The sincerest form of learning
George Bernard Shaw famously noted;
"Imitation is not the sincerest form of flattery- It's the sincerest form of learning."
We all have some experience of this truth.
I learned my tennis serve by copying the best player at our club, who used an extremely abbreviated swing; my daughter learns new songs by copying drummers on YouTube, not by making up her own, and Benjamin Franklin taught himself to write by copying out articles from the Spectator.
Indeed, 'copy work,' as it is formally known, was used to teach children correct grammar, punctuation, syntax, tone, and rhythm for centuries.
As I explained in an earlier article , copying out Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run" introduced me to the almost furtive pleasure of copying out other writer's words, and Israel's Kings, upon ascending the throne, were required to make a copy of the law in their own hand, for themselves.
“When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites.
It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees…”
Deuteronomy 17:18-19 (NIV)
God's purpose for this discipline is clear. When you do this, you will learn to revere the Lord and follow the law carefully because by copying out His word, we develop a deeper sense of intimacy with Him.
The command is to handwrite for yourself a copy of God's word. While we are not Kings, we can still benefit from this command and, in so doing, learn to revere God and His laws as we should.
What's so great about handwriting?
The reason copying out the Bible is so effective for your study and appreciation is simple:
Handwriting a Bible passage forces you to slow down and allows your brain to actually hardwire the words, their structure, and their context.
Instead of just reading and immediately forgetting what you've read, you're actively programming biblical 'muscle memory' with the lessons the Bible has for you into your head and your heart.
If you'd like to delve much more deeply into the specific mental and physical benefits of handwriting as a practice, I do so in this article.
As the command in Deuteronomy stresses, there is something inherent in the act of copying out God's word that increases reverence and care for the Law and for the Lord.
This is both a promise and an encouragement to us.
You can expect to experience an increase in reverence for God and a natural increase in your care for Him and his law simply by committing to this practice.
For the past three weeks, we've been digging deeply into the attributes of God and experienced for ourselves that God's attributes form an essential part of His call and care for us.
We have two more weeks to go in this series before taking a short break. My hope and prayer for you is that these daily prompts and your diligence in copying out the word of God are deepening your relationship with Him in new and exciting ways.
Andy
God's Word In Your Hand
"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword; it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."
Hebrews 4:12
