The Best of The Boring Parts of the Bible

Laws, Genealogies, and All Those Sacrifices

If you’ve ever tried doing a “read-the-Bible-in-a-year” plan (or maybe you're currently doing one), this time of year is typically when people start falling off the wagon.

Genesis was exciting and there’s a lot of crazy stories in there. Exodus was better than you thought too! But now you’re deep into Leviticus, Numbers, or maybe even Deuteronomy. Chapter after chapter of levitical law, detail after detail of the tabernacle, and if you come across one more name you can’t pronounce you're going to quit.

Let’s just admit it, there are parts of the Bible that feel… boring.

They’re overly detailed. Sometimes tedious and repetitive. Whole sections that feel completely foreign to anything relevant to us. And, if we’re honest, we’re tempted to skip right over them.

You’re not alone. That’s normal, even expected.

That’s why I want to cover three typically troublesome areas you’ll encounter and help you see them in a new light.

#1: All The Laws
I’ve never personally counted them, but Bible scholars tell us there are over 600 laws in the Old Testament. You might barely know the Ten Commandments, much less all the others. There are laws about what you can eat and what you can wear. Laws about sex, laws about personal hygiene, even laws about not eating bacon. No bacon! Can you imagine?!

All the laws can feel overwhelming, that’s why they’re commonly categorized into three main categories: Ceremonial, Civil, and Moral.

The ceremonial laws were those regarding the sacrificial system, the tabernacle, religious festivals, and priestly procedures.

The civil laws dealt with the judicial and legal system. From how to settle disputes to business transactions to property landmarks.

The moral laws were based on the character of God and showed how God’s people were to treat one another and what loving your neighbor actually looked like.

**It’s important to note, the moral laws extend from the Old into the New Testament. Just as it was wrong to lie or steal back then, it is still wrong to lie or steal today. However, the ceremonial and civil laws were never intended by God to be the universal law for all people for all of time. God gave them to Israel for a limited time and for a particular purpose. Some were to make the Israelites distinct from other nations. But most importantly they taught God’s people about sin and salvation.

Letters like Hebrews, Galatians, and Romans work this out in detail. For example, Galatians 3 explains, “Why then was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised” (v19). It was to show us our need for a savior, a savior that would bring dramatic changes. “And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law” (v26). In other words, Jesus fulfilled the law and accomplished its purpose.

Breaking them down into categories helps, but it still begs the question, “So, why should I care about them now?”

The Law shows that God is good and wise. God pioneered the justice, equality, and fair reparation when wronged that we applaud today. God built systems that took care of vulnerable widows, orphans, and foreigners. God designed practical methods that led to health and human flourishing.

The Law shows that God takes sin seriously. in Leviticus 1-7 we get detailed instructions for offering sacrifices. These were meant to be like flashing neon signs saying: “sin brings death . . . sin brings death!” Sins like adultery and idol worship were punishable by death. This seems like an extreme sentence to us modern readers, because our view of sin is so light compared to God's. But the Law teaches us how serious it truly is and how much sin separates us from God.

The Law shows what pleases God. Jesus was asked what was the most important commandmen and he responded, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,” and then he dropped the proverbial mic with his last line, “The entire Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40)
From 600+ down to just two: Love God and love people.
Simple, but profound.

Don’t skip over these parts. Don’t miss out on what God is explaining.

#2: Long Genealogies
In the New Testament we encounter names like John and Mark, Mary and Lydia. We have locations like Rome and Jerusalem and Israel. Familiar names and familiar places. But in the Old Testament we get verses like “In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him went out and defeated the Rephaites in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh Kiriathaim” (Genesis 14:5). Foreign places and odd names.

Then to make matters worse, we come up against these long lists of odd names. You never want to get stuck having to read one of these out loud!

So, why are they there?

These genealogies trace the line of God’s people through the story of God’s redemption plan. Remember, the Bible is one unified story pointing to Jesus. He is the main attraction. So tracing the line of descendants from Adam and Eve forward keeps us tuned in to what is most important, or really who is most important — the promised Messiah who will one day come to defeat evil and save the day.

Even the opening lines of the New Testament are a genealogy of Jesus’ ancestors. What’s awesome about that list is that we know the stories of some of those names (if we’ve read the Old Testament). People like David who committed adultery and had a man murdered, people like Judah who sold his brother into slavery, people like Rahab who was a prostitute, or Solomon who worshiped other gods. I’m not saying we need to memorize these genealogies or camp out for weeks studying names we can’t pronounce. I’m saying appreciate how important people are to God. Notice how God worked his patient and loving plan through real, sinful people. Why would God choose to work this way?

Because Jesus welcomes forgiven sinners into his family.
Because God graciously chooses to work through people like that, people like us, and still does today.

That’s why if you’ve been tracing these genealogies through the whole Bible, when you finally get to lines like Galatians 4:4, it should give you chills, “when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son”. The genealogies remind us it’s not about us, but about Him. They point to the hero of the story!

#3: Precise Tabernacle and Temple Details
The Tabernacle was a mobile worship center. This portable tent served as the Jews' temple while they wandered in the wilderness for forty years on their way to the promised land. The tabernacle was custom designed by God Himself, who gave precise instructions on its construction to Moses. In Exodus 25-27 and 35-40 the extensive details are laid out.

Then, a couple hundred years later, the Tabernacle was replaced by the more permanent Temple. We get the lengthy details for this in 1 Kings 5-8. These buildings were places where God promised his presence would be and where he invited his people to interact with them (Exodus 25:8).

So, why are these buildings so important to the biblical authors?
What do some ancient buildings have to do with us today?

God’s plan all along was to dwell with his people. Remember, that’s what life was like in the Garden of Eden. The writer of Hebrews says the Tabernacle, and later the Temple, were “copies of the true things” and “a shadow of the good things to come” (Hebrews 8:5; 10:1).

The New Testament writers continue to use temple language, but they are no longer concerned with a building. When they write about the temple, they are talking about the people of God, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19)
You, your physical body, is the temple—God’s temple.

We no longer have to offer up lambs for sacrifice, because Jesus was our sacrifice.
We no longer have to have a representative once a year to approach God, we can approach him every hour of every day, and pray boldly.
We no longer have to travel to Jerusalem or build a building in order to meet with God.
Now, the people of God are the temple and we take God’s presence to the world. He is calling you to function as a little temple today, wherever you are.

That’s why the Holy Spirit coming at Pentecost was so significant! He made a way for God to not only dwell with his people but for God to dwell in his people.

Different But Relevant
The Bible, with all of its many wonderful and strange parts, is designed by God and inspired by God, not just for the 21st-century-Western-middle-class culture, but for thousands of cultures around the world spread over thousands of years. All of which are dramatically different from each other.

So, it’s completely normal, even expected, that there will be parts that we find difficult to understand. Parts that don’t seem relevant or important to us. When that happens, my prayer is that you lean in.

There’s so much there. After all, the Old Testament was the only Bible Jesus had. Jesus cherished it, memorized it, quoted it, and most importantly, lived it out. In this article I just touched the surface, because the old testament is incredible! It is filled with some of the most beautiful poetry, applicable wisdom, and astonishing stories. God wants us to use it to teach and encourage you...even in the “boring” parts.

Evan Wehrle
Young Adults Pastor