I think we need to consider how good it is to read the Bible to the kids for our own benefit. Kids see things with a wonder that adults sometimes lack. Yes, reading to kids can be hard work sometimes, but let me encourage you, your kids are listening. And sometimes, their childlike approach to God’s word can encourage and edify you as well.
A few months ago, we started reading the book of 1 Kings with our kids during family worship. It starts off with a bang. You get the death of David, the beef with Adonijah and Solomon, the beginning of Solomon’s reign and wisdom, and then, starting in chapter five, we hit the building of the temple. Now, my oldest son is 8, and I’ll just say I was a little skeptical of how this information would be received. We’re not fancy at my house; we read the passage and discuss. And I’ll be honest, sometimes I zone out when I read through these descriptions of the temple, so I was afraid the same thing was gonna happen with them. Boy was I wrong.
These kids were all in. I’m reading about dimensions and windows and pomegranates, and they were eating it up. They were begging to look at our study Bible that had all of the pictures. Every night they were enthusiastically waiting for the next passage about the temple. They marveled at rooms completely overlaid with gold. They loved trying to envision the lions engraved on the walls, the giant cherubim with touching wings, and the oxen holding up 12,000 gallons of water. Not to mention all of the basins and pitchers and lamps and the altar. They were able to hear God’s word with joyful anticipation. They were willing to see wonderful things from God’s law.