Is Reading Important?

This nation has emphasized literacy for many decades, and it may be that we just take it for granted that all people can read, which is not true. According to the Internet, in 2022, the United States had an illiteracy rate of 21% and ranks 125th in literacy among all nations. Perhaps schools would do better to help elementary students to read rather than to encourage them to change genders.

But a most important question is, “What does God think about reading?” If He did not think it was important, would He have written a book? Of course, one can communicate effectively without writing through oral speech. God does both. He first spoke the Ten Commandments to Israel, which overwhelmed the people; then He wrote them on tablets of stone with His own finger (Ex. 31:18). Thus, they would have a permanent record of them.

But there was more than that. On a grand occasion, after the capture of Jericho and Ai, all Israel gathered together between the mountains of Gerizim and Ebal. Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal; it was made of stone; no iron tool came upon it. Burnt offerings and peace offerings were made upon it (Joshua 8:30-31). Then Joshua wrote on stone a copy of the Law of Moses which their former leader himself had written.

Then all Israel, with their elders and officers and judges, stood on either side of the ark before the priests, the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, the stranger as well as he who was born among them. Half of them were in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them were in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel.

And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and the cursings, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law.

There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, with the women, the little ones, and the strangers who were living among them (Joshua 8:33-35).

No one is surprised that Moses knew how to read and write; he was reared in Egypt by Pharaoh’s daughter, who undoubtedly saw to it that her son had every educational advantage. Stephen proclaims that Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians (Acts 7:22). But what about Joshua? From where did he learn his skills? And what about the Israelites, who had grown up in the wilderness? Apparently, they must have been taught to read and write. Otherwise, why would Joshua have written the Law so that all of them could read it?

Other Instances

If people could read the entire Law of Moses, that would indicate some kind of proficiency. However, there were considerably shorter things that people could read. For example, God commanded Moses to make a plate of pure gold that would be worn on the front of Aaron’s turban. On the plate were to be the words, HOLINESS TO THE LORD.

Another short message was one that was written on a wall for the benefit of Belshazzar. Fingers wrote the words, “MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.” The king saw a hand write the words, but he did not know what they meant. He was not illiterate, however; the words were in a language with which he was unfamiliar. At the queen’s suggestion, the king brought in Daniel, who interpreted the words accurately. As it turned out, this was the last day the king would rule, and his kingdom was given to Darius the Mede (Daniel 5).

Unfortunately, for all concerned, David sent a brief letter to Joab by means of Uriah the Hittite. It was the note that resulted in Uriah being killed in battle (2 Sam. 11:14-15). The evil King Jehoram received a somewhat longer letter from Elijah, which described the extent of his wickedness and foretold a painful disease of his intestines (2 Chron. 21:12-15). He refused to repent and suffered greatly as a result of it.

Jehu wrote and sent letters to the rulers of Jezreel, whom he charged to find a descendant of Ahab whom they would set on the throne—and then defend him. They did not want to fight against Jehu and made that known to him. He sent a second, more gruesome communication. He told them to “take the heads of the men, your master’s sons, and come to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow.” They showed up with seventy heads. No one else from Ahab’s house ever reigned (2 Kings 10:1-7).

The Rabshakeh, an emissary of the king of Assyria, came with a message for King Hezekiah. It was delivered verbally, but the contents were also in a letter. Hezekiah took the letter, read it, went to the house of the Lord, and spread it out before the Lord. Then he prayed over it—that it might not come to pass. God heard his prayer and came to the defense of the kingdom of Judah (2 Kings 19:14-19ff).

Letters were not always negative and destructive, however. The king of Syria wrote a letter to the king of Israel, in which he asked him to heal his servant Naaman of leprosy (2 Kings 5:5-8). At first, the king of Israel thought this was an invitation to war. Fortunately, Elisha got wind of the request and volunteered to handle the matter of Naaman’s leprosy. When the servant of the king of Syria returned home, he was a whole man, without any trace of the skin disease.

Another positive instance does not involve a letter but rather the archives of King Ahasuerus. Unable to sleep, he commanded that the book of the records of the chronicles be brought before him and read. (Were these so boring they would put him to sleep?) Perhaps, he had the feeling something had been left undone. At any rate, he found that Mordecai had reported a plot to assassinate the king, yet no reward had been given him. Immediately, the king determined to do something kind to him in return, which ruined Haman’s plan to hang him and signaled his downfall. The written record providentially saved Mordecai’s life.

