Three Daily Verses by David Newell

There are three important stages in studying any part of God’s word:

1. What does the passage say? (Call it Comprehension)
2. What does the passage teach? (Call it Interpretation)
3. How does the passage apply? (Call it, of course, Application)

In Three Daily Verses, David Newell meets all three criteria, and does so par excellence. This volume is a most welcome addition to the helps already available in reading and studying the Word of God.

It goes without saying that the Lord’s people are well advised to work to a yearly plan when it comes to reading the Scriptures. A little ‘ditty’ by Amos R. Wells (1862-1933) puts it like this:

Yes, I thought I knew my Bible,
Reading piecemeal hit or miss;           
Now a part of John or Matthew,         
Then a bit of Genesis.                             

Certain chapters of Isaiah,
Certain Psalms, the 23rd;        
First of Proverbs, 12th of Romans;
Yes, I thought I knew the Word.

Try a worthier procedure,
Try a broad and steady view,
You will kneel in awesome wonder
When you read the Bible through.

Many believers commence each year by reading Genesis chapter 1 and continuing to read through the Scriptures consecutively until they reach Revelation chapter 22 at the end of December. Bravo! This is an excellent practice.

A helpful alternative is available in the One Year Bible, which provides the reader with daily unabridged and consecutive passages from the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Psalms (twice repeated) and the book of Proverbs. The presentation of the Scriptures in this way is highly recommended! It has the merit of keeping the reader in touch with every part of the Word of God every day!

While Three Daily Verses follows the overall pattern of the One Year Bible in that it also keeps the reader in daily touch with, in this case, selected passages from different parts of the Word of God, it does not and was never intended to replace reading the Scriptures in their entirety. David Newell would be horrified at the very suggestion! Three Daily Verses is an encouragement to read the Scriptures widely and consecutively. In his own words, “The daily Bible reading scheme printed in the Choice Gleanings Calendar leads the believer through the Scriptures in a year. It involves encountering every day a portion from two Old Testament books and one New Testament book. This method provides an excellent way of digesting the entirety of God’s self-revelation on a regular systematic basis” (emphasis mine).

The reader will immediately recognise that brother Newell has compiled Three Daily Verses with due reference to the injunction, “Let all things be done decently and in order” (1 Cor 14.40). The verses cited are not presented in ‘higgledy-piggledy’   fashion, and readers will quickly note that there is an orderly progress throughout the book. The three passages quoted on January 1st go hand-in-hand with the three passages quoted on January 2nd et al. Moreover, while the Commentary does so much to deepen and enrich our appreciation of the Lord Jesus, and our understanding of God’s Word and will for us, there are occasions which will make us ‘sit up with a start’! David Newell does not hesitate, where necessary, to remind us that the local assembly is the place of which we ought to say, “Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth” (Ps 26.8).

This reviewer has no doubt that having commenced to read Three Daily Verses (perhaps at the beginning of each day) not a few will say, as did Jeremiah, “Thy words were found, and I did eat them, and thy word was unto me, the joy and rejoicing of my heart” (Jer 15.16). See Three Daily Verses, September 15th (pages 528/529).