A few years ago, I stumbled across a passage of the Old Testament that I had probably read dozens of times, but never really noticed. But once it grabbed my attention, I haven’t been able to let it go. It has been on my mind ever since.

The passage is found in the book of Deuteronomy, one of the most encouraging books of the Old Testament. In chapter seventeen, at the end of the chapter, you find some instructions for the king. This is included:

Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. It shall be with him and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes, that his heart may not be lifted up above his countrymen and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or the left, so that he and his sons may continue long in his kingdom in the midst of Israel.

This passage gives the kings of Israel the instruction to hand copy the Scriptures.  And from this passage, I see a couple of specific benefits for our lives. And from my own practice of this discipline, I see a few more.

We learn to fear the Lord

I think we’ve let go of the biblical idea of “the fear of the Lord” in recent times. We elevate God’s attributes such as love and compassion, and ignore such things as his wrath and discipline to a large extent. But to fear the Lord is commanded in both the Old and the New Testament. This isn’t simply a healthy respect or reverence, but fear. God is powerful. He is mighty. We should tremble before him. And nothing teaches us that like God’s very own words to us.

We lose our pride

This passage from Deuteronomy gives another benefit. Creating our own copy of the Scriptures helps us keep the proper perspective of ourselves, as well as others. If we ignore God’s word, we begin to think more highly of ourselves than we ought, leading to pride, and eventually causing us to disregard God completely. Copying the words of God for ourselves helps to prevent this.

We gain deeper insights

As I hand copy the Bible, I notice things that I’ve never caught before while reading. I’m certain that this is due to the fact that I’m processing things much more slowly as I write than I do when I read, allowing me more time to contemplate and apply them into my life. I catch things that I probably would have missed in a straight forward reading of the text. And we retain things better when we write them down.

We appreciate God’s Word more

The message from God to us is a very important part of our spiritual lives. Taking it lightly is to treat it with less respect than it deserves. As I copy the words of God by hand, I can feel his intentions for those words coming to life in my life. I respect his instructions more. I gain more and more love for his word the more I write.

We deepen our spiritual walk

Creating a copy of the Scriptures by hand deepens my walk with Christ. The simple act of spending more time in his Word allows it to affect my life and promote growth in almost every area, from my personal thoughts and actions, to family life, to my relationships with friends and the community, to my finances, and every other aspect of my life that I can think of. I’m a better person because I’m allowing God’s Word to transform my life moment by moment.

I initially started this process a couple of years ago, beginning with the book of Proverbs. I wrote all thirty-one chapters of that book into a couple of pocket-sized Field Notes notebooks. From there, I shifted to the New Testament, copying several of the shorter letters of Paul. And now, I am about to finish the Gospel of John. I don’t tell you this to pat myself on the back, but to encourage you, and show you that this is a completely feasible approach to taking God’s Word into our lives.

From here, I plan on copying the book of Acts. Understanding the history of the early church is a critical part of how we look at church today, and writing it for myself will help me understand it better.

So what’s the best way to accomplish this? That’s up to you. As I mentioned, I wrote Proverbs into a couple of Field Notes notebooks. I copied John and Paul’s letters using Journibles, a journal designed with this idea in mind. Journibles come already pre-printed with chapter and verse references on the pages, so you know at a glance where you are. But a simple Moleskine journal would be sufficient. I plan on using a hardcover Moleskine when I attempt the Psalms. In that case, I’d format it much like the Journibles I’ve used, copying the passages on the right hand pages, and leaving the left side for insights and thoughts.

Any way you do it, creating a hand copy of Scripture it is sure to help you grow. If you are looking for a way to deepen your faith, give this a try. I know you’ll be surprised at just how much it can impact your life.

Question: Have you ever hand copied large portions of the Bible? What was your experience like? You can leave a comment by clicking here.