How Many Licks?

“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!” (Romans 11:33 NIV)

There’s an advertisement with the lead line, “How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?”  Several animals give the answer, “I don’t know, I always bite first.”  The question is finally asked of the wisest animal, the owl.   His answer is to try it, and takes one lick, two licks, three licks, and then he bites it.  His answer is “Three.”  Scientific inquiries have come up with the answers of 144 to 3481.  I’ve tried it, and I’ve been unable to come up with a definite number, but my answer is closer to the owl’s than the scientist’s.   I’ve never been able to be patient enough to get to the center only by licking.  

What a silly way this is to introduce a Christian blog.  I don’t mean to be disrespectful of the Scriptures, but if you will bear with me, I do have an analogy.  I’ve read many Scriptures that I find interesting and somewhat satisfying upon first reading, but I know there is more there.  I have just scratched the surface, but if I take my time and continue to read it—slowly—I keep getting additional satisfaction.  I know there is still  a lot more there, but I haven’t gotten to the core of its meaning yet.  As I continue to read—slowly—I continue to receive more and more insight.  The temptation is to crunch to get to the center—ask the Lord about the meaning.  Whenever I do that, I sometimes get an answer that satisfies me, and I move on.  But other times, I continue reading the Scripture—slowly—and I gain further insight, and I am intrigued to continue to reread the Scripture—slowly—and I obtain more insight.  What a great way this is to garner insight into God’s Word.  I don’t think I have ever gotten to the absolute core of any Scripture, but I have always received great insight into the Heart of God.  Scripture is different from a Tootsie Pop.  The Lord has put many more layers in His Word than the makers of the Tootsie Pop could ever put in their pieces of candy, and the crunch to the center is much more satisfying.  Thank you, Lord, for the satisfaction you give us any time we “crunch” through a Scripture and ask for insight.