Book notes: Eat This Book by Eugene H. Peterson

Now I'm enjoying Eugene H. Peterson's, Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading. He's the well-known author of the contemporary translation of the Bible, The Message. Very good, strong reminder about the centrality of scripture reading: not just for Biblical knowledge, not just to find out what it might say about this or that, but to allow the Holy Spirit to speak and reform us through Biblical reading. He mentions how C.S. Lewis described two kinds of reading, 1) reading in which we use a book for our purposes, and 2) reading in which we receive the author's purposes (p. 30). I hadn't really thought of how often I open the Bible for my own purposes! There is a tendency to keep scripture and God at arm's length, to let God speak to and act upon us on our terms.



I chose Peterson's book because it fits with the theme from Psalm 34:8, "O taste and see that the Lord is good." His title is based on Revelation 10:9-10 where St. John is told--not just to read a book/scroll--but to eat it, (as the two prophets did before him, Ezek. 2:8-3:3 & Jer. 15:16).



Peterson mentioned the Hebrew word, hagah, which is often translated, "to meditate" (i.e. Ps. 1:2, 63:6). It is, however, the same word that Isaiah used for a lion "growling" over its prey, or how God protects Jerusalem, his people (31:8). Peterson connected that to his dog chewing its bone with growls and noises, rolling on it, protecting it. The point is that hagah-meditation on scripture includes the "soft purrs and low growls as we taste and savor, anticipate and take in the sweet and spicy, mouthwatering and soul-energizing morsel words" (Ps. 34:8), and the "reading that enters our souls as food enters our stomachs, spreads through our blood, and becomes holiness and love and wisdom" (pp. 2 & 4).



It also fits what we've been presenting at MLC, including the Old Testament Challenge to encourage Bible reading. Pr. Jon and I have also led a few groups through the meditative practice of lectio divina that allows the Spirit to guide us through a given passage. We're encouraging small groups to gather around the Serendipity study bibles. And the ELCA has put forward "The Book of Faith Initiative" which calls us back into a deeper relationship through the Bible.

Peterson's reminder is very important. This is not a call just to "know" the Bible better, but to savor it, and deepen our relationship with God through it.