“What are your favorite Bible passages?” That’s a common question among believers. And for good reason! As the writer of Hebrews puts it, “For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
But it’s hard to identify “favorite Bible passages,” for two reasons. First, I have more than one; to choose favorite Bible passages is like choosing your favorite child! And second, many of my favorite Bible passages encompass more than one verse. I’m a firm believer that we have to understand Scripture in context. Pulling one verse out may lead to incorrect interpretations.
So with that in mind, here 7 of my favorite Bible passages.
“Then he came there to a cave and spent the night there; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’” (1 Kings 19:9)
In 1 Kings 18, Elijah faces down 450 prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. The prophets of Baal were there because Ahab and Jezebel led the people to worship idols. So Elijah challenged Ahab: your prophets will call on Baal, and I’ll call on God. Whichever one answers by fire is the true God. The prophets of Baal cried out to their god all day with no results. Then Eljiah prayed that God would let everyone know that He was God in Israel. Fire fell from the sky, consuming the sacrifice, the wood, and the stones of the altar that Elijah had built.
“When all the people saw this, they fell on their faces; and they said, ‘The Lord, He is God; the Lord, He is God!’” (1 Kings 18:39). Elijah ordered them to seize all the false prophets, and he killed them all. But when Jezebel found out what had happened, she threatened to kill Elijah. So Elijah fled from Israel, and eventually arrived at Horeb (also known as Mount Sinai). That brings us to 1 Kings 19:9 – What are you doing here, Elijah?
You might wonder, “Why is this one of your favorite Bible passages?” Easy! Because a number of times in my life, I’ve run to God because of some problem or situation. My complaints to God sound a lot like Elijah’s complaint in verse 10. “I’ve done everything You’ve asked me to, and now they’re trying to get rid of me.” That explains verse 4: “Enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” When I come to God like that, He says to me, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” God reminds me that already knows where I am and what I’m facing. He hasn’t forgotten me or lost track of what’s going on. It sounds like a scolding, but it’s actually a calm reassurance that God is in control. “What are you doing here, Elijah? I’ve got this!”
“’As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to keep many people alive’” (Genesis 50:20).
Recently, I posted a reflection on another part of Joseph’s story (When Trials Come, Remember: ‘The Lord Was With Joseph’). Joseph had dreams from his youth, and he believed that God was going to use him in a powerful way. When his own brothers sold him as a slave, he wound up in the house of Potiphar, a captain in the Egyptian army. Things went well for a while, until Joseph was falsely accused of attempted rape by Potiphar’s wife.
He wound up in prison, where he interpreted dreams for two of Pharaoh’s servants. His interpretations were correct: one servant was hanged, and the other was restored to his position. But once he was free, that servant forgot about Joseph, and he remained in prison for two more years. Finally, Pharaoh had a dream – and the servant remembered Joseph. Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dream, and Pharaoh made Joseph second in command in all of Egypt.
When Joseph’s brothers came down seeking food during the famine, Joseph initially did not reveal his identity to them. Finally, he did – and he brought all of his brothers, his father, and all of their families down to Egypt to live under his protection. But when their father, Jacob, finally died, Joseph’s brothers were worried. Would he take revenge on them now that their father was dead? That’s when Joseph said to them, don’t be afraid, because God had a plan all along. You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good…
This passage reminds us that there will be times in life when things don’t go as we hope or expect. (After all, Jesus Himself warned us that we would have trouble in this world.) Joseph’s response reflects the attitude that we should all have: to leave things in God’s hands. Time after time in Scripture we see how God was at work behind the scenes, preparing to bring His purposes to pass. As Paul writes in Romans 8:28, God causes all things to work together for good for those who love Him. That doesn’t mean that everything that happens isgood, but that God is at work for our good even in bad situations. If we trust God with the end result, we have to trust Him with the process of getting there!
“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8)
Where do I start here? Sometimes, favorite Bible passages do more than just comfort our encourage us; they challenge us. This passage has been so important in my spiritual development for a number of reasons, but I’ll just point out a few. First, the fact that Paul says have this attitude reminds us that we can choose our attitude. We cannot always choose our circumstances, but we can choose our response. Have the attitude of Christ Jesus. Second, Jesus did not “demand His rights.” Several translations of this verse say that Jesus didn’t try to “exploit” His status as the Son of God, or to “use it for His own advantage.” If Jesus didn’t “demand His rights,” perhaps we should not be so quick to demand ours?
Entire commentaries have been written on the meaning of the phrase “He emptied Himself” in verse 7. I can discuss different theories on the understanding of that phrase, but I prefer to think of it as explaining the fact that He did not try to hold onto His status as the Son of God. Nothing Jesus did made Him less than He has been through all eternity – the divine Son. But even though He remained the Son, He voluntarily took on “the form of a bond-servant” by becoming God-with-us Emmanuel. Because Jesus voluntarily became a human – not because He had to, but willingly – we can willingly obey whatever God asks us to do for His glory. There is nothing that is beneath us, because Jesus willingly emptied Himself. Have this attitude in yourselves.
“Behold, I am going to do something new, now it will spring up; will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah 43:19).
A little more than 25 years ago, I preached my first message as the pastor of Traverse City First Church of the Nazarene. I used this passage as my text – calling the people I came to serve to embrace the “new thing” that God wanted to do among us. Less than a month ago, I preached my last message as the pastor of that church before my retirement – from the same text. I encouraged them to embrace the new thing that God wants to do among them as their next pastor comes to lead them, confident in the God who makes all things new (Revelation 21:5).
In its larger context, God reminds the people of Israel of all the ways that He had led them, protected them, and provided for them. Starting in chapter 42, Isaiah identifies God repeatedly in terms of what God had done:
- Created the heavens and stretched them out, giving breath to people (42:5)
- Called them in righteousness, holding them by the hand (42:6)
- Appointed them as a covenant to the people and a light to the nations (42:6)
- Formed Israel (43:1)
- Redeemed them and called them by name (43:1)
- Given Egypt as their ransom (43:3)
- Sent to Babylon to restore His people (43:14)
This is the God who says, “Forget the former things, and do not dwell on the past” (43:18, NIV). God does not tell us to not dwell on the past because the past is unimportant; after all, the past is God’s track record with us. The past reminds us of God’s faithfulness to us, that even when “they meant it for evil, God meant it for good.” So what does He mean?
“Do not dwell on the past” is a reminder to us that no matter how well we think we understand God, we can never accurately predict what God will do. Throughout Scripture, God works in ways that are often confusing or even mind-blowing – but He always accomplishes His purposes. So instead of thinking that we can put God in a box, that God has to act in a certain way this time because that’s what He did last time, God reminds us: forget the former things; I am doing a new thing! Favorite Bible passages should inspire us to trust God!
What are your favorite Bible passages? Do you have any comments about mine? I’d love to hear from you!