Here is an easy way to find out if you are a legalist (someone who is obsessed with following rules), a libertine (someone who wants to push every boundary) or somewhere in between, but it will only work if you are going through a daily Bible reading plan.
This is the test: On the day's your Bible reading plan assigns you to read lists (genealogies, land assignments, etc.), how do you do feel?
A. Rejoice! You can skim over today's reading quick.
B. Conflicted. You know you are going to skim the list and feel bad about it afterwards.
C. *Sigh* You're going to read them all, even though you really don't like doing it.
D. Holy! You love reading boring lists because God inspired it.
If you answered A:
You are an extreme libertine, looking for the chance to do as little as possible and liking it.
If you answered B:
You are a moderate libertine, doing little, but trying to make up for it by feeling bad.
If you answered C:
You are a moderate legalist, doing all that you feel you should, despite your feelings.
If you answered D:
You are an extreme liar, who needs to repent, because nobody enjoys reading those lists.
Obviously, I'm being a little tongue in cheek here. I'm in the middle of a massive list right now in 1 Chronicles that is several chapters long detailing the descendants of every tribe of Israel.
If I'm honest, I would probably be a B. If I'm reading through those sections in a Bible reading plan, I skim through, but sometimes I feel bad about doing it. I usually glance over the lists and look for variations of the pattern, searching for moments where the author broke from his usual style to insert something of note.
How do you approach the long lists during your Bible reading plan?
How do you approach the long lists during your Bible reading plan?
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