Those who know me would be surprised to learn I once sang in The Sound of Music. So would I . . . because I didn’t . . . but I once did publicly sing the rousing finale song of that Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” before hundreds of people. Okay, it was in a grade school production for our families, and I was just another voice in a large chorus, but that still counts, doesn’t it?
Another song in that musical was “My Favorite Things,” sung by Maria to the von Trapp children to lift their spirits and help them face their fears. She sang of things like “whiskers on kittens” and “raindrops on roses” and other pleasantries. I like some of the things in that song, too, but rather than sing to you about the whiskers on my kitten (to which I am mildly allergic) or the raindrops on our roses (which have stuck me with their thorns and which need watering to avoid shriveling in the heat), I would like to share with you some of my favorite things – in the Bible.
There are certain verses which have become my favorites, some at first reading and others as they have impacted my life and understanding of God.
Specifically, there are certain verses which have become my favorites, some at first reading and others as they have impacted my life and understanding of God. There are narratives (such as Daniel in the lion’s den), entire chapters (such as the creation in Genesis 1) and even books (such as John’s Gospel and the book of Daniel), that I love and could talk about, but what I’m thinking about right now are the single verses or two that carry the impact of a passage. To list any seems narrow-minded and is somewhat like a parent picking a favorite child, since “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness . . .” (2 Timothy 3:16) What verse can I in good conscience leave out of a favorites list? But again, there are some that have proven to encourage, inspire, or rebuke more than others, and it is those which I would like to share with you.
The following list is not ranked by preference or necessarily in scriptural order. I have followed each citation with a short note on why I find that verse meaningful. So here goes!
Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” This verse is foundational to our understanding of all reality, the universe, and ourselves. The rest of the chapter goes on to lay out the order and purpose of the creation, but this summary first verse is the basis of all that follows and is the essential counter to atheistic evolution.
Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” This verse speaks of the special nature of mankind as a deliberate creation of God, and teaches us that every human is made in the image of God. While we learn from other scriptures (and from experience!) how much sin has tarnished that image, this verse is the basis for the dignity and value of every human life – male and female, all nations and races. We look forward to the day when that image is fully restored.
Genesis 22:13 “And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.” While the entire incident of the Lord commanding Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, “his son, his only son, the son whom he loved,” is powerful, this one verse summarizes God’s deliverance not only of Isaac, but of all of us, for whom God himself sacrificed “his Son, his only Son, the Son whom he loved” on the Cross. God provided the substitutionary sacrifice to atone for our sins.
Numbers 11:23 ‘The Lord answered Moses, “Is the Lord’s arm too short? Now you will see whether or not what I say will come true for you.”’ (NIV) The Lord spoke this rebuke to Moses who doubted God’s ability to provide meat for the Israelites in the desert; as Moses pointed out, there were 600,000 men to feed (plus women and kids?), a huge order. But I love God’s answer, which I have seen played out in my own life and in the lives of others in the church. God is not bound by our limits: his arm is not too short. He can do as he promised, and as he points out to Moses here, because he gave his word, he will do as he promised. This carries over to spiritual and eternal matters, too: is God’s arm too short to raise the dead regardless of the condition of our bodies before the Resurrection? Or to forgive our sins no matter how bad they are? Or to be with us in the depths of loss and despair? “Is the Lord’s arm too short?” I think not.
Joshua 10:13-14 “The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.” I have always enjoyed the stories of God’s deliverance of his people, when he intervenes supernaturally to save the good and punish the evil. The Great Flood of Noah, the plagues of Egypt, the fall of Jericho, and other events are the way I would have written the Bible – God wins, his enemies lose – every time. What I like about this passage is that God delivers Joshua and the Israelites by making the sun stand still in the sky to allow enough daylight for the Israelites to defeat and pursue their enemies. And God did so in response to Joshua’s plea for him to do just that. This event deserves its own blog post, but for now I want to point out four things I like about these two verses: first, God acted decisively showing his power over all creation – specifically over even the earth and sun; second, he answered a prayer of faith that was for something otherwise impossible; third, God fought for his people – he did not abandon them but helped them defeat their mortal enemies; and fourth, the author points out that this was a unique occurrence. Unlike pagan mythologies which are filled with gods and cyclops and heroes and fantastical creatures, the Bible reports on this amazing event soberly, recognizing the unique nature of what happened – and why.
Unlike pagan mythologies which are filled with gods and cyclops and heroes and fantastical creatures, the Bible reports on this amazing event soberly, recognizing the unique nature of what happened – and why.
1 Samuel 16:7 ‘But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”’ God had directed Samuel to anoint Israel’s future king from among the sons of Jesse. When Samuel saw the eldest son, Eliab, he was sure that Eliab was God’s choice, but the Lord replied with this verse. Of course, we know that David was God’s choice to succeed Saul, but Samuel had to learn (as we all do) that appearances can be deceiving. We are impressed by the latest hunks or beauty queens and we accord them celebrity status because they look good. But beautiful people can be evil, and the unlovable can be generous and honorable. Remember that God looks on the inside, at the heart, which thanks to Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit, is made righteous and clean.
1 Samuel 17:45 ‘Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”‘ The entire account of David defeating Goliath is one of my favorite biblical events, but this is the verse that stirs me most whenever I read or hear it. I like it because it defines what the contest was all about: it’s not the story of the little guy standing up to the big bully, or of someone “speaking truth to power,” though those ideas can be derived from the story. No, the main point is that David so loves the Lord that he is angered that this enemy unbeliever should defy and insult the true God, and therefore feels compelled to respond by risking his own life on what seems to be a suicide mission. To David, “a man after God’s own heart,” (1 Samuel 13:14), God’s honor was at stake, and no one else had risen up to defend it. So he did.
So then, is this the end of my list of favorite Bible verses? To quote Paul in Romans 6:2, “By no means!” Or to quote again from The Sound of Music, “these are a few of my favorite things.” There are more to come, so tune in again for some more of my favorite Bible verses. In the meantime,
May the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord look upon you with favor, and give you peace. Amen.
Read: 1 Samuel 17