Why "Expository" Devotions?
The case for "the next text is the best text" in our private worship
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
2 Timothy 3:16-4:2
Introduction
Scripture is God’s Word. The way it is written is the way it is to be read. God inspired men to write in a certain style and genre. Those styles and genres determine how we are to read His Word. And those styles and genres are written (and to be read) in a consecutive manner. One verse after another, the previous verse shedding light on the next. This is how humans communicate and this is how God communicates to us. Therefore, the general rule should be to read Scripture consecutively—one verse after another, from beginning to end.
Expository Method In A Cherry-Picking Culture
This doesn’t mean it is wrong to isolate the Sermon on the Mount or The Upper Room Discourse for a devotional series. Rather, it means we shouldn’t isolate, cherry-pick, or de-contextualize individual verses from its surrounding context. No individual verse is understood detached from the surrounding text.
Scripture is meant to be read like any other book. But in our age of tweets and Instagram Bible verses, we often rip a verse out of context and fail to read it within its literary flow. What happens as a result is that we miss much of the riches of Scripture. We skip over, ignore, or neglect the whole counsel of God’s Word (Acts 20:27).
Because of what Scripture is and how it is to be read, the general rule for our private devotions is to trust this “expository” method. By “expository,” I mean the reading of a book of the Bible from chapter one, verse one to the very end.
No Way But The Expository Way?
If God’s Word is God’s Word, and if God has given us His Word in this style, we ought to expect that our Sovereign God has chosen for us today and tomorrow’s text. He knows our life. He knows our needs. He knows our predicaments. His sufficient Word speaks the right truths to us in the right timing. Topical and thematic methods are not altogether wrong. But the general rule ought to be to normally and regularly read God’s Word in its intended way.
Again, this doesn’t mean that we can never stop a devotional series before it’s done. It’s not that we should never go to other timely verses or texts in moments of need. Sometimes, that is exactly what the Lord intends. Solidly reformed Christians through the last several hundred years developed catechisms for the purpose of being used for our devotions. These catechisms are developed for each truth to logically build upon the next, but these questions and answers quote verses from all over the Bible. This is not to say that we only have expository devotions. But it ought to be a regular practice to start one book of the Bible at its beginning and read verse-by-verse all the way to its end.
The Providence Of Expository Devotions
Why this method? To be sure, God is always sovereign over everything we read. But we can especially be certain that in this expository method the next text for the day is exactly what God would have for us.
How often I have woken up to a flurry of anxious thoughts to then open up to my regular Bible reading and find the next text speaks precisely to what’s happening. An example of this has been in my reading of the Psalms. I woke up one morning stressed about various situations that involved some people unfairly criticizing me. In my sinful flesh, I was running to numerous errant thoughts. I was tempted to grow in bitterness, depend on my own strength, or ignore it altogether. But the next psalm for my devotions was Psalm 5. Look at God’s providence in the first 8 verses:
Give ear to my words, O Lord; consider my groaning. Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray. O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch. For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. You destroy those who speak lies; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man. But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you. Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me.
Imagine the comfort of knowing our God doesn’t delight in wickedness. He will judge it. Imagine the conviction of reading that God abhors the bloodthirsty. He calls us to repent of avenging ourselves. Imagine the assurance coming from the abundance of God’s steadfast love. He forgives us our sins and brings us into His holy temple.
Expository Care
Time and time again this has happened. Instead of running to social media, texting friends, reading the news, or spiraling down in my own thoughts, I have learned the importance of seeking God’s face “in the morning” (Ps. 5:3). No wonder God told Joshua, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it” (Josh. 1:8a). We must start our days with God’s Words, not others’ or even our own.
In each text, God is caring for us. The next text is the best text because the next text is God’s Word for us for that day. He is the True Shepherd of His sheep. His heals us by His Word. He instructs, mentors, leads, confronts, and comforts by His Word. His Word is living and active for every day. Trust in this normal way of reading God’s Word.
Conclusion
Trust the Lord. He knows what you need. As He says in 2 Timothy 4:2, the Word comes to us in the right season to “reprove, rebuke, and exhort.” He searches our hearts and convicts us of sin. He comforts and heals bruised reeds. He inspires us to take courage and live with great faith. He grants us great desire for the beauty of holiness. The next text is the best text. All of it comes from His loving heart for His people.