Can You Dig It?
How is your daily Bible reading going so far in 2025? Now that January and February are over, I’m guessing that the new year motivation to do something new has probably worn off. So, I want to encourage you: if you’re struggling to dig into God’s Word every day, it’s never too late to start—or restart!
I would also encourage you to truly dig into the Bible. Read Scripture like an archaeologist. I’m not talking about piecing together genealogies or looking at historical dates and maps or making sense of units of measurement like a cubit, ephah, or shekel.
Dig for hidden treasures on every page. Think about how an archaeologist operates. When they hit something new or confusing on a dig, like a random shard of pottery or broken piece of arrowhead, what do they do? They immediately stop and think, “Something bigger has to be close by!”
But what happens when we come across something seemingly random or confusing in our Scripture reading? Typically, we breeze past it and try to get the “easier” passages that we know how to interpret.
Maybe that’s because we feel pressed for time but want to check the box of daily Bible reading, so we rush through our devotions. Perhaps it’s because we feel ill-equipped or under-educated to make sense of the complex parts of the Bible, and the task of digging deeper is overwhelming.
Whatever the reason, whenever we don’t dig into Scripture like an archaeologist, we’re bound to miss the good stuff!
Let me give you a brief example from the beginning of the gospel of John. I would encourage you to read John 1:43-51 for the full context, but here’s what Jesus says to Nathanael:
“Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man” (vv. 50-51)
If you’re digging through Scripture like an archaeologist, that’s a massive piece of pottery that you just hit! But what in the world does it mean? What is it connected to? Most of us would quickly breeze past and go to John 2. Jesus turns water into wine in the next chapter. That’s a story we’re more familiar with.
But stop. Don’t move past fast. If you don’t understand something in the Bible, pause. Ask questions. Dig deeper. Spend days on a verse or passage. Even if that means it takes you 17 years to read the Bible in a year, it is never a waste of your time!
What’s so significant about Jesus’ statement at the end of John 1? Jesus is connecting himself to a particular moment in the life of Jacob, recorded for us in Genesis 28:10-17. Spend time reading this passage later, but to quickly remind you, Jacob has a dream of angels ascending and descending from heaven back and forth on a ladder.
In this Old Testament moment, God is re-establishing his covenant with Jacob. And when Jesus reminds Nathanael of Jacob’s ladder in the New Testament, he is declaring himself to be the fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham.
That declaration alone is majestic and glorious! But what does it mean for your everyday life, right here, right now? Because Jesus is Jacob’s ladder, the flow of all the provisions of God’s promises come through Jesus.
Everything we need for life and godliness comes through our Savior. Through him, there is a way to God, and from him, all the provisions of God’s grace!
If you’re feeling discouraged, disheartened, and despondent today, preach the gospel to yourself by seeing that Jesus is Jacob’s ladder. And because he is, we have been brought into relationship with the One who gives us everything we need.
These are the treasures waiting to be discovered when you dig deeply and slowly into your daily Bible reading like an archaeologist!
A Prayer for Today: God, help me to pause and dig deeper into Scripture when I may not understand or comprehend what you are saying. Create in me an attitude of curiosity and profound interest in my daily Bible reading that helps me to dig slowly and deeply into your Word. I don’t want to breeze past and miss the treasure contained in the Scriptures. Help me be patient. In Jesus’ name, amen.
God bless,
Paul Tripp
Discussion Prompt for Children
• If you’re digging in the dirt and discover something buried like a big rock or a piece of metal, does it make you curious about discovering more as you dig? What do you think it means to “dig into Scripture”?
• Why is digging into Scripture important for anyone who wants to know more about God?
Reflection Questions
1. In the past, how have you struggled with rushing your devotional time in the Bible? Have you ever come across something in the Scriptures that has made you confused or curious, but you didn’t take the time to dig into it further? If so, what was your reasoning for rushing past it?
2. Why do you think digging deeper, moving slower, and pausing when you don’t understand something in Scripture is so difficult?
3. How does the fact that Jesus is the fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham through the reminder of Jacob’s ladder make you want to pause more often when something doesn’t initially make sense to you in the Bible? What does this promise fulfilled have to do with your everyday life, right here, right now?
4. In what ways do you need to preach the gospel to yourself today?