gave up when you came to the boring parts -- or if you have made it through them but didn't enjoy the trip -- this book is for you. We are taken by the hand by an expert who has learned to know and love the desert; he shows us where to find water and gives us practical strategies for discovering "treasures better than gold or oil" on our own. His sense of humor makes the trek enjoyable. You will alternately chuckle and drop your jaw in amazement at what the author teaches us to find.