Ezra reports an exchange of letters (Ezra 4) that resulted in the work on the temple ceasing about 535 B.C. Nothing was done for 15 years until Haggai and Zechariah exhorted the people to complete their work (Ezra 5). Anther exchange of letters resulted in the king’s permission to continue the project, and he even wrote to the people in the area to help out (Ezra 6). Many years later, King Artaxerxes armed Ezra with a letter giving him permission, along with all those who desired to accompany him, to travel unmolested back to Jerusalem (Ezra 7).

Isaiah reports that some were literate in his day while others were not (Isa. 29:11-12). Jeremiah sent a lengthy letter to the elders, priests, and prophets in captivity (Jer. 29:1-23). Some false prophets had also sent some letters, and they would be punished (Jer. 29:24-32). Some really did not appreciate the words of God that Jeremiah wrote down. King Jehoiakim took a scribe’s knife, cut off some of the columns of the writing, and cast them into the fire (Jer. 36:23). No, he did not destroy God’s Word; Jeremiah had Baruch write it down all over again on another scroll—and added more to it (Jer. 36: 32).

God instructed Habakkuk to write the vision that he saw and make it plain on tablets—that he may run who reads it (Hab. 2:2). The message recorded was so vital that the reader would want to pass on that information to others as fast as he could. (We have a vital message that needs to be passed on to others—and swiftly—do we not?)

The New Testament

The New Testament contains references to writing under the first covenant. In Matthew 5:31, Jesus said that a man divorcing his wife gave her a writing of divorcement (KJV). Other translations have “bill” or “certificate.” In Matthew 19:4, Jesus asks, on the same subject: “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning made them male and female?”

Jesus asked questions on two other occasions, also. He asked the Pharisees: “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry…?” (Matt. 12:3). He further inquired: “Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests at the temple profane the Sabbath and are blameless?” (v. 5). Jesus questioned the chief priests and the elders:

“Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” (Matt. 22:42).

Shortly thereafter, Jesus asked the Sadducees if they had not read what God said when He declared: “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then the Lord affirmed that God is not the God of the dead but of the living. Of course, Jesus cited many other Scriptures with which His opponents were familiar, but in these cited above He asked—not just if they knew them—but if they had read them.

Some estimate that the literacy rate of this time period was excessively low—perhaps less than 10% among Jesus’ followers and less than 20% in the Roman Empire. But Greek playwrights wrote their works, as well as Plato and Aristotle. Julius Caesar wrote about his Gallic wars. Homer had written The Iliad and The Odyssey; Vergil wrote the great work, The Aeneid. Ovid wrote poetry, and Paul references in his sermon on Mars Hill an idea that some of the poets of the day had mentioned (Acts 17:28). While the precise percentage of literacy may not be known, it seems as though reading words was not an overwhelming problem. Jesus has “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” written on His thigh (Rev. 19:16). Pilate wrote above Jesus’ head on the cross: This is Jesus the King of the Jews.

When the apostles and elders met in Jerusalem to discuss the claims of the Judaizing teachers, they drew a conclusion and sent a letter to the brethren in Antioch (Acts 15:23-29). Claudius Lysias wrote a letter to Felix the governor to explain why he was sending Paul to him. (Acts 23:26-30). Paul wrote a personal letter to Philemon and a number of other letters to churches and individuals. Of course, those who could not read could at least profit from hearing the words that were read publicly. However, is there not a presumption that most of the members of the church could read? We may not figure out the answer to that because, when a letter was received, nobody printed up several copies so that everyone could have one.

So, when Paul tells the Ephesians they would understand his knowledge of the mystery when they read his letter (Eph. 3:4), that action may have presumed a public reading of the epistle so that the literate and illiterate could both understand it.

Christians today are blessed to be able to read the Scriptures for themselves. Those who are blind or unable to read very well can rely on CDs or tapes in which the written word is spoken. But what happens if we do not study for ourselves? Then, perhaps, we do not understand the mystery as explained by Paul and others. If we ignore the book, are we not as disadvantaged as the illiterate. There are two reasons why people are lost. 1) They may be destroyed for lack of knowledge (either by chance or deliberately); and 2) They choose not to obey the truth (2 Thess. 2:10). We must appreciate the gift we have been given and profit from it.